The Caffeinator

My flavor for that week

In case you didn’t know, I like drinking coffee. I enjoy going through the ritual of measuring the coffee and the water and hearing that click when I hook the fragrance filled coffee basket to the coffee maker.  That smell while brewing? Ummmm.


I haven’t always been a coffee drinker.  At one time I hated the stuff and wondered what the appeal was. I was a tea drinker. Lemon, sugar, good to go. While away at college I developed crazy hay fever and sinus problems which made me miserable.  There were no OTC “non-drowsy” hay fever relievers at that time. I had no alternative but to use what was available and they all caused drowsiness. Needing to stay awake at work I resorted to drinking coffee.  Strangely, after about ten years the problem went away. My seasonal allergies are so small now, I rarely take anything. Go figure.

At a recent library program the owner of Red Bike coffee extolled the wonders of coffee. Red Bike is a small operation located in Irondale, Alabama. 

 Jon Robles is the owner and what a coffee enthusiast he is.  He gave us coffee information from Genesis to Revelation. He really knows his stuff.  Jon orders coffee through fair trade methods. Fair trade allows workers in the coffee business to be treated and paid in an equitable manner.  

Unroasted coffee beans and their place of origin

Coffee goes through a lot before it reaches its purchaser.

• Coffee grows on a small bush or tree.

• Once the coffee cherries are picked, the bean must be separated from the fruit. This can take place by hand or machine.

• The beans must then be soaked removing any husks or unwanted matter. The beans will fall to the bottom of the water.

• Beans must then be dried.

Two unroasted coffee beans

• Once dried, the beans are bagged. Now the beans begin their journey to their new home to be roasted and brewed into java juice.

All of the fixings for YOUR coffee

The roasting process is similar to that of popping corn. The beans are placed in a container that is constantly moving. As the beans roast they pop and sizzle because of the small amount of water that has turned into steam inside the bean, the same as in a popcorn kernel. Trial and error on timing determines how long the beans should roast to give the best flavor.  

Short time= light roast.

 Long time =dark roast. 

Two of the four offerings presented by Red Bike Coffee

True coffee drinkers approach the drink like a fine wine. They sniff the brew, taste a little on the tongue and swirl it around. Then they look for hints of various flavors, and notes. 

Not me. I want that precious jolt of caffeine to get my body and my day started.

Red Bike offers only three or four flavors. They’re pretty much coffee purists and don’t offer pumpkin spice, peppermint patty or other cutesy names and flavors. No problem. You can always make your own brewed coffee and add flavored syrups of your choice.

For fellow coffee drinkers, coffee is a good mediator, ice breaker, soother and bonder.
That's it***