Imitation

This week I've had a lot going on and my mind has been in a thousand places, so I don't have my typical blog posting this week. What I do have is a 5 yr. old little girl who is completely convinced that she too must draw Joe C. Bean pictures. She has them all over the house! I am so impressed with her because with each attempt she is getting better and better. I love her passion for art! I love that she is my 3rd child because I wouldn't have had the freedom within myself to let my older children express themselves in this way. 

When I was praying and asking God about what to do for this weeks blog I felt He wanted me to share a few things about my life, coffee, and Him.   

My daughters Joe C. Bean drawings

Imitate:

: to make or do something the same way as (something else)

: to do the same thing as (someone)

: to copy (someone's or something's behavior, sound, appearance, etc.)

As you can see, my daughter imitates my drawings. She has been drawn to something that she loves and wants to be as good as me, in doing it. In the Bible we are told to be imitators of God. In order to know how to imitate God we have to know what that looks like, feels like and we need to know who He is. 

I love the translation of the Message:

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but give everything of himself to us. Love like that. -Ephesians 5:1&2 

As we get to know God we learn the different attributes/characteristics of God and this helps us to understand who He truly is. Putting it into practice allows us to become a better version of ourselves and more like Him. This takes time and practice!

When I visit roasters I ask questions about their techniques and how they brew their coffee. I'm wanting to imitate them so that I can go home, do the same thing, and have that same great cup of coffee. I am wanting to learn more about how to bring out some of the best character flavors from my beans. Most of the time the process is slow, but the flavor is so much richer and more authentic. This gives me more "joy in my mug", as I start my day!

(((Hugs&Mugs)))

1000 Faces

Last weekend my husband and I were on our way to Asheville, NC, for the weekend.  Before we headed out we stopped over in Athens, GA for him to try 1000 Faces Coffee. I have to say they hold a special place in my heart because I had my first pour over coffee experience with them! 

1000 Faces Coffee  is a great place to not just drink coffee but to experience coffee.Their menu provides unique selections of freshly roasted award winning coffee. Using a "fresh" approach the coffee is prepared one cup at a time using a pour over method.  The baristas are passionate about coffee and enjoy sharing their passion!

During our visit we mentioned that we were headed to Asheville. They were very excited to let us know that 1000 Faces Coffee was being served at a local doughnut place called, Vortex Doughnuts. I have never been a fan of doughnuts, but I'm a FAN of theirs!!!! OH MY GOODNESS! I wish I could have tried every flavor they had! We walked the "wild side" trying a cinnamon and sugar vegan doughnut. Can it really taste this good to be vegan?!?
Nestled among some of the best brewery's in Asheville, Vortex is the must stop shop for the "All American" coffee and doughnut combo! The partnership they have is phenomenal!!!!

1000 Faces Coffee & Vortex Doughnuts

1000 Faces coffee
Cinnamon and Sugar Vegan Doughnut
and
Pumpkin Ale Doughnut

Check out and Like 1000 Faces Coffee and Vortex Doughnuts on Facebook.

 Coffee and Doughnut Heaven!!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday to Vortex Doughnuts!!!!

Coffee Notes: I now have a Joe C. Bean Pinterest Page!!!

Please Follow me there to see all the fun coffee things I have to share, along with recipes and "flavors of inspiration".

Thank you for visiting my blog!!!

(((Hug&Mugs)))

How Do You Brew?

As the autumn winds blow in a new season of colors

What are some of your favorite coffee flavors?

Cinnamon Apple, Maple Glaze, Toasted Almond, Vanilla Haze,

Pumpkin Spice, Crème Brule, Spiced Ginger, or Harvest Days?

I love fall and the coffee flavors that it brings

The warm cup in my hands right before the first bird sings

The friends that I will share with, before the day is gone

or the quiet moments when I get to sit alone.

Oh the how I love all the coffee flavors of fall!

                                                    -Jenn B. 2015

This week I have been on the road, so my blog is a bit short and sweet. I visited several roasting houses in the Carolina's and Athens, GA. I had a great time and loved every bit of it! I cant wait to share with you all the pics and new things I learned along the way!

I would love to hear from you and know what your favorite fall coffee flavors are.

(((Hugs&Mugs)))

Coffee Notes: If you'd like a sneak peek on the roasting houses I visited, check out my Facebook page. Please like it and share it with a friend. 

Two Story Cheers

Where they want to know your name!

This week's coffee adventures took me to Athens, Ga to Two Story Coffee. This trip was a special one because my dad was able to join me and it was National Coffee Day! I've been to Athens multiple times and had never seen or heard of this place. I actually found it through a blog piece written on Thrive Farmers.  The part that grab my heart was a story of a student that took his parents, who were visiting from Canada, to Two Story before having them see any other famous UGA spots. He wanted them to meet his "family". Something we are all looking for... a place where we feel like we belong!
So on that note I did another fun little parody, this week, to one of my dad's favorite tv shows, Cheers!

