A Nationwide Coffee Fundraiser For The ACLU

This weekend more than 600 cafes are joining in raising funds for the American Civil Liberties Union, the non-partisan liberty defenders. Coffee publication, Sprudge, earlier this week launched with matching sponsorships for the first 26 coffee companies that joined in this effort, and now coffee companies like us have joined in to help match for hundreds more. At Quills, we believe in Quality for All, and as such this Saturday and Sunday we will be donating a portion of our sales in all four of our cafes in Louisville, New Albany, and Indianapolis, to the cause. 
See the following post from Sprudge for more information about the fundraiser, and why coffee shops like us are participating. 

Quills X Prima Holiday Promo 2016

Our good friends at Prima Coffee here in Louisville, KY are running a pretty slick promo for the holidays featuring yours truly. Until December 31st or while supplies last, get a free bag of Quills coffee up to $20 with free shipping when you purchase any Baratza grinder, Bonavita brewer, or bundle at $99 or more from https://prima-coffee.com/deals. Check out this great video they made for the promotion.

Show Opening and Book Release for "Falls"

Join us Saturday, Nov. 19th from 6-8pm at our Baxter Location, 930 Baxter Ave Louisville, KY 40204, for the show opening and book release for "Falls."

These prints are by Louisville photographers Emil Handke, Tim Robertson and Michael Winters. The photographs were made during the summer of 2016 at Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, Indiana.

There will be a limited, 50 copy run of “Falls” available for sale at the event for $20.  

Now Roasting: Ethiopia Beriti and Costa Rica La Angostura

We have two newer coffees on the menu, one we've actually had for a few weeks now and another freshly released. Welcome Ethiopia Beriti and Costa Rica La Angostura!

Ethiopia Beriti

As much as we love Kayon Mountain around these parts, it is always great to find a nice counterpoint. This more traditionally-sourced Ethiopian coffee is no less interesting in its own right. Beriti, a washing station in the Woreda district of Tore, Yirgacheffe, is known for consistently turning out coffees that shine with the classic Yirgacheffe cup profile: clean, floral, bright and delicate. This coffee hits all those marks, with well-balanced notes of stone fruit, citrus, and delicate floral characteristics. We find that the Beriti seems to pop with a bit more juiciness and tea characteristics, tasting bergamot, nectarine and sweet graham cracker. You'll also find this beauty as our November Single-Origin Espresso offering in our cafes. Click here to buy now. 

Costa Rica La Angostura

For the second year in a row, we bring you coffee from La Angostura. This coffee represents another great result of our importer’s “Community Coffee” programs, in which they work with small coops in local communities to raise standards for coffee and standard of living for the community. These programs pay higher premiums in general, and these premiums go back into building community infrastructure. It’s a great program that benefits the communities where this coffee is grown, and benefits those who drink it by guaranteeing higher quality in the cup, ultimately resulting in quality improvements year over year. We taste: Chocolate, nougat, walnut and green apple. Click here to buy now. 

Our Indy Cafe named Best Coffee in Indiana by Cosmopolitan

We were thrilled to read a few weeks ago that our Indianapolis cafe was featured in an article by Cosmopolitan: The Best Coffee in Every State in 2016. We are incredibly proud of our team in the way they represent Quills, and Indiana coffee. If you've yet to visit, now is a great time while we have our delicious Fall seasonal drink menu. Indianapolis Quills Family photos by Tiernae Salley. 

Now Roasting: Guatemala, San Pedro

Huehuetenango isn't the only regional player in delicious specialty coffee from Guatemala. Neighboring Atitlan, with its rich volcanic soil, plentiful rainfall and good elevation, is also known for producing sweet coffees with a sparkling acidity.

That is why our new San Pedro La Laguna is so exciting for us at Quills, as it represents a region of Guatemala we have not sourced from before now. On top of that, it makes for a great counterpoint to the Waykan already on our menu, showing significant differences between the regions of the same country.

