What do you like/appreciate about North Star Fine Coffees? 

I appreciate the pride and personalization with which North Star deals with coffee and their customers.  Each customer should feel like they have developed a unique relationship with the company, because despite imminent growth, North Star maintains closely beholden to the customer and not the bottom line.

How would you describe our coffees? 

Obviously the taste of the coffees differs from blend to blend, however I would say that the one commonality is quality.  All the brews are impeccably blended and reach the consumer freshly and quickly.  The Strike 3 Brew, naturally, is my favorite!

What have you heard others say about our coffee? 

All the feedback I have heard has been great.  North Star was served at our gala to 500 people, and our guests raved about the quality of the coffee.  We have also been fortunate to have many of our executives sample the Strike 3 Blend, and again it drew rave reviews!

Try some Strike 3 for yourself and support the Strike 3 Foundation at the same time:

==> www.northstarfinecoffees.com/strike3

The clinical definition of addiction, according to the DSM IV, includes several considerations.  The shrinks say that among these factors, addiction exists in situations where the user begins to plan their life around the substance in question, devoting inordinate time and resources to obtain the user’s drug of choice.  Meeting both these criteria, for purposes of diagnoses, establishes an addiction.  Therefore, it’s time to make a confession: “Hi, my name is Matt, and I’m addicted to coffee.”

I’m not talking about 7-11 sludge, or the crystalline instant variety.  An addict like me doesn’t even consider these coffees; they’re more like a methadone supplement until I can get my fix. 

No, I’m talking the good stuff: The type of coffee with an aroma that can fill a room and wake you up just by taking a whiff.  The type of coffee with a smooth, sweet taste that doesn’t require 8 packets of Splenda to make it palatable.  The type of coffee that you can drink a cup in the morning, get the jolt needed to face another day of reality, and not worry about headaches, shaking and irritability three hours later. 

If you know coffee, you know what I’m talking about.  The perfect pot.  For us addicts, it’s something we spend years chasing after, spending big bucks and driving all over town to specialty retailers and out of the way coffee houses in pursuit of.  Most of these trips end up in disappointment (or a Starbucks, as an absolute last resort).

I’m happy to report, however, that I’ve scored probably the world’s best hook-up to feed my addiction.  North Star Fine Coffees isn’t only the good stuff, it’s the best stuff: quite literally, the most outstanding coffee I’ve ever tasted.  I’m pretty sure you’ll feel the same way.

I no longer have to run around town looking for that perfect cup; instead, North Star delivers directly to my front door.  North Star takes the time to grind the beans especially for my French Press to make it even easier.  Breaking through the airtight packaging releases an aroma that instantly transforms my living room into Juan Valdez’s hacienda (note: doubles as an air freshener). 

Boil some water, and a few minutes later, I’ve got the perfect cup.  A few hours later, I’m still going strong, without that nasty afternoon crash I’d come to expect as an inevitable trade off for caffeine escapism.  Plus, one bag costs about as much as three trips to Starbucks, only lasts way longer (and without having to break out the pseudo-Italian).

The best part of switching to North Star Fine Coffees?   I no longer spend time pursuing the perfect coffee, have been saving a lot of money for my gourmet fixes, and no longer experience any withdrawal after going on a binge.  That means I’m no longer an addict.  I’m a connoisseur, thank you very much!

The coffee is amazing.  Unfortunately, it arrived the day after Christmas, but it actually worked out for the best.

Everyone gathered around as we opened the bag and let the fresh aroma escape.  I pointed out that all the beans were perfect – they are!   The whole process – measuring, grinding, brewing and pouring – was like a sacred ceremony for the group of us.  We enjoyed every moment of it.  Then, the moment of truth…

The first taste.  We all sipped at once and it was great to see the various facial expressions.  Raised eyebrows.   Smiles.  Nodding heads proving the doubts were overcome.  Surprise that there is no bitter after taste.  Even my wife, who does not like coffee, wanted a whole cup – then another. 

The adults were like kids on Christmas morning.  That’s why it was best we were able to do this the day after Christmas – so we could focus on our gift, not the kids and theirs.

I understand what you mean by “great coffee experience.”

