Jethro's World

I am still a fan of BJ's Coffee, and I will still support my local coffee shop when I go for coffee, but I have been seduced by a new coffee roaster: Stumptown Coffee.

The Stumptown French Roast seems to be about the same hue of black as the BJ's West Valley, but the Stumptown is a little smoother, with absolutely zero bitterness or stick-to-the-back-of-your-tongue heaviness -- it is a perfect match with a french press.

I french-press a fresh batch of Stumptown French Roast every morning (except Wednesdays, when I have early morning men's Bible Study), and drink it with raw sugar and half-n-half. To me, it approaches coffee nirvana... the coffee's I've tried that rank on the same level would be Torrefazione, a fine Italian coffee, and Starbuck's Espresso Roast as brewed by Jeremy & Jenn -- those are the other coffees that really stand out in my memory.

For those in the Canby/Molalla area who may want to try some Stumptown beans, you can purchase them at Puddin' River Chocolates in downtown Canby. If you try it and don't like it, you can give the leftover beans to me! :-)

Posted by Jeff at 9:33 AM | Permalink

So here are some of the better ones... see the old entry for reference...

Sandy made their coffees today (Mary had worked the early shift).


The coffee shop becomes Vino Maria's on weekend evenings.


The view from the side counter.


Noah's favorite place to sit...


The place where Noah would live if he could... upstairs in the hotel, right next to the coffee shop. :-)

Look for more entries in the future from this budding artist/photographer...

Posted by Jeff at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Back in May I tried to kick the coffee habit, but it just didn't work. I went for about a week without it, but the haze was just too much -- I need my morning coffee!





As you can tell from my 0g Trans Fat entry, it wasn't the coffee I was trying to eliminate, but the flavored creamer. Well, after a few more months of downing this toxic sludge, I decided to take Tammy's advise and try plain old-fashioned 'cream and sugar' in my coffee -- but with a little twist. I use plain old half-and-half for cream, but instead of ordinary refined white sugar, I am using Sugar In The Raw. While the end result isn't quite as sweet as the French Vanilla flavored stuff I used before, the raw sugar does give it a slight caramel flavor. I have had zero problems making the switch, and I feel a lot better knowing that I'm not dumping trans fats down the hatch.

Remember folks, you want to avoid partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup and enriched white flour (look for whole grains products) -- your body will thank you for it.

Posted by Jeff at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

BJ's Coffee in Molalla is our favorite local hangout. It is Noah's first choice for a place to go for breakfast. The owner, Mary, knows our names, and always welcomes us with a warm smile. She also knows that Noah will want coffeecake and 'coffee water' when he comes in. She knows that Steph will want a breakfast sandwich, and she knows that I will want a 20 oz. mocha. She always has to hold Emily, and often parades her around the coffee shop. It is a wonderful little hangout... and the coffee is good, too.

Noah's favorite spot is a corner booth with a Mediterranean mural painted by Mary's daughter, Kristy. The mural is of a bayfront scene with houses, boats, fishermen, and even a little coffee shop right along the waterfront. Steph once asked Noah where on the mural he would want to live, if he could choose. He pointed to a window right next to the little coffee shop and said, "If I lived there, then I could walk to the coffee shop". :-)

BJ's Coffee is located kitty-corner from Safeway -- a Safeway that just opened up a corporate giant 'coffee counter' (I won't utter their name here) inside the store. This is not good for our favorite little coffee shop. Sure, the corporate giant does make a good cup of coffee, but we really don't need them in Molalla... we already have good coffee shops -- including BJ's, which carries only locally roasted coffees that are Fair Trade Certified.

While I have been known to purchase coffee from this corporate giant, I refuse to patronize the one in the Molalla Safeway... and I urge anyone who may be passing through our town to do the same. Don't settle for sipping your coffee in the middle of a supermarket... make the 30 second jaunt over to BJ's Coffee... it is well worth the walk.

Posted by Jeff at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)