BREW GUIDES
RECIPES
Spritz Cookies
Balanced and unfussy, spritz cookies are coffee's best friend. Full of tradition and easy to customize, we're always up for a batch of these treats!
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Watermelon Cold Brew
This viral combination from Sprudge is a lovely sweet treat to cool off with.
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Spa Bean Water
Have a couple of extra cucumbers in your kitchen? Check out this easy-to-make drink that’s as refreshing as it is unique.
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Espresso Sunrise
Whether you follow internet drink trends or are just looking for something fun and new to try in the morning, this drink is definitely both!
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Popovers
A simple way to get warm bread on the table and fill your kitchen with amazing scents. Enjoy with spreads of all types!
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Drinks With Du Nord
Our spirited pals at Du Nord Craft Spirits concoct incredible liquids! We share a few favorite recipes with Cafe Frieda, a coffee liqueur.
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Cream Puffs
Delicious, elegant, and good any time of day, cream puffs are one of life’s greatest simple pleasures!
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Iced Einspänner
Despite the trendiness of some drink creations seen online, this one is so good that it's here to stay.
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Rainbow Connection Iced Coffee
Our super colorful recipe for magical times, think Strawberry Nesquik but with Coffee and a whole lot better!
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Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Once you've had your fill of rhubarb crisp and want a challenge, bust out your springform pan to try this rhubarb upside-down cake!
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Honey Cake
An ultra-moist snack cake that features two of our favorite things–coffee and local honey!
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Lavender Honey Syrup
A springy syrup that's full of floral sweetness, it's perfect for iced tea, cold brew coffee, or a delicious citrus cocktail!
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Simple Scones
A quick, infinitely-customizable recipe for delicious scones that complement a morning mug of coffee and are excellent vessels for creme fraiche and peach preserves or lemon curd!
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Crunchy Granola
Pack a container or fill your bowl with this delicious, hearty granola! Pairs perfectly with a travel mug of Tree Hugger Signature Blend.
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Trail Mix Cookies
A perfect snack on the go or a nutritious breakfast treat, these trail mix cookies are ready for adventure! Fill a thermos and pack a few for a hike and enjoy fuel for the journey!
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Lemon Sweet Rolls With Cream Cheese Icing
For Sunday Brunch or if you feel the need for a midweek treat, we recommend these insanely delicious Lemon Sweet Rolls. The dough is made the night before and comes together quickly in the morning, yum!
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Holiday M&M™ Cookies
A crowd-pleasing recipe that's sure to have a short stay on your kitchen counter, these adaptable M&M™ sugar cookies are some of our favorites after a holiday meal!
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Peanut Butter Blossoms
Does the perfect cookie exist? If it did, this one would be in the running near the top of the list. Soft and moist on the inside with just enough crunch, it's a salty sweet song of delight!
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Johnny Weir Mint Mocha
The Johnny Weir is a make-at-home version of the holiday mint mocha. Fresh mint and cocoa make the flavors sparkle, and it's easy to make!
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Fireside Chat
Fireside Chat, our most popular winter drink from our coffee shops is an easy concoction to make at home sip by your own fire!
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Pumpkin Muffins
A delightfully simple and indulgent treat that's perfect with coffee, these pumpkin muffins are moist and perfectly spiced!
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Fudgy Cocoa Brownie
One of the best brownie recipes we've come across. They shine when paired with a bold, sturdy dark roast and a blazing campfire!
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Chocolate Hazelnut Latte
Our take on a popular coffee shop latte that has a familiar flavor akin to a certain spreadable chocolate hazelnut treat!
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Apple Pie
There's simply something special about apple season in Minnesota and this recipe takes us back to those magical baking moments of our youth.
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No-Knead Bread
Few things are more enticing and comforting as a fresh loaf of homemade bread. This no-knead recipe is simple and the results speak for themselves; pass the jam!
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Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
The scent of warm cinnamon and sugary dough rising in the oven is topped only by the aroma of a fresh pot of coffee brewing away.
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Banana Pancakes
French toast meets bananas foster in these fluffy, perfectly-sweet pancakes fit for a morning feast.
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Rainbow Sprinkle Cake
Whether it’s cake for breakfast or for a virtual birthday party, we’re in love with this sparkly, sweet cake that’s easy to make and as wonderful as you!
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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
A beautiful harmony of late-spring Rhubarb and early-summer strawberries, this pie is a perfect complement to a picnic at the park!
