Drinking Coffee May Help With The Early Diagnosis Of Parkinson’s

The healthful effects of coffee are far-reaching, to the point that every time a new benefit is found, I have to scour old articles (that I’ve written) to see if Sprudge has already reported on it. One of these benefits is coffee’s ability to prevent Parkinson’s disease (Sprudge has NOT reported on that. But here we are, doing it now. Coffee prevents Parkinson’s. You’re welcome). And a new study shows that drinking coffee may also help with the early identification of the disease.

The findings come from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo. Led by Nobutaka Hattori, a group of researchers found that how the body processes coffee—specifically caffeine and caffeine byproduct serum levels—may be used as a biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease, which could lead to earlier detection. Surveying 139 people, both men and women with and without the disease, researchers analyzed the blood serum of the participants for caffeine and “its 11 so-called downstream metabolites — small molecules produced during caffeine-induced metabolic processes in the human body.”

They found, according to a press release, that “the serum levels of caffeine and of almost all metabolites, including theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine — caffeine’s main byproducts — were lower in patients with Parkinson’s disease.” The researchers do note that concentrations of caffeine and its byproducts aren’t indicative of the severity of the disease.

So drink up, everyone. Not only does coffee prevent Parkinson’s, it may just help doctor’s identify the disease during its earlier stages.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

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Come Party With Sprudge At SXSW

SXSW is coming! Now in its 31st year, the SXSW Festival (or “Southby”, which is what everyone involved with Southby calls it) is North America’s premiere convergence of the interactive, film, music, progressive education, and cutting-edge food industries, and for the very first time this year it’ll host a coffee exhibition. Sprudge has teamed up with the festival to co-curate a brand new Roasters Village zone as the Official Media Partner of SouthBites, SXSW’s innovative food programming and flavor culture fest. Service is open from Saturday, March 10th through Monday, March 12th.

We are really excited about all of this! The Roasters Village is starting small in this, its pilot year, with just a dozen or so brands joining us at the festival, including Stumptown Coffee, Deadstock Coffee, Slingshot Coffee, Five Elephant Coffee Intelligentsia Coffee, Swiss Water Decaf, Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, Tweed Coffee Roasters, Upruit, Third Wave Water, Vega, and perhaps a few more surprises to launch at the show. Sprudge Media Network will be there live at the fest bringing coverage of all the coolness, so be sure to watch this space and follow us on Instagram and Twitter all weekend long in March.

And it wouldn’t be SXSW, er, “Southby” without a rocking slate of afterparties. We’ve teamed up with Austin local heroes Department of Brewology and Caffé Medici, plus everyone’s favorite Yemeni coffee wunderkind Mokhtar Alkhanshali of Port of Mokha, for a very special evening of delicious coffee, ice cold beer, convivial hangs and even some live podcast #content. This all happens on Monday, March 12th from 6:00 until 9:00-pm at Caffé Medici Downtown (200 Congress Ave) and it’s absolutely free to attend.

• See! A collection of Austin coffee pros, out of town festival exhibitors, and Southby attendees who love coffee!
• Hear! A very special live taping of the Coffee Sprudgecast featuring Mokhtar Alkhanshali, Department of Brewology, and some very special guests that we are currently confirming, and might indeed be quite special, we assure you!
• Drink! An assortment of delicious cold beers for purchase courtesy of our gracious hosts Caffé Medici, who will also be slinging espresso and filter coffee drinks on demand in case you’ve got like five more parties to go to after this one.
• Chill! At this fun, laid-back social occasion that is free to enter, in the heart of Downtown Austin.

Thank you so much to Dept of Brewology’s David Salinas for designing this lovely poster, and to our gracious hosts Caffe Medici. We’ll see you March 10th-12th in Austin (and before that at Czech Stop).

So much more is available for you to explore at the official SXSW website. 

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Asagohan: A Monthly Pop-Up Bringing Brunch To Tokyo Coffee Shops

There was a light drizzle in the air as I made my way to Ampere Cafe. It was 6:45 on a Sunday morning, and a quiet rain fell upon the mostly empty streets of Shibuya. The cafe was down an alleyway, a warm glow of orange light against a backdrop of grey concrete.

I yawned. I couldn’t help wondering what I’d dragged myself out of bed for on an early Sunday morning.

