Split Bean Coffee News

November 2009 - Flavor of The Month

2009-11-03T20:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we want to take a few lines to thank all of our loyal customers for their continue support. Your patronage means a great deal to us, and we hope to continue to foster our relationship with all.

Please let us know if you have any special requests and we will do our best to create any special treats for your enjoyment.

We would like to remind you to please be sure to order early for the Holidays. It is never too early to order for Xmas, or Thanksgiving. We will schedule your order into production so that it arrives at your destination in time for you to enjoy.

Our deadline for Thanksgiving is Wed - Nov 18th 2009.

Have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season.

Roger & Paul
Split Bean Coffee

Flavor of The Month - Fall Variety Pack!

For November our Flavor of the Month is our Fall Variety Pack, available in both our Alfajores and Marshmallows.

Our Alfajores Variety Pack includes our Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Cranberry flavors. Our Marshmallow Fall Variety Pack includes our Egg Nog, Spicy, Chocolate, Pumpkin, and Rum flavored marshmallows. They are a great addition to any cup of hot cocoa, or on S'mores.

Be sure to visit our Flavor of the Month page and try some of our great seasonal products including our version of Mantecados & Polvorones. Two favorite holiday treats hailing originally from Spain. We use a very old recipe to create a holiday favorite.

Split Bean Coffee

Order by Nov 15th & You Could Win

a Split Bean Coffee Gift Box/Basket

Place any order between Nov 2nd and Nov 15th and you could win a Gift Box/Basket valued at more than $75.00.

This offer is only available to those in our official mailing list so your odd of winning are high!

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Available for a limited time, try our handmade White Chocolate Peppermint Bark. Made with organic peppermint oil, this is a treat for all ages.

It is available through this newsletter at a reduced price. Be sure to check out our Holiday Offerings Page at our Holiday Page

One Pound Box

Our Price: $14.95
List Price: $16.95

Fall Variety Pack Marshmallows

Our Fall variety pack is a seasonal favorite featuring our spicy marshmallows, eggnog marshmallows, rum flavored marshmallows and Chocolate Marshmallows.

One Pound

Our Price: $12.95
List Price: $14.95

Alfajores - One Dozen - Standard Size

Try our World Famous Alfajores. They make a great gift for the Holidays. We have a great selection on our Holiday Page

Buy them here at a preferred price!

Our Price: $12.95
List Price: $10.95

Polvorones - Spain Inspired Cookies

Mantecados and Polvorones are a Christmas Season Tradition in Spain and Latin America. These cookies originated in the region of Andalusia and have become a favorite where ever Spanish is spoken. Split Bean Coffee now makes Spanish style Polvorones based on an old recipe, and using only natural ingredients. A great addition to any afternoon tea, chocolate, or coffee. Our box contains 8 Ounces of freshly made Polvorones. Polvorones are a crumble like cookie which is seasoned with spices and is fun to eat!

Our Price: $9.95

House Roast - 1 lb.

Have you tried our micro-roasted coffees lately? If not, you are missing out in one of the smoothest roasts available.

Try it at a reduced price. Available only to those in our mailing list.

Our Price: $9.95
List Price: $10.95

Nuns Sensation
Tour The USA 2009

This is a fundraiser for the homeless in the Los Angeles Area. If you are in the LA area, come and see this great musical review, enjoy some Split Bean Coffee goodies and help out the community.

St. Victor's Catholic Church

8634 Halloway Dr. West Hollywood CA 90069

Call 818-506-4060 to reserve your tickets!

Save 10%	Are you planning to place a Holiday Order? Give us a call at 818-448-5185 or 877-448-5185 and we will take your order for Christmas Delivery. Orders must be placed by Nov 27th, and you will receive a 10% off your entire order. This offer is only available to those in our official mailing list.
Offer Expires: 11/27/2009

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Split Bean Coffee 15009 Hamlin Van Nuys CA 91411

Spanish Fiesta

2009-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn to All

2009-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

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Month/Year

Happy Autumn from Split Bean Coffee

Dear Friends,

Happy Autumn to all. This has to be one of our favorite seasons, not only because of the changes in nature, but also because of all the flavors that are associated with the Fall.

This is the season, when moms, grandmas, and yes even dads make all those great meals and sweets to share on a cool evening.

We've prepared some great treats for all to taste and bring back some great memories. We hope you enjoy them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gourmet Magazine - Thank You and Adieu, we will miss you!

It is with great sadness that we all received the news that one of America's greatest culinary magazine is closing it's doors.

We will sure miss Gourmet...all the great recipes, articles and culinary tips.

Our Best Wishes to the Staff!

Flavor of The Month - Pumpkin

Our Flavor of the Month is Pumpkin. Yes we have Pumpkin Alfajores and Marshmallows for all of your seasonal needs, and they are on sale only through this newsletter.

If you have any issues placing an order online, feel free to give us a call at 818-448-5185 and we will be happy to take your order over the phone.

Remember, we are donating one dollar from each sale to our charity fund. This time we are donating to an orphanage in Guatemala. Guatemala has been hit with a drought, that has left many children hungry and malnourished. The monks of the orphanage say they can feed 4 kids for a day with $5.00, so anything we can sen them helps.

Your purchase, will help provide food for many homeless children.

Featured Products

Click here to view all products

Pumpkin
Alfajores

Standard

12 Standard Size Alfajores filled with Pumpkin preserve. All 100% natural, and made to order.

Specially Priced for our Customers

Our Price: $10.95
List Price: $12.95

Pumpkin
Alfajores

Bite Size

24 Bite Size Alfajores filled with Pumpkin preserve. All 100% natural and made to order.

Specially Priced for our Customers

Our Price:$10.95
List Price:$12.95

Pumpkin Marshmallows

Our Original Creation - Pumpkin Flavored Marshmallows. If you like Pumpkin Pie, you will love our Pumpkin Marshmallows. The are great with Hot Chocolate, or on Sweet Potato Caserole .

Our Price:$12.95

List Price:14.95

Pumpkin
Fudge

Handmade, delicious pumpkin fudge. Made to order using high quality ingredients. Available for a limited time. One Pound+ Box

Our Price:$16.95
List Price:$19.95

Holiday Ordering

We know a lot of you like to place Holiday Orders to share with friends and family members.

Please be sure to order early.

We are currently accepting advance orders for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Chanukah.

We can package any of our products into a special Holiday Boxes/Baskets for your gifting needs. We can also do private labeling for corporate gifts.

If your order needs to arrive by a certain day, please be sure to call us and let us know. We can acommodate most requests, and if you live in the Los Angeles Area, we can even arrange for personal delivery.

For large order, we highly advice you let us know in advance.

Sincerely,

Roger & Paul

Split Bean Coffee

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Split Bean Coffee 15009 Hamlin Van Nuys CA 91411

Watermelon Marshmallows - Get your Share

2009-07-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Special deals from Split Bean Coffee

Van Nuys, California 91411

COFFEE TIP!!!

A great way to keep ready-made coffee extract in your fridge is to take one pound of ground coffee and add 10 cups of water. Let it rest overnight and strain the grounds in the morning.

When you want iced coffee, just add ice to a glass, add some of the concentrate, and water or milk to taste, and your favorite sweetener.

Voilá you have Iced Coffee.
Flavor of The Month

Folks, it is summer time and it is hot outside. Time to layer up on the sun block and drink lots of iced coffee. Be sure to visit our recipes page to get some ideas on our favorite easy to make coffee drinks.

Our featured flavor of the month is our Variety Pack Alfajores, which includes our 3 most popular flavors: Dulce de Leche, Guava, and Raspberry. We are also featuring for a limited time, our Tutti Frutti Box. Made with imported berry preserve, these cookies will make an ideal addition to your summer gatherings.

Going camping, having kids over, or just want a fat free treat? Try our Watermelon Marshmallows.....by the way, they make great S'mores! Try replacing the dark chocolate with white chocolate.....YUMMY!

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH - FREE COFFEE MUG!

Buy any two (2) pounds of any of our Micro-Roasted Coffees and receive a free Split Bean Coffee mug.

Tutti Fruitti Alfajores. Made with imported berry preserve. Buy Standard Size Boxes (12 cookies per box) and receive a third box for free. Available only through this email - Offer Exp - 07/30/2009

To keep on shopping click here

Watermelon MarshmallowsIf you ever had a watermelon Jolly Rancher, you will love the flavor of our Watermelon Marshmallows. Made using our 3 day process, our marshmallows are made to order in small packages and make great gourmet S'mores..

One Pound Bag for $12.95 - a $2.00 Savings

Regular Price: $ 14.95Newsletter Price: $ 12.95

Don't want to use Pay Pal? Call us at (877) 448-5185 or (818) 448-5185 an we will take your order over the phone.
Free
Mug!
Buy two pounds of any of our micro-roasted coffees and receive a free Split Bean Coffee mug with your order.

ORDER BY JULY 4TH AND RECEIVE 2 MUGS WITH YOUR ORDER OF 2 LBS OR MORE.
Offer Expires: 07/30/2009

2009-04-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee Newsletter
Anniversary Edition - No. 53

In This Issue
Coffee for Change

2 for the price 1

Quick Links

Official Website

Join Our List

Issue: # 53 April/2009

Dear Friends,

April marks our 5th anniversary of this great adventure called Split Bean Coffee. In this short time, we have grown our offerings quite a bit. From offering just one type of coffee, and Dulce de Leche Alfajores to our current selection of over 20 type of Alfajores, a large selection of micro-roasted coffees, and becoming one of the top Artisan Gourmet Marshmallow makers in the country, with over 20 flavors.

Over the years one thing has remain constant, we continue to make all of our goods by hand, and our coffees are roast to order.

All in all, our greatest satisfaction is your repeat business. This is a sign that we continue to satisfy your sweet tooth, and that we continue to make our goods just as we did five years ago.

Along the way, we have also given back to our local and global community. Giving back is one of main cornerstone. Our charitable giving is funded by your purchases and in some case generous donations from some of you.

Thank You all for your loyalty and support.

Your Friends,

Roger & Paul

Purchase Coffee and we will donate $5.00
Coffee for Change
Purchase any bag of our micro-roasted coffees, and we will donate $5.00 to our charity fund. Part of our fund will be used to help our adopted school in Leon, Nicaragua. In the past we have used the remainder funds to help pet rescue organizations, orphanages.

Just think, you can enjoy some of the best coffee in the world, and at the same time help us in our mission to make a small difference in someone's life.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Don't wish to buy coffee? How about contributing $5.00 to our campaigns?

Anniversary Special Offering
Get 2 for the price of One!
A few weeks ago, we offered a pre-anniversary special. It was a great hit, and we were happy to see you take advantage of the special. So, we are extending it!

Buy any of our regular alfajores (chocolate covered excluded) and receive a second box free. Offered is valid only on orders placed over the telephone (818) 448-5185. Don't have time to call, take advantage of the following buy now button.

Buy Two get One Free
$25.90
Buy Two Boxes of our Traditional Style Dulce de Leche Alfajores and get a third box for free. They keep well in the freezer for future use, or make a great gift. You get 3 boxes of our standard size Alfajores La Misión - Dulce de Leche filled for the price of two. All 100% Preservative Free!

Flavor of The Month

This month we have a surprise flavor. Actually it is a Surprise Variety pack with several of our favorite fruit flavor including strawberry, apricot, peaches, figs and our standard dulce de leche. If you are interested in just one of seasonal flavor, give us a call 818-448-5185 .

Visit our Flavor of the Month page

Split Bean Coffee invites our Southern California Customers to spend a Saturday with La Peña Andaluza at their Outdoor Picnic - "Feria de Sevilla"

Yes, come a taste a little of Southern Spain, enjoy delicious tapas, Spanish wines, beer, and lots of Flamenco Dancing. Know how to dance Sevillanas? Put on your dancing shoes.

This event is by invitation only. Your invitation is this printed newsletter.

POA Park (Antiguo Gemmrig Park)
7390 Carson St., Long Beach, Ca 90808
(on Academy Rd. behind the Long Beach Towne Center)

Come and bring the entire family, and invite your friends to one of the most authentic paella's in Southern California.

Stop by the bar or kitchen and say hello to Roger or Paul.

For additional info you may visit:

Peña Andaluza en California

Roger Navas-Balladares
Split Bean Coffee

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"Feria" de Sevilla en California

2009-04-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sevilla´s Fair in California 2009 ABRIL 24 & 25

organized by Peña Andaluza en California
COME AND TASTE THE FLAVOR OF THE SOUTH OF SPAIN

POA Park (Antiguo Gemmrig Park)
7390 Carson St., Long Beach, Ca 90808
(on Academy Rd. behind the Long Beach Towne Center)

April 2008

2009-04-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee NewsletterAnniversary Edition - No. 53
In This Issue
Coffee for Change
2 for the price 1

Quick Links

Official Website

Join Our List

Issue: # 53
April/2009

Dear Friends,

April marks our 5th anniversary of this great adventure called Split Bean Coffee. In this short time, we have grown our offerings quite a bit. From offering just one type of coffee, and Dulce de Leche Alfajores to our current selection of over 20 type of Alfajores, a large selection of micro-roasted coffees, and becoming one of the top Artisan Gourmet Marshmallow makers in the country, with over 20 flavors.

Over the years one thing has remain constant, we continue to make all of our goods by hand, and our coffees are roast to order.

All in all, our greatest satisfaction is your repeat business. This is a sign that we continue to satisfy your sweet tooth, and that we continue to make our goods just as we did five years ago.

Along the way, we have also given back to our local and global community. Giving back is one of main cornerstone. Our charitable giving is funded by your purchases and in some case generous donations from some of you.

Thank You all for your loyalty and support.

Your Friends,

Roger & Paul

Purchase Coffee and we will donate $5.00
Coffee for Change
Purchase any bag of our micro-roasted coffees, and we will donate $5.00 to our charity fund. Part of our fund will be used to help our adopted school in Leon, Nicaragua. In the past we have used the remainder funds to help pet rescue organizations, orphanages.

Just think, you can enjoy some of the best coffee in the world, and at the same time help us in our mission to make a small difference in someone's life.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Don't wish to buy coffee? How about contributing $5.00 to our campaigns?

Anniversary Special Offering
Get 2 for the price of One!
A few weeks ago, we offered a pre-anniversary special. It was a great hit, and we were happy to see you take advantage of the special. So, we are extending it!

Buy any of our regular alfajores (chocolate covered excluded) and receive a second box free. Offered is valid only on orders placed over the telephone (818) 448-5185. Don't have time to call, take advantage of the following buy now button.

Buy Two get One Free$25.90Buy Two Boxes of our Traditional Style Dulce de Leche Alfajores and get a third box for free. They keep well in the freezer for future use, or make a great gift. You get 3 boxes of our standard size Alfajores La Misión - Dulce de Leche filled for the price of two. All 100% Preservative Free!

Flavor of The Month

This month we have a surprise flavor. Actually it is a Surprise Variety pack with several of our favorite fruit flavor including strawberry, apricot, peaches, figs and our standard dulce de leche. If you are interested in just one of seasonal flavor, give us a call 818-448-5185 .

Visit our Flavor of the Month page

Split Bean Coffee invites our Southern California Customers to spend a Saturday with La Peña Andaluza at their Outdoor Picnic - "Feria de Sevilla"

Yes, come a taste a little of Southern Spain, enjoy delicious tapas, Spanish wines, beer, and lots of Flamenco Dancing. Know how to dance Sevillanas? Put on your dancing shoes.

This event is by invitation only. Your invitation is this printed newsletter.

Location:

POA Park (Antiguo Gemmrig Park)
7390 Carson St., Long Beach, Ca 90808
(on Academy Rd. behind the Long Beach Towne Center)

Come and bring the entire family, and invite your friends to one of the most authentic paella's in Southern California.

Stop by the bar or kitchen and say hello to Roger or Paul.

For additional info you may visit:

Peña Andaluza en California
(619) 234-7897

Roger Navas-BalladaresSplit Bean Coffee

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Split Bean Coffee 15009 Hamlin Van Nuys CA 91411

Happy St. Paty's Day

2009-03-03T18:23:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Split Bean Coffee's Newsletter. Be sure and visit our website. See anything you crave? Order it online or by calling us at (818)448-5185 . We will gladly private label any of our products for your special event. Check out or Corporate Gifts section - Our offerings are priced right, and make a unique gift for your customers.

Location Title

15009 Hamlin

Van Nuys, California 91411

Split Bean Coffee Newsletter N.51

Roger's Corner - Flavor of The Month

Dear Friends,

We want to wish you all a Happy March, and a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. Remember to always have fun, and most of all be safe.

For St. Patrick's Day we are offering a very special variety pack filled with Green Marshmallows in the following flavors : Coconut, Lemon-Lime, Sour Green Apple, Irish Cream, and Mint. They make a great gift, and a great addition to your St. Patrick's Day Dessert Tray. If you prefer to order a bag of just one of the above mentioned flavors, give us a call, and we will prep a special order for you. Tel (818) 448-5185

To Order Your St. Paty's Day Marshmallows Click Here

Peanut Butter Update

A few of you have asked us if our Peanut Butter is safe to eat. Please note that our Peanut Butter Cookies are 100% safe to eat.

Our Peanut Butter source is not part of the contamination scare that has plagued most major manufacturers of Peanut Butter based products.

So, if you are craving Peanut Butter cookies, and are afraid to tried any of the commercially/mass produced products, feel free to try one of our Alfajores Americanos. They are 100% safe.

Alfajores 3 for the Price of 2

Buy Two get One Free
$25.90
Buy Two Boxes of our Traditional Style Dulce de Leche Alfajores and get a third box for free. They keep well in the freezer for future use, or make a great gift. You get 3 boxes of our standard size Alfajores La Misión - Dulce de Leche filled for the price of two. All 100% Preservative Free!

Free Coffee Sample	All order received by March 7th, 2009 will receive a free sample of one of our Micro-Roasted Coffees. Orders over $50.00 will receive a free 4 oz sample of our Chocolate Fudge.
Offer Expires: March 7th, 2009

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Split Bean Coffee 15009 Hamlin Van Nuys CA 91411

Split Bean Coffee - Nov 2008

2008-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Split Bean Coffee Newsletter
November 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in this issue
Flavor of The Month
Mantecados & Polvorones
Help us help others

Dear Friends, The Holiday Season is upon us and we are busy helping Santa get all those Alfajores, Mantecados, Polvorones, Marshmallows, Brittles and specially Coffee ready for those who have been nice. Our Holiday Selections are now available on our website - Holiday Selections. We would highly advise all of you to order early. You can always order in advance by calling us at 877-448-5185.

As always we use USPS Priority Mail to ship all orders, and this service normally takes 2-3 business days from the time we ship. Please do keep in mind all of our offerings are made to order.

HOLIDAY ORDERING DEADLINES: Thanksgiving 2008 - Please order by Nov 18th Christmas 2008 - Please order by Dec 15th If you need an order to arrive by a specific date, please give us a call.

We wish you all a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving, as well as give you thanks for your wonderful support in 2008. The Split Bean Coffee Family
Flavor of The Month - Nov 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our Flavor of The Month is our Fall Variety Pack!

Our Alfajores Fall Variety Pack is composed of Pumpkin, Cranberry, and Sweet Potato flavors. They make a great gift for the Holiday Host. Be sure and get a box for your home.

Our Marshmallows Fall Variety Pack contains our Spicy, Eggnog, Rum, and Chocolate Mallows. If you wish to order any of these in a single flavor bag, feel free to give us a call at (818) 448-5185

Mantecados and Polvorones - A Brief History

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September is when Christmas begins in the small town of Estepa, Spain. This quaint town located in the province of Seville, jump starts into full production of Mantecados, a humble shortbread-like cookie native to the area. Mantecados bring much happiness to the millions of people who over the years have made of these delicious cookies a treasured Christmas tradition. Over the centuries, Estepa has become famous for their Christmas sweets, but Mantecados and their sister cookies Polvorones and Alfajores are more than just an ancient tradition. The industrialization of these cookies has provided much needed development and economic growth to the town's people and surrounding areas.It is a very sweet reward to the people of Estepa that such a traditional and artisan product has become much appreciated in the entire Iberian Peninsula and abroad. Today, Mantecados, Polvorones and Alfajores are as much a Christmas tradition where ever Spanish is spoken, as turkey is the USA for Thanksgiving. As in the case of Alfajores, both Mantecados and Polvorones are also quite popular in Latin America where as with all other gastronomic traditions of Spanish origin, they have been adapted and infused with local flavors and ingredients, and are now consumed year-round. The origin of the Spanish Mantecado dates back to the XVI century, a time when the region of Andalusia experienced a surplus of grains and pork products. Around this time, a certain type of biscuit commonly known as "lard cakes" were popular in every house and specially in the religious convents like the famous Convent of Santa Clara, where the historical archives reference the kind of dishes and ingredients used to make these biscuits. However, the first direct reference to Mantecados dates to the end of the XIX century, and is tied to the life of a woman named Filomena Micaela Ruiz Tellez. The beginning of the mass production of Mantecados is credited to Micaela, as she was popularly known. Her husband was a peddler between the town of Estepa and the city of Cordoba, and she gave him a few of her cakes to sell on the way. The biscuits where a hit and soon they turned into a full time enterprise. Micaela's success was primarily due to her baking method, which consisted of completely drying the cookies to produce a shortbread bread like biscuit which was crispy in the outside, yet tendered in the inside. By 1934 there were over 15 homes in Estepa where families where fully devoted to the production of Mantecados for the Andalusia market. Today there are over 30 artisan factories in Estepa which are dedicated to the production of Mantecados and Polvorones for the domestic and international markets. These artisan workshops continue to use the closely guarded original recipes and are organized into the Estepa Association of Manufacturers of Mantecados. Although Mantecados, Polvorones, and Alfajores are produced throughout Latin America and where ever Spanish is spoken, only a very selected few follow the Spanish recipe for Mantecados and Polvorones from Estepa. We at Split Bean Coffee have developed and tested our own recipe using as reference a recipe book dating to the XVII century found in a friend's personal library. After many trials and taste tests we have reproduced a product that can proudly say is truly inspired in the Mantecados first made by Filomena Micaela Ruiz Tellez from Estepa, and still produced in Estepa, Spain. We are very proud to have discovered this old recipe and to pay tribute to many centuries of tradition by making our Mantecados and Polvorones using only natural ingredients. You can order your own Spanish Style Mantecados, Polvorones and Latin American Style Alfajores on our website at www.splitbeancoffee.com .