                                                          TWO STORY CHEERS
Cheers Theme Song
Making your way to UGA
Takes everything you've got;

Taking a break from all your classes
Sure would help a lot!
Wouldn't you like to get away?

All those nights when you've been up
With your head against a wall
And your coffee cup is empty
No filters found at all.

Yummy Latte!

As the rooster begins to crow;

Sometimes you want to go
Where the barista knows your name
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can cram
All the knowledge in your head
You wanna be at Two Story on S. Lumpkin.

Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead;
The morning's looking bright;
With stains found on your t-shirt
And nothing clean in sight.
And your IPhone cracked onto the floor.

Be glad there's one place in the world
Where the barista knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to go where the coffee's made,
And the smell awakens you;
You want to be at Two Story on S. Lumpkin

Where the barista knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
Where Two Story knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
©Jenn Bryan 2015

You are a BIG and special part to this world's story! Thank you for taking your time to read this blog and I hope it made you smile!

(((HUGS&MUGS)))

Perk Up and Breve

This week my coffee travels took me to Historic Madison, GA. In this quaint downtown area is a coffee house, Perk Avenue. It's located on the corner of Main and Jefferson Ave. When I pulled up I quickly realized that my sister use to work here and it took me back to some fond memories of my family.

                                                          Perk Avenue
As I went in I had already decided to choose something I'd never had before. Their list had lots of fun drink options! I began to think about what I wanted to "play with" this week, on my blog, so I ordered a Breve (a warm and rich mix of espresso and steamed cream). This coffee trip I did alone, which is unusual for me, but I enjoyed every quiet minute of it! Coffeehouses, for me, are great places to go breath, and just be.

This is usually where I have some entertaining piece to promo the Cafe' I just visited, but  I feel more lead to share some personal thoughts. Just hang with me, you might just learn something "coffee-ish".

My husband just recently purchased a pour over coffee set up. It doesn't make the fastest cup of coffee, but the coffee does taste a lot better! As I am learning more about coffee God is continuing to show me new things about life through it.

I've recently learned that you should "bloom" your coffee when using a pour over method.
*A coffee bloom is the fast release of gas that occurs when hot water hits the coffee grounds.
*The majority of a coffee bean's flavor compounds are trapped in the CO2 gases. That's why your bag of coffee from the grocery store has that little hard piece in the front of it. Without it, the bag would go BOOM!
* More gas = more flavor and fresher coffee. It also means a BIGGER Bloom.

When we set aside time for God and let Him pour over us and our short comings, we are able to release all of our junk/"bad gas". ( I know you just chuckled!) When we take time to soak in Gods love and have a relationship with Him, it allows us to have a "better flavor" so that we are able to be a great aroma to this world. When we do this daily we will stay "fresher" and we'll produce a "bigger bloom" in our lives.

So grab a cup of coffee, sit for a moment, pray, and breve (breath)!

(((Hugs&Mugs)))

Downtown Milledgeville with a Blackbird coffee cup (Parody)

Last weekend my coffee tour took me and my 3 children to Downtown Milledgeville for ice cream and coffee. The cafe was very full so we found ourselves sitting down in "The Nest". This is an area downstairs, for when they host their entertainment nights! My children ate their ice cream way faster than I wanted them too (because it was so good!), so my visit was a bit shorter than I wanted it to be. Still, I found this place to be a very nice cafe hideaway, tucked away in the heart of this downtown city.

This week instead of doing a "Ode to...". I thought I'd have a bit more fun with a parody. My kids helped me. :-)  We had so much fun putting this together for you! We hope you enjoy it!

Just sing!!! 

(((Hugs and Mugs)))

Brazilian-Guatemalan
Ice Brewed coffee

Blackbird Coffee

Uptown Funk Instrumental

This drink
That ice cold
Joe C. Bean
drinks iced espresso
This one from Blackbirds          

them blackbirds
Roastin' coffee beans
drinkin' while brewin'
up in this city
got beans in the roaster
they gonna roast it up, so pretty

Cold Brew (Hot brew)
call a roaster and barista in
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Fix me coffee with cream in
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Write my name, you know who I am
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Get a coffee mug there, honey
Drink it down!

In need of their coffee (whuoo)
In need of their coffee (whuoo)
In need of their coffee (whuoo)

Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya
Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya
Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya

Saturday night and we in The Nest
Don't believe me just drink (ahh!)
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Hey, hey, hey oh!

Stop, wait a minute
Fill my cup put some coffee in it
Take a sip, pay the check
Barista! Get more beans!
Make a mocha, espresso, latte, iced brew
When you show up, they gon' roast out
Better than your home brew'd coffee

Cold brew (Hot brew)
Call a roaster and barista in
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Fix me a coffee with cream in
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Yo, write my name you know who I am
Cold brew (Hot brew)
Get a coffee mug there, Honey
Drink it down!

In need of their coffee (whuoo)
In need of their coffee (whuoo)
In need of their coffee (whuoo)

Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya
Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya
Cause Blackbird gon' serve it to ya
Saturday night and we The Nest
Don't believe me just drink (ahh!)
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Hey, hey, hey oh!