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Blueberry, Lemon & Almond Cake
A ripe blueberry harvest collides with lemony brightness and almond richness in this cake that is just waiting for you to pour another mug of coffee!
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Salty Tahini Rice Crispy Bars
A twist on the classic scotcharoo, a Midwestern potluck staple, these bars are sweet and salty with a bit of spice!
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Brunch Coffee Cake
Our favorite streusel-style coffee cake is perfect for weekend mornings or after a leisurely dinner with decaf.
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Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Perfect for an afternoon cookie break, these delights are full of flavor!!
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Best-Ever Banana Bread
Make a loaf or two (they keep well when frozen) and sing the praises of the Grandmas who taught us well that no food should ever go to waste!
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Panna Cotta with Berries and Honey
This is a simple restaurant worthy dessert recipe. Just be sure to plan ahead so it has time to chill and set properly.
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Sparkle Cookies
A simple sugar cookie recipe that is sure to bring the sparkle to your Saturday morning or night!
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Personal Best Smoothie
Like a pantry pasta or a refrigerator omelet, this cold brew smoothie is as versatile as what you have on hand!
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Cafe Fresa
One of our signature spring drinks in 2018, this refreshing beverage plays perfectly between rich and light.
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Egg in A Hole
This deliciously easy recipe is a timeless tradition in many homes, so fire up the stove and get crackin'!
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
While there are many contenders for best chocolate chip cookie recipe, we are just obsessed with this one...especially with coffee!
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Baked Steel Cut Oats
For a simple, filling breakfast, baked steel-cut oatmeal, enriched with almond butter and cinnamon, is a go-to recipe.
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Dutch Dutch Baby
This large, fluffy pancake is excellent for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dessert any time of year. Plus, it comes together in about five blessed minutes.
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Loony Manhattan
A toasting cocktail for the chilly season, full of warmth and coffee goodness fit for a festive feast!
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Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
Our favorite fall drink has become an autumn staple in our new home offices, and it's super easy to make the base syrup with fresh or canned pumpkin!
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Amaretti Syrup
Our new fall seasonal beverage with almond and butterscotch that tastes like Italian cookies
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Black Lemonade Brûlée
A recurring hit on our former shop's summer drink menu, the BLB is the definition of caffeinated refreshment.
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Scratch Eggnog
Arriving just in time for the festivities of December, it's easy to make your own eggnog!
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Birchwood Cafe Savory Waffle Recipe
The spring version of Birchwood Cafe's cult-favorite Savory Waffle pairs asparagus and cheddar. It's a perfect morning pairing with a mug of coffee!
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Turmeric Rosemary Syrup
Customers have been clamoring for the turmeric rosemary syrup recipe used in our Rosebud Latte
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Cafe Milano
This is a beauty of a drink made with Campari— the signature taste of Milan, Italy
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FARMER PARTNERS
SCFCU - Ethiopia
Founded in 2001, the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU) represents 53 cooperatives and over 70,000 small-scale farmer families in southern Ethiopia. SCFCU provides financial, technical, and marketing support to its members, producing approximately 10,000 tons of organic arabica coffee annually. Shade-grown under indigenous trees and enset, their washed coffee is known for bright acidity, fruity flavors, and balanced body, while natural process coffee offers rich, full-bodied profiles with candied fruit notes. Learn more
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COMUCAP - Honduras
COMUCAP, or the Coordinadora de Mujeres Campesinas de La Paz, is a cooperative located in La Paz, Honduras. The cooperative was founded in 1993 to provide women with economic independence to support their families and help break the cycle of domestic abuse. This cooperative provides loans to members so that they can purchase land in their own name. Learn more
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COSURCA - Colombia
