Art, Science, and Mystery of Coffee Roasting

When we started roasting coffee we didn't know first crack from second crack from second fiddle. And trying to find help on the Internet was hopeless. So we created our Coffee Roasting Tip Number 1 video explaining just what first crack was.

However we continued to get questions about second crack, and how to tell when first cracks ends and second crack starts. From experience we can say figuring out second crack was not an easy thing. Coffee roasting is as much art as it is science.

Hopefully our new Coffee Roasting Tip Number 2 video will help with this mystery.

What exactly is First Crack?

And What's the difference between First Crack and Second Crack?

And, just because we're The Caffeinated Parrot, Parrots!

Yes, you read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee. Handforged 100% Parrot Friendly Coffee. Any questions about coffee, coffee roasting, or parrots? Please contact us there.

¿Estás Listo Para Un Cierto Fútbol? Oaxaca Parrots

¿Estás listo para un cierto fútbol? Some people have fantasy football teams. We have an entire fantasy football league! Liga de Fútbol de México.

Coffee Parrot Coffee Oaxaca Parrots Sweatshirt by TheParrotCafe

Coffee Parrot Coffee Red Tail Brand Zygodactyl Blend

Zygodactyl Blend, the Caffeinated Parrot's very first microroast blend, a full body Full City roast combining the finest Organic, Shade Grown, Fair Trade Ethiopian and Brazilian coffees, in homage to both the birthplace of coffee and the New World home of the most endangered parrots in the world including the Hyacinth macaw. We are proud to feature our Hyacinth macaw and Spokesparrot Princess Tara on our new label. And yes, Princess Tara really is a princess. Her parents are a Duke and a Duchess.

Brazil Fazenda Passeio

Fazenda is the Portuguese word for ranch or plantation. Fazenda Passeio is located in the southern part of the Brazilian State with the Middle Earth-sounding name of Minas Gerais, where an abundance of specialty coffees are grown. Headed by Rodolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira, the estate focuses on not only the production of fine coffees, but the preservation of the surrounding environment. Situated at an elevation of about 3,500 feet, 130 hectares are devoted to the production of coffee. The Vieria Ferreira family has been producing coffee in the region for over three generations. Their aim is to improve and increase productivity with respect to the environment and the local workforce, which is a large part of the operation. There is a strong emphasis on social improvement as well. All of the local workers receive social support, such as schooling for their children, workforce training, and environmental education.

The coffee is picked by hand. This is quite rare for Brazil. The coffee is pulped the same day to avoid the possibility of fermentation. It is then dried on the patio for a few days before it is placed in the mechanical drier to finish. The coffee is rested for 45 to 60 days and then sorted to eliminate defects before it is readied for export.

Fazenda Passeio is full bodied with a mix of dark chocolate, dried fruit, and earthy flavors. Blue Tara Brazilian is a Full Body Full City Roast.

Ethiopia Yirgachefe Bunna

Bunna is the Ethiopian word for coffee. The sweet flavors and aromas of Ethiopia Yirgachefe Bunna or coffee are its strongest assets along with a medium to light body. Ethiopian Yirgachefe is very spicy and fragrant, often with a slightly chocolate or nutty quality. Subtleties include notes of citrus or tangerine (which is why Ethiopian Yirgachefe is often preferred for iced coffee). Ethiopian Yirgachefe is known for its bright and shining acidity and clean taste. An array of sensual floral notes gives Ethiopian Yirgachefe a wonderfully bright complexity in its aromatic qualities. Often Ethiopian Yirgachefe will exhibit tones of toasted coconut. Also noted are cedar sensations with a background of caramelly chocolate. Coffee connoisseurs appreciate not only the delicate orange blossom fragrance of Ethiopian Yirgachefe, but also its sweet and elegant finish that is typically very clean like the flavor. ​Ethiopian Yirgachefe is grown at elevations ranging from about 5,800 feet above sea level to 6,600 feet. Few of the world's finest coffees are grown at such high elevations as these Yirgachefes. The town of Yirgachefe is located in central southern Ethiopia in the Gedeo Zone named after the Gedeo people. The Gedeo region extends along the eastern escarpment of the highlands of Ethiopia

Get your Coffee Parrot Coffee Red Tail Brand Zygodactyl Blend whole bean coffee at The Caffeinated Parrot: CoffeeParrot.Coffee. You read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee.