Before we leave
Imma tell y'all a lil' something
Downtown Milledgeville, with a Blackbird coffee cup
Downtown Milledgeville, with a Blackbird coffee cup
I said Downtown Milledgeville, with a Blackbird coffee cup
Downtown Milledgeville, with a Blackbird coffee cup

Come on sing
Jump on it
In The Nest and perform it
If you en'tain then own it
Don't hesitate to show it
Come on, sing
Jump on it
Visit The Nest and flaunt it
We'll it's Saturday night and we in The Nest
Don't believe me just drink (YES!)
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Don't believe me just drink
Hey, hey, hey, oh!

Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup (say whaa?!)
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup (say where?!)
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup (say whaa?!)
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup
Downtown Milledgeville. with a Blackbird coffee cup (say where?!)
Downtown Milledgeville!

© Jenn Bryan 9/19/2015
(((Hugs and Mugs)))

The Hills Are Alive With The Smell of Coffee...

Last weekend we went out to celebrate my daughters 5th birthday and on our way we stopped in to visit this coffee house. I knew very little about them, but was intrigued by their story and heart. The more I have read about them, the more in love I am with this company.
 I hope you will take the time to get to know them and support them too!

 

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee

Not only is their heart good but their coffee is fabulous too!!!

French Press for two

Ode to The Hills

There is a house up on a hill

In the Historic area of Roswell.

Here they serve your coffee needs

by Chemex, French Press, and latte art, if you please.

"Drink Coffee. Do Good."

Is the motto of this place.

It was in the darkest area of Rwanda

when Mr. Golden showed his face.

"We need to bless the work of others

and show them a better way."

Forgiveness came and love poured out

from the mountains of Ruli, that day.

It is in the heart of the smallest things

that can grow the biggest change.

When you drink and buy their coffee

 know someones life will never be the same.


.Drink Coffee. Do Good.
(((Hugs&Mugs)))

Dawg Days & Jittery Joe's Coffee

I love to travel, to learn new things, and I LOVE coffee! My hope is to stimulate your senses and entertain you with this blog through the eyes of Joe C. Bean. If you have a coffee house or a roaster you love, please leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you!

The first coffee shop/roaster I'd like to start with is one close to home, Jittery Joe's. They have been roasting and brewing coffee for over 20 yrs. and are still a local Athens favorite. Jittery Joe's supports the community through various endeavors including: sponsoring a cycling team and providing coffee to the local Athens Emergency Food Bank. Their roaster, Charlie, has created a special blend just for the food bank. Jittery Joe's has been a part of many date nights with my hubby and will be forever a "special blend" in our memories.
Find them on this link, Jittery Joe's.

Ode to Joe

The dog days of summer have come to an end.

It's time to let the Dawgs out for a season of wins.

It's between the hedges and under the arch

that you'll hear the roar of the "Go Dawgs" bark.

In the heart of this Red and Black town

you'll find orange cups that serve liquid brown .

Jittery Joe's Coffee and more

have blends that you will like, for sure.

Their unique style, branding and can

are sure to please every Georgia fan!

It's the blaze of glory that you'll see

behind the white coffee mug that calls to me.

Oh how I love their Tanzanian Peaberry!!!

They've been around since 1994 

I hope they have many years more!

*If you are in the local Athens area please consider donating to the, Athens Emergency Food Bank and like them on Facebook.

(((Hug&Mugs)))
Goooo Dawgs, Sick em'. Woof, Woof, Woof!!!!
       Jenn B.

Introducing Joe C.Bean

Have you ever had an idea that you just could not let go of or the idea would not let go of you? For me it has been this little guy, Joe C. Bean. Last November I stepped out of my comfort zone and began the journey of introducing him to a small community of people. Several "fans" have asked, "What is Joe's story?" It took me some time to put it together, but finally here it is.  

*First Sketches of what would be Joe C. Bean

Joe C. Bean's Story

Our drive had been long that day,
so we stopped in Coffee County, USA.
It was the green and white siren who beckoned us in.
"A Misto sounds great!", I said with a grin.
As I took my first sip, I began to chuckle
at the thought and idea of coffee bean people.
They'd live in Coffee County in their coffee pot homes.
Driving their coffee cups down Espresso Road.
It was a particular bean my heart began to ponder
and with that my imagination began to wonder,
"What should I name a bean who could be so bold,”
Filled with promises and stories untold?
It will need to be a name full of flavor,
Noticeable yet subtle to those he'll meet,
especially the Barista down the street!
His name will be Joe, simple yet sweet.
Joe C. Bean is who I'd like you to meet.
He is a gift that has been given to me
with a message and some great stories.
"Hand picked by God" is what our motto will say
because everyone is special in his or her own way.

I am excited about stepping out again and introducing this little guy to so many of you, along with more of his friends. I hope you like this blog and the stories I look forward to sharing.  I am looking forward to all of your comments. I hope you will also follow and like the Joe C. Bean Facebook  page. 
(((Hugs&Mugs)))