Inside, Eito Ogura and Kazuo Shinbo were preparing coffee and eggs benedict for the sleepy people filtering into Ampere for a weekend breakfast—it’s this food and drink pairing that sits at the heart of the once-a-month pop-up event called Asagohan, or translated to English, simply breakfast.

Ogura and Shinbo say they want to bring early morning coffee and breakfast culture to Tokyo, having discovered it on exchange study trips to Canada and Australia, where they first met. Upon returning to Tokyo, the two looked for a way to combine their interests—coffee and food—and realized that in their shared love of breakfast culture was an opportunity.

Kazuo Shinbo

“For Japanese people,” Ogura says, “especially in Tokyo, most people wake up as late as possible, and head straight to work, often without eating breakfast. But when I worked early shifts at cafes in Australia, I noticed lots of people came in early, before work. It was a part of their lifestyle, and I really liked that.”

“I think both our lives changed by living overseas,” adds Shinbo. “We experienced new ways of life, and met people who were making a living doing what they wanted. I think we realized we wanted to do that, too.”

I chatted with a few other visitors at the event—Asagohan’s fourth, which featured Sangenjaya’s Coffee Wrights along with an eggs benedict of smoked salmon and sukiyaki brisket—who were a mixed group of baristas, shop employees, and cafe-hoppers. As we ate and drank, they told me that the getting up part was hard, but that having a kickstart to their Sunday was worth it.

“What we want to do,” says Ogura, “is help make morning culture a part of people’s lives here. If you wake up to a good breakfast, especially on the weekend, you have the whole rest of the day ahead of you. It’s a good feeling.”

“Yeah. I think sometimes Japanese people have a tendency to tilt the work-life balance too far towards work,” says Shinbo, who adds that he hopes his dishes help people enjoy their mornings a little more.

Eito Ogura

Ogura says that their first event—a pairing of avocado toast with Kumamoto’s AND Coffee Roasters—went much better than expected, and opened the door to collaborations with Glitch Coffee Roasters and Trunk Coffee for breakfast dishes like French toast and omelettes.

And while not having a dedicated space of their own yet sometimes makes preparations complicated for the pair, the flip side of setting up in brand new locations each month means making it easier for new people to attend, and giving regulars the chance to explore a new part of Tokyo on their days off.

And though Ogura and Shinbo talk of someday taking Asagohan to rural parts of Japan and setting up a dedicated restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for the time being they’re happy simply developing their Tokyo events and building a community of morning people to help spread the word about breakfast culture.

And this community is perhaps the best thing about the event outside of the food and drink itself; the Asagohan event feels unique for the way it brings people together and encourages them to talk. People sit wherever there is space, and because the meal and the coffee are always set, they make for an easy, gentle springboard into conversation with the people at your table.

And so, while I sat sipping at coffee and chatting with a Malaysian and a Taiwanese barista about weekend plans, I felt awake and pleasantly full of food; satisfied and surrounded in a warm buzz of conversation.

I felt like if this was what morning culture meant to Ogura and Shinbo, then I was starting to understand the appeal of getting up a little earlier on the weekends.

Find out more about Asagohan and keep up to date with their events on Facebook and Instagram.

Hengtee Lim (@Hent03) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Tokyo. Read more Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.

Photos courtesy of Kazu_Poon.

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Time Zones

I write  texts to send our boy early in the NY morning. Things he needs to know and all. Then I don't send them until three hours pass....time zones you see. It's almost time now...

Spotting deer is important this time of year. Many of them stayed here rather than venturing south as they do in bad winters. 

They are stupid with bold and stroll right up to the road...and sometimes right across it. 

Just the color of the dry brown grass, they are hard to spot, but between the two of us we usually notice them in time to avoid them.

Alas, motorists behind us, doing a ton, and talking on their phones, often barely miss us and never even see the deer. We stopped for these two but a tractor trailer coming the other way spooked them and they returned whence they came.

Quite acrobatically. 