I’ve been looking forward to my morning cup of coffee ever since.  Not just for my wake-up “cup of ambition” but also because it tastes great!

Thank you!

Hello!

There are few things I love as much as an amazing cup of coffee. Ironically, we recently ran out of our North Star coffee, so I had to go back to the brands I normally get.  Brands that, prior to North Star, I thought were “fine, premium” coffees (Millstone and Starbucks).  After North Star, they honestly taste bland!  Oddly enough, it was the Starbucks that failed the most miserably.  They’re supposed to know what they’re doing!

I’ve used Millstone forever, and have always been happy with it – especially the Foglifter and Kona beans.  Even THEY paled by comparison.  Our oldest daughter, Emily, is already as big a coffee addict as I am and she even remarked that they didn’t smell as “bold” as North Star. 

Michael spoke to you earlier and said that there’ll be more North Star in the mail.  YAY!  I can’t wait to tell Emily, she’ll flip her caffeinated lid.  I’ll put up another post really soon** – I want everyone to taste what coffee is meant to taste like!

Thanks ever so much!

—————–

**You can read Joi’s first post here -> www.buttermilkpress.com/blog/truly-truly-amazing-coffee

Like most executives at Microsoft coffee is a morning, noon and afternoon ritual. In fact, spot me at 8:30, 12:45 and 3:00 and you will find some form of coffee in my hand. I’ve lived in the Seattle area all of my life. I was a Starbucks junky like most Seattleites, but through the years my desire to find better coffees has grown intensely.

I heard about North Star Fine Coffees through a colleague. She brought her brew and wares to the office during Christmas week. She wouldn’t shut up about her new found coffee habit so I decided to try a cup. OMG! I landed somewhere in coffeetopia. I secretly went to my office and called North Star Fine Coffees. I had questions. A lot of questions. To my surprise, I had the pleasure of speaking directly with the company’s CEO who, by the way, is a friendly, down to earth, and knowledgeable enough about coffee to write a book (Here’s another hint Mr. CEO).

He asked me which building I was in, asked if I would be around for a while. An hour later, I was summoned to the lobby to meet Bryan David Scott personally. In his hand was a full pound of Seattle Reign. We chatted for a few minutes then we said our merry Christmases and went our way. I called my wife immediately to tell her. She was excited to try it with me. We decided to have it together on Christmas morning.

CHRISTMAS MORNING
Lights on, tree lit up, presents under the tree, all was perfect. Michele and I exchanged gifts, hugged and kissed and like two little kids made a b line for the kitchen. She wanted to try the new coffee grinder and mugs we got! The smell of Seattle Reign filled the air. It was heavenly. We did it just the way the CEO taught me. Portioned correctly, cooled for 4-minutes after being poured. We sat at our breakfast nook in awesome coffee bliss. I looked at my wife and at the same time we said, “Amazing.”

North Star Fine Coffees is impressive all the way around. I had to write about my experience. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Michele is waiting to have coffee with me.

See, North Star Fine Coffees provides a gourmet five star rated fresh roasted, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  I’ve had this explained to me, but James Beard I’m not.  So I won’t belabor North Star’s gourmet credentials.  Simplified, it means they make exceptionally good coffee, and it’s easily the best coffee I’ve ever had.  Sorry Dad. 

**Full disclaimer: I am receiving no monetary compensation for writing this testimonial, but instead, complimentary North Star coffee.

But of course, I didn’t receive the complimentary North Star Coffee in exchange for writing this article!  I got it because one day, I saw a question posted on a popular social networking website (figure it out, they don’t need the SEO help). 

It was a pretty good prompt, and I think I probably just quaffed a quad shot.  So I wrote a detailed exposition to the oh so deep Web 2.0 query:  How do you make coffee Gen Y would want to buy?  Or something in that rhyme scheme.

My answer then, as now, is this: I’m a Gen Y member.  Have you ever been in a 7-11 and wondered who in the hell orders those cringe inducing coffee-energy drink fusions?  Who was the target market for the inexplicable Coca Cola Blak?  That’s my generation, baby.

