The Best Coffee Ever!

I love the taste of coffee! I was first introduced to it when I was a child by both of my grandpas. Each of them drank it differently, but they both enjoyed it. My Grandpa Glade drank his with a bit of milk in it. I remember him putting a little bit of it in the saucer underneath his cup right after he poured it. He said this was to help cool it off...he would drink that portion first. My Grandpa Art (Reukauf) drank his black. As I recall he liked it super hot. As a child I saw him as someone who never had time for any nonsense. He was always on the go so the fact that he liked his coffee black and boiling hot makes sense to me now. Both of my grandmothers liked coffee as well, but it's more my grandfathers that stick out in my mind when I think back about my first introduction to the dark, inviting aroma of coffee.

Growing up on a working cattle ranch I remember there always being coffee around. I guess you might call it a staple. Working out in the elements isn't the easiest of things and somehow coffee makes it easier to endure. We still have this tradition at our place today. Whenever we are working cattle, branding, shipping, preg checking, or feeding you will find coffee in a thermos somewhere around. It's funny how many brandings we go to nowadays where there isn't any coffee to be found. The old cowboys would be appalled! I see lots of changes going on around us. Progress isn't a bad thing per se, but there are some things that should stay the same. Coffee is one of them. :)

I have never really sat down and thought about what goes into making coffee. Have you? I don't take it for granted or anything, but I've never really gotten curious about "how" coffee is created. That changed when I ran across a new brand of coffee on Instagram. Any of you who knows me knows that last year we purchased a Percheron stud (Mack) and we began our half-draft breeding program. We are SO excited about our dreams finally taking flight in that regard. I post a lot of pictures of Mack and our mare herd as you can imagine. So, when I stumbled upon Percheron Coffee I stopped in my tracks. I was intrigued and I felt compelled to look more into it. I was super surprised to find out just how new this company was in terms of Instagram. There wasn't a lot of posts or photos, but for some reason I felt compelled to reach out to the owner. As luck would have it the owner messaged me back. We had a good chat and eventually he agreed to let me review his coffee. I was ecstatic for several reasons. One, I have never reviewed a coffee before. Two, I'm enamored by anything and everything Percheron related!

After a short time I got our Percheron Coffee beans in the mail along with a bag of Starbucks coffee so we (Shane and I) could do an honest comparison. We were sent "Barnraiser Blend" Percheron Coffee and "Pike Place" Starbucks Coffee. I was absolutely not surprised that we much preferred the Percheron Coffee over Starbucks. I am not a fan of the burnt taste that Starbucks coffees always seem to have (no matter the kind you choose). Percheron Coffee was smooth, good flavored, and didn't leave a nasty aftertaste in our mouths. We eagerly have been looking forward to our Percheron Coffee every morning (I have less than half a bag left so I'll be ordering soon). One of the other reasons that I'm so excited to promote Percheron Coffee is the fact that it's a small business. A one-man show you might say. I totally identify with that and I proudly support small-businesses such as Percheron Coffee.

I got quite an overview from Wayne Bruley, owner of Percheron Coffee. Here is what he said about his what he does and why: "I’m a guy that has developed an uncontrollable obsession with roasting coffee. I have roasted thousands of pounds just to experiment. Most modern coffee roasters use computers to control and track their roasters to get the same average tasting coffee from each batch. I do what I do 100% on sight, sound and smell. All my job is, is to cook the sugar inside the seed to give you the best possible cup of coffee. Since no variables in the process are the same every day, with every coffee, why should I treat it all the same? That is mainly what makes my coffee noticeably different from anything out there to the average person drinking it." WOW - his explanation blows me away and truthfully, you can taste the difference in each mouthful of coffee! I recently did a #TNCGiveaway with a bag of Percheron Coffee included. Did you get entered to win? I do giveaways every could of weeks so pay attention on my Instagram page and my fan page on Facebook for the next giveaway coming up. Whoever gets this Percheron Coffee is going to fall head over heels in love! :)

I'm going to let Wayne go on to tell you what he so eloquently told me via email about his coffee. "Everyone is the hero in their own story and a great sidekick can help guide the hero along a path that changes their life and the life of everyone around them. I am that sidekick. When you have the best possible cup of coffee in the morning it can melt away all the anxiety of that long Monday you’re not looking forward to. Instead of needing a cup of milk and sugar with some coffee flavoring that you choke down because you need the morning boost... you can have a wonderful cup of whatever delight you crave. Whether it’s the nuttiness you get from a Colombian, the chocolate from a Brazil, or the light floral flavors from this Panama I’m drinking as I type this I've got you covered (even if you want a super fruity tasting cup from Ethiopia). You can travel the world every morning, be in a better mood, live with a clearer head. I believe that having great coffee every day (instead of coffee loaded with sugar, fats, and everything else people try to escape when they order a half caf sugar free non fat pumpkin spice latte with no whip) truly does have the power to change your life. A happy morning before you walk out the door leads to a better commute. maybe you don’t see the angry driver that’s been tailgating you for 2 miles while you only drive the speed limit. a better commute will lead to more productivity at work. More productivity leads to more money in your pocket. Maybe you pay off the house a few years early with all that extra money? Maybe you take a vacation to Hawaii?! That’s all your story, I’m just here to give the boot out of bed you want so you can fill the pages!"

I don't know about you, but what he says above has me thinking a totally different way about coffee! I truly enjoy a person's love for what they do and what they produce. There is poetry in their words, much like there is in Wayne's. I truly admire what he does and I am proud to support him for more reasons than one. As I read on in his email to him I found out that he is a disabled Veteran. I have to tell you that I paused for quite a bit when I read that. I have a huge appreciation for all of our Veterans. Knowing that he was disabled defending our freedoms gave me that much more appreciation for what he does and his passion for it that clearly comes through signified something deeper to me. For all the things written on this page you can call us BIG fans of Percheron Coffee. We will proudly be serving this at our house from now on!

If you would like to order your very own Percheron Coffee (and I truly recommend that you do) get a hold of Wayne Bruley @ Percheron Coffee. You can do so via Facebook, Instagram, or email (bettermornings@yahoo.com), or his phone number: (325) 669-8860.