The Smell of Coffee Makes Women More Likely To Give Out Their Phone Number

We have a feeling that coffee sales are going to go up. Way up! Hey guys. The smell of coffee makes women more likely to give out their phone number. This story, in its entirety, appeared on the website Barking Up The Wrong Tree under the head 5 Things You Need To Know About That Wonder-Beverage, Coffee:

• In terms of what we desire throughout the average day we wish for coffee slightly less than sex and a bit more than alcohol. Regular drinkers don’t really get a boost from coffee, they just get their fix. In fact when you haven’t had your coffee everything with caffeine tastes better. The strategic use of coffee can make you more persuasive. The smell of coffee actually makes people nicer to one another.

• The smell of coffee makes women more likely to give out their phone number. Anything that gets the adrenaline flowing increases sexual arousal so coffee and a roller coaster might be an excellent date idea. When things get stressful coffee is a good idea for women but not for men. Coffee has also been shown to reduce depression in women. Pregnant women definitely should not drink it. (Alcohol — in modest amounts — during pregnancy can actually be a good thing.)

• Coffee and cigarettes make you smarter but lung cancer sucks so better stick to coffee and donuts, another combo which boosts brainpower. The caffeine and glucose one-two punch can work in many forms, actually: Red Bull boosts cognitive performance too. Just looking at Red Bull can be an enhancer.

• Coffee helped produce some of the great works of literature: ask Balzac. Then again, if you want to be creative maybe you don’t need more coffee: you’re more creative when you’re exhausted. Or maybe you want to drink something else: you’re more creative when you’re drunk too. (Adding Red Bull to Vodka doesn’t make you function better but it will make you think you do.) To make sure you’re productive after a nap drink a cup of coffee right before laying down. (Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in.) This is your brain on coffee.
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• Most importantly, what’s the best way to use caffeine? Got you covered: a neuroscientist gives you all the details you need.
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• To this story we can only add our credo: Drink More Coffee! You can sleep when you're dead.

This Some Serious Gourmet Shit

The Gourmet Coffee scene from one of our favorite movies of all time, Pulp Fiction, the movie that proved John Travolta can really act, costaring the inimitable Samuel L. Jackson as one of the most erudite coffee loving killers in movie history:

Coffee Parrot Coffee Seattle 12th Parrot Blend

Go Seattle Seahawks!

Find this and our other fine handforged 100% parrot friendly whole bean coffees on our Red Tail Brand label at CoffeeParrot.Coffee. You read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee!

Flat White Before There Was Flat White

Before Starbucks, Coffee Parrot Coffee's Original Flat White

Featuring Our Male Goffin's Cockatoo Kid Kadra

Qahwa: The Wine of the Gods

We are followers of the Prophet Kaldi, the Ethiopian goat herder living in the Kingdom of Kaffa in ancient Ethiopia who discovered the Tree of Life, the Coffea arabica or coffee tree. Legend holds that Kaldi noticed that his goats became energized after eating a certain berry. Kaldi sampled the berries with the same effect. In his excitement he sought to have his discovery blessed by a Muslim holy man. Instead, the holy man tossed the beans into a fire in disgust. The subsequent enticing aroma caused Kaldi to create the world's first cup of coffee after recovering the burned beans and dropping them into hot water.

Although discovered in Ethiopia, the earliest cultivation of coffee was in Yemen. The Yemenis gave coffee the Arabic name Qahwa, from which our words coffee and cafe both derive. Qahwa originally meant wine, and Sufi mystics in Yemen used coffee as an aid to concentration and even spiritual intoxication when they chanted the name of God. Fitting that coffee is considered the Wine of the Gods! And the making of coffee was considered an act of subversion against the authorities. But that's a whole different story!