In other words, we don’t really care about where the coffee comes from (obviously, a bottling plant will do).  The threshold of acceptable quality is non-existent.  We want three things: it’s got to be fast, convenient and have enough stimulants to help us get through another day, as we’re recent comers to the wage slave trade.

To my surprise, the CEO of the company, Bryan-David Scott wrote me back the next day, asking if he could ask me a few more questions.  I warned him that I knew as much about coffee as Stevie Wonder knew about guiding tours.  Which is to say, not a lot.  He called anyway.

He told me about North Star Fine Coffees, and what he was trying to do.  I expressed skepticism at the ability of a start-up wholesaler with zero name recognition to make a dent in the hypercompetitive upscale coffee category (put much less delicately).  His impassioned response: “It’s the best coffee you’ll ever taste.”  

To be honest, I tuned out the parts about the awards the coffee’s won, the global itinerary of the locally sourced beans, the sophisticated roasting process.  See, that only sounds like copywriting generalities because I don’t remember specifics.  Cross my heart.

He must have sensed this, because he offered to send me some to try before continuing the conversation.  The catch?  I had to tell him what I thought.  Honestly.  So, I told him my address, as it seemed a fair trade, which matters in coffee these days. 

Only a few days later, however, a guy shows up with a huge package.  From UPS.  Stop smirking.  Inside, a huge wicker gift basket immaculately wrapped in a neat little bow (for crying out loud), which, being a guy, was completely lost on me.  My girlfriend, on the other hand, loved it, informing me when she saw it the wicker basket was, in fact, a coffee cup resting on a saucer.  I have it on good faith that it’s the cutest thing in the world.  She actually gave it to her Mom for a gift (now that’s value), and I have it on faith that it fits great on the counter, right next to the coffee maker!

I, on the other hand, went straight for the homemade biscotti.  Yeah.  Unexpected, but welcomed.  It was, as you can deduct, amazing, because you don’t really go the biscotti route if you aren’t damn well sure what you’re doing.  And they go great with coffee.

I got three kinds: North Star’s Black Label, Seattle Reign, and L’Chaim.  Being a Jew, I first opted for North Star’s Black Label.  The L’Chaim would wait until last, so I could display it in my cupboard of irony next to the “Heroes of the Torah” drinking glass set.

I set water to boil, carefully following the instructions on the handmade greeting card that B.D. wrote and placed in the basket.  I had mentioned in our call that on the rare occasions I drank coffee at home, I used a French Press.  The note informed me that the beans had been specially ground for the French Press, as this, along with exact preparation, was necessary to guarantee maximum flavor. 

Opening the air packed bag (and I think the first was the least aromatic), the smell was overwhelming, in the best way possible.  My run down, 70s era lime green kitchen became the olfactory doppelganger of a Parisian café at breakfast.  Better yet, it reminded me of the kitchen in the house I grew up in.  Strong coffee breeds strong memories.

Then I poured a cup.  Did I mention it was strong?

I am relatively dependent on caffeine to get me through innumerable deadlines and late nights.  And out of bed on Saturday mornings.  Of course, after the initial burst, it’s a long slow road to irritability, mental fatigue and a second pot to kill the headache. 

Warning: Do not drink North Star Fine Coffees if you have heart palpitations, are pregnant or nursing, or have any plans of sleeping within the next 7-8 hours.  Do, however, consider making yourself a pot if you want to see what stock brokers in the 80s felt like. 

I had two cups the first time, as I do every morning.  12 hours and a week’s worth of writing later, I looked up as my girlfriend walked in the door, asking if she had entered the Maxwell House by mistake as she sniffed the air.  I told her about the coffee, and my day, and she noticed something off: “You’re in a really good mood.”  Yes, odd indeed.  She also noticed we were now the owners of a cute wicker coffee cup and saucer.

Of course, most days I’d be three pots to the wind, eyes bloodshot and head ringing.  But despite its, shall we say, “go pill” qualities, the weird thing was that there was absolutely no crash.  I know this sounds suspect, and told B.D. the same during our conversation.  He was right.  I made dinner that night for the first time in months. 

Two weeks later, the coffee, my good mood and a bunch of looming work I’d been procrastinating had all vanished.  I had to keep my end of the bargain and called up B.D.