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Continuum at Nature’s Edge – Prices, Plans, Availability

At a Glance

• located in North Vancouver’s Lynnmour neighbourhood
• 23 strata townhomes
• double garages
• rooftop decks
• near Lynnmour Elementary School & Capilano University
• short drive to Deep Cove & Mt. Seymour
• close to Highway 1 & Second Narrows Bridge

At Nature’s Edge
Coming to the North Shore, Brody Development is pleased to bring you a new 23-unit townhome project in North Vancouver’s Lynnmour neighbourhood. Ranging in size from two to four bedrooms, Continuum at Nature’s Edge is ideal for families who wish to raise their children in a suburban residential environment. Lynnmour Elementary School is across the street, while Windsor Secondary and Capilano University are each a five-minute drive away. Nearby Inter River Park offers several soccer fields, baseball pitches, a lacrosse arena, and a Nationals level BMX training area. Beside the park is the North Shore Equestrian Centre. A series of connecting biking and hiking trails offers access to Lynn Creek and Mt. Seymour Provincial Park. Water sports at Deep Cove are just 10 minutes away. Neighbouring Maplewood Farm is a formative educational opportunity with its 200 animals and fun activities. At Continuum, be at one with the North Shore’s beauty and nature.

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Pricing for Continuum
$1.1M – $1.3M.

Floor Plans for Continuum
Continuum family-friendly townhomes range in size from 1,000 – 2,500 sq ft. Floor plans include the following mix of residences:

• three x 2-bedrooms
• 19 x 3-bedrooms
• one x 4-bedroom

Contact me today to discuss availability and plans according to your needs.

Amenities at Continuum
Each residence will have its own private rooftop deck from which to admire the beauty of the surrounding environs. Rentals and pets are allowed.

Parking and Storage
Continuum offers homeowners vehicle parking in private double garages. Ample storage is provided within each residence.

Maintenance Fees at Continuum
TBA.

Developer Team for Continuum
Brody Development is a well-established North Vancouver company specializing in multi-family communities and single-family luxury homes. Since 1977, Brody Development has built hundreds of multi-family units and single-family homes in North and West Vancouver. The North Shore environment inspires Brody to create warm, enduring developments, making optimum use of natural materials and traditional construction techniques, while also presenting contemporary features and detailing with an urban edge. In recognition of their construction excellence, Brody Development is the recipient of Silver and Gold Georgie Awards from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia. Their restoration of the McNair Residence received a Heritage BC award and a City Heritage Award from the City of North Vancouver.

Integra Architecture was formed in 1999 by two experienced architects – Dale Staples and Duane Siegrist. The partners share a belief in client-centered architecture, teamwork, and long-term working relationships. The firm’s capable staff has extensive experience in all types of residential buildings, mixed-use projects, as well as renovations and seniors housing. Through effective communication and high-quality construction drawings, Integra bridges the gap between the builder’s reality and the architect’s vision.

Expected Completion for Continuum
2020.

Are you interested in learning more about other homes in West or North Vancouver?

Check out these great North Shore Presales!

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Arabica Vs. Robusta: Which Trees Are Better For The Birds?

Coffee is for the birds, but I mean that in a good way. A recent scientific study set out to decipher whether growing arabica or robusta coffee was better for supporting native bird species, and it turns out they are both ecologically friendly. But arabica is still better.

As reported by Forbes, the article explores biodiversity in India’s Western Ghats mountain range, a hotspot for much of the country’s agriculture expansion that is “unusually species-rich,” with many being found nowhere else in the world. According to the article, arabica and robusta production have differing effects on biodiversity in two major ways: how they are grown and farming practices used.

The article notes that arabica is primarily shade-grown, meaning the trees exist under a canopy amongst other types of plants. Robusta, on the other hand, is typically sun-grown in a monoculture. The researchers found that while both types of trees were grown in dense rainforests, arabica was grown under a slightly more dense canopy (“average canopy density score of 94.6% for arabica and 79.2% for robusta”), and this difference led to arabica farms being more species rich, including many birds on the endangered species list.

But robusta has a leg up on farming practices. The study found that only 19 percent of robusta farms used pesticides, compared to the 75 percent of arabica farms. Refraining from the use of pesticides allows for robusta farms to have a “far greater prey diversity and availability for insectivorous birds.”

Overall, the study found that both types of “coffee farms supported higher species richness, endemic richness and greater densities of birds overall when compared to other major cash crops produced in the Western Ghats,” and that coffee farming may actually be beneficial for biodiversity in the Indian mountain range. But because it is primarily shade-grown, arabica coffee reigns ecologically supreme. And it tastes better. It’s a wren-wren situation.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

*top image via Lava Java

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Rare Bird Alert

Check this guy out. He's an American Wigeon. If you go up to Montezuma in season you will see thousands like him. However, here in our county eBird flags him as rare. I have certainly never seen one here before. The boss and I found him in the river this morning, along with his lady, a Gadwall, a couple of Northern Pintails, and a Common Goldeneye.