To pay homage to Kaldi we've been searching for the perfect Ethiopian coffee. Not finding anything on the market we liked we created our own brand!

In homage to the Birthplace of Coffee, Ethiopia, we are thrilled to offer our own Red Tail Brand Ethiopia Yirgachefe Bunna. Bunna is the Ethiopian word for coffee. We have a distinct preference for Latin American coffees, but this Ethiopian coffee is the exception. Medium Dark body. Full City roast. This is an exquisite example of how good Ethiopian coffee can be. This natural processed Ethiopia Yirgachefe Bunna is very spicy and fragrant, with a slightly chocolate or nutty quality. Subtleties include notes of citrus or tangerine (which is why Ethiopian Yirgachefe is often preferred for iced coffee). If you like a smooth, medium dark body coffee then you have found your coffee! Packed in reclosable stand-up foil valve bag. Whole bean only.

When you have your first cup of coffee of the day, be sure to bow to the East and praise the Prophet Kaldi, the discoverer of the Tree of Life!

And while you're drinking your Ethiopian coffee, show your support for the birthplace of coffee. Wear Your Yellow!

Princess Tara Meet Princess Tara

Princess Tara. Meet Princess Tara

Handforged 100% Parrot Friendly Coffee

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha. Blue Tara Blend

Not your momma's cup of coffee. CoffeeParrot.Coffee is pleased to introduce our first Medium-Dark Full City Plus Roast. Blue Tara Blend. The perfect winter brew. Perfect for winter. Great for summer. Best for breakfast, but for a coffee aficionado good any time of day. Handforged whole bean 100% Parrot Friendly coffee.

Blue Tara Blend

Brazil Fazenda Colina

Fazenda is the Portuguese word for ranch or plantation. Situated at an altitude of 3200 feet, Fazenda Colina is located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Fazenda Colina is one of the only wholly certified organic farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil. They have been certified since 2007. The farm is about 76 hectares (about 188 acres) in total with about 50 hectares of coffee trees. Along with organic certification, the farm has also been certified Biodynamic, which is a testament to their dedication to care for the nutrition of the soils, the coffee trees, and the environment. The flavor profile of dry processed Brazilian coffee beans is dominated by dried fruit. The Fazenda Colina bean is distinct in its balance and sweetness, while still bringing a characteristically strong body, dense mouth-feel, and low acidity. Fazenda Colina has a rich buttery aroma with dark chocolate and cherry notes, a balanced, deep taste, and a lingering finish.

Ethiopia Yirgachefe Bunna

Bunna is the Ethiopian word for coffee. The sweet flavors and aromas of Ethiopian Yirgachefe Bunna or coffee are its strongest assets along with a medium to light body. Ethiopian Yirgachefe is very spicy and fragrent, often with a slightly chocolate or nutty quality. Subtleties include notes of citrus or tangerine (which is why Ethiopian Yirgachefe is often preferred for iced coffee). Ethiopian Yirgachefe is known for its bright and shining acidity and clean taste. An array of sensual floral notes gives Ethiopian Yirgachefe a wonderfully bright complexity in its aromatic qualities. Often Ethiopian Yirgachefe will exhibit tones of toasted coconut. Also noted are cedar sensations which a background of caramelly chocolate. Coffee connoisseurs appreciate not only the delicate orange blossom fragrance of Ethiopian Yirgachefe but also its sweet and elegant finish that is typically very clean like the flavor. ​Ethiopian Yirgachefe is grown at elevations ranging from about 5,800 feet above sea level to 6,600 feet. Few of the world's finest coffees are grown at such high elevations as these Yirgachefes. The town of Yirgachefe is located in central southern Ethiopia in the Gedeo Zone named after the Gedeo people. The Gedeo region extends along the eastern escarpment of the highlands of Ethiopia.