I told him the whole hand written card and ornate packaging was a little over the top; I mean, I hadn’t even paid for the coffee.  He told me that he does that for every customer, and he wanted me to get, “The full North Star Experience.” Every customer?

“It’s important to know there’s someone behind the coffee who cares,” he replied.   

Finally, the question: “Did you like the coffee?”  I thought he’d be flattered when I told him, “It’s the best coffee I’ve ever had.”  But he already knew that, I think.  North Star Fine Coffees easily stand on their own merit.    

Starbucks it most certainly isn’t.  I’m thankful for that, although the most ubiquitous chain in America has kind of been ruined for me now.  I know I can get way better coffee and avoid the soccer moms, hipsters and mediocre smooth jazz medleys. And I know that there’s indeed someone behind the coffee who cares.

The only thing I didn’t know is how to get more*; that’s why I’m writing this testimonial. 

It’d have been better with stronger coffee.
—

* Lucky for you the NSFC online store is available now.  You can easily get all you want and order more before you finish it.

My dad drank about a pot and a half of pure black sludge every morning over the Wall Street Journal, and, in his mind, his coffee was the only viable coffee in the world.  Seriously.  Everywhere else we went, he’d complain they “didn’t brew it strong enough,” or “watered down,” wincing each time the latter verdict was rendered.  This was as much emotion as he’d normally show; he’s a CPA specializing in tax code, which also explains his dependency on condensed caffeine. 

He had the right to feel a little haughty, I guess.  Rather than have a Mr. Coffee like all the rest of my friend’s parents, he had a stainless steel Italian contraption that took up half our countertop.  It had unnecessary features, like a giant milk frother (Dad only took black), and a thermometer.  Not for the coffee.  For outside.  While presuming this to be valuable information to someone ostensibly just waking up, who turns to their coffee maker for the weather?  Although it was more coherent than Willard Scott.

Next to it, occupying the other half of the counter, was a selection of scoops, filters, bags of various whole beans, a grinder and, oh yeah, a French press and an espresso machine.  At the time, before there was an outbreak of cookie cutter coffee joints choking the exurbs, this was pretty weird.  Taster’s Choice was as fancy as most people got.

Naturally, I inherited the love of a good, strong cuppa.  The difference being, I drank the stuff without discretion.  I was the guy you see at places like Jiffy Lube downing Styrofoam cup after Styrofoam cup. 

Dad did not approve, particularly the heretical act of adding sweetener.  It was like I just told him I was moving in to kick heroin each time I’d open a Sweet and Low.  But how else was I going to choke down my favorite retail freebie?

In high school, I drank coffee because it made me feel grown up; I progressed from Capri Suns to cappuccinos with shocking quickness.  Men drank coffee (or beer, but the latter was decidedly more difficult and dangerous for a high schooler to obtain).  Plus, it had a nice kick that made first period tolerable.

In college, I drank coffee because beer suddenly became decidedly less difficult and dangerous to obtain.  And, there was a coffee cart located directly between my fraternity house and campus.  Guy made a killing.  Also, my school employed “The Socratic Method,” academic doublespeak for “fall asleep at the risk of social stigma.”

Now, in adulthood, I’ve become my father’s son.  But, he’s a boomer, and took pride in doing it himself.  I, on the other hand, preferred drive-through Starbucks.  I became, for a brief stint, one of those d-bags you get behind in line who spoke coffee shop Italian in orders so long they might as well have been arias.

That walk down memory lane is important, because I want you to know where I’m coming from.  I’m no connoisseur, but coffee’s become inexorably intertwined with my daily routine.  I enjoy drinking it, and drink a lot of it.  It’s in my blood (which might explain why I feel so alert and cheerful!)

Scientists have proven a correlation between memory and smell, and just the aroma of a freshly brewed pot makes people happy.  That’s why you inevitably take a deep waft the first time you bring a cup to your lips.  You go back somewhere; to a late night with old friends, to mornings at camp, to church socials.  To a parent.  To somewhere. 

That’s something North Star Fine Coffees understands… 

(come back tomorrow for the conclusion)