Do you know where your coffee comes from? With words like Fair Trade, Direct Trade, Organic and Third Wave thrown around the coffee industry without much regulation, how can you trust where your coffee comes from?

DOMA (a name mash up of the owner’s sons Dominic and Marco) Coffee Roasting Company of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is the ONLY member of the exclusive Cooperative Coffees in the Northwest (one of 22 in the US). What does this mean? DOMA has a direct relationship with the farmer who grows the coffee. By direct, we mean so direct as to physically spend time with the farmer helping them with farming practices, sharing growing and roasting information and actually working on the farm at different times. There is NO middle man. DOMA even provides proof of shipping records, receipts, and prices paid through www.fairtradeproof.org Can your coffee company say that?

In talking with owners Terry and Rebecca Patano it is evident that three things are important to them; the environment, quality, and relationships.

Some companies advertise organic coffee as a means to jump on the ‘green’ money train. DOMA lives sustainability in every aspect of their business. Certified organic roaster, 100% biodegradable bags, compost or recycle all waste material, all print materials are on recycled paper, non toxic cleaning agents and roasting on a Loring Smart Roaster (saves the equiv. of 2000 gallons of natural gas per year). All of this is in addition to the direct relationship with the farmers (as mentioned above). These efforts lead to better coffee.

While at DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, I had the privilege of watching a roasting. The 50lb batch was treated with care from the loading of the green beans to the frequent monitoring of the roaster while the temperature rose to 400 degrees. Every few minutes the beans were checked for color, quality, and aroma to ensure the perfect quality roast. At just the right moment, Jim (the roaster), smelled and saw what he was looking for and stopped the machine releasing the beautiful beans into the container. I’ve got to tell you that this was THE single most beautiful coffee smell I have ever encountered. The direct relationship ensures the quality of the original product, DOMA “takes and turns it into something special,” says Terry.

The focus on quality continues with the relationships they have with the retailers who use and sell their coffee. Each coffee stand, café, and coffee shop must go through a training program, led by trainer Greg Hjort. Greg teaches the proper techniques for brewing, pulling shots, service, and even fancy espresso art!  DOMA will work with new businesses to get their systems in place, provide input on counter set up, and more. Greg makes his rounds for quality control and to provide continuing education. What does this mean to you? It means that you will always get a quality cup of coffee or espresso wherever DOMA is sold.

When I asked what was on the horizon for DOMA Coffee Roasting Company as they celebrated their 10^th year in business, Rebecca spoke to the continued desire to get better and refine the quality of the product, training and relationships they have. The whole Patano family is getting ready for an upcoming trip to a Peruvian farm to work side by side with the farmers for two weeks. Terry and Rebecca also swore me to secrecy about an upcoming “change” that they were super excited for. They also have visions of a new ‘green’ certified location at some point in the future.

When you’re out for coffee and you see the DOMA Coffee Roasting Company name, trust that you’re going to get a GREAT product that has been grown with care, tested and refined with passion, roasted with quality, and brewed with consistency.

Visit them on the internet at www.domacoffee.com and soon in the Social Media world!

I realized it had been a while since I’ve done a coffee review. I’ve visited some great local coffee shops (Coffee Social – see review and Taste Cafe - review coming soon) and I’m excited about the local scene.

I was in a small local market picking up some wine for review and saw a display stand of coffee I’ve never tried. Moka Joe roasters is from Bellingham, WA. They import and roast only Fair Trade sustainably grown coffee. While some coffees designated as ‘Fair Trade’ may be a marketing ploy, the concept does provide greater profits to the local co-ops of farmers that participate. Traditional imported coffee is largely controlled by middle eastern religious groups that only funnel 1-2% of the profits go back to the local farmers.  Farm profits for fair trade coffee run around 10%.

The coffee’s tasted in this episode are both $10.95 for 12oz and can be purchased online at http://shop.mokajoe.com

Why review? I think these reviews not only help me, but they help YOU decide what to buy. These are my opinions. I often taste things I have little or no experience with. The side by side comparisons facilitate the decision-making process when you see the product in the store.

The NectarView

Cafe Feminino Peru – Medium Roast

• The Swirl: Milk chocolate in color, cloudy
• The Sniff: Mild aroma with characteristics of earthiness, mocha, and nutty. Decent, but only a medium low on the wake me up in the morning meter.
• The Sip: Smooth with mild acidity.
• The Score: If you like smooth coffee I would give it a 3+. Typically a higher premium for Fair Trade coffee, so at $10.95 per 12oz you may want to look for a better deal.

After the review, learned from the web site that this coffee is made by Peruvian women high in the Andes: (From Web Site) This is the story of women. Not just the women of rural Peru, but women throughout developing nations. Many of these women have no rights, are abandoned, are abused, and alone with children and no income.

Bolivian – Medium Dark Roast

• The Swirl: Darker than the previous coffee with less cloudiness
• The Sniff: Much more aromatic. Hints of cocoa, woodiness, and cherry fruit. Scores much higher on the wake me up in the morning meter
• The Sip: BAM – this coffee woke me up. While the other was boring to me, this one had spice, acidity, and a more bold nutty chocolate flavor.
• The Score: At $10.95 per 12oz I score this coffee a 4- I would buy it again to try in my single brew machine to see what flavor I get there.

Both coffee’s can be purchased at the Rocket Market on 43rd and Grand in Spokane or on the company web site.

Brew some coffee and enjoy life with friends and remember to DRINK.HAPPY!