Sept. 12, 2016
This post is a "peek" into a different coffee world for my friends and colleagues in Rwanda. In Rwanda, good coffee, in the form of a brewed cup, is hard to find.
But good coffee in the form of a cherry on a tree or parchment at a
washing station is plentiful! So if you're a N. American or a European reading this, try to imagine how everything I describe here may be as interesting to Rwandans who have not been to the North, as descriptions about origin are to us.
On my road trip from Sep. 9 - 12 from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Memphis, Tennessee and back (720 miles/1,158 km one-way) , I had three nice coffee visits in Ohio, which is "the middle of America" in many ways. This was a great "re-introduction to the USA" for me after living in Rwanda for almost a year.
The stops in Ohio were on my return trip.
First: a visit to the roasting plant of
Deeper Roots Coffee in Cincinnati, OH. As I drove down the broken asphalt street past modest single-family homes, I was sure my GPS had taken me to the wrong place. But, no! Deeper Roots is located on a surprisingly large piece of farm property tucked away in a residential neighborhood! It is super quaint to look out of the windows of the roasting room and see traditional red barns, farm fences and a few milk canisters for the fresh milk from the cows!
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| Adam, Courtney and Brandon, 3 of Deeper Roots' staff |
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| Adam, Master Roaster |
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| The farm scene at Deeper Roots Coffee |
Second: Winan's Coffee & Chocolate on Miller Lane in Dayton, OH.
Awesome place to stop, since you get a free taste of one of their hand-made chocolates if it's your first time to the store.
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| Barista Andre (L) and his supervisor |
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| Coffee display at Winan's |
Third: Boston Stoker in Troy (just N. of Vandalia) Ohio.
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| Awesome "Straw Poll" promotion to fit the season! If you buy a bag of beans, you get to vote 10 times in the straw poll! |
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| Barista Tyler wants to know where you'll "vote" your chips. For Hillary, Donald or None of the Above?! |