Hooded Mergansers

What a morning, huh?

Mrs. Hoodie

Color me happy. Sorry about the less than spectacular photos, but these ducks were way out in the river.

Gadwall

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1021 Burnaby Street in Downtown Vancouver

1021 Burnaby Street by Francl Architecture is a new 5-storey concrete building located in the West End at 1021 Burnaby. This project will offer 21 one- and two- bedroom condominiums. The site is near the gateway to Davie Village. Your daily needs are easily met by the neighbourhood’s stores and professional services.  With gyms, the False Creek-Stanley Park Seawall, the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, and English Bay, leisure options are close at hand.

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Meet Cafe Steez, The New Subscription Pairing Coffee & Hip-Hop

From Apple to Dropbox to Kickstarter, the concept of “Scratch your own itch” is a central mantra for entrepreneurs. It means, in essence, “be inspired by your own life”—create the thing you wish existed, and see if others dig it. For entrepreneurs Joshua and Lindsey Dugué, that means taking a cherished morning ritual—good coffee paired with good hip-hop on vinyl—and turning it into a curated box set.

Meet Cafe Steez, a new monthly subscription from Chicago. Joshua Dugué has 20+ years of experience in the specialty coffee industry, but this is his first project as an owner. Together with his partner Lindsey, Joshua is translating a lifetime of coffee knowledge and a lifelong love of hip-hop into a unique and deeply satisfying new take on the coffee subscription model. Cafe Steez (the name comes from a Method Man verse from GZA’s seminal 1995 album Liquid Swords) launched in January 2018 with a pairing of Ethiopia Kochere and Little Simz’ Stillness In Wonderland. This coffee was sourced by Heleanna Georgalis of Moplaco Trading Co. and roasted by Chicago’s Four Letter Word, resulting in a complete chain of sourcing, roasting, and music created by women. For their second set (out now) Cafe Steez has paired a coffee from Colombia called La Falda, roasted by Black & White Roasters, with the EP Glitches In The Break from influential Detroit producer and recording artist Black Milk.

I had the chance to sample the latest Cafe Steez boxset in advance of the interview below, and was hooked instantly. The experience is both electric relaxation and deeply analog at the same time, a ritual that fosters contemplation and conversation—good coffee and vinyl has the capacity to make you put your phone down like almost nothing else. And because the human brain is this complex, multifaceted thing, the music actually makes your coffee taste better, and vice versa, resulting in an entourage effect of flavors and sounds riffing together and amplifying each other.

I sat there happily for a full 24 minutes, doing nothing else but drinking coffee, listening to a complete artistic work, thumbing through the liner notes, and letting my mind bliss out. It’s one of the most pleasurable coffee experiences I’ve had in years, and something every coffee lover should try.

A subscription to Cafe Steez starts at $35 USD for a single month, with options up to a full year now available. To learn more I spoke digitally with Joshua Dugué from his home in Chicago.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Sprudge: Hey Joshua—thanks for talking with us. Where did the original idea for this concept come from? How long have you been working on it?

Joshua Dugué: Coffee + hip hop is kind of a family ritual here. I alway start my day that way and I wanted to share that experience with people. I know lots of people who love the two and it just made sense to Lindsey and I to formally pair the two together in a subscription.

Did you start with the coffee and pair to that? Or start with the record and work from there?

It’s a bit of both really and sometimes just a happy accident. The Black & White and Black Milk pairing was more about timing. I was crate digging and grabbed a pressing of “Glitches In The Break.” Later that day I was talking to Rich Futrell (from Genuine Origin) about some our favorite people from our Counter Culture days and Lem’s name came up. It was only a couple moves from there for me to put the two together. Sometimes I’m lucky that way.

How many different coffees did you try out in order to figure out this pairing?

I cupped a few different coffees from B&W and had a few coffees from other roasters on the table. I was pretty much decided on B&W from the outset but I wanted to give myself some options. They sent me some amazing coffees; it wasn’t an easy choice. Ultimately I just loved the sweetness coming out of the La Falda.

Joshua & Lindsey Dugué. Photo courtesy of Cafe Steez.

What’s your favorite track on this record?