HELP US HELP OTHERS We are happy to inform you all that this Holiday Season, we are donating one dollar from each sale to needy children in Leon, Nicaragua.

Last year we donated a portion of our sales to an orphanage in Lima, Peru and the nuns were very thankful for the donation. We hope we can count on you to make this campaign a success. Giving a little back to less fortunate children is very important to us at Split Bean Coffee.

Flavor of The Month - Pumpkin Galore!

2008-10-10T17:35:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends in Coffee:

October is upon us and with it my favorite season of all! Autumn is a time for change, a time to prepare for the wonderful feast of the end of the year. With that in mind, we are proud to bring back some of our favorite flavors.

Flavor of The Month - Pumpkin Galore!

Split Bean Coffee is proud to introduce once again our original Pumpkin Flavored Alfajores and Marshmallows. Our Pumpkin Alfajores are made with homemade pumpkin preserve and a dash of secret spices to add a touch of heat, and our mallows are scented with a hint of pumpkin spice and special oils that brings us memories of Grandma's fresh baked pumpkin pie. Like Rachel Ray says "Yummmo!". Try a piece of our White Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge and you will die and go to pumpkin heaven!

IF YOU ARE ORDERING FOR DELIVERY BY OCT 31ST - PLEASE ORDER EARLY - OUR DEADLINE FOR SHIPPING ON TIME USING USPS IS OCT 24TH, BY NOON.

Spanish Style - Mantecados and Polvornes!

We are proud to also introduce two new cookies for your enjoyment - Mantecados and Polvorones. For those of you who don't know what Mantecados and Polvorones are, they are traditional Christmas cookies that originated in Spain over 400 years ago. This delicious cookies are made with almonds, flour, spices, and lard. Mantecados are like spicy shortbread cookies, and polvorones are crumble like little biscuits that make a delicious mess when you eat them.

Our Mantecados and Polvorones are based on a centuries old dating to the late 1700's. We had to do a lot of trials and taste tests on several willing victims.

Holiday Gifts?