COSURCA is a secondary-level cooperative currently comprised of eleven producer associations, one cooperative, and three territorial entities or municipalities from the Southern Colombian Macizo mountains in the center and south of the region of Cauca. Since its inception, COSURCA has followed seven core values: Solidarity, Cooperation, Responsibility, Honesty, Hard work, Social Engagement, and Respect for individuals and Nature. Currently, COSURCA is providing accompaniment and support in the technical, organizational, commercial, political, and judicial development of 1500 small farmer families, with an emphasis on organic and fair trade coffee production, food security, and self-sufficiency for communities through the production of staple crops, as well as the production and commercialization of tropical fruits for pulp and juices. COSURCA exports fair trade coffee to small and medium wholesale coffee roasters but also manages its own line of wholesale roasted coffee for the domestic market. As a fundamental tenet of its philosophy of economic development, COSURCA strives to be as inclusive as possible by engaging ethnic minority groups and women in the different projects it implements in its communities. Learn more
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Triunfo Verde - Mexico
Triunfo Verde, S.C. is a cooperative organization comprised of over 500 organized small farmers dedicated to organic farm practices in the buffer zone surrounding the El Triunfo biological reserve. Through ecologically friendly practices, they seek to foment conservation, offset land and resource degradation in the area, and promote the recovery of natural resources and local biodiversity. Its mission is to improve member livelihoods by selling high-quality organic coffee in markets that value and reward the effort behind growing an ecologically friendly product at a fair price. As environmental stewards, Triunfo Verde seeks that its members remain actively engaged in environmental education. Through their technical and agronomic accompaniment, farmers receive the necessary training and education to develop their households into productive campesino enterprises capable of generating sustainable economic development in communities. All business operations, from the collection and commercialization of coffee to technical assistance, financial and productive assistance, community development, and product diversification, are managed inclusively and democratically. They advocate for gender and racial equality and religious freedom as founding principles of this cooperative. Ultimately, the organization’s mission is to develop and demonstrate that agriculture can be compatible with rational resource use, promoting the social and economic development of underserved communities. They aim to improve humankind’s relationship with nature through feasible and ecologically sound means, with social justice at its core. Learn more
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ANEI – Colombia
The Association of Indigenous and Campesino Agroecological Producers of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá ANEI was founded in 1995 by Aurora Izquierdo, the first indigenous woman of the Arhuaco tribe of the Yewrwa community to obtain a university degree. She studied in the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, with the objective of organizing the local economies of our indigenous and campesino communities. Aurora Izquierdo utilized coffee as a tool to secure the cultural permanence of those indigenous communities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serranía del Perijá, in the north of Colombia, through the implementation of eco-sustainable programs and projects that fortify organizational processes. These processes reclaim the social, economic, and cultural rights of members, and promote food safety all at the same time contributing to the world with an excellent natural product, organic coffee grown in harmony with nature. The production and commercialization of ANEI’s organic coffee is implemented in a context of harmony and respect for Mother Earth. Learn more
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Sol Y Cafe - Peru
Located in the province of Jaen, in the rural department of Cajamarca, Peru, Sol & Café was founded in 2005 with support from Caritas Jaen, a Catholic social service and humanitarian organization, member of the Caritas Internationalis. This cooperative moved quickly to acquire the necessary organic and fair trade certificates in order to sell directly into North American and European coffee markets. Its initial 27 producer base groups have grown to more than 60 producer associations, bringing together some 1,000 farmer families. Sol & Café continues to share an office space in the Caritas complex in Jaen, where it maintains a warehouse and quality control lab. Cooperative Coffees began working with Sol & Café in 2012, importing their members’ coffee with unique characteristics of jasmine floral fragrances, sweet tropical fruit, honey vanilla, and caramel flavors, balanced with crisp acidity and a creamy, full body. Sol & Café has quickly become a solid and integral member of the Coop Coffees’ producer partner network, with its excellent communication, coffee quality, and services to its members. Learn More
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Fero Cooperative - Ethiopia
