Coffee:
At the Artisan, we think it really does make a difference what kind of coffee you drink. Call us coffee snobs, but convenience store coffee just won't cut it. When we offer a cup of coffee or espresso, we want it to have rich, full flavor that satisfies a person's taste. One of the keys to having a quality cup of coffee or espresso lies in the quality of coffee beans that are used. Often beans that are ordered from large corporate sources are roasted in mass and done so months before they ever arrive at a store. We purchase our beans from a micro-roaster, Ken Pearon of Omega Coffee, in Laurie, MO. Pearon, who boasts 25-plus years of roasting experience, roasts all of our coffee in small 25-30 lb. batches to maintain the highest quality. We're also able to work with him to craft our espresso and house blends to match our tastes and the tastes of our customers. Each blend is made from fresh, green coffee beans from estates all over the world that are roasted and assembled by human beings with noses, ears, and eyes - not by computers, sensors, and robots. So you can rest assured that when you get coffee from the Artisan, it has been filtered through the hands of people who care about the craft of coffee making.

In addition to the quality of the bean itself, we are concerned about the social and ecological impact our purchasing habits can make. For this reason we are making a deliberate effort to make Fair Trade, shade grown, and organic coffee available where we can. It really does make a difference where the beans are grown and who benefits from their sale. While all our coffees are not Fair Trade certified, be assured that we and our roasters are looking out for the best interests of the growers and workers at the point of origin of our coffee beans. We have other social projects in the works as well, including our Mocha Club and our World Crafts. (more info coming)