Man…okay, so this whole album is insane. It kind of just blares dopeness on every track but “G” featuring Guilty Simpson is my jam! I’ve been a fan of Guilty Simpson for a while. He’s part of that whole Detroit scene with J Dilla, Mad Lib, and Sean Price. A close second is “Cold Day.” I’m a sucker for that laid back flow and some head nod beats. Oh yeah…”Dirt Bells” is another hot one.

How would you describe Black Milk’s music for someone unfamiliar?

Black Milk as an MC has that real easy delivery on some intricate lyricism; he reminds me a lot of Blu. His beats and musicality are impressive as well. Sometimes he can come out of the gates with some cacophonic madness (that’ll be the name of my first hip hop album) like in “There Are Glitches.” But then he almost immediately delivers you some seriously ass-shaking shit. He writes like someone who knows how to perform live and put on a good show…if you’ve seen him live then you know that to be true. If you haven’t, then please do so!

Glitches in the Break came out in 2014—do you think you’ll continue to feature older releases like this? Or will future releases focus on brand new music?

Oh, I’m sure I’ll bring some new stuff to the table. I think in the beginning I want to set a baseline for subscribers. There’s a ton of good stuff that people may not be up on. When we partnered with Four Letter Word Roasters, we paired them with Little Simz’s Stillness In Wonderland. That was a newer item from 2017. I wanted to bring in Rapsody‘s new one too but Little Simz seemed to work better. So yeah…we’ll do some new stuff too.

Do you think you’ll stick with EP length records for future pairings? 24 minutes is kind of the perfect amount of time for a pot of coffee…

I’m with you on that one. I kind of like to play a whole record while I drink coffee and pull myself together. I hate to stop something I’m really feeling because I finished my coffee and I have to hit the road. EP length is perfect for that. That said…I have some stuff coming up that might be a bit longer…but not too long.

Was the Black & White/Black Milk linguistic connection a happy accident or something you were intentionally drawn to?

I’m not gonna lie, I was feeling the whole aesthetic synergy thing. I was lucky because the album is really good too. I usually try to find a couple different ways to connect the coffee to the hip hop. It’s pretty fun.

How long have you been in coffee for? Tell us a bit more about your career in coffee before starting Cafe Steez.

I’ve been in coffee for a little bit now. I think this is year 24…give or take a few months here and there. Granted, I haven’t always been “doing coffee” in the way I have in the most recent years. I started at Starbucks in high school and kinda just rolled with it. I was a barista for a while through college and managed some shops as well. Coffee has been kind of a life companion for me as I’ve pursued other things. In the most recent years, maybe going back around 10 years, I’ve set up and managed a few shops, I was a tech and trainer at Counter Culture Coffee for 4 years, and I’ve been doing sales, wholesale support, and consulting since then. I’ve also done some guest chef / pop-up events here and there.

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to learn a lot and do a lot of different things in the coffee industry. If I’m being completely honest, it’s always been more about people for me. I like coffee but I think I like people more and this industry is nothing if it’s not about people.

What’s your favorite way to make coffee in the morning?

I bounce between brew methods. It kind of depends on the coffee, how tired I am, and whether or not my son wants help. Isaiah is really into making coffee with me; I usually give him a mini Kalita Wave and I use my style set. I usually put on some Kids Trap and then we brew. If Isaiah isn’t with me then I usually go out and get some drip somewhere. I was messing around with that sous vide business for a while; it was pretty fun and the coffee tasted pretty good…I don’t like to wait that long for coffee though.

Why is the vinyl part of Cafe Steez important? How does listening to music in that format contribute to the overall feel of this project?

I think vinyl is special, man. Like, you say to yourself, “I’m going to listen to this record” vs. “I’m going to put on some music.” It’s more intentional. Also, if I put on a record I want to hear the whole thing. Artists dream about giving you some great experience in that 20-45 minute listening experience. So why not give it a try? The full and warm vinyl sound combined with a commitment to the ride is a great way to do it. I think it makes the coffee taste better too!

Did you grow up with vinyl in your house or did you discover it as a music listener later in life?

Vinyl was a huge part of my childhood. My dad used to play old Teddy Pendergrass, Anita Baker, and Isley Brothers records. He had a few hip-hop albums in his collection too. He was a huge fan of Erik B and Rakim. I tried to teach myself how to DJ with his L.T.D. record… that was not my best decision.

Do you like natural processed coffees or nah? Would you ever feature one in a Cafe Steez set?

I like natural coffees a bunch. It’s likely that March will be a natural coffee pairing…we’ll see.