As you make your list and check it twice, we would like to remind you that Split Bean Coffee products make great Holiday Gifts. Do you have a large list of clients? A large extended family? or just a small group of friends.....who you know would love our handmade goodies?
Give us a call and we will help you put something together. You can always order over the phone (877)448-5185 or at www.splitbeancoffee.com .

~~~~~

Split Bean Coffee has a lot of friends who have small businesses. Here are a few of our Circle of Friends. As the Holiday approach, please be sure to visit our friend's site. You might be surprise what you could find!

Confession's of a Brazilian Bikini Waxer:

Get Your Copy of...Reny´s Confessions of a Brazilian Bikini Waxer. If you think Sex in The City, and Women on The Verge were funny, read this book. You will be laughing your way to your next waxing. If Tyler Perry got a hold of this book, I am sure he would make it into a Movie!

www.waxconfessions.com
Let there always be laugther.
And absolutely, no hair.
You may also order your copy at (925) 682-7369 .

Btw if you know Oprah or Ellen, we would both love to be part of their shows!

www.splitbeancoffee.com

This is Crazy Crazy - A pound is always 16 oz.

2008-10-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a friend of ours asked us to send samples to a company they thought might like our products. Well, we normally don't send samples because when we started Split Bean Coffee, people took advantage of our "newbie" status and were requesting samples left and right. So, we implemented a policy where by the sample requester pays for the samples and we will then deduct their payment from their first order.

This policy has worked great for us, and I would say that 9 out 10 the sampler requester does place a large order.

So, out of courtesy to our dear friends, we made a sampler box to this "possible customer', since they had been pestering our friends for the items. I personally delivered the samples to press the flesh like I always do for local prospects and they seemed genuinely surprise when they saw the samples. One of them even stuffed their face with our marshmallows and she couldn't swallow the big hunk of mallow.

A few days later I called to follow up on the samples and they basically told me that business was slow, but in passing they also mentioned that our bag of marshmallows were too big! This I could not understand. We sell our mallows by the pound and eight ounce bags so how could a pound of mallows be too big to be a pound of mallows? Follow me?

Well, it turns out the boutique environment doesn't lend itself for such a big bag of mallow. They suggested I trim down the size of the bag and charge the same or more. Perhaps a nice bow or higher end bag would be best, they suggest.

In a time, when we should be using less packaging to promote less waste and polluting the environment in the process, I honestly don't feel my customers should be made to pay for this pollution. I am a big believer of the Keep It Simple stupid rule. I try very hard to make our products look as nice as possible with as little cost to our customers, or impact to the planet. Furthermore, at a time when companies give you less for your money, it is nice to know that our One Pound bag still weights One Pound. I guess this is why the Wall Street Journal said we were the best value for your money in the Gourmet Marshmallow category.

I promise that when you pay for a pound of something at Split Bean Coffee, you will get a pound of what you paid for, not a pound of wasteful packaging!

www.splitbeancoffee.com

Mantecados & Polvorones

2008-10-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Picture of Polvorones - The Crumble Cookie Related to Mantecados

A Brief History of Mantecados

September is when Christmas begins in the small town of Estepa, Spain. This quaint town located in the province of Seville, jump starts into full production of Mantecados, a humble shortbread-like cookie native to the area. Mantecados bring much happiness to the millions of people who over the years have made of these delicious cookies a treasured Christmas tradition.
Over the centuries, Estepa has become famous for their Christmas sweets, but Mantecados and their sister cookies Polvorones and Alfajores are more than just an ancient tradition. The industrialization of these cookies has provided much needed development and economic growth to the town's people and surrounding areas.It is a very sweet reward to the people of Estepa that such a traditional and artisan product has become much appreciated in the entire Iberian Peninsula and abroad.

Today, Mantecados, Polvorones and Alfajores are as much a Christmas tradition where ever Spanish is spoken, as turkey is the USA for Thanksgiving. As in the case of Alfajores, both Mantecados and Polvorones are also quite popular in Latin America where as with all other gastronomic traditions of Spanish origin, they have been adapted and infused with local flavors and ingredients, and are now consumed year-round.

The origin of the Spanish Mantecado dates back to the XVI century, a time when the region of Andalusia experienced a surplus of grains and pork products. Around this time, a certain type of biscuit commonly known as "lard cakes" were popular in every house and specially in the religious convents like the famous Convent of Santa Clara, where the historical archives reference the kind of dishes and ingredients used to make these biscuits.

However, the first direct reference to Mantecados dates to the end of the XIX century, and is tied to the life of a woman named Filomena Micaela Ruiz Tellez. The beginning of the mass production of Mantecados is credited to Micaela, as she was popularly known. Her husband was a peddler between the town of Estepa and the city of Cordoba, and she gave him a few of her cakes to sell on the way. The biscuits where a hit and soon they turned into a full time enterprise. Micaela’s success was primarily due to her baking method, which consisted of completely drying the cookies to produce a shortbread bread like biscuit which was crispy in the outside, yet tendered in the inside. By 1934 there were over 15 homes in Estepa where families where fully devoted to the production of Mantecados for the Andalusia market.

Today there are over 30 artisan factories in Estepa which are dedicated to the production of Mantecados and Polvorones for the domestic and international markets. These artisan workshops continue to use the closely guarded original recipes and are organized into the Estepa Association of Manufacturers of Mantecados.

Although Mantecados, Polvorones, and Alfajores are produced throughout Latin America and where ever Spanish is spoken, only a very selected few follow the Spanish recipe for Mantecados and Polvorones from Estepa. We at Split Bean Coffee have developed and tested our own recipe using as reference a recipe book dating to the XVII century found in a friend's personal library. After many trials and taste tests we have reproduced a product that can proudly say is truly inspired in the Mantecados first made by Filomena Micaela Ruiz Tellez from Estepa, and still produced in Estepa, Spain.

We are very proud to have discovered this old recipe and to pay tribute to many centuries of tradition by making our Mantecados and Polvorones using only natural ingredients. You can order your own Spanish Style Mantecados, Polvorones and Latin American Style Alfajores on our website at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/ .

Spanish Style Mantecados

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - La Peña Andaluza en California

2008-09-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee is a Member of La Peña Andaluza and we wish to invite you all to a great Fiesta

PEÑA ANDALUZA EN CALIFORNIA
[18 years promoting beautiful Andalucía in Southern California]
PRESENTA

GRAN FIESTA DE NUESTRO
XVIII ANIVERSARIO
Y
DEL BAUTIZO ANDALUZ

SEPTIEMBRE 13, 2008 DE 6:00 A 10:30 PM

DUTCH CLUB AVIO
1557 W. KATELLA AVE.
ANAHEIM, CA 92802

ESPECTACULAR SHOW FLAMENCO
con
YOLANDA Y PACO ARROYO Y LA PARTICIPACIÓN DE NUESTRO GRUPO FLAMENCO

MÚSICA DE BAILE PARA TODOS LOS GUSTOS CON MARCO ANTONIO D-J DANCE MUSIC

EL PROGRAMA SERÁ PRESENTADO POR NUESTRO DIRECTOR DE RELACIONES PÚBLICAS, REYNOLDS, "EL TÍO PEPE" MASTER OF CEREMONY, REYNOLDS HERIOT

ADMISIÓN Y CONSUMICIÓN
MÍNIMA $12.00 (BEBIDAS NO INCLUIDAS)
ADMISSION AND MINIMUM FOOD PURCHASE $12.00 (DRINKS NOT INCLUDED)

MENÚ
PAELLA, BOCADILLOS DE CHORIZO Y PASTELES
PAELLA, CHORIZO SANDWICH AND SWEETS ALL AT GOOD PRICES.
*
FULL BAR FROM 6:00PM

*****

FOR RESERVATIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PARA RESERVAS

Peña:
(619) 234-7897

Agustín:
(949) 951-8450

September 2008 - Flavor of The Month

2008-08-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I hope you are all enjoying the final days of summer and look forward to cooler weather. We are busy gearing up for the Fall and Winter. We would like to thanks all of those who made multiple purchases to help out The Split Bean Coffee's Campaign for the Children. We are going to extend our donation time through the month of September so that we can personally deliver the funds in October.

Flavor of The Month - September 2008 - Going Nuts for Our Customers!

As part of our Flavor of The Month Offering our American Alfajores, which are our peanut butter filled alfajores dipped in dark chocolate. These is one of our best selling cookies and as always, they are made to order and preservative free.

While you are in a Peanut Butter frame of mind, be sure to try our Peanut Butter Fudge. Made fresh daily in small controlled batches. It makes a great gift for those going away to college.

Free Peanut Brittle

We want you all to try our Peanut Brittle, so from now until the end of September, we will give you a free 6 Oz Sample of our handmade peanut goodness with any order placed.

The first ten (10) orders totaling over $50.00 received before September 1st will get an entire pound of our Peanut Brittle added to their order. (This offer is only valid for those in our mailing list)

Split Bean Coffee's Campaign for the Children

Split Bean Coffee is happy to inform all of you that we have extended our Children's Campaign to September 30th, 2008. We will be donating one dollar from each order to a Peruvian Orphanage run by the sisters of the "Association de Laicos del Buen Pastor" in Lima Peru. This orphanage cares for abandoned children in Lima, Peru. A lot of them are HIV Positive and are abandoned by their mothers at the doors of the orphanage. The orphanage also cares for a small population of Senior Citizens that have no place to go.

If you wish to make a donation directly to the orphanage, please contact us directly and we will be happy to put you in touch with the director of charity.

http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/

Here are some of the Holidays for September 2008

September 2008 Holidays

1st – Labor Day – US
1st – Labor Day – Canada
2nd – Ramadan Begins (Holy Month of Fasting) Islam, (September 2nd – 30th)
3rd – Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
6th – Read a Book Day
7th – National Grandparent’s Day
8th – International Literacy Day
8th – Nativity of Virgin Mary (Catholic Christian Holy Day)
10th – Sewing Machine Day
11th – Patriot Day
12th – Onam (Indian Festival of Flowers)
14th – Pet Memorial Day
14th – Holy Cross Day (Catholic Christian Holy Day)
15th – Hat Day
16th – Women’s Friendship Day
16th – National Stepfamily Awareness Day
17th – Citizenship Day
17th – Constitution Day
18th – U.S. Air Force Day
20th – Selihot (Penitential Prayers) [Judaic] September 20 (sunset) - 21 (nightfall)
20th thru Oct 5th – Oktoberfest
21st thru 27th – National Farm Safety and Health Week
22nd – Autumnal Equinox (Autumn Begins)
22nd – National Family Day
27th – National Hunting and Fishing Day
29th – Michael and All Angels (Catholic Christian Feast Day)
29th – Rosh Hashanah Begins (Jewish New Year) September 29 (sunset) – October 1 (nightfall)

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Leukemia Awareness Month

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15th thru Oct. 15th)

Split Bean Coffee Invites You To Participate in World Blackout Day

2008-08-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee - http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/ - Invites You All to take action!

Worldwide Blackout - 09-17-2008

On Wendesday, September 17, 2008, I invite people around the world to turn off their lights for ten minutes –from 9:50pmto 10:00pm in their local time zone.

Worldwide Blackout - 09-17-2008

On Wendesday, September 17, 2008, I invite people around the world to turn off their lights for ten minutes –from 9:50pmto 10:00pm in their local time zone.

English:

World Blackout Day: On September 17, 2008from 21:50to 22:00hours.
Proposes to turn-off all lights, and if possible all electrical appliances, so that our planet can 'breathe'.

if the answer is massive, energy saving can be brutal.

Only 10 minutes, and see what happens.

Yes, we will be in darkness for 10 minutes. Light a a candle and simply look to the sky, and let the Planet breathe.

Remember that union is strength and the Internet can be very power and can Even do something big.

Spread the news, if you have friends to live in other countries send to them.

Castellano:

Oscuridad mundial: En Septiembre 17, 2008 desde las 21:50 a las 22:00 horas.
Se propone apagar todas las luces y si es posible todos los aparatos eléctricos, para que nuestro planeta pueda 'respirar'.Si la respuesta es masiva, la energía que se ahorra puede ser brutal.Solo 10 minutos y vea que pasa.

Si estamos 10 minutos en la oscuridad, prendamos una vela y simplemente la miramos y nosotros estaremos respirando y nuestro planeta.Recuerde que la unión hace la fuerza y el Internet puede tener mucho poder y puede ser aun algo más grande.
Pase la noticia, si usted tiene amigos que viven en otros países envíeselo a ellos.

Portugués:

Escuridão mundial: No dia 17 de Setembro de 2008 das 21:50 às 22:00 horas propõe-se apagar todas as luzes e se possível todos os aparelhos eléctricos, para o nosso planeta poder 'respirar'.Se a resposta for massiva, a poupança energética pode ser brutal.Só 10 minutos, para ver o que acontece.Sim, estaremos 10 minutos às escuras, podemos acender uma vela e simplesmente ficar a olhar para ela, estaremos a respirar nós e o planeta.Lembrem-se que a união faz a força e a Internet pode ter muito poder e podemos mesmo fazer algo em grande.
Passa a notícia, se tiveres amigos a viver noutros países envia-lhes.

Árabe:

ظلام العالم : على 17 سبتمبر 2008 من الساعة 21:50 الى 22:00 ويقترح حذف جميع الانوار واذا امكن جميع الاجهزه الكهرباءيه ، ويمكن لكوكبنا 'تنفس'.
اذا كان الجواب هاءله ، ويمكن الاقتصاد في استهلاك الطاقة وحشية.خلال 10 دقائق فقط ، ونرى ما سيحصل.نعم ، نحن على 10 دقائق في الظلام ، ونحن على ضوء شمعة وببساطة ان النظر اليها ، ونحن نتنفس وكوكبنا.نتذكر ان الاتحاد هو القوام وشبكة الانترنت يمكن ان تكون بالغة القوة ويمكن حتى تفعل شيئا كبيرا.التحركات الاخبار

Francés:

Obscurité mondial: Le 17 Septembre 2008 de 21:50 à 22:00 heures Propose de supprimer toutes les lumières et, si possible, tous les appareils électriques, à notre planète peut 'respirer'.
Si la réponse est massive, les économies d'énergie peuvent être brutales.Seulement 10 minutes, et de voir ce qui se passe.
Oui, nous sommes 10 minutes dans le noir, on allume une bougie et simplement تtre regarder, que nous respirons et de notre planète.N'oubliez pas que l'union fait la force et l'Internet peuvent être très électricité et peut
Même faire quelque chose de grand.Déplace l'actualité.

Griego:
Σκοταδικοσµο: Στις17 Σεπ του2008 απο21:50 εως22:00 ωρεςΠροτεινειναδιαγραψειολαταφωτακαιανειναιδυνατον, ολεςτιςηλεκτρικεςσυσκευες, ναπλανητηµαςµπορεινα«αναπνεει».Εανηαπαντησηειναιµαζικη, ηεξοικονοµησηενεργειαςµπορειναειναικτηνωδης.Μονο10 λεπτα, καιναδουµετισυµßαινει.Ναι, ειµαστε10 λεπταστοσκοταδι, θααναψειενακερικαιαπλαΝαεξεταζουµε, πουαναπνεουµεκαιτονπλανητηµας.ΘυµηθειτεοτιηενωσηειναιηδυναµηκαιτοInternet µπορειναειναιπολυδυναµηκαιµπορουνναΑκοµηκανουµεκατιµεγαλο.
Μετακινησειςτηνειδηση, ανεχετεφιλουςναζουνσεαλλεςχωρεςναστειλουντουςκαιτους.

Alemán:
Darkness Welt: Am 17 September 2008von 21:50bis 22:00Uhr Schlägt vor, alle Lichter zu löschen und, wenn möglich, alle elektrischen Geräte, die unseren Planeten kann 'atmen'.Wenn die Antwort ist derb, Energieeinsparung kann brutal.Nur 10 Minuten, und sehen Sie, was passiert.Ja, wir sind 10 Minuten im Dunkeln, wir Licht einer Kerze und einfach Sei es bei der Suche, die wir atmen, und unseres Planeten.Denken Sie daran, dass die Gewerkschaft ist Stärke und das Internet kann sehr Macht und können Selbst etwas tun groß.
Verschiebt den Nachrichten.

Ruso:
НочьнаЗемле: 17 сентября2008 годас21:50 до22:00 часовотключитевсеогни, и, повозможности, всеэлектроприборы, чтобынашапланетамогласпокойно'подышать' хоть10 минут.Вслучаемассовогоучастия, этотпроектприведеткогромномусбередениюэнергииповсемуземномушару. Всеготолько10 минут, ивыувидитекакваженбудетрезультат.Заэти10 минутможнопростопосидетьвтемноте, зажечьсвечуипосидетьприеесвете. Азаэтовремянашапланетауспеетспокойноотдышаться.Помните, чтосовместноедействие- этомощь, аИнтернет- этовеликаясила, вместемыможемдобитьсяоченьмногого.
Сообщионасдругим!!!

Holandés:
Darkness wereld: Op 17 September 2008van 21:50tot 22:00uur Stelt voor om alle lichten en zo mogelijk alle elektrische apparaten, om onze planeet kan'ademen'.Indien het antwoord is enorm, de energiebesparing kanworden wreder.Slechts 10 minuten, en zie wat er gebeurt.Ja, we zijn 10 minuten in het donker, we licht van een kaars en gewoon Wordt kijken, we inademen en onze planeet.Vergeet niet dat de unie is kracht en het internet kanzeer macht en kanZelfs iets te groot.
Vertrokken het nieuws.

Gift Bags for the Rich and Famous

2008-08-20T15:06:00.000-07:00

So today we got a call from the people who are doing the Gift Bags for the Latin Grammys. Aside from giving away our product, they charge a fee to place our product in the gift bags for celebrities.

Now, I am upset. Why should I give away our product to celebrities? I know a lot of companies thrive on having celebrities take pictures with their products. Well, I honestly don't!

This is the 4th request this year for Celebrity give-a-ways. I would much rather see my product go to a food bank or some sort of non-profit with ties to the community or make a donation to a charity overseas.....but give my product to celebrities?....I think not! They got lots of money, and probably make more per minute than what we do in a day. Furthermore, most of them are on extreme diets consisting of slices of air with a side of negative calorie water blessed by some Kabalistic Guru, so they would not eat my wholesome, all natural and caloric treats.

The trend of giving away things to the rich in this country must come to an end. If you think about it, these so called celebrities are bad for business, they expect things to be "specially catered" to their needs and most of the time, they want it for free or at a discount because they are So and So. Now, I am should not say they are all alike, because to be honest there are some great people in the entertainment business who do care a lot about the world, and do a lot of great things for those less fortunate (Brad and Angelina), but a few are just bad news for the entire planet, and these are the ones that get my blood boiling. Their carbon footprint is probably larger than some fortune 500 companies, yet they are always advocating for the rest of us to go green. Use a hybrid car, buy organic, etc, etc, etc....

I think it is a total waste of product if you ask me. As my French teacher used to tell me, "famous people are just like you and I." They bleed and use the toilet like all of us. I welcome any celebrity to try our product, but at the same price as any of our paying customers. I think it is only fair, don't you?

PAWSAPALOOZA

2008-08-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee Invites All of Our Friends to PAWSAPALOOZA

hosted by

Garth Kemp KABC Channel 7 News

It's a Dogs' Night Out!!

Saturday, August 16, 2008
6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreational Center
14201 Huston Street, Sherman Oaks

Dog Walk, Movie, Booths...and more!

Cuddle up with your favorite canine under the stars at PAWS/LA's 3rd Annual PAWSAPALOOZA.

Enjoy a fun-filled evening at this unique event—for dogs, with dogs, about dogs—that features a 1.3 mile twilight WALK FOR PAWS; a dog-themed movie; a midway showcasing myriad exhibitors with canine-friendly products & services; and special treats and giveaways for "4-leggeds" and their humans.

The event will kick-off at 6:30 p.m. with the WALK FOR PAWS, featuring fun stops along the way.

The screening of a canine-themed short film will begin at sunset (approx. 8:15 p.m.)
Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic, lawn chairs, and blankets.

Walk Registration - $25 (includes admission to film & midway)

General tickets (no Walk) - $15
(canines & kids under 12 FREE)

For tickets, registration & info go to http://www.pawsla.org

Watermelon Flavor Marshmallows and More

2008-07-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. We at Split Bean Coffee, were busy up until the 3rd making last minute deliveries, and were happy to take a extended weekend off. Split Bean Coffee was also featured in Pay Pal Shops during the July 4th weekend, and as a result, we've been busy with online and phone orders.

A lot of of took advantage of our 3 for 2 deal on our Alfajores last month that we figure it would be great to extend the offer for the reminder of the month for all of our friends who will be celebrating Peruvian Independence Day on July 28th. Aside from the Christmas Season, this is the time, when Peruvian ex-patriots living in North America and Europe tend to order our Alfajores to enjoy with family and friends.

-------------------
Flavor of The Month

For July's Flavor of the month, we are featuring a seasonal favorite - Our Watermelon Marshmallows. If you are planning on making S'mores this summer, try using our Watermelon Marshmallows with either dark or white chocolate. Your friends will love it. We are also featuring our variety box of Alfajores.

As always, a few selected customers will receive extra goodies with their order. It is a way of having you sample some of our standard and future seasonal offerings.

-----------------------
Split Bean Coffee's Campaign for the Children

Split Bean Coffee is happy to inform all of you that from July 14th to August 15th we will be donating one dollar from each order to a Peruvian Orphanage run by the sisters of the "Asociación de Laicos del Buen Pastor" in Lima Peru. This orphanage cares for abandoned children in Lima, Peru. A lot of them are HIV Positive and are abandoned by their mothers at the doors of the orphanage. The orphanage also cares for a small population of Senior Citizens that have no place to go.

If you wish to make a donation directly to the orphanage, please contact us directly and we will be happy to put you in touch with the director of charity.

Your Friends in Coffee and Sweets,

The Split Bean Coffee Family

Split Bean Coffee http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/
Toll Free- 877- 448-5185
Int'l Calls- 818-448-5185
E-Fax - 309-210 8449

Split Bean Coffee's Economic Stimulus Package - Buy Two get One Free

2008-06-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it is already June. Summer is almost here and before you know it Fall will be upon us. We can't wait for the Fall Season and introduce you all to some of the new goodies we've been testing in our kitchen. Our friends and relatives love them, and we might just sneak a few teasers in randomly selected orders. Just be sure and let us know what you think.

In the mean time for the month of June we are offering our own Made in America-Buy American economic stimulus package. Available only in through our home page http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/. Buy two boxes of our classical alfajores and receive a third box for free. This is not a sample box, it is a full box of alfajores valued at $12.95. Our best deal ever.

This month we are featuring our Mango Flavored Marshmallows and Alfajores. Remember our marshmallows make a great ice cream topping, and are great to use in chocolate fountains.

------------------

Summer is almost here and as we approach the days of outdoor fun, may we suggest a bag of our delicious hand made marshmallows for your camping trip. Our marshmallows make great S'mores and best of all they are free of preservatives and silicates.

---------------------

Planning a special birthday or wedding celebration? Our Marshmallows and fudges make a great addition to any chocolate fountain, and our alfajores always make a great party favor. We can also make special chocolate party favors such as Chocolate Lollipops which can be elegantly decorated with eatable gold or silver.

AND YES WE DO OFFER VOLUME DISCOUNTS. JUST ASK FOR ROGER OR PAUL AND WE WILL GIVE YOU A SPECIAL DISCOUNT ON YOUR LARGE PARTYORDER.

http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/

Free Coffee Beans

2008-04-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee a Southern California based micro-roaster and confectioner company celebrates 5th Anniversary by giving away coffee.

During the Month of April all customers who purchase $25.00 or more from http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/ will receive a free bag of micro-roasted coffees.
In addition, all those who make a purchase between March 28th and April 27th 2008 will be entered in a drawing to win a gift box valued at more than $60.00.

ABOUT SPLIT BEAN COFFEE: Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California based confectioner and micro-roaster of single origin Nicaraguan Coffees and selected Latin American single origin coffees. Split Bean Coffee, flagship products are their world famous Alfajores La Misión® and their Dulces del Rocío® Award Winning Marshmallows.

Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes from their families in South America and the American South, they have combined the time honored traditions of people’s love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions our grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which Nicaraguan Coffees are their flag-ship coffee. Grown in the highlands of the Matagalpa region, and minimally processed in a family member’s fair trade co-op farm. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to its customers is to provide freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast-to-order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee's Alfajores La Misión® are their best seller, and are quickly becoming America’s favorite cookie. These delicious hand-crafted shortbread style cookies are hand cut, baked, filled with Dulce de Leche, and lightly covered with powder sugar. Alfajores La Misión are also available in exotic flavors, such as Lucuma, Guava, and Mango and make a great addition to your afternoon tea or coffee.

Split Bean Coffee's products have been featured in several national publications including The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine, The Dallas Post-Telegram, The Miami Herald, The Portland Oregonian, The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Epicurious, and Travel Savvy Magazine.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artisan Marshmallows, Creamy Velvet Fudge, Toffee, Southern Peanut Brittle, Chocolates & Truffles. These products are available under the Dulces del Rocío® label and are also made to order.
Split Bean Coffee was recently voted one of the Top Five Gourmet Marshmallow Makers by Travel Savvy Magazine.

For additional information you may contact Split Bean Coffee via their webstie at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/.

Rose Petal Marshmallows, Fudge and Heartshaped Alfajores

2008-01-28T10:45:00.001-08:00

Split Bean Coffee is proud to feature our Rose Petal Marshmallows in time for Valentine's 2008. These heavenly pillows are made using imported Rose Petal Flavors from the region of Provence and are hand-crafted and cut.

We are also featuring a Rose Petal scented White Chocolate Fudge. Made with in small control batches this original fudge make a great addition to your Valentine's gifts. Featured in Latina Magazine Feb 2008 as one of the Hottest Unique Chocolate gifts our fudge is availabe in over 10 different flavors.

Check our our Dulce de Leche Alfajores. We carry them in a heartshape cookie. This is one of our best sellers for Valentines. Available in both traditional style and chocolate dipped.

Order Early as our offerings are handmade to order to ensure freshness.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

(877) 448-5185

Cranberry Filled Alfajores from Split Bean Coffee

2007-11-06T22:20:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

It is November, and although it is quite hot in Southern California it is time to start the Holiday Festivities with Thanksgiving around the corner. We will be placing our Holiday offerings in a few weeks. In the mean time we would like to remind everyone to order early for Thanksgiving. Our deadline to guarantee arrival by Thanksgiving is November 15th.