8 Ounces, Whole Bean. Packed in reclosable stand-up foil valve bag. $12.00

Get yours from CoffeeParrot.Coffee. Your read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee.

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

Repurposing Those Old Coffee Mugs

If you're like us you probably have cabinets full of old coffee mugs. Once proudly holding your favorite cup of joe. Or tea. Now just collecting dust. What to do with your old mugs you just can't bear to part with?

Well, repurpose them. Repurpose. Verb.

To reuse for a different purpose, on a long-term basis, without alteration. Example: The town common was repurposed as a practice field.

Use your old but beloved coffee mugs to hold your kitchen scrub sponges or your kitchen utensils.

Still have mugs left over? Cook with them. In our never ending effort to simplify life we're searching for meals that can be prepared in a coffee mug:

Got any ideas of your own? Please share them with us. Best idea wins a TheParrotCafe.com tee shirt.

Drowned in Coffee. Affogato: The Elixir of the Gods

Summer is here. Hot. Hot. Hot! Did we say Hot! But never fear. We have the perfect antidote to summer heat: Coffee and Ice Cream. Better know as Affogato, the Elixir of the Gods. And it couldn't be more simple to make.

An affogato is a traditional Italian espresso-based treat that you’ll find on the menu at many Italian restaurants, as well as at many cafes serving espresso and other coffee drinks. The full name is affogato al cafe or “drowned in coffee,” in Italian. The name really suits the dessert, as it consists of a scoop of ice cream or gelato with a shot of hot espresso poured over the top. How could it be more simple than that. And the taste. Exquisite.

The basic recipe is subject to an almost infinite number of variations. Using different coffee drinks, different ice cream flavors and different ratios of the two items. But true affogato is made with espresso. Don't have an espresso machine? You can make affogato at home with your favorite coffee, just brew it extra strong so you only need to pour a small amount over the ice cream. Start with vanilla, as it really suits the coffee, but feel free to experiment with chocolate or coffee-flavored ice cream, as well! Our preference is for peanut butter chocolate.

Of course for the best affogato, start with the best ingredients, particularly the best 100% Arabica parrot friendly organic shade grown fair trade coffee from CoffeeParrot.Coffee. You read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee.

Bon Appétit!

Celebrating the Birthplace of Coffee

We are followers of the Prophet Kaldi, the lowly Ethiopian goat herder living in the ancient African Kingdom of Kaffa in about the Ninth Century who discovered the Tree of Life, the Coffea arabica or coffee tree. Kaldi noticed that his goats became unusually energized after eating a certain local berry. He sampled the berry with the same effect. Excited about this miracle, he rushed to share the berries with his local Muslim holy man, or imam. The holy man was so disgusted with the berries he tossed them in a fire and stormed away. Kaldi however noticed an entrancing aroma coming from the burnt berries in the fire, so he recovered the berries. Still hot, he tossed the berries in some water to cool them off, thus creating the world's first cup of coffee. The foundation myth for the culture and religion of coffee. So when you have your first cup of coffee of the day, be sure to bow to the East and praise the Prophet Kaldi, the discoverer of the Tree of Life!

Ethiopian Yirgachefe Bunna

Organic Fair Trade

Bunna is the Ethiopian word for coffee. The sweet flavors and aromas of Ethiopian Yirgachefe bunna or coffee are its strongest assets along with a medium to light body. Ethiopian Yirgachefe is very spicy and fragrent, often with a slightly chocolate or nutty quality. Subtleties include notes of citrus or tangerine (which is why Ethiopian Yirgachefe is often preferred for iced coffee). Ethiopian Yirgachefe is known for its bright and shining acidity and clean taste. An array of sensual floral notes gives Ethiopian Yirgachefe a wonderfully bright complexity in its aromatic qualities. Often Ethiopian Yirgachefe will exhibit tones of toasted coconut. Also noted are cedar sensations which a background of caramelly chocolate. Coffee connoisseurs appreciate not only the delicate orange blossom fragrance of Ethiopian Yirgachefe but also its sweet and elegant finish that is typically very clean like the flavor.