Located in Wonsho Woreda in Southern Ethiopia, the Fero Coop joined the Sidama Cooperative Farmers Coffee Union (SCFCU) in 2005. They are their largest and most productive member and act as leader in the region in water conservation and composting. They have also won many awards for the cup quality of their coffee. In 2014 filmmakers from The Perennial Plate accompanied us on a trip to meet with members of SCFCU. The result is this short film that takes you through the heart of the coffee lands in Sidama. Listen closely to hear the Amharic word for coffee, buna, repeated over and over in a beautiful tribute to the role of coffee and cooperatives in the farmers’ lives. Learn More
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COMSA - Honduras
Founded with a vision to innovate and improve coffee-growing for the farmers of the region, the cooperative COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala) has done just that. In the Southern mountains of the country, they are continually finding new ways to grow coffee through sustainable and organic means. Their farms thrive as community leaders explore the use of innovative practices like applying fermented solutions of micro-organisms to boost the plants’ health; some even drink it themselves! COMSA dedicates many resources to strengthening its organization through educational programs for its members. For example, a women’s group raises animals and tends a rich cornucopia of vegetable crops to diversify their families’ incomes and supply the local community with healthy, organic produce. Learn More
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Permata Gayo - Indonesia
Far on the northern end of Sumatra, high in the Gayo Mountains, several producers cultivate a coffee that is utterly unique. Years of civil war plagued this region, causing many farmers to abandon their land and flee to the neighboring city of Medan. However, after a powerful tsunami hit the coastal region of northern Sumatra in 2014, the most devastating of its kind in modern times, and the peace accords were signed, ending a generation of violence, farmers began returning to their land to grow these exceptionally delicious beans. Learn More
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CENFROCAFE - Peru
Located in the high jungle of northern Peru, CENFROCAFE farmers take pride in their organic practices with a strong emphasis on the preparation of compost with coffee pulp, best use of other organic waste and reproduction of microorganism mixtures. From technical assistance and quality control workshops for their farmers, to economic and leadership training for the young people in their rural communities, CENFROCAFE works not only to support the commercial endeavors of its members – but also to facilitate the development of their communities as a whole. Learn More
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Pangoa - Peru
Tucked away in the central Amazon region, just east of the Andean mountain range, you’ll find the Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa headquarters. Pangoa has experienced a long and colorful history underscored with both good and hard times. Founded 40 years ago by a group of 50 farmers, they once had membership above 1,700 farmers. That number declined dramatically during the late 1980s as strife in the region led many farmers to leave their land to escape violence. With peace on the horizon, more farmers are coming back and Pangoa’s membership has evened out with nearly 700 farmers. Pangoa represents our second longest trading relationship and stands as an example of the benefits that well-managed cooperatives can give their members. Learn More
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PROCOCER - Nicaragua
PROCOCER is located in northern Nicaragua, very close to the Honduras border. They have spent the past few years renovating many of their farms affected by age of trees and climate change. They are also working hard to diversify products and economic activities, in order to improve the well-being of their member families while conserving the ecological balance and natural beauty of their region. Learn More
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Manos Campesinas - Guatemala
Located in the western highlands of Guatemala, near the southern border of Mexico and about 70 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The volcanic soil, altitude, and tropical climate provide ideal conditions for growing delicious coffee in harmony with the land.
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BLOG
Ride the Peace Wave
Introducing a microwavable bean roasting system! I noticed a bag of beans sitting on my microwave and thought, why not offer Peace Coffee—but freshly roasted in a jiffy We think our customers will have a great time trying to achieve the perfect roast at home. It doesn’t get fresher than Peace Wave! - Lee Wallace
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New B Corp Score
The process towards becoming a B Corporation starts with a comprehensive impact assessment in which a corporation must score at least 80. Here's the breakdown of our new score!
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Espresso Many Ways