For November's Flavor of The Month we are featuring our Cranberry Alfajores and our Variety Pack of Marshmallows which include our Spicy, Egg Nog, Rum, and Pumpkin. Don't forget we also have a Fall Variety Pack of Alfajores which includes our Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Cranberry Alfajores. They make a great addition to your Thanksgiving Table.

Here are some fun dates to keep in mind for November: Have a Wonderful and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday.

Month Long Celebrations -

Aviation Month

Child Safety and Protection Month

International Drum Month

Latin American Month

National Adoption Month

Peanut Butter Lover's Month

November 1st - All Saint's Day

November 2nd - Cookie Monster's Birthday

November 3rd - Sandwich DayBirthday of John Montague, the creator of the sandwich.

November 4th - Daylight Savings Time EndsFirst Sunday in November.

First Wagon Train Reached California

National Candy Day

November 5th - National Donut Day

November 10th - Sesame Street DebutedIn 1969.

U.S. Marine Corps EstablishedEstablished by Congress in 1775.

November 11th - Remembrance DayIn Canada.

Veteran's Day

November 14th - National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day

November 15th - America Recycles Day

November 16th -Take A Hike Day

November 18th - Mickey Mouse's BirthdayCreated in 1928.

November 19th - Gettysburg Address DeliveredMade in 1863 by President Lincoln.

November 20th - Mexican Revolution Day

November 22nd - Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

November 25th - Woody Woodpecker's Birthday

November 30th - Stay At Home Because You're Well Day

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

October 2007 Flavor of The Month

2007-10-10T09:29:00.001-07:00

October's Flavor of the Month is Pumpkin. We are featuring our pumpkin alfajores and marshmallows.

We also brought back our Fall Variety Pack Alfajores - Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Cranberry; and our Fall Variety Pack of Marshmallows which includes chili, cranberry, rum, pumpkin, and chocolate marshmallows.

Order Early for the Holidays!

A Brief History of the Pumpkin

Pumpkins are believed to have originated in Central and South America. Seeds from related plants have been found in Mexico dating back to 7000 to 5500 B.C.

References to pumpkins date back many centuries. The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for "huge melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "Pumpion" and American colonists changed "pumpion" into "pumpkin."

Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed. They also dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats. Indians would also roast long strips of pumpkin on the open fire and eat them. When white settlers arrived, they saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and pumpkin soon became a staple in their diets. As today, early settlers used them in a wide variety of recipes from desserts to stews and soups. The origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire.

Pumpkins belong to the squash family. The word "squash" comes from the Massachuset Indian word askutasquash, meaning "eaten raw or uncooked." Although the Indians may have eaten some forms of squash without cooking, today we like our squashes cooked.

Pumpkins and Halloween

The origin of Halloween dates back at least 3,000 years to the Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced "sow-ain"). The festival was held starting at sundown on October 31st and lasted until sundown on November 1st. It was similar to the modern practice of the New Years celebration.

On this magical night, glowing jack-o-lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, but also to act as protection against malevolent spirits. Burning lumps of coal were used inside as a source of light, later to be replaced by candles.

Samhain was not the name of a "Lord of the Dead", no historical evidence has ever been found to back this up, it was simply the name of the festival and meant "Summer's End". It was believed that the souls of the dead were closest to this world and was the best time to contact them to say good bye or ask for assistance. It was also a celebration of the harvest. It is still treated as such today by those who practice Wicca or other nature based religions. It has absolutely nothing to do with satan, who was a creation of the Christian church.

When European settlers, particularly the Irish, arrived in America they found the native pumpkin to be larger, easier to carve and seemed the perfect choice for jack-o-lanterns. Halloween didn't really catch on big in this country until the late 1800's and has been celebrated in many ways ever since!

Spread from South and Central America

All three species of squashes and pumpkins are native to the Western Hemisphere. C. maxima, represented now by such varieties as Hubbard, Delicious, Marblehead, Boston Marrow, and Turks Turban, apparently originated in northern Argentina near the Andes, or in certain Andean valleys. At the time of the Spanish conquest it was found growing in such areas and has never since been found elsewhere except as evidently carried by man.

Unlike maize and tomatoes, this species had not been carried into Central or North America or even northern South America at the time of discovery of the New World. It was unknown to the Old World until the 16th century, and the oldest known definite record of it is dated 1591.

Since this is a plant that requires a fair amount of hot weather for best growth, it has never become very well known in northern Europe, the British Isles, or in similar areas with short or cool summers. Only long-vining plants are known in this species.

C. moschata, represented by such varieties as Cushaw and Winter Crookneck Squashes, and Japanese Pie and Large Cheese Pumpkins, is a long-vining plant native to Mexico and Central America. This species and C. pepo apparently originated in the same general area, Mexico and Central America. Both are important food plants of the natives, ranking next to maize and beans. The flowers and the mature seeds, as well as the flesh of the fruit, are eaten in some areas.

Before the advent of the white man, C. mosckata and C. pepo had been carried over all parts of North America where they could be grown, but they had not been carried into South America as had beans, which originated in the same general region. They were generally grown by Indian tribes all over what is now the United States. Many of these tribes, particularly in the West, still grow a diversity of hardy squashes and pumpkins not to be found in our markets.

Although winter squashes are grown in many lands today, they are relatively unimportant with few exceptions. They are grown extensively in tropical America, in Japan, and in certain districts in the United States. The calabazas of the West Indies and the forms grown by the natives of Mexico and Central America are not of uniform, pure varieties such as we grow, but are extremely variable as to size, shape, color, and quality. Since these species are normally cross-pollinated, it is difficult to keep a variety pure.

In Japan just after World War II I found squash growing on trellises over the doorways or on the sides of houses, at the foundations of burned-out buildings where vines can grow over the ruins, and beside and over small streams on horizontal trellises of poles.

The largest "pumpkins" grown and bragged about are often C. maxima, really squashes; and much of the pumpkin pie we eat is made from C. maxima, squash. The best commercially canned "pumpkin" is not pumpkin but Delicious, Boston Marrow, or similar squash. The flesh of these varieties of squash is much richer and more nutritious than that of pumpkin.

Split Bean Coffee's Alfajores La Misión - Pumpkin Flavor are made using imported South American Pumpkin Jelly and season with our special blend of spices. They are available on a Seasonal Basis in both the Standard and bite size variety. You may order them through our website or via telephone at (877) 448-5185

Earthquake Hurricane Relief

2007-09-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

September is here and hopefully it means and end to the horrible heat wave we've experienced in Southern California. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, we love the colors, harvest festivals, and the start of the Holiday Season.
--------------------------------

Earthquake-Hurricane Fund-Raiser

Before we continue, we want to Thank all of those who have made a purchase in the past month. Part of your purchase will be donated to victims of the Peruvian Earthquake.

It really means a great deal to have received so many well wishes for our family. As you may all know, our families live in Peru and Nicaragua, home of our coffee beans, and the South. This year, nature has given us a double punch first in Peru and now in Nicaragua, and though none of our family member have been directly impacted by either natural disasters, there are thousands of others who were less fortunate. The least we can do, is contribute to the relief efforts and pray for those members of the Human Family who have been impacted.

Split Bean Coffee will extend it's fund raising campaign until December. We will donate $1.00 from each sale to the Peruvian Quake Victims, and $1.00 to the victims of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua.

-------------------------------------

Flavor of The Month

This month we are featuring a Peruvian Favorite - Lucuma. Lucuma is a fruit native to South America and available only in a small area from Ecuador to Chile. Peruvians make all kinds of delicious desserts including alfajores and frozen treats.

We are also featuring our Signature Flavor - Pumpkin Marshmallow. These marshmallows are great for topping sweet potato casseroles, making White Chocolate S'mores, or topping a cup of hot-cocoa or coffee. Best of all, they are Fat-Free!

-----------------------------------------

September Days of Celebration:

1st Week - Child Injury Prevention Week

2nd Week - International Housekeepers Week

3rd Week - National Child Care Week

3rd Week - National Farm Animals Awareness Week

3rd Week - National Flower Week

4th Week - Equal Parents' Week

4th Week - National Dog Week

4th Week - National Roller Skating Week

Daily Celebrations

September 5th - National Cheese Pizza Day

September 6th - Read a Book Day

September 8th - International Literacy Day

September 9th - National Grandparents Day

September 10th - T.V. Dinner Day
On this day, in 1954, Swanson sells it's first T.V. Dinner.

September 11th - Patriot Day
World Trade Center Remembrance Day.

September 12th - Rosh Hashanah
Begins at Sundown.

September 13th - National Peanut Day

Scooby Doo's Birthday

National Hispanic Heritage Month Begins September 15 and ends October 15.

September 14-16 Independence Day Celebrations Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica

September 16 - Mayflower Day

September 17th - Citizenship Day
Also known as Constitution Day.

September 18th - Mushroom Picking Day

September 19th - Talk Like a Pirate Day

September 21st - International Day of Peace

Yom Kippur
Begins at sundown.

September 22nd - Band-Aid Invented
In 1920.

Ice Cream Cone Invented
In 1903. Check out my page for this special day!

September 23rd - First Day of Autumn

Good Neighbor Day

September 24th - Our Lady of Mercy Day - National Celebrations in Peru, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Catalonia

September 25th - Mary Poppins Debuted
In 1964.

September 28th - Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
Also called the Moon Festival.

www.splitbeancoffee.com

Fundraiser for The Victims of The Peruvian Quake

2007-08-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

Fundraiser Benefiting The Victims of The Peruvian Quake

As you may know, there was a horrible earthquake in Peru on August 15th measuring 7.9 in the Richter Scale. After speaking to friends and relatives, we are glad to report that they are all accounted for: however, others were not as fortunate. There are over 20 confirm deaths as of tonight and over 200 injured. We hope and pray that these numbers remain low, but as you know, not all countries have the building codes as we do here in the USA.

Split Bean Coffee’s history is very well connected to Peru, since our recipe for Alfajores is of Peruvian origin and it was our aunt Tita from Peru that showed me how to make these delicious treats. So, it is only natural that we help those less fortunate in their time of need. We will be donating $2.00 from each order placed from now until August 30th, and we may extend this date in the future.

If you wish to make a donation to the victims directly, you may contact your local Peruvian consulate by visiting the Peruvian Embassy website at http://www.peruvianembassy.us/ or by contacting your local Red Cross.

Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California based Micro-Roaster of Single Origin, Strictly High Grown (SHG), Nicaraguan Coffees; and confectioner of Artisan Quality Gourmet Sweets, featuring our world famous Alfajores La Misión®, and Our Dulces del Rocío Brand which includes a collection of Fudge, Marshmallows, Chocolates and Brittles.

Founded in 2003 Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes of both South America and The American South, The Split Bean Coffee family has combined the time honored traditions of people’s love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions our grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean Coffee offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which SHG Nicaraguan Coffees are the signature standard. Grown in the highlands of the Matagalpa region in a family member’s fair trade co-op farm, these coffee beans is sun-dried and selected for import directly to us. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to each customer is to provide them with freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast to order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee also carries a limited collection of Gourmet Artisan Sweets, of which Alfajores La Misión® are their best sellers. Featured in over ten national publications including The Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine & Indulge Magazine, The Ventura County Star, The Washington Times, and The Miami Herald, these South American Shortbread cookies are handmade in small batches just like Aunt Tita’s used to make them. Based on a close guarded recipe dating back to the 1800’s, which has been passed on to selected family members, these heavenly treats will melt in your mouth. Available in over 7 creative varieties including the Traditional Dulce de Leche, Guava, Quince, and the Alfajor Americano®, a peanut butter filled-chocolate covered creation.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artisan Marshmallows, Toffee, Truffles and Fudge. These products are available under our Dulces del Rocío® label, and feature such unique seasonal flavors as Rose Petal Flavored Marshmallows, Chili laced Chocolate Truffles, Saffron Marshmallows, Watermelon Marshmallows, Creamy Velvet Fudge, Peanut Brittle, and Almond Toffee.

For those whose health does not permit them to indulge in the pleasures of coffee, Split Bean Coffee offers Yerba Mate, a South American tea, made from the leaves of the Mate Tree, full of anti-oxidants. An easy to prepare energy elixir that will restore your body’s balance without the side affects associated with caffeine. Mate is an ideal year-round beverage that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Split Bean Coffee’s products are available directly through their website, www.SplitBeanCoffee.com, and through a few selected coffee & tea houses. By avoiding a distribution platform, Split Bean Coffee have been able to keep the cost of our goods down, while assuring their customers always receive the freshest products possible. Since everything is made fresh to order and preservative-free, the normal turn around time is 2-3 business days, plus two days for shipping transit. Split Bean Coffee uses USPS Priority Mail, or if the customer requests, overnight shipment is available world-wide. To order you may visit www.SplitBeanCoffee.com or call (877) 448-5185.

The Split Bean Coffee Family not only believes and subscribes to fair-trade practices, but believes in community and the fostering of small businesses. We are proud contributors to Paws LA, The Indian Film Festival, The Make a Wish Foundation LA, The Latin American Lions Club of LA, & The UC Davis Latino Graduation Committee, The Mariano Dubon Pre-Escolar in Leon, Nicaragua to name a few.

Split Bean Coffee was founded on the principles passed on by member of our Grand-Parents generation and those who came before them. Simple, honest, hard working individuals, for whom preparing a sweet treat or an elaborate meal was not a chore but an act of love and creativity; people who cared not what china your food was served on, but the quality of ingredients used to make the food. And most of all, people who never took a shortcut to putting a smile on our face. It is in honor of these values , that Split Bean Coffee makes everything fresh, saluting “The Slow Food Movement”, and hope our products somehow bring the innocent sweet child-like smile from yesterdays.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

August 2007 Flavor of The Month - Banana

2007-08-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It is August, and the summer heat is almost gone, but it also a time to enjoy the great fruits of the season and sneak in a few more cook-outs before the summer is gone.

For us, it is the start of our busy season, prepping for the fall/winter rush, ordering supplies and rotate our flavors for the coming months. We hope to sneak in a few days of R&R before the month is over.

August's Flavor of The Month features two great summer flavors - Peach and Bananas. We are featuring peaches in our Alfajores, available at a discount rate through our "Flavor of The Month Page". Last year they were a great hit so we thought we bring them back again for another run.

We are also featuring our Marshmallows and Fudge in Banana Flavor. Our flavoring hails from Asia and is a favorite with all our family's kids.

August 10th is National S'mores day. Our marshmallows make great S'mores!

---------------
Monthly Special -
This month we are running a special for all our returning customers. Order any two items before August 14th and receive a free sample of one of our micro-roasted coffees.
---------------
We hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and look forward serving your cravings through the rest of the year. Don't forget to tell your friends and family about us. Word of mouth is our best form of advertising.
Here are some funny holidays for August.

August Funny Holidays
1st Week - National Clown Week
2nd Week - Elvis Week
National Apple Week
National Smile Week

3rd Week - American Dance Week
August 1st
Francis Scott Key's BirthdayBorn in 1779.
MTV DebutedIn 1981.
Switzerland FoundedIn 1291.

August 2nd - National Ice Cream Sandwich Day - Try and make an open face ice cream sandwich with our alfajores!
August 3rd - Columbus Set Sail on His 1st Voyage In 1492.
August 4th - National Chocolate Chip Day
August 5th -
American Family Day
Friendship Day

August 6th - Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 8th - Dollar Day - The US dollar was created.
August 9th -
Betty Boop's Birthday Created in 1930.
International Day of the World's Indigenous People
National Rice Pudding Day
August 10th - National S'Mores Day
August 13th - International Left-Handers Day
August 14th
National Creamsicle Day
August 15th
Julia Child's Birthday - Hail to the Queen of Good Food!Born in Pasadena, California in 1912.
August 18th - National Homeless Animals Day
August 19th
Bill Clinton's BirthdayBorn in Hope, Arkansas in 1946.
August 20th - National Radio Day
August 23rd - National Sponge Cake Day
August 24th - National Peach Pie Day
August 25th
Kiss and Make Up Day
National Banana Split Day
August 26th - National Dog Day
August 28th - National Cherry Turnover Day
August 29th - Speedy Gonzales' Birthday - Si Señor!Debuted in 1953.
August 30th - National Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31st - National Trail Mix Day

Your Friends at Split Bean Coffee

http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/

Japan Study finds coffee may prevent colon cancer

2007-08-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

The following article is from a reuters feed

Japan study finds coffee may prevent colon cancer
Wed Aug 1, 3:25 AM ET

Drinking three or more cups of coffee a day may cut the risk of colon cancer in women by half, according to a study by Japanese scientists.

Researchers from Tokyo's National Cancer Center studied data from more than 96,000 men and women aged between 40-69 over a period of up to 12 years from 1990, a member of the team said on Wednesday. They found no significant benefit in men.

Even after adjusting for other factors including diet and exercise, they found that women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had half the risk of developing colon cancer, compared with those who drank no coffee at all.

The researchers, whose findings have been published in the International Journal of Cancer, did not find any link between consumption of green tea and colon cancer.

"In Japan, almost all the male population drinks alcohol and there are a large number of smokers," said Manami Inoue of the research team. "There may be some benefit from coffee for men, but it may be that we were unable to adjust for these factors."

The mechanism by which coffee may prevent cancer is unknown, Inoue said. The caffeine it contains could stimulate the working of the colon, or the effect could be due to coffee's antioxidant properties, she said.

"Some people cannot tolerate caffeine, so they should not force themselves to drink coffee. But for people who like it, there is no reason to give it up," Inoue said.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Celebrate Peruvian July 28th & Other South American Independence Days with Split Bean Coffee

2007-07-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

The July-August is normally when most South American Countries celebrate their independence from Spain. Celebrate with one of Split Bean Coffee's delicious Alfajores.

Van Nuys, California July 18, 2007 -- Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California based Micro-Roaster of Single Origin, Strictly High Grown (SHG), Nicaraguan Coffees; and confectioner of Artisan Quality Gourmet Sweets, featuring our world famous Alfajores La Misión®, and Our Dulces del Rocío Brand which includes a collection of Fudge, Marshmallows, Chocolates and Brittles.

Founded in 2003 Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes of both South America and The American South, The Split Bean Coffee family has combined the time honored traditions of people's love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions our grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean Coffee offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which SHG Nicaraguan Coffees are the signature standard. Grown in the highlands of the Matagalpa region in a family member's fair trade co-op farm, these coffee beans is sun-dried and selected for import directly to us. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to each customer is to provide them with freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast to order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee also carries a limited collection of Gourmet Artisan Sweets, of which The Alfajores La Misión® are their best sellers. Featured in over ten national publications including The Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine & Indulge Magazine, The Ventura County Star, The Washington Times, and The Miami Herald, these South American Shortbread cookies are handmade in small batches just like Aunt Tita's used to make them. Based on a close guarded recipe dating back to the 1800's, which has been passed on to selected family members, these heavenly treats will melt in your mouth. Available in over 7 creative varieties including the Traditional Dulce de Leche, Guava, Quince, and the Alfajor Americano®, a peanut butter filled-chocolate covered creation.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artisan Marshmallows, Toffee, Truffles and Fudge. These products are available under our Dulces del Rocío® label, and feature such unique seasonal flavors as Rose Petal Flavored Marshmallows, Chili laced Chocolate Truffles, Saffron Marshmallows, Watermelon Marshmallows, Creamy Velvet Fudge, Peanut Brittle, and Almond Toffee.

For those whose health does not permit them to indulge in the pleasures of coffee, Split Bean Coffee offers Yerba Mate, a South American tea, made from the leaves of the Mate Tree, full of anti-oxidants. An easy to prepare energy elixir that will restore your body's balance without the side affects associated with caffeine. Mate is an ideal year-round beverage that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Split Bean Coffee's products are available directly through their website, www.SplitBeanCoffee.com, and through a few selected coffee & tea houses. By avoiding a distribution platform, Split Bean Coffee have been able to keep the cost of our goods down, while assuring their customers always receive the freshest products possible. Since everything is made fresh to order and preservative-free, the normal turn around time is 2-3 business days, plus two days for shipping transit. Split Bean Coffee uses USPS Priority Mail, or if the customer requests, overnight shipment is available world-wide.

The Split Bean Coffee Family not only believes and subscribes to fair-trade practices, but believes in community and the fostering of small businesses. We are proud contributors to Paws LA, The Indian Film Festival, The Make a Wish Foundation LA, The Latin American Lions Club of LA, & The UC Davis Latino Graduation Committee, The Mariano Dubon Pre-Escolar in Leon, Nicaragua to name a few.

Split Bean Coffee was founded on the principles passed on by member of our Grand-Parents generation and those who came before them. Simple, honest, hard working individuals, for whom preparing a sweet treat or an elaborate meal was not a chore but an act of love and creativity; people who cared not what china your food was served on, but the quality of ingredients used to make the food. And most of all, people who never took a shortcut to putting a smile on our face. It is in honor of these values , that Split Bean Coffee makes everything fresh, saluting “The Slow Food Movement”, and hope our products somehow bring the innocent sweet child-like smile from yesterdays.

Celebrate South American Independence Days with a sweet treat from Split Bean Coffee!

Que viva la Libertad!

July 2007 Flavor of The Month - Introducing our Creamy Velvet Fudge

2007-07-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

First of all we want to wish you all a Safe and Wonderful July 4th Week. We hope you are enjoying it with friends and family.

A lot of you orders marshmallows for your roasting and making s'mores during this weekend festivities.

If you wish to get some great S'mores Ideas, be sure to pick-up The S'mores book at any major book store. You will also find a link from our circle of friends page to the author's page.

Creamy Velvet Fudge by Split Bean Coffee

This month we are introducing a new product line - FUDGE! Yes, after giving out the recipe in Westways Magazine last year, we decided we would offer the ready-made fudge. We hope to offer over 10 different varieties.

Our headliners this month are our Dark Chocolate/Walnut Fudge, Milk Chocolate/Macadamia Fudge, Milk Chocolate Fudge, and White Chocolate/Orange Fudge.All of our fudges come in half-pound or one-pound boxes. However, we cut each order by hand and we ALWAYS send more than you order at no extra charge.

Marshmallow and Alfajores Flavor of The Month for July 2007

This month's Flavor of The Month is our Variety Pack Box - Boxed at a special price only through our Flavor of The Month Page! While you are there be sure and get some Watermelon Marshmallows, they make great S'mores with White Chocolate, or just eat them plain for a fat-free tasty summer snack.

We hope you all have a great and safe summer, and don't forget our coffees make great Iced Coffees!

Here are some funny July Celebrations:

July 7, 2007

Ice Cream Cone Day Chocolate Day

July 8, 2007

Be a Kid Again Day

July 9, 2007

Intern Appreciation Day

July 11, 2007

Vegetarian Food Day

July 12, 2007

Eat Your Jello Day (Bill Cosby's Birthday) National Pecan Pie Day

July 13, 2007

National French Fries Day

July 14, 2007

Bastille Day

July 15, 2007

Winnie-the-Pooh Day National Personal Chef's Day

July 16, 2007

National Ice Cream Day

July 17, 2007

POW-MIA Recognition Day Disneyland Opened (1955) Canada's Parks Day

July 19, 2007

New Friends Day Flight Attendant Safety Professionals Day Stick Out Your Tongue Day

July 20, 2007

Special Olympics Day Get to Know Your Customers Day

July 21, 2007

Cousins Day National Creme Brulee Day

July 22, 2007

America the Beautiful Day 1895

July 24, 2007

Instant Coffee Day (Introduced in 1938)

July 25, 2007

Candles on a Cake Day (First Birthday Cake 55BC) Hot Fudge Sundae Day Merry-Go-Round Day (1871) July 27, 2007