Can you share with us what your next collaboration box set is going to look like? Are you seeking more collaborators for packaging, coffee, music…?

Shoot man, I’m so stoked about the next few months. I have some great roasters lined up and some dope vinyl. Here’s a tentative taste of what’s coming out:

March – Stovetop Roasters + The Turn Up by Madlib, Blu, MED
April – Woodburl Roasters + Rap Album 2 by Jonwayne
May – Good Folks + Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them by Blu & Exile
June – Anthology Coffee + Rebirth Of Detroit by J Dilla
July – Pilcrow Coffee + ????

I’m definitely looking for packaging collaborators and merch collabs too.

Where do you see this project growing? Does it become a record label someday? A roaster? Where does it go next?

Start a label, run it, sign myself? That’s a major key! But for real, I think Linds and I want to use Cafe Steez as a way to finance a project we’ve had on the back burner for a while. We’d like to focus on training and career development in coffee for at-risk youth. It’s something we talk about a lot, actually. That idea has room to develop into a lot of different avenues. I think there are so many roasters out there doing such a great job and I would love to keep celebrating them; so, I don’t think we’ll roast. I could see us opening a co-roasting space though…that’d be dope.

Thank you so much. 

Visit the official Cafe Steez website for subscription details and more information, and follow Cafe Steez on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. 

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Jordan Michelman on Sprudge.

Photos by Zachary Carlsen for Sprudge Media Network. Top photo courtesy Cafe Steez. 

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The Many Delicious Nut Milks Of Michigan’s Ferris Coffee

It’s no surprise when a plethora of nut milks lands in, say, Los Angeles. But if I were to tell you that one of specialty coffee’s biggest nut milk innovators stakes their claim to America’s Third Coast—Lake Michigan—you might be surprised. Near-centenarian coffee-and-nut-roaster Ferris Coffee operates cafes in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the company puts its knowledge of both coffee and nuts to the test in a staggering menu of rotating nut milks and beguiling drinks made with said milks. We’re going beyond way, way beyond macadamia here—may I present the Ferris Noon Chai, made with rooibos, pistachio, almond-cashew milk, and smoked salt. Or the Cortado Con Mole, with ancho chile, chocolate, pumpkin seed milk, and espresso. (And pumpkin isn’t even a nut!)

We collared Ferris Food and Beverage Manager Cody Gallagher for some insights on how Ferris staked its nutty claim in the Great Lakes.

Sprudge: How long has your company been operating in Grand Rapids?

Gallagher: Ferris has been roasting coffee and nuts in Grand Rapids since 1924. It hasn’t been under the same ownership the entire time—the current ownership, the VanTongeren family, took over the business in 1985 and has put much more of an emphasis on specialty coffee and nuts. Our current cafe spaces have been operating for the last four to five years.

Ferris’ Golden Latte with almond-cashew milk.

When did you guys start doing nut milks? What prompted that?

We began making and serving our own nut milks around a year ago. It was always something that had been discussed since opening our cafe locations, but continually got placed on the back burner. Our main reasons for wanting to make our own nut milks are quality, economics, and environmental responsibility.

In regards to quality, we saw faults in several aspects of many commercially available non-dairy milks. First of all, the flavor of many left much to be desired for us. We knew that using our own nuts would provide a much fresher and natural nut flavor. Additionally, I think that most non-dairy milks are polarizing in flavor, dominating the flavor of whatever coffee they’re paired with, with their own flavor. For example, I think most almond milk lattes I’ve had taste more like almonds than they do coffee. To remedy this, most of our house nut milks are blends of nuts, which provides a general nutty flavor to their drinks, instead of a strong flavor of a specific nut.

As far as economics, dealing with the quantities of nuts that Ferris does, we have access to nuts at an incredibly low margin that many other coffee companies do not have the benefit of. In transitioning to producing all of our nut milks in-house, we’ve been able to cut cost on our non-dairy beverages, which in turn means lower prices for our guests.

Making our own nut milks plays into environmental responsibility for us in that far less packaging is going into each “unit” of milk. It also means that we’re able to ensure that the nuts being used for the milk are sourced as consciously as possible.

Tell me a little bit about the rise of specialty coffee in West Michigan and where you see your role in that.