Developed as a means of making small amounts of coffee quickly and repeatedly so Italian bars could serve shots of freshly brewed coffee as quickly as they poured grappa, espresso is a complex drink built around large scales and repeatability. So why would anyone attempt to make it at home? To be honest, there’s nothing quite like an espresso or an espresso drink from your favorite café. No amount of finagling will turn something that comes out of a drip brewer into the same rich and syrupy experience as an espresso shot. While there are many great places to get a Peace Coffee espresso drink out there, we, as Minnesotans, understand that whether it be due to a Polar Vortex or just not wanting to put on pants, sometimes leaving the house is a Herculean effort. So here’s what to know when you’re pondering a home espresso set-up, from the budget-friendly options to the elaborate set-up of your dreams. The Original Bialetti Moka Pot – Under $50 The classic “stovetop espresso machine” that lets you brew the European way is the Bialetti Moka pot. This uses the pressure of evaporating water vapor to press the water through the puck of coffee in the center of the pot. When used well and dialed in properly, it will make a delightful stronger-than-drip kinda-sorta-espresso-like drink that works beautifully to make a café latté in one’s home, and creates a fun and nostalgic atmosphere along the way. Travels Well AeroPress and Bellman Stovetop Steamer – $150 The AeroPress can’t technically make “real” espresso, but it does make a potent concentrated coffee drink that can be mixed with hot steamed milk from the Bellman Stovetop Steamer. This creates something that might not be a cappuccino in a snob’s eye, but it’ll look like one, smell like one, and most importantly, taste like one. Just Getting Your Feet Wet Breville Bambino – $350 The Bambino does a lot of things well for not a lot of money or counter space. It might not rival your favorite espresso drink at your local café, but it will get you the better part of the way without a lot of deep espresso knowledge or financial investment. The Intense Hobbyist Gaggia Classic Pro – $450 At first glance, the Gaggia Classic Pro can seem a little clunky and difficult to use, but with time, patience, and effort to learn some barista skills, you’ll be dropping perfect shots and steaming gorgeous milk to wow your household–and yourself!–with some delicious espresso drinks. Breville Barista Pro – $850 The Barista Pro grinds coffee beautifully, extracts it beautifully, and steams milk pretty dang well too. It has all the bells and whistles one might want from a home espresso machine including an incorporated grinder, included tamp, volumetric controls and a digital shot timer, making it a cinch to make a beautiful espresso drink even while still pretty sleepy and/or lacking in barista skills and knowledge. Never Want to Spend Money in a Coffee Shop Ever Again It’s a tie – Rocket Appartamento OR Breville Dual Boiler $1600-$1700 These machines will crank out beverages beautifully and quickly, can steam milk and extract espresso at the same time, and are built sturdily enough to keep running for years after purchase. The Breville Dual Boiler has more features like volumetric shot controls and a built-in shot timer but the Rocket Appartamento is built with sturdier parts and is easier to fix. You really can’t go too wrong with either. For Those Whose Dream is to Open Their Own Coffee Shop La Marzocco Linea Mini – $5900 Built like a tank with professional replaceable parts with a giant and powerful boiler and excellently engineered temperature and pressure controls, this machine can make 40 drinks a day that taste spectacular and keep on ticking for decades down the line. If you’re a serious “money-is-no-object” shopper this is the “buy it for not just my lifetime” machine.
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Holiday Cookie Pairing
Spritz Cookies These sweet, buttery cookies are coffee’s best friend! While we would never try to beat grandma’s recipe, this NYT recipe comes in clutch if you need a refresher. Gather the fam, break out your press, and brew a big pot of coffee to keep the cookie cheer going all day long. Spritzes pair well with our new Limited Edition Peace and Love Holiday Blend! This light roast has a wonderful buttery flavor that pairs well with your favorite pastry…or Spirtz cookie, if you know what we mean. 😉 Chocolate Molasses Cookies We recommend this NYT recipe – These cookies give off a grown-up taste with the bitterness of the cocoa and molasses play off of the spiciness of the ginger. These cookies pair well with our “grown up” coffees, the robust and smoky French roast or comforting decaf Morning Glory. Peanut Butter Blossoms Let’s be real, you probably have your own recipe but if you’ve misplaced it, we use this one! – This is the cookie no one is ever going to be disappointed to see in your holiday exchanges. A well-loved absolute classic, we’ve been known to go a little rouge and incorporate hazelnut spread into our batches from time to time. The roast flavor from the peanut butter pairs well with nutty coffees like our smooth Twin Cities blend, carmelley Black Squirrel Espresso, or signature dark roast Tree Hugger. Holiday M&M Cookies A tried and true crowd-pleaser, we love this recipe! The red and green M&Ms add a festive touch to your cookie platters…so we’ll pair one festive addition with another… try it with our seasonal Snowshoe Brew.