National Parents Day Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day Bugs Bunny Day National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day Walk on Stilts Day

July 28, 2007 Hamburger Day National Milk Chocolate Day Accountants Day System Administrator Appreciation Day

July 29, 2007

National Lasagna Day National Lipstick Day Chicken Wing Day

July 30, 2007 Father-in-Law Day

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Flavor of The Month for June 2007 - Mango

2007-06-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Flavor of The Month June 2007 -

Mango Alfajores and Mashmallows

This month we are offering mango mashmallows and alfajores. Here is a bit on the history of mangos as well as a few recipes for you to try! Enjoy!

A Brief History of Mangos

Mangos originated in northeast India, north western Myanmar and Bangladesh. They later spread to the rest of Asia by themselves and with the help of humans. They have been cultivated, praised and revered since ancient times.

Origins

Scientists have wondered for many years where mangos first came from. Their centre of origin was revealed to be northeast India, Myanmar and Bangladesh after fossil records were found there dating back 25 to 30 million years.

History

Cultivation and domestication of mangos probably began in the Indian subcontinent, where they have been grown for more than 4000 years. Buddhist monks took mango plants on voyages to Malaya and eastern Asia in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. By the tenth century AD, Persian traders had taken mango to the Middle East and East Africa. With the arrival of the Portuguese in India in the 15th century, it was later spread to South America, the Philippines and to West Africa. Mangos are now cultivated commercially throughout tropics and subtropical areas.

In the early stages of domestication, fruits were probably very small and fibrous without much flesh. The Mughals and Portuguese selected and grew generations of mango plants. Centuries of development have produced varieties of mangos free of both fibres and unpleasant flavours. This eventually led to larger fruits with thick flesh that we are familiar with today.

Medicinal properties

The mango is in the same family as poison ivy and contains urushiol, though much less than poison ivy. Some people get dermatitis from touching mango peel or sap. Persons showing an allergic reaction after handling a mango can usually enjoy the fruit if someone else first removes the skin. The leaves are toxic to cattle.

Cultural context

Mango leaves are used to decorate the entrance of a household amongst Hindus. Mango leaves are also used in Indian prayers (poojas) to propitiate the gods. The mango is also a common motif in Indian textiles, known as the paisley design.

Recipes

Ice Cream w/ Mango Alfajores

One Scoop of Vanilla ice cream
One Bite Size Mango Alfajor
Whipped Cream

Place ice cream scoop in serving glass, top with Whipped Cream and place Bite Size cookie on top.

You may melt some of our marshmallows in the microwave for about 15 seconds and use as a fat-free alternative topping!

Basic Mango Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup diced fresh ripe mango
1/3 cup of diced roasted bell peppers or roasted green tomatoes (tomatillos)
1/3 cup diced onions
1 havanero pepper, seeded, minced (I use 3 but love hot salsa)
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice (don't us concentrate)

PREPARATION:Combine all ingredients and chill. Salt to taste. Serve with grilled fish or chicken or with salsa.Makes about two cups of mango salsa. For a variation finely chop some jicama and add it to your mango salsa for a crunchy sensation. If you do, add a bit more lime juice.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup prepared or purchased honey-mustard dressing
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
4 chicken breast halves without skin, boneless
1 tablespoon Jamaican jerk seasoning
2 large fresh mangos
10 to 12 cups mixed greens

PREPARATION:

Stir together honey-mustard dressing and lime zest. Cover and chill dressing while preparing chicken.Rinse chicken and pat dry; sprinkle with the jerk seasoning In a large skillet cook the seasoned chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 6 minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink. Thinly slice each chicken breast. Arrange warm chicken and mango atop greens on four plates; drizzle with the honey-mustard dressing. Serves 4.

Margo's Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup chopped mild or sweet onion
2 cups diced mangoes or peaches
1-2 tablespoons minced, serrano or other small chili (the smaller the hotter)
1/4 cup of chopped fresh Cilantro
3 tablespoons white rum1 tablespoons finely grated lime peel
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 ground cumin

PREPARATION:Mix well and serve warm. Use as a meat accompaniment for chips or grilled meats.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

A Thank You from the Kids

2007-06-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee

and

The Brotherhood of The Americas of Our Lady of Rocio

have joined forces to raise funds for the Mariano Dubon Pre-Escolar in

Leon, Nicaragua

We have raised and distributed over $350.00 both in money and supplies and are still waiting for a few other pledge donations.

Here is a translation of the Thank You Letter sent to us by the school:

A big Thank You to Saint Victor's Church of West Hollywood, CA and Nica Projects of Vancouver, B.C Canada for their generous contributions.

--------------------------------------------

Leon Nicaragua
May 20th, 2007

Brotherhood of The Americas of O.L. of Rocio

Dear Sir,

It is my wish that Our Lord showers you with many graces and fill you with abundant blessings in the tasks that he has given you.

I write to you to officially Thank You for your donation of school supplies for Level III for the Pre-Escolar Mariano Dubon, morning session of Professor Luz Marina Munguia.

We Thank You very much for your great contribution to our classroom. Our children are of low-income homes and your donation is of great help. We will always welcome any other donations you may wish to make to our school.

Without further due, we wish you much success in all your endeavors and my Our Lady of Rocio enlighten your path.

Regards,

Luz Marina Munguia Peralta
Teacher
Pre-Escolar Mariano Dubon
Leon, Nicaragua

To view the scanned document in full size you need to save it to your desktop!

Come celebrate The Recreation of The Pilgrimage of El Rocio in San Diego, CA

2007-06-01T18:39:00.001-07:00

Come celebrate The Recreation of The Pilgrimage of El Rocio in San Diego, CA

Come celebrate The Recreation of The Pilgrimage of El Rocio in San Diego, CA

In the most authentic Andalusia Style, nearly a million pilgrims flock to El Rocio, Spain every year during the Feast of Pentecost to pay homage to the statue of the Virgin Mary.
This Pilgrimage is also Spanish Pageantry. People dress in traditional Andalucian costumes, travel by foot and wagons from all over Europe to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Rocío. It is one of the most spectacular festivities in all of Spain and displays of true Spanish folk culture and devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Pope John Paul II once said that Saint Augustine stated that those who sing pray twice as much, but in Spain people pray, sing and dance; so how many times do the Spanish people pray? In true Spanish form, pilgrims to El Rocio as the festivity is commonly known pray, sing, and dance the entire way to the Sanctuary and back.

La Peña Andaluza of California in collaboration with the Hispanic Community of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and The Brotherhood of The Americas of Our Lady of Rocio are proud to recreate a bit of this great Spanish Tradition in California soil.

Our celebration of this traditional festivity will begin with a procession of the image of Our Lady of Rocio of The Americas and the processional banners of both the Brotherhood and La Peña Andaluza, followed by a Holy Mass followed by Flamenco Dancing and Authentic Spanish Food including a Huge Paella.

June 17 at 12:30 pm Location: Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church - 3585 30th St. San Diego, CA 92104

The Fiesta, food and flamenco dancing will be after the religious celebrationSt. Patrick´s Parish Hall - 2:00 to 5:00pm

For additional information you may visit http://www.elrocio.net/ or http://www.andaluza-usa.com/ PLEASE RSVP BY CALLING Tel: (619) 234-7897

Picnic - Spanish Style - Olé

2007-05-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Spanish Picnic
sponsored
by
The Casa de España, Los Angeles- CA

Our friends at the Casa de España wish to extend everyone a special invitation to their annual picnic at POA Park in Long Beach, CA.

June 17th 1-10 PM

Come and enjoy authentic Spanish Food, Music, and Flamenco Dancing. Bring the entire family and enjoy an authentic Spanish Paella - Olé!

Admission is only $5.00 and kids under 12 are free.

http://home.att.net/~CasadeEspana/PICNIC.htm

DIRECCIONES/DIRECTIONS: FLYER DE LA ROMERIA

SALIDA DEL FWY 605 EN LA "CARSON."
DETRAS DE LA TIENDA LOWE’S
EN EL CENTRO COMERCIAL LONG BEACH TOWNE CENTER……

Exit Carson off the 605 - POA Park is right behind Lowe's in the Long Beach Towne Center
For additional info visit http://home.att.net/~CasadeEspana/PICNIC.htm

Fig Alfajores by Split Bean Coffee

2007-04-30T21:14:00.001-07:00

Split Bean Coffee's Fig Alfajores are a made with imported fig preserve from the Middle East, where figs have flourished for thousands of years. It is our homage to the original alfajores created by the Al-Andalus culture of present day Andalucia, Spain. As you know, the true alfajor is original of to the Andalucia Region of Spain from where it traveled to the Americas aboard the Spanish Galleons of the Spanish Golden Age. As time passed each region of Latin America adapted these delicious sweets to the ingredients and preferences of the emerging local populations.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FIGS

As early as 2900 BC, in early Sumerian times, the medicinal use of figs was being stressed. Now as before, the fig offers a power-house of nutrition; a combination of fiber, minerals, and nutrients that are unequaled in nature.

California dried figs make satisfying snacks and sweet and flavorful recipe additions. The dense, sweet flesh, coupled with their unique crunchy seed, goes well in baked goods, with meat, poultry, fish, vegetables and other fruits. Figs can act as a sweetener in a variety of preparations. Fig puree (8 ounces of figs pureed in a blender with 1/4 to 1/3 cup water or fruit juice) can be used as both a sweetener and a fat substitute in many recipes.

FIG NUTRITION FACTS

"Figs are restorative. The best food that can be taken by those who are brought low by long sickness and are on the way to recovery. They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles," wrote Pliny, a Roman historian (62-113 A.D.).

Of the common fruits, figs have the highest sugar content. Dried, a fig is about 50 percent sugar. It has a notable amount of protein and abundant calcium, magnesium phosphorus and potassium. For more nutritional information, see the accompanying chart.

Figs are a good source of the indigestible food fiber lignin. Cells whose walls are highly lignified retain water and since they are impossible to digest, help bulk up the stool. Figs also contain ficin, a protein-breaking enzyme similar to papain in papayas and bromelin in fresh pineapple. Ficin also has some laxative effects. Together lignin and ficin make figs an efficient laxative food.

When buying figs look for plump soft fresh figs with skin that is green, brown or purple, depending on the variety. As figs ripen, the pectin in their cell walls dissolves and the figs grow softer to the touch. Choose dried figs in tightly sealed airtight packages. Avoid fresh figs that smell sour. The odor indicates that the sugars in the fig have fermented and the fruit is spoiled.

Refrigerate fresh figs. Dried figs can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature; either way, wrap them tightly in an air- and moisture-proof container. Dried figs may keep for several months.

Wash fresh figs under cool water; use dried figs right out of the package. If you want to slice the dried figs, chill them first in the refrigerator or freezer. Cold figs are easier to slice.

Old World History

The fig is mentioned frequently in the Bible and is included in the garden of Eden. It is a traditional food in the Jewish Passover celebration. The fig tree figures in the founding of great cultures and religions. Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were suckled by a she-wolf under a fig tree, which later, in the time of Pliny, was revered as a sacred tree. While sitting under a fig tree, Siddhartha Gautama had the revelation that formed the foundations of Buddhism.

Figs have been prized for both medicinal and dietary value. Mithridates, the Greek king of Pontus (120-63 B.C.), heralded figs as an antidote for all ailments and instructed his physicians to consider its uses as a medicine. Pliny of Rome (62-113) said "Figs are restorative. The best food that can be eaten by those who are brought low by long sickness and are on the way to recovery. They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles". The early Greeks so highly prized figs that it was considered an honor to bestow the foliage and fruit. In the original Olympic games, winning athletes were crowned with fig wreaths and given figs to eat.

The common fig probably originated in the fertile part of southern Arabia (Solms-Laubach 1885). Ancient records indicate both King Urukagina of the Sumarian era (2900 B.C.) and the Assyrians (2000 B.c.) were familiar with it. No records of its introduction to this area exist, but the caprifig, ancestor of the edible fig, is still found there growing wild. From southern Arabia the Bahra tribe brought the fig to ancient Idumaea and Coelsyria (Lagarde 1881). Over a period of several centuries, it slowly spread from there to Syria and the Mediterranean coast. Once figs reached the coast, they rapidly spread throughout the Mediterranean region aided by the maritime nations. They were known in Crete by 1600 B.C.

While it is probable that the home of the edible fig is ancient Arabia, the origin of the cultivated fig industry is most certainly elsewhere. Almost all currently cultivated subtropicals, e.g., citrus, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, peaches, olives, dates, and prunes, were initially cultivated in unknown locations in western Asia or Asia Minor. The only known civilization of sufficient age and sophistication capable of these accomplishments is that of the Mesopotamians, who dwelt in the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys over 10,000 years ago and are credited as the original cultivators of many modem important horticultural and agronomic crops (Eisen 1901).

The Phoenicians and the Greeks, were responsible for spreading fig culture throughout the Old World. By the end of the 14th century B.C. the older of the two, the Phoenicians, had colonized the islands of the Mediterranean: Cyprus, Rhodes, Sicily, Malta, and Corsica. Their colonization to the south included the coasts of Africa, Spain, Portugal, and France and up to the English Channel. Evidence indicates the fig industry spread with these explorations prior to its introduction into Greece and Italy.

The use of figs among early Greeks paralleled their rise in the literature: when mention of figs was infrequent in the literature, fresh figs were a luxury of the rich. Later, when references were common, figs had become an important dietary staple, particularly dried figs during winter months.

It is uncertain when figs were first introduced to Europe. They are hardly mentioned in the Homeric songs (ca. 850 B.C.), the oldest existing European literature. There is no reference to them in the Iliad, the description of the Trojan war waged by the Greeks. However, in the Odyssey, the description of Odysseus' wanderings after the war, figs are mentioned three times; during the agonies of Tantulus in the lower world he tried in vain to reach the fruits almost within his grasp: "...pomegranates, pears, apples, sweet figs and dark olives." As the Homeric songs were probably composed in the ninth century B.C. these references would be among the earliest. However, later investigations st the verses mentioning figs were interpolations of a later date. The first mention of undoubted authenticity is by the seventh-century B.C. Archilochus, who tells of figs being cultivated on the isle of Paros. these few references it can be deduced that figs were introduced Greece in the eighth century B.C., probably from the Semitic people from Palestine and Asia Minor.

Once introduced fig cultivation quickly spread throughout Greece to become an important article of diet for both rich and poor. The term "sycophant" has its origins in ancient Greece. Athenians were particularly fond of figs and were nicknamed "sycophants" (syke or fig-eaters). Later, when members of the same population informed authorities of illegally exporting figs from Attica, the word assumed its modern meaning. From this time on the fig is mentioned frequently in Greek literature.

From Greece, fig culture spread to northern Mediterranean and Adriatic shores until it reached southern Italy. There it must have been established by the eighth century B.C. as it is mentioned in the earliest Roman mythology in conjunction with the founding of Rome, as previously mentioned.

Figs were sufficiently important to Romans that considerable effort expended developing new cultivars. These were sufficiently numerous and distinct for Pliny (23-27) to note: "We see from this how the real law which preserves the types of the species may vary." The cultivars described by Theophrastus, Cato, and Pliny can no longer be identified with certainty and probably have long since been discarded in of better ones. The many cultivars mentioned by Greek and Latin authors indicate that fig culture was extensively distributed and of great importance. Also, from these writings it appears that the best figs were those of Syria. During the reign of the emperor Tiberius (42 B.C.-37 A.D.) was considerable trade in Syrian figs.

By the end of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, fig culture was well distributed throughout the Mediterranean and along the shores of the Atlantic; it stretched from Africa, Portugal, France, Channel Islands, and the southern part of England. However, Syria was preeminent in the cultivation and drying of figs. The hieroglyphic for fig was bakou and was often referred to as a country rich in wine, oil, and bakou (Chabas 1782).

Seventeen hundred years after the Phoenician colonization, the Arabic conquests retraced their route. They carried the fig in its numerous new permutations, and raised fig culture to a degree of importance it had never attained since Syria. The Arabic invasion extended through northern Africa to Spain and Portugal and in these countries fig culture flourished rapidly and became even more important than it had been in Greece or Italy. Arabs esteemed figs above all other fruits. Zamakkhschari, an Arabian interpreter of the Koran, reported that Mohammed said, "If I could wish a fruit brought to paradise it would certainly be the fig."

These Arabic medieval invasions indelibly stamped their mark on fig culture in the occupied territories. The figs grown there were vastly superior to those of the Greek and Roman colonies. Algarve In Portugal, the most southern of the Greek colonies outside the Pillars of Hercules, was later occupied by Arabs, and with its almost ideal climate, it produced a fig that dominated Western European and English markets well into the nineteenth century. The now dominant Smyrna fig did not supplant the Portuguese figs until late in the nineteenth century. Arabic influence is still felt today in Portugal where caprifigs are referred to as fico de toca, from the Arabic name tokkar, and in Malta where the name tokar is still in use.

The fig spread slowly through Asia Minor and Syria to Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Arabian desert. Fig culture was still unknown in the lowlands between the Tigris and Euphrates (Solms-Laubach 1885) by the time it had been highly developed in Iran, Armenia, and Afghanistan. India first cultivated figs in the fourteenth century and edible native varieties are now found growing in the Punjab hills.

Figs supposedly reached China in 127 during the reign of the emperor Tschang-Kien, who supported an expedition to Turin, Italy, but some feel this early report is a myth. The fig is first mentioned by Chinese writers in the eighth century, and therefore it is generally thought figs reached China no earlier than the Tang period (618-907). Hia-tscheng-Shi in his work on Chinese trade, Yu-yang-tsa-tsu, speaks of tin-tin; tin is 'fig' in Arabic, from Fo-tin (Palestine). He mentions that this fruit was produced without blossoms, which is the appearance figs give. A type of fig, apparently not identical to our own, was grown in China in the fourteenth century. The first verifiable report of fig culture in China was that of the celebrated writer Le-Shi-tschen who described figs growing in Chinese gardens. From this point on it is safe to assume the fig was firmly established in the Far East.

Although well regarded in Egypt, the fig never assumed great prominence; a papyrus from 1552 B.C.. extols it as a tonic for the body. Tombs at Benihassan depict fig trees being harvested (Unger 1859; Zohary 1975). The spread of figs southward in Africa was even slower, not reaching South Africa until the nineteenth century.

New World Adventures

Figs were first introduced into the New World by Spanish and Portuguese missionaries. The Spanish historian Puente y Olea (1900) located records of European fig shipments from Seville, Spain to the West Indies in 1520. Oviedo y Validez (1526) tells of fig trees growing on the Island of Espanola (now Cuba). Then, as now, market protection existed. While the island was a Spanish colony, families were each allowed only one fig tree to prevent competition with the mother country (Canova 1910). Simultaneously, the Spanish also introduced figs to Peru in 1528 (Acosta 1590; Tamaro 1920).

From the West Indies figs spread to both coasts of the United States (Unger 1859, 1860). Initially, they were quickly adopted by local populations. However, by the twentieth century they had become a thriving industry In the southwest and a dooryard tree In the southeastern United States.

1. Eastern United States. From Cuba, figs were introduced to Santa Elena (Parris Island, South Carolina) on the southeastern coast of the United States in 1575 and quickly spread throughout the region (Menendez 1500; Martinez 1577). Independently, they were introduced to Virginia from Bermuda in 1621 (Brown 1898). A town in Florida, established In 1763 by one Dr. Turnbull who sponsored the immigration of 1500 Greeks and Minorcans, was named New Smyrna, after the popular cultivar of fig produced there (Forbes 1821). In 1720, figs from France were introduced by the French missionaries to their colony, the Louisiana Territory (Hamilton 1910). Figs thrived throughout the region and reports of them in the Southeastern United States were numerous.

Despite many efforts and an obviously successful fig tree culture in the southeastern United States, a fig industry failed to develop. Some records of failed attempts exist. J. K. Russell of Olustee, Florida, destroyed his orchard due to high labor costs and foreign competition (Reasoner 1891). This is interesting in light of the fact that competition from Old World countries is still one of the most pressing problems facing the California industry today.

In spite of the fact that figs were well distributed throughout the southeastern United States they did not spread initially from there to the western United States. Rather, they were imported from the West Indies to Spanish missions in Mexico. It Is generally accepted that they subsequently spread from Mexico to California with the Franciscan missionaries. The first California figs were planted in 1769 in the gardens of The Mission of San Diego de Alcala. These same figs were planted in the string of missions stretching northward to Sonoma, and according to Mission records, they existed in Santa Clara by 1792 and in Ventura by 1793 (Vancouver 1798). Hence, the first figs in California were 'Mission' or 'Franciscan' figs.

'Mission' figs remained the only figs in California until the arrival of American settlers from the east in 1850 who then imported a wide variety of figs from the eastern United States and Europe. These imports led to the establishment of the first commercial fig orchards in California. By 1867 there were over 1000 acres in the Sacramento Valley and 35 acres in the San Joaquin Valley. 'White Adriatic' was the most widely planted cultivar. A 27-acre orchard of 'White Adriatic' figs planted in Fresno in 1885 produced the first carload of dried figs sent east in 1889.

The beginning of the twentieth century through 1943 was the heyday of the California fig industry. By 1943, California had 34,499 acres (14,000 ha) of figs, 96% of it bearing and virtually all of it In the central San Joaquin Valley. The bearing crop area consisted of 40% 'Calimyrna', 26% 'White Adriatic', 18% 'Black Mission' and 15% 'Kadota'.

The 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, which closed the Suez Canal and therefore Mediterranean shipping channels from the east, created a demand for California figs. The availability of abundant, inexpensive, irrigated land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley as a result of the completion of the California Aqueduct, and the need to plant an early-bearing crop to defray taxes and stand-by water charges, facilitated new fig plantings. The net result was a resurgence in the industry starting with increased plantings in 1968. From 1973 through 1967 the industry area has fluctuated between a low of 15,910 acres (6,439 ha) in 1978 to a 1981 high of 21,520 acres (8,709 ha). The current cultivar percentage has shifted toward 'Calimyrnas' (59%) and 'Black Missions,' (16%), and away from 'White Adriatics' (19%) and 'Kadotas,' (7%).

Currently, California ranks third in world fig production after Turkey and Greece, and ahead of Spain and Portugal. The state produces 100% of domestic fig production and 65% of the figs consumed in the country. In 1987 it produced a total of 15,000 t of figs with a total value of $16 million. Of the 26 noncitrus fruit crops produced in California, figs rank 22nd in value and 18th in bearing area (Moyer 1989).

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Mother's Day Gift Idea 2007

2007-04-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day 2007 is Sunday May 13th. Have you gotten Mom or that special lady a gift yet? If not, may we suggest a box of one of Handmade Alfajores?

Our Mother’s Day Themed Alfajores are hand made and filled with “Dulce de Leche” then dipped in Dark Chocolate. Before the chocolate sets we apply a gold leafed message of “Happy Mother’s Day”. Hand packed in a gold box for a beautiful presentation.

For this or any other of our Mother’s Day Specialty Items, visit our website at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/ . One dollar of each order will be donated to The Mariano Dubon Pre-School in Leon Nicaragua to help them purchase school supplies for the children. Just Three dollars helps buy school supplies for one child for one semester.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Campaign for Children in Nicaragua

2007-04-16T11:43:00.001-07:00

Campaing for Children in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the place where we get most of our coffee from, and Leon Nicaragua is Roger’s place of birth. Most of his Mom’s family still lives in Nicaragua and although they have suffered through much political turmoil and war they are very much attached to their homeland.

During a phone conversation Roger had with his aunt who is an instructor at an elementary school in Leon, Nicaragua, she mention that most of her students could not afford to buy the books and supplies needed for school. We asked how much it would take to purchase the books, and were shocked to hear that with just $3.00 we could purchase the materials needed for one child for one semester. I don’t want to sound like Sally but just think for the price of a Latte, or a Happy Meal you can provide the necessary tools to empower a small child to learn to the Three R’s and lead him in the path of becoming a productive citizen.

Split Bean Coffee has teamed up with The Brotherhood of Our Lady of Rocío, of which our families are members, to raise funds to purchase school supplies and books for these children. For every purchase made from April 15th to May 15th – 2007, Split Bean Coffee will donate One Dollar to the children at the Mariano Dubon Pre-Escolar in Leon Nicaragua. If you want to donate to the cause, you can contact the Brotherhood through elrocio@elrocio.net . Split Bean Coffee will be donating the cost for any transaction fees for donations made to the Brotherhood.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