Having the opportunity to observe and be a part of the rise of specialty coffee in West Michigan has been great. When I moved to Grand Rapids around six years ago, there was minimal game in town, Madcap Coffee being the city’s pioneers of specialty. Now there are specialty shops on every block. Madcap has contributed an enormous amount in educating the city’s coffee drinking populace of the value in well sourced, roasted, and brewed coffee, as well as educating that such values outweigh the lower prices and quicker drink times people were used to.

I see Ferris’ role in specialty coffee in West Michigan as upholding such exemplary standards of sourcing, roasting, and service, while making it as approachable for customers and guests as possible. Being an almost 100-year-old company, we have a very broad customer base, who fall in all different levels of coffee appreciation. This provides us with the unique opportunity to be able to show the value of good coffee to those who still enjoy their blueberry cobbler flavored coffees, as well as someone drinking their first single-origin espresso.

Tell me about some of your more adventurous nut milks and/or nut milk drinks?

Experimenting with more adventurous nut milks and nut milk beverages has been a lot of fun. One of the more unique nut milks we’ve made is a lavender-macadamia milk. This is made with a blend of macadamias, dried lavender, and dates, and is used in a lavender-berry granola we serve in the summer.

Two of my favorite nut milk-based drinks which we’ve served are our Cortado con Mole and our Applewood Mocha. The Cortado con Mole played off the ingredients of a traditional mole sauce, featuring pumpkin seed milk, ancho chile, chocolate, espresso, and mole spices. The Applewood Mocha features hazelnut milk, applewood smoke, apple blossom honey, apple cider, espresso, and cocoa.

Where do you source your nuts?

We source nuts globally. It depends a great deal from nut to nut how and where we source our nuts, but we’re guided by the general goal of building relationships through our sourcing. This entails frequent visits and communication with our producers, providing them aid when needed, and sharing their stories to our customers. It ultimately looks a lot like the sourcing of coffee.

Two of the nuts most commonly used for our milks are almonds and cashews, and the difference in their sourcing methods exemplifies the variation in sourcing from nut to nut. For example, we source all of our almonds from California, predominantly from the Modesto region. We source only non-pareil graded almonds, which fall on the top shelf of the almond market. On the flipside, our cashew sourcing involves a truly global network. Many cashew producers don’t have the resources to process and export the nuts themselves, and in many cases will ship the nuts across the world just to be processed. From there, they might even be shipped to another exporting company before being shipped to us.

How do you make the nut milks, and how easy are these drinks and milks to reproduce at home?

The process for almost all of our nut milks involves soaking the nuts for 8-12 hours, blending them with water, and then straining out the milk. We’ve found our own nuanced methods for the respective steps, from the straining device we use (a mash bag for beer brewing works wonders!), to the ratio of nut to water.

The milks are incredibly easy to produce at home, and require few materials. We encourage people to experiment with a variety of their favorite raw nuts, at a ratio of approximately 200 grams (or 1.5 cups) of nuts to 1 liter of water. From there, you soak the nuts in water for 8-12 hours, blend for around a minute, and strain through a cheesecloth, or similar material. We also enjoy including some sort of sweetener, such as dates or agave, to provide a natural sweetness and more body to the milk.

Where are you guys with grab and go milks and drinks?

We would love to be able to offer packaged nut milks and grab and go drinks, but currently are unable to, due to packaging and production restraints. We do, however, offer a variety of nut milk based grab and go items as a part of our food selections. One such item which fully celebrates our love for the nut are our “Nutty Cups.” Nutty Cups are parfait cups of overnight oats and quinoa soaked in almond-macadamia milk that’s been blended with a nut butter. They also have granola and nuts as toppings, as well as a fruit and nut compote on the bottom.

Those sound delicious. What’s your fantasy nut milk or nut-milk-based concoction?

I’ve recently been enjoying flax and hemp milks, which has motivated me to incorporate a blend of nuts with non-nut ingredients, such as flax, oat, and hemp. I think those ingredients would help to bolster a milk in ways nuts are not able to, in terms of mouthfeel, steaming qualities, neutrality with coffee drinks, and cost. It would be great to see a milk achieve the best of all worlds in the realm of non-dairy milks.

Ferris Coffee is located at 227 Winter Ave NW, Grand Rapids. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Liz Clayton is the associate editor at Sprudge Media Network. Her world coffee guide with Avidan Ross, Where to Drink Coffee, is out now on Phaidon Press. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.

Disclosure: Ferris Coffee is an advertising partner on Sprudge Media Network. 

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