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Move Over Mint
Introducing Mouth Peace! Our latest line of caffeinated goods is here just in time for April ;-)
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How To Clean Your Coffee Gear
There are few things as disappointing as doing everything right for your cup of coffee—carefully selecting the beans, measuring them properly, measuring the exact amount of water, grinding them to the perfect size, and carefully managing their extraction into water—and still getting a cup that tastes…uninspiring. If you feel you did everything right but there’s an ashy, burnt, or medicinal taste; oftentimes the culprit is dirty coffee equipment and it might be time to learn how to clean your coffee gear. Coffee equipment cleaning easily goes by the wayside, as it doesn’t have the kind of urgency as a dirty plate or skillet does. Even still, your coffee brewing equipment is worth cleaning. The difference it will make in your morning mug should be enough to help you remember to do it on the regular. Do you want to learn how to clean coffee equipment the right way? Here’s how we keep our precious tools clean! Make Your Mug Happy In a few simple steps, easily learn how to clean coffee gear so that your coffee tastes as good as it should every time. Clean Your Coffee Brewer When deciding if you need to learn how to clean your coffee gear, our advice can be broken down into one single phrase: If brewed coffee touches it, it should be cleaned with soap and water at least once a week. The exact same kind of soap you use on your dishes is adequate for the task of cleaning your coffee brewing materials. Be it your Auto-Drip brewer, Chemex, French Press, Moka Pot, or your Bripe; a little soap, water, and scrubbing will go a long way. The only issue with using dish soap to clean your coffee gear is that it also requires scrubbing, and sometimes that poses a problem with brewing devices that have hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. In times like this, coffee machine cleaner is the solution. Coffee machine cleaning powder has additional surfactants that dissolve coffee oils with a good long soak. Make a solution of 1 tsp cleaning powder to 1 liter of hot water and soak your gear for 15 minutes. This generally does the trick perfectly, even for the most caked-on gunk. Anything in your brewing arsenal that can be removed or taken apart should be removed or taken apart to scrub or soak, and if you’re fortunate enough to have a home espresso machine, it should be backflushed. Clean Your Coffee Grinder Grinders are likely that it’s easiest to forget to clean. In burr-style grinders, the actual grinding action happens in a chamber that is not easily seen unless you take the grinder apart, and blade-style grinders commonly do not come apart easily to be washed. However, dirty grinders will introduce off-flavors into your coffee, so if you don’t remember the last time you cleaned your grinder, now’s a good time to learn how to clean your coffee gear. The rule of thumb for coffee grinder cleaning is that if it’s made of plastic and is removable, it should be cleaned with soap and water and allowed to completely air dry before reassembling. If it’s made of metal, it should only be cleaned with dry materials. The Baratza grinders that we sell have removable hoppers, hopper lids, and grinds drawers, as well as a gasket that feeds beans into the grinding chamber. Each of these would be considered “removable plastic”. Once these are removed, the upper burr carrier can easily be lifted out so that it can be cleaned, and the lower burr and grind chamber are exposed allowing them to be cleaned. Baratza includes a grinding brush that’s designed to clean these, but if that has been lost, a stiff nylon bristle brush, a wooden skewer, or even a toothbrush will work great. Just make sure to keep everything dry and wipe it out with a clean dry towel or rag once you’re done. If you find that cleaning your burrs or blades with a nylon brush and a skewer is tedious, good news! Coffee professionals agree, and as a result, have developed a far easier way. You may have heard about the hack of grinding rice through your grinder to clean it. This is technically true–it totally works–but dry rice is also very hard and will dull the edges of your burrs or blades if done regularly. You can also use a breakfast cereal well known for how it snaps, crackles, and pops to clean it, but it can also leave behind a residue that will leave the flavor of that cereal in your coffee for the next few brews. The best option is grinder cleaner tablets. These are made specifically to clean grinders and do so easily with minimal effect on the burrs while leaving behind no residue. If you haven’t cleaned your gear recently, it can be amazing how much better your coffee will taste the next time through. If this inspired you to learn how to clean your coffee gear, the next time you taste your morning coffee try and hold onto how nice it tastes. Let that exceptional brightness, sweetness, and complexity without any ashy or muddy flavors be your guiding light to remind you to keep cleaning regularly, and to let your coffee be all that it can be. Worth Cleaning Fav! Chemex 6 Cup Rated 5.00 out of 5 $47 Add to Cart Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder Rated 5.00 out of 5 $150 Add to Cart French Press – 34 oz $40 Add to Cart
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2021: On Down The Road
Looking back at 2021 with a mix of happiness and a sober reminder of the difficulties of this time.
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2020: Can You Hear Me Now?
A recap of the year that no one asked for, but ended up being kind of like a half-caff cup of coffee.