La Feria de Sevilla

2007-04-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

La Peña Andaluza in California
presents
La Feria de Sevilla

May 18th-19th - 2007

MAY 18, 7:00PM "Noche del Pescadito" - MEMBERS ONLY

Saturday May 19 "Gran Fiesta" = Noon - 9:00 PM

Andalusian Horses - Spanish Food - Flamenco Shows - Sevillanas Contest - Come Dance with Friends - Kids ActivitiesEnjoy Real Fair Tents - Tapas - Paella- Sea Food - Spanish Tortillas - Coffee - Spanish Chocolate - Spanish Custome Contest - Spanish Sweets - Wine - Beer - Non-Alcoholic Drinks - No Outside Food Allowed - No Pets Allowed -

Kids under 12 Free Admission by Invitation Only - $5.00 Per Person -

For More Information Call (619) 234-7897

April 2007 Flavor of The Month

2007-03-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

It is time again for our Flavor of The month newsletter. For April, we will be featuring our variety packs in both our Alfajores and Marshmallows. We are also please to announce that we are holding a drawing for The S'mores Book in which we are listed as one of the resources for Gourmet Marshmallows.

Every customer that places and order between now and April 8th will be entered in a drawing for the book. You may view the cover of the book at our marshmallow page - http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/page5.html . Order early for Easter! We will announce the winner in our next Flavor of The Month email.

All orders received before April 5th will receive a free sample of one of our micro-roasted coffees.

This month, we would like to address something that has been brought up several times in conversations with our customers; the difference between gourmet and artisan. We have written a few paragraphs to explain our stand on Gourmet vs. Artisan. You may read it in our Flavor of The Month Page - http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/page8.html .

We wish you all a very Happy and Safe Passover and Easter Season.

Your Friends at Split Bean Coffee

Here are some of the Holidays and Holydays for April 2007

Alcohol Awareness Month
National Autism Awareness Month
National Occupational Therapy Month
National Parkinson's Awareness Month

1 - April Fool's Day (United States)
1 - Palm Sunday (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
2 - Passover *begins at sundown (Jewish)
5 - Holy Thursday (Christian)
6 - Good Friday (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
6 - National Tartan Day (Scottish-American)
6 - Organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
7 - Hospital Admitting Clerks Day
8 - Easter (Protestant, Roman Catholic)
8 - Vesak - Buddha's Birth (Buddhist)
13 - Blame Someone Else Day
15 - Easter (Orthodox) or Pascha
15 - Yom Hashoah/Holocaust Memorial Day (Jewish)
22 - Earth Day
23 - St. George's Day (English)
26 - Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day (United States)
26 - Hug a Friend Day
27 - Childcare Professionals Day
28 - Arbor Day
30 - Beltane (Celtic)
30 - Hairstyle Appreciation Day

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Gourmet vs. Artisan

2007-03-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked us what the difference is between an Artisan and Gourmet. The answer is quite simple. Gourmet is typically used to label products that are manufacture with high-quality raw materials to obtain a high quality end-product. For example gourmet chocolates normally have a high content of cacao liqueur, and gourmet cheeses are made with selected milks from selected farms. However, you don’t always obtain a gourmet product by just using high quality raw materials. You also have to employ a control and tested method to produce a constant high quality finished product. Although gourmet products can be produced in medium or large batches, the implementation of a control method and high quality ingredients results in a less than ordinary product.

Artisan products are normally made with the same meticulous attention to detailed as gourmet products. Although Artisan Products can be Gourmet, not all gourmet products are artisan in nature.

Artisan products are strictly made in small batches typically by one of a kind stores using family guarded recipes and methods. They are normally hand crafted and sold in the artisan’s store or in local farmers market across the nation. These artisan masters and apprentices follow a time honored tradition that can be traced to pre-industrial times when most products were made in small shops across colonial America and the globe.

The interest in artisan gourmet products was re-awaken by the slow food movement. In Europe the Artisan label is more strictly guarded by local and national agencies, and though many wines, cheeses and chocolates can call themselves gourmet, not all of these gourmet products can be labeled of artisan origin.

Split Bean Coffee’s Dulces del Rocío are considered artisan products because we make them using only high-quality ingredients, in small control batches using our family’s treasured and tested recipes. Our products are preservative free, and we pride ourselves in using minimal packaging. Our products are only available through our online store and at a very selected few retail outlets.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Support for Our Troops

2007-03-19T10:47:00.001-07:00

Split Bean Coffee is proud to provide small care packages of sweets and coffee to the troops overseas. In cooperation with Members of St. Victor's Church, and Members of The Brotherhood of Our Lady of Rocio (http://www.elrocio.net/), we are donating some care packages to the soldiers overseas.

The Brotherhood will also donate prayer cards for the soldiers, and members of the Church will be including other spiritual items for those soldiers who may need them.

If you live in the Los Angeles Area and wish to donate to the efforts, please visit St. Victor's website at http://www.saintvictor.org/ . Donations of toiletries, non-parishable snacks, calling cards, and letters of encouragement are greatly appreciated. Ask for Sean or you may email The Brotherhood directly at elrocio@elrocio.net

Please note that this is not a statement of support of the War, but a humanitarian efforts for Our Troops.

You may also visit any of the following sites to donate directly to the troops:

Links to Support Our Troops

www.aafes.com/docs/homefront.htm - AAFES Gift Certificates

The Army and Air Force Exchange Services is where most service men and women do their shopping.
You can purchase gift certificates for those in Iraq and those hospitalized.

www.adoptaplatoon.org/ - Adopt a Platoon

Adopt a Platoon has several ongoing projects to ensure that every soldier overseas does not walk away from mail call empty-handed.

www.AnySoldier.com/index.cfm - AnySoldier

Any Soldier is a non-profit organization that helps people send care packages to members of the armed services in Iraq.

http://www.appreciateourtroops.org/index.php - Appreciate Our Troops

Purchase a Support Our Troops mug and a free personalized mug will be given to a current or former service member.

http://www.operationshoebox.com/ - Operation Shoe Box

Send packages to troops.

www.usocares.org/ - USO Care Packages

Send packages to troops. You can sponsor care packages provided by the USO with a $25 donation.

http://www.bluestarmothers.org/ - Blue Star Mothers

The Blue Star Mothers was founded by service members' moms during World War II. Any mother with a son or daughter in the military can join.

www.booksforsoldiers.com/ - Books For Soldiers

Help the troops escape boredom by donating some books. You can also donate DVDs and CDs requested by soldiers.

http://operationpaperback.usmilitarysupport.org/ - Operation Paperback

Recycled reading for our troops.

http://www.campdoha.org/ - Camp Doha

Camp Doha provides valuable information for those about to deploy, their friends and families, and anyone who wants to support the troops.

www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/pages/1/index.htm - Cell phones for Soldiers

Donated cell phones are recycled and turned into cash. The cash is used to purchase calling cards for soldiers in Iraq.

www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html - Defend America

Thank any service member stationed throughout the U.S. and the world with an e-mail.

http://www.give2thetroops.org/ - Give 2 The Troops

Send letters and messages to troops.

www.lettersfromhomeprogram.org/ - Letters From Home

Support the troops by sending letters so that they receive mail.

anyservicemember.org - Operation Dear Abby

Send a greeting to a service member via e-mail. This site allows you to send e-mail messages of support to service members.

www.fisherhouse.org/ - Fisher House

The Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one during hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

www.freedomcalls.org/ - Freedom Calls

The Freedom Calls Foundation is helping families videoconference with their loved ones in Iraq. You can donate money to help keep this project going.

www.platoonphone.com/ - Operation Call Home

Operation Call Home's mission is to provide each platoon with its own satellite phone.

www.operationac.com/

Operation Air Conditioner provides not only air conditioners but space heaters (the desert is cold in the winter) for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

www.heromiles.org/ - Operation Hero Miles

You can donate your unused frequent flier miles to help soldiers travel on emergency leave. They are also used to help families fly to hospitalized soldiers.

www.operationiraqichildren.org/ - Operation Iraqi Children

Many soldiers are rebuilding schools in Iraq and scrounging around for school supplies. Help by donating a school supplies kit.

operationmilitarypride.org - Operation Military Pride

Operation Military Pride is a volunteer organization that sends cards, letters, and care packages to troops.

http://www.operationuplink.org/- Operation Uplink

Donate money to Operation Uplink. The money is used to purchase phone cards so service men and women can call home.

www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/index.php - Soldiers' Angels

Become some soldier's angel by adopting a service member. This site also provides links to other informative sites.

www.treatsfortroops.com/ - Treats for Troops

Treats for Troops helps you provide packages to your loved ones overseas. If you don't know anyone, the Foster-A-Soldier Program matches you with a registered soldier by branch of service, home state, gender, or birthday - or you can choose to sponsor a group of soldiers.

voicesfromhome.org/home.html - Voices from Home

Voices From Home allows military members and their families and friends to send and receive immediate voice e-mail messages to and from remote locations around the world.

http://www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer - National Military Family Association

Provides information for families of those who serve.

http://www.taps.org/ - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)

TAPS offers peer support and assists survivors through a wide variety of programs.

www.intrepidmuseum.org/foundation_heroesfund.html

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund provides grants to the families of service men and women who died in Iraq. You can donate online, through mail or by calling a toll-free number.

http://www.specialops.org/ - Special Operations Warrior Foundation

Helping the Children of Fallen Special Operations Warriors

http://www.hugs4smilesusa.org/ - Hugs4SmilesUSA

Hugs4SmilesUSA will assign you a deployed soldier and/or family to send care packages and correspondence.

http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/ - America Supports You

Provides contact information for organizations that support and communicate with our troops.

Split Bean Coffee - March 2007 Flavor of The Month - Orange

2007-03-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

Split Bean Coffee - March 2007 Flavor of The Month - Orange

Split Bean Coffee Presents it's March 2007 Flavor of The Month Orange. We are offering an orange preserve filled Alfajor made with a natural orange preserve made locally in Southern California; as well as a Orange Flavored Marshmallow, made with organic orange essence using our 3 day process.

The sweet delicious juicy orange eaten all around the world was born a sour fruit, growing wild in China. Oranges were probably being cultivated by the Chinese as early as 2500 BC, although there are records that oranges may also have found roots in the Assam area of India and South East Asia.

Mysteriously, for thousands of years oranges seem to have remained an Oriental treat, not written up in the Middle East, not mentioned by the Greeks. Those which reached the west in the earliest days were of the sour variety. Eventually the Romans, who were always in the market for exotic produce, obtained oranges the hard way---after long sea voyages from India which finally brought young trees into the Roman port of Ostia, probably in the first century AD.

After the fall of Rome in the 5th c. AD, orange raising and importing both died out for centuries in the regions previously controlled by Roman Emperors, with the exception of some remote areas of Northern Africa.

Orange trees most likely were planted across North Africa by the first century AD. The Moors, the Muslim natives of the region, brought oranges with them to southern Spain in the 8th or 9th century, in their conquest. By the 1200’s orange groves were a feature of an area extending from Seville to Granada, as well as regions of Portugal. Another Muslim group, the Saracens, brought orange growing to Sicily, the island off the tip of Italy’s boot, at around the same time.

The orange first ventured across the Atlantic Ocean in 1493 with Christopher Columbus. Columbus carried seeds of the orange, lemon and citron, or possibly young trees, from Spain’s Canary Islands to the island of Hispaniola, today shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Soon several of the Caribbean islands were raising oranges, whether sweet or sour or both, we have no record. Seedlings reached Panama with the Spanish in 1516 and Mexico two years later. The native Americans living there supposedly were intrigued with the orange trees and tended them with care. At about the same time the Portuguese were planting sweet oranges in their enormous South American colony of Brazil.

The Spanish brought oranges to their settlement at St. Augustine, Florida in 1565 and by 1579 the groves were flourishing. Again the native people of the area became enthusiastic about oranges, planting them in their own groves and also carrying them as food on hunting trips. Today 9 out of 10 oranges grown in Florida is processed into juice. California produces the most eating oranges in the U.S.

Brazil is the world’s leading producer of oranges. One half of all the world’s orange juice comes from Brazil, and it provides 80% of the world’s trade in concentrated orange juice. About 90% of the country’s production is based in the Sao Paolo region, on Brazil’s southwestern coast. 20,000 farms employing 400,000 workers grow China, Valencia, Natal, and Navel oranges, contributing to a $1 billion juice industry. Brazil’s biggest customer is the Netherlands, number three, the United States.

The first appearance in English dates from the 14th century. The forms starting with n- are older; this initial n- may have been mistaken as part of the indefinite article, in languages with articles ending with an -n sound (eg. in French une norenge may have been taken as une orenge). The name of the colour is derived from the fruit, first appearing in this sense in 1542.

The Spanish word for 'orange' is 'naranja'. It is difficult to see that 'orange' comes from that word, BUT, originally it was called 'a norange' in English compare 'naranja' with 'norange'. The 'n' was transfered at some point in English developement.

www.SplitBeancoffee.com

XVI Photographic Exposition of Holy Week in Seville, Spain

2007-02-24T10:46:00.001-08:00

Peña Andaluza in California with the collaboration of
The Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles

Presents

XVI Photographic Exposition of Holy Week in Seville, Spain

March 21st to April 4th, Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 12:00pm

Consulate of Spain in Los Angeles
5055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 860
Los Angeles, Ca 90036

La Peña Andaluza en California
en conlaboración con
El Consulado General de España en Los Ángeles (EEUU)

presenta

La XVI Exposición fotográfica de la Semana Santa de Sevilla

La exposición representa alguno de los Pasos que procesionan en la Semana Santa hacia la Catedral. Horario de 8 a 12

Consulado General de España en Los Angeles
5055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 860
Los Angeles, Ca 90036

Celebrate Andalucia Day with La Peña Andaluza of Southern California

2007-02-10T19:49:00.000-08:00

Featured Event in Southern Cal -

La Peña Andaluza of Southern California presents Day of Andalusia with a Paella Dinner, Dance and Flamenco Show

Date - Saturday, Feb 24th, 2007
Time - 5-10PM

Location - The Dutch Club Avio - 1557 W. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802 - (714) 774-2840

Flamenco Show will Feature The Great Yolanda and Paco Arroyo and The Peña's own dance group directed by Gerty and Stephania

Come join a great group of people celebrate Southern Spanish Culture. Practice your Spanish, watch a real Flamenco Show, and Dance the night away to the rhythms of Rumbas, Sevillanas and more. So dust of your dancing shoes, and work-up an appetite for a delicious traditional paella. If you are planning a trip to Spain, this will be a great event to attend, as there will be plenty of information of the various regions of Andalusia. We hope to see you there!

Cost $17 per adult and $10 for kids under 12

Split Bean Coffee's - Feb 2007 - Flavor of The Month - Chocolate

2007-02-03T20:06:00.001-08:00

FEB 2007 - FLAVOR OF THE MONTH - CHOCOLATE

Welcome to our Flavor of the Month Page. Be sure to visit us often as our Monthly Special Flavors change at least once a month. This month's featured flavor is chocolate. We are also extending our Coconut Flavored Alfajores, and Marshmallows for an additional month.

Chocolate or Xocolatl is native to the Central America. Made from the cacao beans, and first cultivated by the Olmecs and Mayas over 2000 years ago. To the native Meso-Americans, Xocolatl was a both a sacred drink as well as a valued commodity often use a currency. The drink was made with a mix of ground cacao seeds with various seasonings including spicy chilies and a touch of honey, and made into a semi-bitter frothy drink.

Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created and the chili was replaced with almonds and oriental spices such as cinnamon, and cloves. For decades, the Spaniards held a monopoly in the consumption and preparation of chocolate, but eventually the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe. Since then, new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favorite flavors.

Chocolate has come a long way from it's sacred origins and today it is available world wide. Available in thousands of flavor blends, chocolate is perhaps only rivaled by vanilla as a flavoring in desserts.

Try our Chocolate/Dulce de Leche Filled Alfajores, or our Chocolate covered alfajores. We also carry artisan truffles and chocolate flavore marshmallows! Our DEADLINE for Valentine's 2007 is Feb 07, 2007

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Jan 2007 Flavor of The Month - Coconut

2007-01-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

Split Bean Coffee's Flavor of The Month January 2007 - Coconut

Alfajores de Coco and Coconut Marshmallows

The coconut is one of the most popular and most useful plants in the world. Although many regions claim it as native to their soil, the oldest preserved fossils hail from the South Pacific and India. The coconut by nature is a tropical fruit and only grows in tropical climates. The only states, where this wonderful fruit grows is Florida and Hawaii, and the northeast most point where coconuts are said to thrive is Newport Beach, California along the Pacific Coast Highway.

The coconut fruit can be used in many culinary applications, from exotic curries, to savory dishes, and all kinds of sweets, as well as home remedies. The fruit and plant get their name from the name of a scary witch in Portuguese folklore – Coco or Côca because when you peel a coconut, when viewed from one end, the germination pores give the appearance of a scary face.

Split Bean Coffee’s Dulce de Coco Alfajores are made with our own blend of our signature Dulce de Leche and Coconut Preserve imported from the South Pacific. This delicious blend gives our alfajores a unique, smooth, and mild coconut flavor you can enjoy with family or guests.

Featured this month as well are our Coconut Marshmallows, made with 100% organic coconut essence and rolled in unsweeted coconut. A delicious addition to your cup of cocoa or as a mid-night treat.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Best Wishes for The Holidays and New Year

2006-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2006

We would love to wish you all a Happy and Safe Holiday Season, and also thank all of our friends and customers for making Split Bean Coffee a great success. We hope to see you all in 2007 as we plan new and exciting products.

This Holiday Season, for a limited time, we are offering a White Chocolate Peppermint Bark. Made with white chocolate from the House of Guittard in San Francisco, organic peppermint oils, and freshly crushed candy canes.

Please be sure to order early! Our Holiday delivery dead line is Dec 15th, 2006. Orders received after said date are not guaranteed to arrive in time for December 25th.

If you are ordering after the Dec 15th please be sure to call us at (877) 448-5185

The Split Bean Coffee Family

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee and Paws LA - Pet Art 8

2006-10-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee is Proud to Once Again Sponsor Paws/LA Pet Art

An evening at "The Whisker A Go-Go"Where hepcats go to mix & mingle!

Pet Art 8Art Auction & Flea MarketTo benefit PAWS/LA

Host

Roma Maffia From television's "Nip/Tuck"

Live Auction * Silent Auction * Pet pourri Flea Market
Swingin' Auction Items includingFine art * Photography * Designer pet products and more

Sunday, October 22, 2006Doors Open 4:00pm * Live Auction 6:00pm
The Avalon Hollywood1735 N. Vine, Hollywood

Enjoy delicious treats from around Los Angeles, and sample Split Bean Coffee's Micro-Roasted Coffees and Delicious Artisan Sweets!

To Purchase Tickets - Please Visit the Paws/LA
PAWS/LA

Split Bean Coffee - Benefits AIDS Walk LA

2006-10-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

WE NEED YOUR HELP. SPLIT BEAN COFFEE WILL BE DONATING TO AIDSWALK LA $1.00 FROM EACH ORDER PLACED ONLINE BETWEEN SEPT 27TH AND OCT 14TH, 2006. If you feel like helping a great cause, please donate generously to our team at Split Bean Coffee's Team

A Brief History of Peaches

2006-09-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

A Brief History of Peaches -

Peach Marshmallows and Alfajores by Split Bean Coffee

Peaches are a favorite of the Southern States, but they actually originated in Asia. Although the botanical name, Prunus persica, suggests that peaches are native to Persia; however, they originated in China where they have been cultivated since the early days of Chinese culture.

Peaches were mentioned in early Chinese writings as far back as the tenth century B.C and were a favored fruit of emperors. The ancient Chinese thought of the peach as a symbol of the female genitalia and recognized its yin qualities. A Chinese bride was referred to as a peach.

Its English name derives from the Latin plural of persicum malum, meaning Persian apple. In Middle English, it melded into peche, much closer to what we call it today.

The Persian traders brought the peach from China are responsible for spreading it to the Western World. Around 300 BCE the Greeks and Persians were already enjoying these juicy treats. In the first century AD the Romans were captivated by the peach and began cultivation.

The peach was brought to America by Spanish missionaries in the sixteenth century and eventually made it to England and France in the seventeenth century, where it was a popular albeit rare treat. In Victorian England, no meal was complete without a fresh peach presented in a fancy cotton napkin. Early peaches were propagated by seed, the easiest way to transport the peach plant. Budded trees became available in America around the time of the American Revolution. Various American Indian tribes are credited with migrating the peach tree across the United States, taking seeds along with them and planting as they roved the country.

Thomas Jefferson had peach trees at Monticello, but United States farmers did not begin commercial production until the nineteenth century in Maryland, Delaware, Georgia and finally Virginia. Although the Southern states lead in commercial production of peaches, they are also grown in California, Michigan, and Colorado.

Today, peaches are the second largest commercial fruit crop in the States, second only to apples. Other major producers of peaches outside the USA are Italy, China and Greece.

Although peaches are cooked, canned, dried, pureed, boiled, roasted, and made into jam, the best flavor and nutritional benefits are derived from enjoying them fresh and whole, fuzz and all. They make a great addition to salads and to your back-yard BBQs.

Split Bean Coffee's Alfajores La Misión are made using 100% natural peach preserves. Our delicious, hand made Alfajores can be enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee or tea. For and aventurous treat, top our alfajores with freshly whipped cream or whipped cream cheese.

Split Bean Coffee's Alfajores la Misión are made with 100% Natural Peach Preserve.

www.splitbeancoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee's Flavor of The Month for September 2006

2006-09-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It is time again for our flavor of the month Newsletter. This month, we are offering Peach Flavored Alfajores, and Marshmallows. For a brief history on this delicious fruit, visit our our Flavor of the month page at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/page8.html .

As you all know, it is Back to School Time. If someone special in your family is returning or starting college, what better way to remind them how proud you are of then by sending a small care package. You can call us at 877-448-5185 and have us create a special care-package or, choose from any of our pre-designed gifts at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/page7.html . We also have put together a special college package that you can find in our Flavor of the Month Page .

As the Holiday Season Approaches,(Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Channukah, New Years, Qwanza....) be sure to keep us in mind for all your gifts. We know that we are only into September, but we also know that some of you do think way ahead unlike yours truly that is always running around like a chicken without a head on December 23rd.

We will be bringing back some of our most popular offerings for the Fall/Winter season so visit us often. Be sure to tell your friends and family about us too, the best form of advertising is word-of-mouth and we would really appreciate your support.

Here are some of the Events, People, and Celebrations for September 2006

September 2006

Healthy Aging Month: National attention on the positive aspects of growing older.
Sept 15-Oct 15 - National Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month (Mexico and Central American Independance Celebrations)
Children's Good Manners Month
Classical Music Month --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 - Oct 15 - K.C. Renaissance Festival: Bonner Springs, Kansas

4 - Labor Day (United States)

10 - Grandparent's Day (United States)

11 - Patriot Day (United States)

14-16 - Mexico & Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica Independence Day Celebrations

19 - San Gennaro Day (Italian-American)

22 - Oct 1 - Religious Freedom Week , Native Amerian Day

23 - Autumnal Equinox (Japan), Dogs in Politics Day (I wonder how many dogs we have in DC?), First Day of Fall,

24 -Good Neighbor Day

23-24 - Rosh Hashanah* (Jewish New Year)

24 - Our Lady of Mercy - Nuestra Señora de La Merced

24-Oct 23 - Ramadan (Islamic, Muslim, Moslem)

24-30 - Deaf Awareness Week

July/August's Flavor of The Month - Dulce de Leche & Watermelon

2006-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Flavor of The Month - Dulce de Leche & Watermelon

Introduction Dulce de Leche - Milk Caramel

The origins of The Dulce de Leche, the delicious filling in our Alfajores, is as complex as mysterious as the history of Latin America. One thing we can say for sure is that it is a by product of the cultural exchange that took place with the encounter of Spanish and Native American Cultures. This great cultural exchange is not only responsible for the globalization of such native american products like potatoes, cocoa beans, peanuts, chili peppers, yucca, and tomatoes to name a few, but also the creation of perhaps over twenty variations of what we commonly know as Dulce de Leche, Caramel, Manjar Blanco, Dulce de Leite, or Cajeta.
