Q: Where can I get some RoosRoast right now?
A: Try the order coffee page, where you can buy online, by phone, or from one of several locations in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area.
Q: Do you grow your own coffee?
A: No. As much as I would love to, coffee doesn’t grow in Michigan. Coffee grows in equatorial regions all over the world and ripens and is produced and available depending on it’s relation to the seasonal movements of the earth at different periods and quantities annually.
Q: Is it true that the best and most expensive coffee in the world comes from monkee poo?
A: Yes and no. There is actually a very expensive coffee from Indonesia called “Kopi Luwak” which is made from coffee beans passed through the digestive system of a small animal called a “Palm Civet”. It’s not a monkey, it’s more like a cat, and we haven’t tried the coffee so we don’t know if it tastes so great. Learn more at TruthOrFiction.com.
Q: What is the best way to make excellent coffee?
A: You will need a clean coffee maker, a clean coffee pot, freshly roast coffee, and clean water or a clean water source. Think the exact opposite of those institutional coffee makers that use ground, pre-portioned coffee with a boiler that holds hot water and are never de-scaled.
Buy Roos Roast and let the ritual begin. Let it rest for about 3-5 days from the roast date. Grind it to order, (a Burr Grinder is best).
Use 2 level tablespoons per cup, dampen the grounds. (Call me if you want me to explain but you should notice the grounds come alive and react with the hot water water, much like yeast and sugar.)
Wait a few minutes, then hit brew or add the water if you’re using a pour over or French press.
Watch your temperature. Just before boiling is best. If the water is too hot it can burn the coffee if it’s too cold it won’t extract all the great coffee flavor. (Test this out for yourself, your temperature should be between 170 and 200 degrees.)
Take the time to relax and enjoy it. Now you’re making excellent coffee. Our favorite coffee maker at this point is the Aeropress. Makes a single cup of perfect coffee every time.
Q: What’s the best way to store coffee?
A: The best way to store coffee is in your gullet. Drink it up!
Seriously, air is the enemy of coffee. So, if say you in the Alaskan tundra and can’t get RoosRoast fresh roast delivered, make sure you store your beans in an air-tight container away from the sunlight. In fact, we sell the perfect container for this. It’s called an Airscape.
Q: What’s the best way to grind coffee?
A: Fresh grinding the coffee is important but using a burr grinder makes for an even better tasting brew. The burr grinder forces the beans between two turning blades which cuts more angles on each ground and allow for more surface area of the coffee to be exposed to water.
Q: How long does coffee last?
A: Coffee needs to de-gas for at least 24 hours after roasting. (You can still drink it but all of the great flavor hasn’t developed)
After much testing I’m convinced that if you know the roast date, coffee that is one month old is actually still wonderful! Working backward 5 days after roasting you’ll see the rich oils come to the bean surface and in between 5 and thirty days your drinking great coffee.
Q: Is it true that dark roast coffee is stronger and more caffeinated?
A: No! The darker the roast, the less caffeine the coffee has. And strong coffee is really about the ratio of coffee to water. Dark roast coffee simply means there’s more ‘fire’ in the bean. Think of a dark roast nut.
Though Peet’s Coffee in Berkley were the first to popularize dark roast coffee in America, Starbucks was the first roaster to mass-market dark roast and in some cases burned coffee. Freeze dried instant, pre ground canned, or the ever-popular New York City style light roast coffee in the Greek looking paper cups was out. It took a good 20 years to spread the taste of dark roast into the collective consciousness of Americans coffee drinkers.
If you like a dark roast, try our Rich French Neighbor. If you want more caffeine and want to taste more of the berry in the coffee, try one of our lighter roasts like Cowboy Blend.
Q: Why do great restaurants often have such bad coffee?
A: Because most restaurants have a coffee service and the coffee service provides them with pre ground, pre-portioned, pre-stale, pre-nasty tasting coffee ready to be brewed and left to sit till that amount runs out. Coffee should be freshly roast within 3 weeks, ground to order, brewed with hot 200 degree clean water with a clean machine into a clean pot.
Q: What does a good cup of coffee taste like?
A: It tastes new, whole, crisp, and distinctive. Your curiosity is perked, your tongue jumping and saying “Yo!” It leaves you wondering: “is there more?” A good cup of coffee tastes clean and whole, void of that dry, old, stale tongue flapping (this is an acquired taste gag reflex most people have).
Q: Where do I roast?
A: We are now officially roasting at:
1155 Rosewood Street Suite B
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Drop by and see how it’s done!
Q:Where do you get your beans?
A: Good question. Sourcing the best coffee from my favorite equatorial regions is the most important aspect of being a roaster behind YOU the customer. I’m probably going to have a heart attack at 57 because of the quantities of coffee I drink as sample sent to my by numerous importers of fair trade,organic and directly traded coffee. I love it because it puts me back in the position of chef DE cuisine, or should I say, “Chef de Bean.” Roasting, touching, smelling, selling, living the coffee every day of the week!
Q: Are you still painting?
A: Yes, but its been on the back burner for a while…this year the coffee’s really been taking off, and I fell in crazy love and got married. So its been busy! But I am reinventing my studio space, and will be back at it soon. You’re hopefully also seeing my artwork in new ways, on t-shirts (available at the market) and posters at Cafe Verde, Sparrow Market, and the Produce Station. Look for em!
Q: Did Hilary Swank ever pay you?
A: Not officially. But she did hook me up to bring the “off the grid” espresso machine to her movie set so I could pour espresso drinks for the gliteratti. The director liked the coffee so much that he invited me back the next day! So Hilary is officially forgiven.
Q: What does “off the grid” mean?
A: Off the map… under the radar… not GPS friendly. In my case, the “off the grid” espresso machine is completely mobile, and I can pour coffee shots anywhere, anytime. It has its own power source, and you can see it in action every week at the Farmer’s Market. Its also available for parties, barmitzvahs, and weddings. Let’s talk.
Q: How’s the local bike delivery going?
A: It’s great! I’m currently converting a used high tech running stroller from the recycle center into a bike trailer to carry more coffee. I am also considering skateboard delivery, while pushing the stroller. Only at Roos Roast. I’m modifying delivery price to $3 so I can donate $1 of every delivery to make the Ann Arbor Skate Park a reality. Help me make this happen, beautiful people!
Q: Did I really sell Subarus?
A: Yes. This is in fact how I started roasting coffee. A bag of freshly roasted coffee was the perfect reward for signing on the dotted line. Pretty soon, people were coming to the dealership not to buy a car but to pick up a bag of coffee. And the rest is history.
Q: Do I do what I love and love what I do?
A: Yes! Thank you so much for supporting me and lovin the coffee. Keep on keepin on!