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We love you MPLS
Our city and many others across the nation are experiencing mountains of hardship, loss, and hurt right now. This past weekend was filled with grieving, unrest, protest, and also a call for justice and peace to be restored. We are fortunate that all our locations are unharmed, but the immediate areas around us have been severely damaged and will take much time to rebuild. Along with the businesses still standing in our area, our roastery is going into its fifth day with no power due to the inability to safely dispatch the city electricians. Until electricity is restored and we can assure the safety of the roastery for our staff, delivery team, and shipping partners, we are unable to fulfill orders. We know that you plan to have your coffee order within a certain window of time, especially our coffee subscriptions, but we hope you can be patient and understanding as we navigate a difficult situation full of heartache unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetime. On Friday of last week our CEO, alongside, a team of amazing staff, former employees, and vendor partners worked together to move all of our inventory off-site, and also rerouted a delivery of green coffee from our farmer partners to offsite warehouses. Both the trucks and the space to store this product were kindly offered by other local coffee and beverage companies. We are immensely thankful for the show of support from these fellow business owners. This reflects the general acts of goodness that were not shown on local and national news this past weekend. Our community is full of kind and beautiful people that came out to sweep our streets, put out fires, move debris, and provide essential supplies like food, masks, diapers, and medicine to those in need. We’ve also been witness to continuous peaceful protests demanding justice for George Floyd. We love our city and have faith that together we can repair, heal, and make changes for the better. Sweeping Our Streets As we wait for our power to be restored, we are taking a moment to reflect, check in with our loved ones, march and call for justice, and look for ways to give back by delivering food and essential supplies to community hubs. If you live nearby, grab a winter shovel, a push broom, garbage bags, masks, and gloves and find a local group to assist in organized and much appreciated sweeping up of our streets. Join in a Clean Up Handing Out Supplies There are many folks who are in serious need of essential supplies due to damage and closure of grocery stores, big-box retailers, pharmacies, and further difficulty while public transit is paused. If you can help, here is a list of places you can donate supplies and/or money to in our immediate area. Groups That Need Resources We sincerely hope and ask you to please continue to support our business and those of so many others in our city that are working to rebuild, ensure safety, and provide their goods and services again as soon as they possibly can. We need healthy, vibrant, diverse, equitable communities to survive and thrive and it comes down to all of us doing the work together to make this world a better place. Heads Up, Seeking Justice We know the hardships for our business, the physical structures and streets, and many of our residents will pass. Things will get better. But what we know now, more than ever, is justice, equality, and peace must be our collective aim. The marginalized parts of our community, and communities across America, are crying out and being heard. To answer those cries, justice for George Floyd must be served. Justice For George
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Our City Is Hurting
For almost 25 years, Peace Coffee has been roasting coffee with love in the heart of Minneapolis. Our roastery and our flagship coffee shop are both two blocks from the main artery of our community, Lake Street. It connects our residents from Bde Maka Ska to the Mississippi River and is a treasure. This stretch of the city has innumerable small, independent businesses as well as big-box retailers that provide essential items and services to the area. It’s where countless nonprofit and community organizations hold space to listen to, gain insight on, and provide for our community. It’s also the location of the third precinct police station, where the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd report. Since Tuesday night, emotions and actions have overflowed, and spilled over into the businesses and properties along Lake Street and beyond. With multiple fires, irreparable damage to property, theft, and also injuries incited by rubber bullets, tear gas, and physical violence, we are simply at a loss. But Still Love Remains Despite the hardships and time it will take to repair businesses throughout the area, many shop owners have stressed that they can replace things, but not human lives. Ingebretsen’s, a 99-year-old business located on Lake Street, is a welcome example of how compassion and love usurp hate and injustice, as they boarded up their broken windows and painted MLK Quotes and hearts on their exterior. Also, community members are assisting with the cleanup efforts. Spread the love or help businesses along Lake Street clean up. Act For Lake Street Gone But Not Forgotten There have been many peaceful acts of demonstrations on our streets calling for justice. People are marching together, building memorials and painting murals to honor George Floyd, and donating to organizations working to dismantle racism and to support Floyd’s family and loved ones. First and foremost, use your voice to help seek justice for George. If you are able, consider giving to organizations on the ground that need our help. A Call For Justice We ask you to keep our city, its businesses, and its people in your thoughts as we try to navigate a situation that is part of a systematic issue around relations to power, race, and inequality. All things which matter deeply to Peace Coffee because the heart of the fair trade coffee we sell is a hope that we can do things differently and change the narrative when it comes to equality and justice for all. More Ways To Help Take Action MN Loaves & Fishes MN Reclaim The Block
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A Word From Lee: Adapting To Uncertainty
When new challenges come, we've always adapted and worked for our community, even more so now.
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2019: A Decade Gone By
Looking back at the amazing things that came our way, and the amazing coffees we sent your way, in 2019 fills us with gratitude for our place in the coffee universe.