One popular legend says that in the 1800's a African-slave was boiling milk and sugar for her masters and she go distracted, allowing the milk to slowly burn creating the first unintentional batch of Dulce de Leche. However, written records in Mexico and Peru dating back as early at the 1500's already make mention of this delicious milk and sugar mixture, and earlier records exist in Andalusia of a variation called "Leche Quemada" (burnt milk).
In the long run, it really doesn't matter where it was first created, perhaps the recipe for Dulce de Leche has always existed in our hearts and perhaps professor Gonzalez-Viaña or Gabriel Garcia Marquez will clarify it's origins in their literary adventures clarifying once and for all how the tragic history of sugar and milk came to create such a delicious treat for our souls.

The Humble Watermelon

Watermelons have been part of the human diet for thousands of years, and have been available worldwide for centuries. Watermelon motives have been found in the ancient Egyptian tombs and wall paintings. Watermelons are believed to be native to the African continent. Watermelons were introduced to The United States by African Slaves. Because of the soil and climate conditions in the Southern States were ideal for growing watermelons; the region has always been identified with our love for the humble melon. Today it is grown in all warm parts of the country, with California, Texas and Florida being the top three largest growers. Try one of our delicious Watermelon Marshmallows! Use them to top ice cream, make smores or watermelon flavored rice-crispy treats.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Why We Named Our Sweets "Dulces del Rocío"

2006-05-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

Why We Named Our Sweets "Dulces del Rocío"

(Sweets of El Rocio)

We named our Sweets after a small town about 50 Km. out of Seville Spain in the Huelva Region of Andalucia. This is the same region from where Christopher Columbus is said to have sailed to the "New World" in 1492.

The region where El Rocío is located was once a place populated by diverse peoples, Arabs, Jews, Christians. It has been inhabited since before Roman times and as it is costumary of places where diverse cultures meet, Andalucia was a place were culinary traditions were exchange and meld into new ones. It is well known for it's rich confectionary sweets that to this day are hand-crafted using family guarded secret recipes that have been passed from generation to generations.

El Rocío is also a place of pilgrimage to The Virgin Mary, and Huelva as a whole is full of churches, monasteries, and convents. As a child, I always associated the best sweets with monastic orders, since members of these religious organizations normally sell sweets to the general population to generate much needed income. I remember quite well that my Grandmother, used to take us to the local convent to buy the best caramels. To this day, I have yet to recreate these little treasures.

The Patron Saint of El Rocío is Our Lady of Rocio (Our Lady of The Dew). What follows is a brief introduction to a tradition that dates back to the 1700's when a sepherd discovered the statue of The Virgin Mary that is said to have been hidden in the woods during the time of the Reconquest, a period of turmoil and intolerance in Spanish History, when both Cristians and Muslims distroyed religious relics when they conquered an area. It is believed that Christians of the town of Rocinas (ancient name of El Rocío) removed the image of The Virgin Mary around the 1400's and place it in the woods to spare it from any sort of damage, only to be forgotten for many years.

Our Lady of Rocio - The White Dove

Each year before the Sunday of Pentecost over millions of people make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Virgen del Rocío (Our Lady of the Dew), at the edge of the Doñana National Park in southern Spain.

Pilgrims known as rocieros, travel for weeks, by foot, ox carts, horseback, car or plane from all over Spain, Europe, and The World. Most will assemble in Seville and other large cities in Southern Spain with one of many caravans organized by the "official fraternities" of Our Lady of Rocío. Dressed in traditional flamenco costumes pilgrims began the last leg of the pilgrimage in brightly-decorated horse-drawn carriages, as part of caravans traversing the Andalucian countryside.

Beginning on Wednesday before Pentecost Sunday, devotees of the Virgen del Rocío participate in a joyous celebration blending religion and festive local flavor. , huge processions of flower-decorated wagon carts carrying the Standard (Sinpecado) of their fraternities converge in the village of Almonte (El Rocío), a small town 50km from Seville. The celebrations conclude with the solemn mass and procession of the Statue of the Virgen del Rocío on Monday of Pentecost.

Since the 15th century, the Virgen Del Rocío has been the patroness of Almonte (El Rocío). Legend says a hunter found a statue of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk near the sandy beaches inscribed with the words " María de Los Remedios me llamo"(“I am called Mary of Remedies”). It is believed that perhaps the image was hidden during the late period of the Reconquest to prevent vandalism.

The small church was saved in part thanks to the Final Will and Testament of a Spaniard that had immigrated to Lima, Peru and left 2000 silver coins for the preservation and restoration of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rocío. Since then, due to the importance of the region as a cross-roads of sorts for merchants and travelers alike, the advocation of Our Lady of Rocio was spread all throughout the Spanish Kingdom and it's colonies.

Today, everywhere people from Andalucia have settled there seems to be some sort of beneration to The White Dove (La Blanca Paloma), as those who benerate her call her, since one of her titles is Virgin of The Holy Spirit. You can read more about Our Lady of Rocío and the wonderful traditions of pilgrimage associated with her and the small villages of El Rocio and Almonte by visiting the bi-lingual website at www.elrocio.net .

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee's Flavor of The Month for June 2006 -

2006-05-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee's Flavor of The Month for June 2006 -
Strawberry Alfajores & Mashmallows

Split Bean Coffee's Flavor of The Month is Strawberry. This wonderful fruit makes a great tasting preserve that compliment our cookie waffers perfectly. Our preserves imported from France and contain no preservatives or additives. You may order our Flavor of The month in both our Standard and Bite Size variety. Order two boxes of our flavor of the month and receive a free sample of one of our micro-roasted coffees. Planning a gathering this late spring, our Alfajores la Misíon are great way to enjoy the company of friends and family. The make great camping treats, or can be used to make ambrosia salads with a twist.

A Brief Story of The Strawberry

The strawberry is a member of the rose family and is unique in that it is the only fruit with seeds on the outside rather than the inside. They are also a very healthy fruit, being rich in vitamin C and a good source of folic acid as well as being high in fibre.

Strawberries were cultivated by the Romans as early as 200 BC and in mediaeval times strawberries were regarded as an aphrodisiac and a soup made of strawberries, borage and soured cream was traditionally served to newly-weds at their wedding breakfast. However, it is believed that the Strawberry was cultivated in the American Hemisphere way before the arrival of the europeans. Native American Indians were already eating strawberries in warm corn meal when the Colonists arrived.

Until 1550-1551 the Mapuche and Huilliche Indians of South America, cultivated their strawberries undisturbed. Then the Spanish conquistador, Pizzaro, who had been attempting to conquer Chile for fifteen years, appointed Pedro de Valdivia supreme commander of the Spanish troops in Cuzco, Peru. Under Pizzaro they were able to penetrate the region between the Itata and the Tolten rivers where the Mapuche put up a strong resitance.

The Spaniards finally won the battle, and as keen appraisers of South American culture, they counted the strawberry among the spoils of conquest. Soon after, the Chilean strawberry arrived in Cuzco, then the home of Garcilazo de la Vega, the son of an Inca princess and a Spanish conquistador. In his study of Inca culture, Los Commentarios Reales de los Incas, he described the fruits cultivated by the Incas of his day. Although de la Vega left Peru in 1559, he included in his descriptions a fruit called the Chili, which he thought probably had come to Cuzco in 1557, six years after Valdivia's conquest. According to him, this pleasant-tasting fruit bore small seeds on its surface like the fruits of the Arbutus. Both fruits were of the same size, but that of the Chili was rather long and heart-shaped instead of round, and the plant grew on low bushes which crept along the ground. Botanists are certain that de la Vega was probably describing the strawberry. As he was unable to give the fruit a Peruvian name, he called it instead the "Chili," thus supporting the evidence that the species was F. chiloensis, the strawberry of the Mapuche and Huilliche Indians.

The Chilean strawberry's journey from Chile to France in 1714 was the most important event in the history of the modern strawberry. The Chilean berry had one quality the European kinds lacked -- size. The larger berries attracted the notice of a French spy who had crossed the pirate-menaced seas to Chile in the early 1700's on a mission for King Louis XIV. Along with his observations on fortresses, armies, guns and supply routes, governors and Indians, he included a description and drawing of the Chilean strawberry. A collector as well as an observer, he spent six months caring for the specimens he took with him on the return voyage to France. Through the initiative of this French Spy, the New World strawberry, already cultivated for many years by the Chilean Indians, was brought cross-bred with the North American F. virginiana which the French were already cultivating. The American Exchange, the great exchange of foods between Europe and The Americas is full of wonderful stories like this one. We can include amongst them The Tomatoe, The Potatoe, Chili Peppers, Coffee, and Corn.

Today, Strawberries are harvested by hand. They are picked, packed and shipped within 24 hours to stores all over America, they are also shipped to Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan.

California produces 80% of all strawberries in the nation, thanks to migrant farm workers who are a important part of the American agricultural economy. California alone grows one billion pounds a year. Americans eat on an average, about 5 lbs of strawberries each year. California plants 24,000 acres of land of strawberries which produce 21 tons of strawberries each year.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

2006-04-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee's
Dulces del Rocío Marshmallows
Featured AAA's Westway Magazine The San Diego Edition

It is with great honor that we annouce Split Bean Coffee's Dulces del Rocío Marshmallows were featured in The San Diego Editio of AAA's Westways Magazine, which included a recipe from one of our customers from St. Petersburg Florida - Kelly Spann.

Mrs. Spann uses our Marshmallows to make all kinds of fudge, and feels our preservative free marshmallows give her special creations a special kick.

Try this fudge recipe and replace the vanilla marshmallows with any of our special flavors.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com
Tel US- 877-448-5185
Tel Intl - 818-448-5185

Split Bean Coffee introduces May’s 2006- Flavor of The Month

2006-04-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee introduces May’s 2006- Flavor of The Month

Split Bean Coffee introduces May’s Flavor of The Month of Artisan Alfajores and Hand-Crafted Marshmallows

The May 2006 flavor of the month is Apricot. This aromatic and sweet tasting fruit is native to China and has a long and twisted history. You can read all about it in our Flavor of The Month Page.

Split Bean Coffee’s Alfajores La Misión are hand made to order and minimally packaged the same day. Split Bean Coffee is also featuring our Rose Petal Marshmallows, just in time for Mother’s Day. Made with Rose Petal essence from the Middle East or Rose petal marshmallows have just the right amount of Rose essence to confuse the senses. These “heavenly pillows” are hand-crafted using natural ingredients.

Split Bean Coffee’s Dulces del Rocío Marshmallows are available in over 20 flavors (including strawberry, cherry, coconut, vanilla, orange, green tea, chocolate, raspberry), and can be specially crafted for your needs.

The 2006 Seasonal Collection also feature a Super Size Alfajor – Alfajor Gigante filled with either Guava or Dulce de Leche. Split Bean Coffee is also offering a Fancy Box of Dulce del Leche filled alfajores covered in Dark Chocolate and Gold-leafed with a Mother’s Day theme. These beautiful and delicious alfajores make a wonder and unique gift for all the Moms in your life. Can’t decide what to give Mom, let Split Bean Coffee prepare a special Gift Basket that best reflects your taste and budget, or join our Cookie of the Month Club.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee Marshmallow's in The Ventura County Star

2006-04-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Split Bean Coffee's Marshmallows were featured in a blind taste test conducted by The Ventura County Star and we got some great compliments and feedback on our traditional and exotic flavours. We wish to thank Lisa and her staff for taking time to organize this event. We provide her staff with over 9 flavors of which they selected our Lavander Infused Marshmallows and our Classical Chocolate Marshmallows.

Marshmallow mania

Sugar sages offer up their taste buds for a sampling of the gooey childhood classic-gone-gourmet
By Lisa McKinnon, lmckinnon@venturacountystar.comApril 12, 2006

In the beginning, there was the marsh mallow, a medicinal plant whose roots were used to make cough syrups and spongy sweets. Then came the egg-whites-and-gelatin marshmallow, destined for countless Jell-O salads and, to the joy of kids everywhere, gooey, goopy S'mores. Hatched in the 1940s, bird-shaped Peeps helped forever link marshmallows to springtime and Easter baskets.

And now, for the latest wrinkle in the history of the pillowy confection, pastry chefs are giving the childhood favorite an adult twist, using gourmet ingredients and new and/or natural flavorings to take marshmallows to the next, even fluffier, level. But are the results worth the expense, both caloric and monetary? To find out, we asked Star readers and Silver Lake resident Reggie Southerland, a contestant on the reality show "The Next Food Network Star," to take a bite out of some of the nonmainstream marshmallows out there. Read on for what they had to say during — and after — the blind tasting.

For more about the tasters and the marshmallows, try-this-at-home recipes and details on how to view a video of Southerland conducting his own tasting with a marshmallow from the Los Angeles bakery Boule, see E2.

(For a link to the complete article visit our official website at www.SplitBeanCoffee.com)

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee in The Washington Times

2006-04-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

It gives us great honor to announce we were featured in The Washington Times' April 5th 2006 Edition. What follows is the text from the article written by Richard Slusser.

Alfajores for Easter treats April 5, 2006 THE WASHINGTON TIMES Alfajores -- cookies that originated in Spain's Andalusia region during the Moorish conquest -- are particularly popular in Peru and Argentina, where each city seems to claim its own version as the best. Traditionally made from two shortbread cookies sharing a filling of dulce de leche (caramelized milk), an alfajor goes very well with a cup of coffee. For Easter, Split Bean Coffee of Van Nuys, Calif., which makes far better alfajores than travelers buy in airport shops in South America, is filling them with guava. These taste like home-made alfajores and are made according to an old Peruvian family recipe.

Split Bean Coffee also makes an alfajor Americano, which, appropriately, is filled with peanut butter. The guava alfajores for Easter come in the traditional size; an alfajor gigante, a really big one, is also available with guava or dulce de leche filling. The guava alfajor is dipped in white chocolate and decorated with gold leaf, and it can be shipped in a festive box or as part of an Easter basket.

The company also makes a delicious artisan marshmallow bouquet, flavored for Easter with rose petal, jasmine and lavender. These marshmallows have weight and are not to be confused with the light fluffs that are associated with roasting over a fire or topping a dish of sweet potatoes. For more information about Split Bean Coffee's alfajores and other products, visit www.splitbeancoffee.com or call 818/448-5185, fax 309/210-8449, or write to 15009 Hamlin St., Van Nuys, CA 91411. Split Bean Coffee would like to receive orders by Friday for delivery before Easter.

-- Richard Slusser

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

April Flavor of The Month - Guava

2006-03-30T16:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

It seems like yesterday we were celebrating New Year's, and here we are at the doors of April 2006, with Easter and Passover right around the corner.

For the Month of April we are proud to feature an old time favorite flavor - Guava. We have prepared a brief history on this great tasting fruit for your reading enjoyment.

Guava has to be one of my favorite fruits. As a kid, I used to love to eat Green Guavas, and would climb the trees at my grandma's farm to pick the biggest and greenest guavas I could find. Sometimes, I would not come down until my belly ached from eating so many guavas and salt.

Here in the good old US of A, green guavas are hard to come by and we usually enjoy them ripe and in the form of preserves. As a teenager, I used to love to eat little Cuban Guava tarts called "pastelitos". Once in a while I venture into the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles in search of these Cuban delights. Unfortunately, there aren't that many Cuban Pastries shops left in LA and they are becoming more difficult to find.

So, our Guava Alfajores are a tribute to all my Guava Memories. They make a wonderful afternoon snack with a nice cup of freshly brewed Split Bean Coffee.

Easter Offerings and Ordering Deadline

Along with our Guava Alfajores, we are also offering a Fancy Box of Guava Alfajores, covered in White Chocolate and Gold leafed with an Easter Theme. Be sure to view both our Flavor of The Month and our Seasonal Offerings Page, where you will find Guava Nougats covered in White Chocolate, as well a Super Size Alfajor (Alfajor Gigante) and Our Easter Baskets.

Be sure to order early. We would appreciate if you place your Easter orders prior to April 7th, but will try to accommodate as many orders as possible.

Indian Film Festival - April 19-23 2006

If you are looking for something to do in the Month of April, and you live in the Los Angeles Area, be sure to visit the Indian Film Festival April 19-23 at the Arc Light Theatres in Hollywood. This year we are donating a Gift Certificate for their Silent Auction. Last year we had the honor of attending the screening of Hari Om and enjoyed it tremendously. For more information be sure to visit their website at www.indianfilmfestival.org . You may also find a link to the website in our Circle of Friends Page .

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee introduces its Easter/Spring 2006 Collection

2006-03-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Split Bean Coffee introduces their Easter 2006 Collection of Artisan Alfajores

Hand-Crafted Marshmallows

The 2006 Easter collection features a “Marshmallow Bouquet” consisting of Rose Petal essence from the Middle East; Jasmine essence from Asia; and Lavender from our friends at the Hood River Lavender Farms in Oregon. These “heavenly pillows” are hand-crafted using natural ingredients.

Split Bean Coffee’s Dulces del Rocío Marshmallows are available in over 20 flavors (including strawberry, cherry, coconut, vanilla, orange, green tea, chocolate, raspberry), and can be specially crafted for your needs.

The 2006 Easter Collection also feature a Super Size Alfajor – Alfajor Gigante filled with either Guava or Dulce de Leche. Split Bean Coffee is also offering a Fancy Box of Guava filled alfajores covered in White Chocolate and Gold-leafed with an Easter theme. These beautiful and delicious alfajores make a wonder and unique gift for the Season. Can’t decide what to give these Easter Season, let Split Bean Coffee prepare a special Easter Basket that best reflects your taste and budget.

What is and alfajor you may ask? Alfajores are South American Shortbread cookies. These delicious treats are normally filled with Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) and lightly dusted with confectionary sugar. Split Bean Coffee offers a variety of standard unique flavors including Quince, Guava, Raspberry, Strawberry, Lucuma, and a chocolate covered variety. Recently featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s Food Lovers Guide, The Miami Herald, The Oregonian, and The Oklahoman, these cookies are just to die for!

ABOUT SPLIT BEAN COFFEE: Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California based Micro-Roaster of single origin Nicaraguan Coffees, and confectioner of Artisan Quality Gourmet Sweets, featuring their world famous Alfajores La Misión® and their Dulces del Rocío® Award Winning Marshmallows.

Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes from their families in South America and The American South, they have combined the time honored traditions of people’s love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions their grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which Nicaraguan Coffees is their flag-ship coffee. Grown in the highlands of the Matagalpa region, and minimally processed in a family member’s fair trade co-op farm. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to its customers is to provide freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast-to-order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee also features a selection of hand-made Artisan Sweets, of which Alfajores La Misión® are their best seller. They are quickly becoming America’s favorite cookie.

Split Bean Coffee's products have been featured in several national publications including The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine, The Dallas Post-Telegram, The Miami Herald, The Portland Oregonian, The San Fernando Valley Social, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Travel Savvy Magazine, The Oklahoman, The Candy Addict and Indulge Magazine.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artisan Marshmallows, Toffee, Southern Peanut Brittle, & Chocolate Truffles. These products are available under the Dulces del Rocío® label. Split Bean Coffee was recently voted one of the Top Five Gourmet Marshmallow Makers by Travel Savvy Magazine.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee Featured in The Candy Addict

2006-03-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

It gives us great pleasure to announce we were featured in The Candy Addict! Here is the text from Brian's Review.

Sunday, March 12th, 2006

Review: Candy from Split Bean Coffee

You wouldn’t think a company called Split Bean Coffee would make candy, but they do. They sent me a package of all kinds of stuff to review - mostly candy and marshmallows, but some other things too:

Southern Peanut Brittle (seen above): I’ve never really cared much for peanut brittle, so I’m probably not the best person to review this. I tried it and thought it was OK, but I took the package with me to visit family and my mother-in-law LOVED it. Loved it so much she finished the whole batch. Good thing I tried it before the visit.

Almond Toffee: I love

Heath Toffee Bars so I was hoping this would be really good. Unfortunately, I wasn’t thrilled with it, not sure why. It didn’t have chocolate on it, it was toffee with sliced almonds. Maybe the lack of chocolate threw me, or maybe this was real toffee and I was used to inferior Heath toffee. Idunno….but my father-in-law loved it. He finished off the whole batch and said he would rate this toffee as a 9.5/10. So maybe it’s just me.

Gourmet Marshmallows: Much like the

Plush Puffs I reviewed previously, these marshmallows were dense. They sent me a real variety of flavors: coconut, rose, banana, and cherry:
Coconut: the coconut was coated in real coconut and had a nice coconut flavor throughout - not too overwhelming - very nice.

Rose: this was their featured flavor but like I said in

my review of Turkish Delight, I’m just not ready to taste rose. I didn’t like these at all. Rose must be an acquired taste.
Banana: this had a serious banana kick to it. It’s weird to taste banana flavor in a marshmallow.

Cherry: these too had some serious cherry flavor to them.
Marshmallows, to me, aren’t something I sit down and munch on. Most of the time they are an ingredient in other candies or in recipes. I could see these being used in some really creative recipes. You could make some really interesting s’mores out of them. I was thinking melting them down and using them as ice cream topping would be great too.
Along with the candy, they sent a few other non-candy items so I figured I’d review them too (even though they don’t quite fit into the site).

Coffee: As I said before, I don’t drink coffee, but my wife does, and she said the coffee is fabulous. The coffee they sent was the Nicaraguan Shade-Grown Single-Origin coffee that was 100% Arabica Beans.

Dulce de Leche Alfajores: Split Bean Coffee specializes in their alfajores (a South American shortbread cookie, traditionally filled with Dulce de Leche aka Milk Caramel). These were fantastic. We brewed a pot of the coffee and drank it while eating the cookies and it was wonderful. The ingredients are 100% natural - the shortbread cookie itself contains only flour, margarine, and sugar. The caramel filling contains only milk, sugar, and spices. The cookies are barely sweet and the caramel inside is also barely sweet but very tasty.

So, to summarize…..I wasn’t thrilled with the Almond Toffee and Peanut Brittle, but my in-laws loved them. The Gourmet Marshmallows would be great for recipes. The coffee and alfajores were phenomenal. If I were going to buy one thing from Split Bean Coffee, I’d get the alfajores, definitely.

Split Bean Coffee website

tags: candy, sweets, coffee, alfajore, alfajores, cookie, cookies, brittle, toffee
No Comments » - Posted in Candy, Reviews by Brian

A Brief History of Guavas and Our Split Bean Coffee Guava Products

2006-03-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

A Brief History of Guavas and Our Split Bean Coffee Guava Products

One of the most abundant of fruit trees, the guava treee is almost universally known by its common English name or its equivalent in other languages. In Spanish, the tree is called guayabo, or guayavo, the fruit guayaba or guyava. In French it known as goyave or goyavier; in Portuguese, goiaba or goaibeira. Hawaiians call it guava or kuawa. It is also called by numerous dialectal names in India, tropical Africa and the Philippines where it is know as bayabas. Various tribal names–pichi, posh, enandi, etc.–are employed among the Indians of Mexico and Central and South America.

Origin

The guava is believed to have been cultivated by man for at least the past two thousand years. A native fruit/tree of Central America, it fairs best in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It is common throughout the tropical America and in the West Indies, and southern Florida where it it is believed to have been introduced in the mid 1800's.

Early Spanish and Portuguese colonizers introduced it to the East Indies during their voyages to the Eastern Colonies. It was soon adopted as a crop in Asia and in warm parts of Africa. Egyptians have grown it for a long time and it may have traveled from Egypt to Palestine. Guavas are occasionally seen in Algeria and on the Mediterranean coast of France. In India, guava cultivation has been estimated at 125,327 acres (50,720 ha) yielding 27,319 tons annually.

Guavas were introduced to Hawaii until the early 1800's. Now it occurs throughout the Pacific islands. Generally, it is a home fruit tree or planted in small groves, except in India where it is a major commercial resource. Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil are three of the major guava producers in the American continent.