​Ethiopian Yirgachefe is grown at elevations ranging from about 5,800 feet above sea level to 6,600 feet. Few of the world's finest coffees are grown at such high elevations as these Yirgachefes. The town of Yirgachefe is located in central southern Ethiopia in the Gedeo Zone named after the Gedeo people. The Gedeo region extends along the eastern escarpment of the highlands of Ethiopia.

Order your Ethiopian Yirgachefe handforged from CoffeeParrot.Coffee. You read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee.

Wear Your Yellow!

Ethiopian Coffee Sports Club FC is part of the Ethiopian Premiere Soccer League.

Like this tee shirt? Click on image

Blue Tara Brazilian

Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha

Coffee Parrot Coffee is proud to introduce a new organic coffee from Brazil, the home of the world's rarest parrots, including the Hyacinth Macaw parrot featured on our label. Our spokesparrot is a Hyacinth Macaw named Princess Tara. And Princess Tara is indeed a real princess. Her parents are a Duke and a Duchess.

Brazil Fazenda Colina

Organic Fair Trade

Situated at an altitude of 3200 feet, Fazenda Colina is located in the Brazilian state with the very Middle Earth sounding name of Minas Gerais. Fazenda is a Portuguese word meaning farm or plantation. Fazenda Colina is one of the only wholly certified organic farms in the Cerrado region of Brazil. They have been certified since 2007. The farm is about 76 hectares (188 acres) in total with about 50 hectares of coffee trees. Along with organic certification, the farm has also been certified Biodynamic, which is a testament to their dedication to care for the nutrition of the soils, the coffee trees, and the environment. The flavor profile of dry processed Brazilian coffee beans is dominated by dried fruit. The Fazenda Colina bean is distinct in its balance and sweetness while still bringing a characteristically strong body, dense mouth-feel, and low acidity. Fazenda Colina has a rich buttery aroma with dark chocolate and cherry notes, a balanced, deep taste and a lingering finish.

You will find this coffee micro-roasted to perfection only at CoffeeParrot.Coffee.

The Caffeinated Parrot

We are pleased to introduce CoffeeParrot.Coffee. You read that right. Coffee Parrot Dot Coffee. The new home of Red Tail Brand handforged 100% parrot friendly whole bean coffee, roasted to perfection by the Coffee Parrot. This has been a long journey from operating the original Parrot Cafe established in Seattle in 2003, to acquiring our own coffee roaster and operating a micro-coffee roasterie. Our new website CoffeeParrot.Coffee better reflects our current orientation.

Seattle's Original Parrot Cafe Located Near North Seattle's Haller Lake.

Our Behmor 1600 Coffee Roaster. How appropriate the Behmor nameplate sports a toucan!

Our first breakfast blend. Red Tail Brand Zygodactyl Blend. Celebrating the birthplace of coffee and the home of the rarest parrots in the world, including the Hyacinth macaw. Zygodactyl is one of our favorite words, and is a fitting descriptor for the prehistoric parrot species.

Our mission today remains the same as it was in 2003. Sell the finest organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee on the market. Organic tea, rare books and parrotphernalia as well. Come visit the Caffeinated Parrot and find out for yourself.

ParrotCafe.com Logo Featuring Spokesparrot Roxanne.

The Caffeinated Parrot: Useless Information You Don't Really Need to Know

The Caffeinated Parrot

www.coffeeparrot.com

Introducing our new website, The Caffeinated Parrot, designed for coffee addicts, caffeinated parrots, and trivia fans. Daily tidbits of totally useless information you don't really need to know, and probably wish you didn't!

Be sure to check the site every day for more useless knowledge of the day. Like they say: Knowledge is Power. Or is it: Ignorance is Bliss?