The San Pedro is a sweet and clean coffee, and we taste notes of milk chocolate, cherry, lemon, with a toffee finish. It is available by the cup now in our cafes, as well as on shelves and online in 12oz bags. 

Ron Morris Photography now at Baxter Cafe

“What happens when someone allows you to look at them intently?”  This is the question photographer Ron Morris asks in his series, Portraits.  Taken from 1969 to 1982, the images show a range of individuals who have allowed Morris a close look at their lives. The black and white photos exhibit simple compositions, but the faces and bodies on display articulate something more complex.   

Ron Morris studied photography at the University of Louisville and the Massachusetts College of Art where he earned his MFA. He has exhibited in New England and New York and has taught at Boston area colleges. For the past twenty-five years, Mr. Morris has taught photography and art at a high school outside of Boston. He retired this past year and returned to his hometown in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mr. Morris’ work is in several art collections and he worked for three years at a nationally recognized residential photography workshop, Apeiron, in upstate New York. He participated in an NEA funded photography project documenting Long Island. His work appeared also in “Local Light: Photographs Made in Kentucky”, Gnomen Press, Lexington, Kentucky and in Camera Magazine, July 1974, “Young Photographers”. The New York Times interviewed Mr. Morris about the Long Island Project and the Boston Globe and the New York Times have reviewed his work.
 

His photographs have been exhibited at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Hofstra University, MIT, the Portland Art Museum, Newton Art Center, Vision Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, the New England School of Photography, the Memphis Academy of Art, the Hudson River Museum, Northeastern University and Texas A&M University. 

For more information on purchasing or displaying artwork, we can direct you to our art coordinator, Joanna Miller, at info@quillscoffee.com. You can also talk to your lovely Baristas, who can help you purchase the pieces you see on display.

Morris’ Portraits will be on display at our Baxter location through November.  For more information and work by Morris, visit his website: http://ronmorrisphotographs.weebly.com/

September's Featured Coffee: El Salvador El Rosario

As the seasons change we begin to say goodbye to summer and cold coffee season. We are a bit sad to see the Kayon Mountain leave our espresso hoppers, but that shouldn't overshadow our excitement to have the El Salvador El Rosario follow it up as our featured coffee for September! 

We’re thrilled to begin a new relationship with the Menendez family of El Salvador. Miguel Menendez Sr. and his sons Miguel and Guillermo are carrying forward a coffee farming tradition for the 4th generation now. After nearly leaving coffee behind back in the 1990s, this family has gained a reputation among the elite producers in El Salvador since then. Regular top competitors in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence, the Menendez family puts out wonderful coffees from their various farms each year.

This particular coffee comes from Finca El Rosario, a beautiful farm nestled on a plateau along the high-wind corridors of the Apaneca-Illamatepec mountain range. These winds bring a constant cooling effect to the farm, and freshness to the climate, all coupled with a soil rich in volcanic mineral content, making the area ideal for producing specialty coffee. The farm is also “Rainforest Certified,” reflecting the Menendez’ attention to the wildlife, environment, and the local economy.

This is Nacho, the farm manager. 

The Menendez family owns numerous farms, along with their own dry mill, and they control exporting as well, meaning they see the coffee all the way through until it gets to us from its origin. They approach their operation with thought toward sustainability, health of the whole ecosystem around the farm and the success of their community. Their pickers are known to garner higher wages than many in the area, and the Menendez family pours money back into youth programs and education. They’re able to do all this because of their attention detail and the quality of the coffees they produce year-in and year-out. We hope coffees from their farms will become a regular staple in our lineup.

So what about the cup? The El Rosario is going to be comforting and satisfying for most of you, especially if you've been wanting to try one of our Single-Origin offerings brewed by the cup. Rich honey, sweet almonds and tart peach in a really well-balanced experience. It will also be our featured Single-Origin espresso offering this month. If you are interested in a bag for home, swing by any of our shops or visit our store here. We also have a fantastic video of the Menendez Family if you'd like to take a few minutes and learn some more (which you definitely should do).