Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee

Cedarburg: Photos: McDonald's in Cedarburg

Um, fail?  (It took me a good hour to figure out that the first punch--the only one most people will ever get--must have obscured the word "so", which makes the advertising message only a little less nonsensical.  A crime against coffee is one thing,  but this is simply a crime against language and reason.  Is this punch card a national promotion?  "Taking coffee so seriously" isn't a viable business proposition in Wisconsin, unless there is another line of business generating plenty of revenue to subsidize it.

Ozaukee County: Photos: Ozaukee Interurban Trail

I took this on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail last Saturday between Cedarburg and Mequon.  Maybe I'll see you on the trail this weekend?

 

Mequon: Snapshots: Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters

I'm catching the tail end of the Fiddleheads roasting launch party at the location on N. Port Washington Rd. in Mequon.  I've enjoyed meeting and chatting with a lot of great people.  At age 36 and as a semi-seasoned observer of the local coffee scene, It's rare that I'm really and truly blown away by an event.  The spacious cafe was packed with a standing-room only crowd when I arrived at 12:45, about fifteen minutes before the announced end of the event.  I wasn't aware that Fiddleheads had such a loyal coffee following; since I always have been here on Saturday around noontime, I'd formed a stereotype of the cafe as mostly a lunch place--albeit a very comfortable one!  That's one of the main reasons why I was so excited to hear the news of the launch of this ambitious new coffee program.

This was a coffee tasting, after all, and the taste of the coffee surpassed my high level of excitement.  Three varieties were being sampled: the Costa Rica La Dama Tres Rios, the Ethopia Harrar Gorecha, and the Papua New Guinea Kuta.  Steve, the roaster, has sent me home with two samples of beans that will fuel a late-evening work session tonight.  (Not all at once, of course!)

And to think I get to do it again the next two Saturdays! 

Press Releases: Fiddleheads to begin roasting its own coffees

Fiddleheads to begin roasting its own coffees

Kickoff events highlight “Start Fresh” campaign

 

THIENSVILLE, Wisconsin – (September 30, 2009) – Fiddleheads, a well-known name among café coffee drinkers in Ozaukee County, will begin roasting its own coffees that will be sold in its cafes and available to consumers and wholesale customers via the Internet. 

 

“Since 1996, Fiddleheads has been serving quality coffee at its three cafes,” says Mike Wroblewski, co-owner of the new company, Fiddleheads Coffee Roasters.  “Now we are enhancing the quality and freshness of our coffees by doing our own roasting.  It gives us greater control over the coffee-making process and quality, and enables us to expand the brand worldwide with the finest coffees you’ll ever savor.”

 

Nationally, in conjunction with announcing the company’s roasting business, Fiddleheads will also launch a new website,  www.fiddleheadscoffee.com.  The Start Fresh campaign highlights the company’s custom-roasting philosophy.

 

“With our focus on roasting, we will be selecting only premium coffee beans from the finest farms around the world.  Then our beans are masterfully roasted to bring out the maximum natural flavors,” Wroblewski says.  “In addition, we guarantee that all on-line orders will be ‘roasted to order.’  That’s how we define freshness and set ourselves apart from the competition.” 

 

To celebrate the new company, events will be held at the three Fiddleheads cafés in Thiensville, Mequon, and Cedarburg.  The events are free and open to the public.  At each of the events customers will have the opportunity to sample a selection of Fiddleheads coffees - from Brazil Carmo de Minas, to Guatemala Las Crucitas, to Sumatra Lintong.   In addition, there will be a drawing for a top-of-the-line coffee maker, the Mocca Master Thermal Brewer.  Cookies and pastries, and juice for the kids, also will be provided.

 

Dates and times for each Start Fresh event are…

 

M E Q U O N

Saturday, October 3rd | 11 am – 1 pm

10530 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53092 | 262-241-8819

T H I E N S V I L L E

Saturday, October 10th | 11 am – 1 pm

192 South Main Street, Thiensville, WI 53092 | 262-238-8737

C E D A R B U R G

Sunday, October 11th | 11 am – 1 pm

W62 N605 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012 | 262-376-1366

Mequon: Snapshots: Fiddleheads in Mequon

It's Saturday, so it must be Fiddleheads in Mequon.  For the first time that I can remember, other laptop folks are here (which makes eminent sense given the hassle-free Wi-Fi).  Last weekend, I lingered for over an hour, about as long as my laptop battery lasted--pretty remarkable, as usually I'm squirming after half an hour or so at these places.  It's hard to exaggerate how comfortable these banquettes are.  Alas, my battery has only a half-hour left in it, and I don't have a power cord with me.

Again, I'm finding that this is rapidly becoming my current favorite coffeehouse--at the risk of sounding inconsistent, since the coffee quality here is not all that stellar.   I was thinking about writing about this last weekend, so I'm glad I have the occasion to do so now.  In part, I think providing consistent, friendly service is the more significant business achievement over coffee quality.  Ideally, both would be provided, but if there has to be lapse in either area, let it be in coffee quality (within reason, of course).  And I emphasize that it is well within reason here: I've just gotten a refill with Costa Rican decaf, and it is everything I could ask for.  Interestingly, my first cup was the regular version of the same bean, and it wasn't nearly as good.