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Peace Coffee Is In Great Hands
By now you know we have some pretty incredible things in store for 2018, but strap in because this caffeinated journey of ours is forging a new path. As you may know, Peace Coffee has been owned by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) since the beginning. It’s been a great ride, but recent discussions have led to IATP and Peace Coffee agreeing that it would be mutually beneficial to both parties if they were to sell the company to a new ownership group. The priority for everyone throughout this decision-making process was to find a like-minded buyer that could continue our mission and culture without fail. Who better to do that than one of our own? That’s right, our own Queen Bean and leader for the last 11 years, Lee Wallace, loves this company, its mission, and its culture so much that she decided to buy the whole operation in partnership with her friend and new business partner, Kent Pilakowski. A New Era for Peace Coffee You’re probably sitting there thinking, who is this Kent Pilakowski character? I haven’t heard of him before… Well, he’s a successful Minneapolis based entrepreneur and management executive with over 20 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. He’s passionate about our mission and sees this as an opportunity to make a difference in the world, and set the foundation for his children to grow up around a socially-minded business that they can be proud to be a part of for years to come. As the new owners, Lee and Kent will work diligently to build upon the success Peace Coffee has experienced to date as an innovative social enterprise. While this change means that Peace Coffee will no longer be owned by a non-profit, it doesn’t mean we’re changing our focus from being a mission-based social enterprise that aims to have a lasting positive impact on the world. Staying True to Our Roots The foundation of Peace Coffee is our great coffee, along with our unique and innovative culture, and our mission to support the livelihoods of everyone in the chain from farm to cup while protecting and enhancing the environment in which the coffee is produced. It will continue to be our number one priority to have an active involvement in our supply chain, and look for ways to deepen our impact on coffee-growing communities. Along with improving the lives of coffee growing families through our industry-leading ethical purchasing practices, we will continue to demonstrate our leadership in the industry through transparency, sharing information on best practices, and collaborating on projects with other like-minded organizations. Overall, this change will help ensure we continue to lead the way and inspire others to follow in our footsteps. Peace Coffee has set the tone for innovation in organic, fair trade coffee for 20 years now and we fully expect this to continue to for the next 20 and beyond! Focused and Ready to Lead Under our new ownership, we will work even harder to stay ahead of the pack and maintain a focus on sustainable operations, while looking for ways to continuously build upon what we’ve been doing for years. One way we are doing this is through our recent B Corp certification. That’s right, we are now a certified B Corporation! This certification not only demonstrates our leadership in sustainability but provides the framework for improvements, enabling us to further enhance our farmer and environment-first mission. Over time, our enduring commitment to building upon our mission will further our ability to buy and sell in other regions, expand our retail presence, and initiate other major changes that will help grow our impact. We’re excited to have you help us usher in this new era of Peace Coffee. Our continued growth and success will mean better livelihoods for more farmers, partners, and staff. Thanks for your support over the last 20 years and we look forward to an even better 20 years ahead! Media Coverage of Our Announcement: Star Tribune Minnesota Business Minneapolis St. Paul Biz Journal WCCO – Channel 4 Daily Coffee News City Pages Twin Cities Business Magazine Southwest Journal
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The Art of Turkish Coffee
If you're looking to discover the art of Turkish coffee, look no further! In this blog post we break down more than you thought you wanted to know about this magical brew method. Just looking for a quick brew guide without all the fun facts? Click here to check that out!
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A 40,000 Pound Milestone
Yesterday, with much fanfare and hard work, we received a 40,000 pound cargo container of Guatemalan coffee beans. While we receive deliveries as large as this every few weeks, this container was shipped directly from Apecaform Coffee Cooperative in Guatemala right to our roastery door, bypassing other stops along the way. The coffee was harvested in late spring, put into 275 bags, each weighing over 150 pounds, and packed into a shipping container. The container went by truck to Puerto Barrios, where it was loaded onto a ship for a journey to New York. In New York, it cleared customs and was transferred onto a train to Minneapolis, where it was delivered to our roastery doors by truck. Unloading was an all-hands-on deck situation and took most of the morning. This container is significant to us not only because it came from our longest standing trading partner, but it is also our first direct whole container purchase since the first shipment from Mexico that got us started in 1996. That initial similar-sized purchase, took over 9 months to sell. Now 40,000 pounds represents a small fraction of what we will buy in 2016. We couldn’t imagine a better way kick off our 20th year year in business then by honoring our mission to continually buy more coffee from small scale farmers at fair prices. Having already traveled thousands of miles from Guatemala, these beans will soon be will be roasted and sent out, some by bicycle, to stores and coffee shops in the Twin Cities and beyond. Share in this milestone with us, pick up a bag of Guatemalan Dark Roast completing the coffee’s journey from farm to mug.
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