There are over 15 commercially available types of guavas and they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but one thing is unique to all guavas, and that is the sweet intoxication aroma produce by this wonderful fruit.

Common Food Uses

Guavas can be eaten raw or may be cooked in preserves. In Latin America one of the most popular ways of perparing guavas, it to tewed guava shells (cascos de guayaba), that is, guava halves with the central seed pulp removed, strained and added to the shells while cooking to enrich the syrup. They are often served with a soft fresh cheese.

Guavas are also used to make candy bars; made with a rich guava paste and guava cheese are staple sweets, and guava jelly is almost universally available.

Split Bean Coffee's Alfajores la Mision and our White Chocolate covered Guava Treats are made with 100% Natural guava paste from Brazil. After testing several forms of guava paste, we decided that the Brazilian Guava paste held the best complemental charecteristics for our treats. We carry Guava filled alfajores (Traditional Style), as well as White Chocolate Covered Guava Alfajores and a limited selection of Guava Treats covered in White Chocolate.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

What makes our Alfajores Special

2006-03-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

What Makes Alfajores La Misión by Split Bean Coffee Special

We at Split Bean Coffee receive our daily dose of inquiries and if there is one question that we always get asked by new customers is how are your Alfajores different then commercially produced alfajores from Argentina or Peru?

Our Alfajores stand-out against commercially produced alfajores from South American in many ways, so I thought I mentioned a few of qualities that make our Alfajores La Misión different.

1. Our Alfajores have no preservatives or additives

2. Our Alfajores are handmade in small controlled batches

3. Our Alfajores are made to order so you always receive the freshest product possible. We don’t believe in having our precious little treats sitting around.

4. Our Alfajores La Misión are made by us here in the USA. Other Alfajores are made in foreign countries and have to endure the torture of shipping in trans-oceanic containers, customs clearance, shipping to distributors. By the time they are shipped to the end-user, they could be weeks old.

5. Our Alfajores La Misión are 100% Lard Free

6. We use real chocolate covertures

7. Our comfitures are preservative/additive free

8. We use minimal packaging, so you pay for the cookies not the box. (Fancy packaging available at an additional fee.)

9. We don’t use a distribution platform, our Alfajores La Misión are only available from Split Bean Coffee.

10. You can’t just eat one and walk away from the box.

Get your own box at www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Lemon/Lime Marshmallows & A Brief History of Lemons and Limes

2006-02-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Lemon/Lime Marshmallows & A Brief History of Lemons and Limes

We are proud to introduce our Marshmallow Flavor of the Month - Lemon/Lime Marshmallows. Made with all natural ingredients, lemon/lime oils and just a touch of lemon juice to give these heavenly pillows, the right tartness and sweetness. Our Marshmallows are available on our official website at http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/ . Just as with all of our other flavors, we wanted to give share with you a little history behind the Flavor of the Month.

A Brief History of Lemons and Limes

Lemons and limes are considered the most useful of all fruits and thought to be native to Southeast Asia and India, and though written and archeological evidence do not point directly to its origin, the earliest written work is an Indian medical work from 100 CE. This work refers to both the lemon and the lime as “jambira”. Throughout history is is difficult to separate the complicated story of both fruits, The early Arabians used two words when referring to both fruits.

They were introduced into Assyria, where they were discovered by soldiers serving Alexander the Great, who took them back to Greece. The lemon later reached the Mediterranean after the Romans discovered a direct sea route from the southern end of the Red Sea to India. The Arabs were largely responsible for the cultivation of the fruit in the Mediterranean region. By the beginning of the 4th century CE, a fully indigenous orchard production had been established in southern Europe. The lemon flourished in Sicily, Spain, and parts of northern Africa, as well as the Mediterranean, which are still the main sources of the fruit for Europe. Some believe that this Mediterranean lemon may actually be a hybrid of the citron, India lime, and pummelo.

Early attempts to grow limes in Mediterranean countries were not successful because they were not hardy enough; but they do very well in Egypt, where they are more plentiful than lemons. Although limes will ripen to an yellow-orange color if left on the tree, they are always picked "green", possibly to distinguish them from the lemon. Limes are also widely grown in the West Indies, where the British Navy came to gather supplies to supplement their sailors' rations to help prevent scurvy. The Famous "Limehouse", in London's docks, takes its name from the warehouses where the fruit was stored after arriving from the West Indies. Unlike lemons, limes will grow in tropical regions and are an essential ingredient in South-East Asian, Mexican, Latin American, and Caribbean cooking.

Tahiti, Bearss lime, Persian lime (C. latifolia) cannot tolerate frost or cold and is mainly an ornamental variety, with fragrant blossoms and dense green foliage. The fruit is larger and oval, with a thin green rind that encases a pale green, seedless flesh. There is plenty of very acidy juice that has a tang to it of black pepper. It has been cultivated continuously in California since 1875, and is the most valuable lime for West Coast growers. It probably originated as a hybrid between the common lime and the citron. It is called Persian lime, even though it is not known in Iran, but probably came by way of there at one time, and Tahiti lime because it reached the US via that country. The Tahiti lime comes in two varieties, both grown in California: Persian, which is oval and the size of an egg, and the Bearss, which is seedless and larger than the Persian, and the only lime now cultivated in the US. Both turn greenish-yellow when mature, but have the best flavor when they are green.

Limes are most prominent in the tropical regions while lemons tend to do best in the subtropical regions. The lime, in its very acidic form, will have one and one-half times as much acid as a lemon of the same weight; but there are various kinds of limes, including sweet ones. There are three basic types of lime: Tahitian, Mexican, and Key limes. Tahitian limes are large, with a pale, finely-grained pulp and a very acidic flavor. Mexican limes are smaller, with bright green skins and a very aromatic flavor. Key limes are closely related to the Mexican and are a pale yellowish-green fruit, very juicy with a strong, sharp flavor. They are the main ingredient of Florida's Key Lime Pie. Prior to Hurricane Andrew in 1992, 90% of US limes were grown in Florida.

While lemons have been grown in California since the time of the early Spanish missions of the 1730s, it was not until the 1849 gold rush that the lemon was cultivated on a large scale. Since 1950, California produces more lemons than all of Europe combined, amounting to about one-quarter of the world's supply, although many are also grown in Arizona. Other leading producers include Italy, Spain, Argentina, Greece, and Turkey.

Today, lemons and limes are used in all types of culinary delights from salads, to soups, to main dishes, and desserts. In some cultures the juice of the lime is used to cook meat as in the case of Latin American Ceviches.

We at Split Bean Coffee are proud to introduce March’s Marshmallow Flavor of the Month – Lemon/Lime. Prepared using only natural ingredients, our marshmallows contain natural lemon and lime oils and juice to produce a wonderful aromatic, tangy, yet sweet product.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee introduces its Flavor of The Month for March 2006 – Quince filled Alfajores and Lemon/Lime Marshmallows.

2006-02-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

Split Bean Coffee introduces its Flavor of The Month for March 2006 –

Quince filled Alfajores and Lemon/Lime Marshmallows.

The Quince (Membrillo in Spanish) although not well known in the United States, has been a favorite in the Middle East, Europe and Latin America cuisine. This humble fruit makes great marmalades, jams, jellies and goes well in meat stews. As a matter of fact the word Marmalade derives from the Latin word for Quince.

A native of the Caucasus Mountains, The Quince was first cultivated in ancient Mesopotania. It was know by the Greeks as the “Golden Apple”. Some historians believe that the reference to the “apple” in the Song of Solomon may not have been the apple, but a quince instead. Even the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden may not have been the apple, but a quince or pomegranate.

Today the Quince is popular in most European countries, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Middle East. It is eaten raw, cooked, and in sweet preserves. In Spain it is widely enjoyed with Manchego Cheese. The French make a great pork roast with quince, and in other countries it is widely used to accompany fatty meats like pork or lamb.

Quince preserves in Latin American are used to fill many kinds of pastries, and it just seemed natural for us at Split Bean Coffee to offer a Quince filled Alfajor. Our Quince Alfajores are filled with Quince Preserve from Mexico and Brazil. Our Quince Alfajores are tangy, aromatic, and sweet. Enjoy a couple with a cup of our Micro-Roasted Coffees or some Yerba Mate. You may even accompany our alfajores with some room temperature brie or cream cheese.

What is and alfajor you may ask? Alfajores are South American Shortbread cookies. These delicious treats are normally filled with Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) and lightly dusted with confectionary sugar. Split Bean Coffee offers a variety of standard unique flavors including Quince, Guava, Raspberry, Strawberry, Lucuma, and a chocolate covered variety. Recently featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s Food Lovers Guide, The Miami Herald, The Oregonian, and The Oklahoman, these cookies are just to die for!

ABOUT SPLIT BEAN COFFEE: Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California based Micro-Roaster of single origin Nicaraguan Coffees, and confectioner of Artisan Quality Gourmet Sweets, featuring their world famous Alfajores La Misión®.

Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes from their families in South America and The American South, they have combined the time honored traditions of people’s love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions their grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which Nicaraguan Coffees is their flag-ship coffee. Grown in the highlands of the Matagalpa region, and minimally processed in a family member’s fair trade co-op farm. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to its customers is to provide freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast-to-order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee also features a selection of hand-made Artisan Sweets, of which Alfajores La Misión® are their best seller. They are quickly becoming America’s favorite cookie.

Split Bean Coffee's products have been featured in several national publications including The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine, The Dallas Post-Telegram, The Miami Herald, The Portland Oregonian, The San Fernando Valley Social, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Travel Savvy Magazine, The Oklahoman, and Indulge Magazine.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artisan Marshmallows, Toffee, Southern Peanut Brittle, & Chocolate Truffles. These products are available under the Dulces del Rocío® label. Split Bean Coffee was recently voted one of the Top Five Gourmet Marshmallow Makers by Travel Savvy Magazine.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

A Great Coffee Cake Recipe

2006-02-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

A Great Coffee Cake recipe, goes well with Split Bean Coffee's Micro-Roasted Coffees or Yerba Mate Tea.

Marie's Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1 cup liquid shortening

1 cup sugar

2 beaten eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup nuts, optional

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine, melted

Instructions:

Beat liquid shortening, sugar and eggs until creamy. Mix dry ingredients together and add to mixture alternately with 1 cup milk. Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside. Melt margarine over low heat. Pour 1/2 batter into 9x13 inch pan. Top with 1/2 the cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour remaining batter into pan. Spread, then top with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Pour melted margarine over entire mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Great Ways to Recycle Used Coffee Grounds and Save

2006-02-17T16:15:00.000-08:00

Great Ways to Recycle Coffee Grounds and Save

The Web is a great place to find information. I found a plethora of information on how to recycle used coffee grounds, some were a bit wacky and unpractical for the busy person, but if you are a stay at home mom, dad or retired person, then you may find some great use for coffee grounds out there. Here are some of the ones, that I would most likely use or know someone who has used them. Enjoy!

1. Indoor House Plant Fertilizer - Mix coffee grounds with enough water to provide your houseplants with an "nutrient & caffeine rich" drink. Plants need the nutrients & caffeine compounds found in coffee grounds, including nitrogen and potassium, both common ingredients in store-bought fertilizer.

2. Outdoor Plant Fertilizer - Sprinkle used grounds on your outdoor plants, you may want to mix into the top soil for better absorption. Coffee grounds are highly recommended for acid loving plants, such as azaleas, laurels and rhododendron.

3. Natural Insect Repellant - Sprinkle a ring of used grounds around a tree or plantings to deter ants.

4. All-around Kitchen Helper - Use to scrub gunk off surfaces such as grills and greasy pans. Use wet or dry grounds.

5. Strong Smell Remover - Use to scrub strong odors such as fish, garlic and onion, from your hands.

7. Air Freshener - Keep some dry and freshly ground coffee in a small bowl in the bathroom.

8. Compost - Coffee grounds are a great addition to any compost pile. Just throw them into your compost bin, filter and all (use unbleached paper filters if you must use a paper filter)

9. Art Project - For a natural dye, you can use left over coffee and coffee grounds to stain yarn, and fabrics. I used coffee to stain white appliqués and made them look antique-pearl.

10. Going fishing? Keep your worms happy in a container with moist, used coffee grounds.

11. Deororizing the Fridge - Used coffee grounds are very effective for deodorizing the refrigerator. Just put them along with the filter into a bowl and place on a shelf. Works for even the strongest odors.

12. Anti-Slip for Icy Steps - I use damp (not too wet) used coffee grounds on my icy steps and sidewalks. The damp grounds stick to the ice, creating a safer surface for walking. There is no damage to the wood deck or sidewalks.

For the best micro-roasted coffee, shop at Split Bean Coffee.

Cafe con Leche

2006-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

An Arial View of The Central Section of Leon, Nicaragua

Cafe con Leche

Roger X. Navas-Balladares

As I get older, I can't help but to think back to my childhood days when life was worried free. I didn't have to worry about taxes, working, global warming, or how the swings of crude oil prices would affect my life. Everything was provided and as a small child all my brother and I were only responsible for attending school, going to church on Sunday, getting good grades and the occasional house chore.

Today, it seems the kids have to worry about so many things. I find it incredible to even imagine being a kid in this day and age. For example, when I was a kid, we did not have to worry about peanut, wheat or corn allergies. We ate what was given to us and what was seasonally available at the market. Today, my niece can’t even take certain foods to school because of the fear someone with a peanut or wheat allergy may come in contact with her food.

Parque Central - Leon Nicaragua - Where I used to play as a kid

Another thing that shocks me is that as a kid, we ate what we liked, without having to worry about being fat, this is probably due in part that not too long ago, walking was the preferred mode of transportation for kids. I used to play with our friends all throughout the neighborhood. I would sometimes even go to the Central Market alone without having to worry about being kidnapped or molested. I guess we were blessed, and really feel like our children are missing out a great deal of self-discovering today. If I had do it all over again, I would love live my childhood, just they way I did. Very much like the kids in the movie by Jean-Loup Hubert “Le Grand Chemin”. I highly recommend watching this movie about a city boy sent to live in the country for the summer in 1950s France. It is a classic French movie about kids being kids.

As the owner of Split Bean Coffee, one of the things I enjoy the most if the aroma of roasting coffee, there just something about the nutty, sweet intoxicating essence the carries me back to my childhood days in Nicaragua, when my Grand-Aunt, or Mamita as we used to call her, prepared us a nice bowl of “Café de Leche” (Coffee and Milk – aka Café au Lait) with freshly baked “Pan Frances” (French Bread) that was delivered by vendors every morning. In those days vendors marched up and down the streets delivering fresh goods to all the houses in the neighborhood. It was just unheard of to eat day-old bread. Even the milk was delivered fresh from the farm at 5 or 6 in the morning, along with some fresh cheese, butter, sour cream, and eggs.

My Mamita would warm the milk just to the point of boiling and remove the “nata” that would form on top. She would then add freshly ground coffee and bring to boil once again. Once the milk had once again reached the boiling point she would remove it from the fire and serve it in our big “Café de Leche” bowls, add just the right amount of sugar, and serve it with a couple pieces of French bread. My brother and I would cut the bread into small pieces and soak them in the “Café de Leche”. This was our favorite breakfast food, and though we had corn-flakes and oatmeal available, we would always opt for our Café de Leche ritual.

Today, as I was roasting coffee to be shipped to our regular customers, I could not help and wonder that perhaps one of our customers will one morning smell our freshly roasted beans and possibly experience a similar back-flash, perhaps to a time when he or she was a kid and was also loved by some little old lady in a very different world, in a distant past.

To enjoy freshly roasted Nicaraguan coffee, visit our website at

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com . You will also find a assortment of our world famous Alfajores and our Award Winning Marshmallows and other sweets.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

How to Enjoy Yerba Mate

2006-02-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Yerba Maté

Yerba maté (botanical description) is a shade subtropical member of the holly family that thrives in its native rainforest environment. The combination of humidity and cool temperatures from the shady canopy above, in concert with the rich organic soil below, nurtures the natural slow growth of the yerba maté plants and produces a premium-quality yerba maté unsurpassed in flavor and unrivaled in quality. Equally important, the rainforest canopy is home to hundreds of bird species.

Yerba maté is a powerful rejuvenator enjoyed as the national drink of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. The Gauchos (Argentine cowboys) drink maté as their "liquid vegetable", relying on its array of nutrients to power them throughout the day. People have survived periods of drought and famine drinking yerba maté and revere it as the drink of the gods. In Argentina, yerba maté is consumed 7 to 1 over coffee, and is believed to lift the spirit: "Te levanta el espíritu." This legendary beverage has become the symbol of hospitality and is shared traditionally in a maté gourd to inspire community.Tonics are the substances provided by Nature for the repair and maintenance of normal physiology. Yerba maté is considered a whole-body tonic - it goes where the body needs it most and restores balance to body systems that are under stress.

Induces Mental Clarity

Dr. Mowrey, Ph.D., states that, "Better than any other xanthine alkaloid, maté has the ability to quicken the mind" and "increase mental alertness and acuity." He adds that, "like other xanthines, it stimulates the central nervous system but, unlike most, it is not habituating or addicting."

Sustains Energy Levels

The metabolic effects of maté include the ability to maintain aerobic breakdown of carbohydrates during exercise for long periods of time. As a result, more calories are burned, thereby increasing cardiac efficiency and delaying the build-up of lactic acid.

Boosts the Immune System

Yerba maté leaves have been found to contain a group of known and novel saponins. These phytochemicals stimulate the immune system, aiding the body in protecting against disease.

Helps Relieve Allergies

Linda Rector Page, N.D., Ph.D., notes that yerba maté is helpful in opening respiratory passages to overcome allergy symptoms. Shown to reduce the severity of some allergies and hay fever, yerba maté works by stimulating the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids, which help suppress the inflammation and immune response due to allergies.

Aids Weight Loss

In Europe maté is used for weight loss "as the ideal slimming remedy which facilitates losing weight in a natural way and stills the distressing feelings of hunger," according to Max Witchl in Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Clinical evidence also suggests that yerba maté may be useful as an antidiabetic agent, as it seems to slow the development of hyperglycemia (excess sugar in the blood). Researchers at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England, found that maté reduced the abnormal appetite and thirst, as well as weight loss, associated with diabetes.
Improves Digestion

Dr. Mowrey, Ph.D., notes, "Reported effects range from the immediate improvement in digestion to the ability to repair damaged and diseased gastrointestinal tissues. Constipation, acute or chronic, can easily be overcome through the use of maté." He also states that yerba maté is useful as a therapy for gastrointestinal disorders.

Traditional Indigenous Herbalism
Traditionally, the Paraguayans use yerba maté as the herbal base for their daily herbal medicine mixtures. Yuyeras (herbalists) sell herbs to make remedios (herbal remedies) in the maté gourd. As an herbal base, yerba maté acts as a catalyst to enhance the healing powers of other herbs. By improving healthy circulation and promoting balance, maté helps assimilate other herbs into the body. South Americans drink maté as a daily tonic for optimum health.

How to Drink Yerba Maté

Loose Maté Preparation

Yerba maté brews with any standard coffee or tea method. The finer the filter, the better. We recommend one heaping Tablespoon per serving. Adjust as necessary. First moisten the maté with cool water, then use hot, not boiling, water, to protect the nutrients and flavor.

French Press

Place 3-4 Tablespoons of yerba maté in the French Press (use more or less depending on desired strength). Add enough cool water to moisten the maté. Then add hot water. Steep for 3-10 minutes. The longer, the stronger.

Coffee Maker

Place yerba maté in filter basket. Add enough cool water to moisten the maté. Then run the machine as usual. Espresso Maker Guayakí Yerba Maté brews well in most espresso makers. Place yerba maté in the espresso portafilter. Add enough cool water to moisten the maté. Run the machine as usual, brewing it as a double shot. Makes a great latté.

Traditional Maté Gourd and Bombilla

Yerba maté is shared traditionally in a maté gourd to inspire community. A maté gourd is a dried, hollowed-out vegetable gourd (Lageenaria vulgaris) that has been hand-carved by an artist with great care.

Tea Pot or Tea Ball

Add loose maté to tea pot and moisten with cool water before adding hot water. The maté will sink to the bottom in a few minutes. Pour through a fine metal mesh strainer if there is not one built into the tea pot. (When using a tea ball, a fine-mesh filter is most effective.) This method also works great with a reusable tea sack.

You may purchase Split Bean Coffee's Yerba Mate by visiting our web site. We carry two selections - Traditional (with stems) and Without Stems Blend. We also carry a fine selection of micro-roasted coffees, alfajores, marshmallows and artisan quality sweets.

www.splitbeancoffee.com

Insight into The Papaya Fruit

2006-02-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Insight into The Papaya Fruit - Flavor of the Month - Feb '06

Papaya (Carica papaya) - The papaya is a pear-shaped fruit with a bright green to golden-yellow skin. The flesh, normally a golden-yellow or red-orange color, is juicy and silky smooth, with a very sweet to sweet-tart flavor. The large center cavity is filled with shiny, round, black seeds. Though these pepper-like seeds are edible, they're generally discarded. If you have not eaten a papaya, they are similar in texture to a very ripe honey-dew melon.

Image Courtesy of www.greenpeace.org

Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin A and C, and potassium. They are high in vitamin C and A content. There are also small amounts of calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin present in papayas. In its natural state, papayas are low in calories and sodium and high in potassium.

Papayas contain a digestive enzyme called Papain. Papain is extracted from the papaya skin and is primarily used in the meat industry as a tenderizer. The greener the fruit the higher the content of papain. This enzyme has been used as a meat tenderizer since pre-Colombian times. It is said that Columbus noticed that the natives at large amounts of meat and did not get indigestion if they consume green papaya after each meal.

Papaya (Carica papaya) has been grown in the Americas' tropical region since pre-historic times. It is believed to have originated in Central America. Papaya is available all year round. It was spread to the south with the migration of Native Americans, and throughout the Caribbean with Spanish exploration. The Spanish also introduced it to Europe and the Pacific Islands. By the mid 17th century, papaya was distributed pan tropically (all the tropic areas of the world).

It is believed that folk medicine uses of fruit, leaves, and latex may be related to papain content. Fresh latex can be smeared on boils, warts, corns or freckles to remove them from skin. It is also used for treating psoriasis and ringworm. Latex is smeared on the uterus to cause abortion in India, or sometimes the unripe fruit and/or seeds are eaten to induce abortion. Either the latex or plant parts are considered antiseptic, antibacterial, antihelmintic, and amebicidal. Papain is used in remedies for ulcers, diphtheria, swelling, toothache, fever, relief of gas and sour stomach.

Aside from all of its wonderful uses, Papaya has become a favorite of cooks world-wide. Used in smoothies, milk-shakes, ice-cream, salads, soups, main dishes, jellies, preserves, candies, or eaten plain. The versatility of this wonderful fruit makes it a favorite of people around the globe.

We at Split Bean Coffee are featuring our flavor of the month - Papaya Alfajores. These delicious South American treats are hand made and preservative free. Visit our website for further details.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Flavor of The Month - St. Valetine's Shipping Schedule

2006-02-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Split Bean Coffee Friends:

It is time again for our Flavor of the Month. This month we have preparedtwo special treats - Papaya Alfajores and Rose Petal Marshmallows.

Our Papaya Alfajores are filled with "home-made" papaya preserve using freshpapayas from Mexico. We slow cook the papaya pulp with a hint of lime juiceto preserve the original red-orange color of the papaya fruit.

Our Rose Petal Marshmallows are made with imported rose flavor from theMediterranean, where Rose Petal scent is used in pastries such as baklava'sand nougats. These Marshmallows were a hit last Mother's Day so we thoughtwe bring them back just in time for St. Valentine's Day.

Be sure to check-out our Valentine's Page for gift ideas for your friendsand loved ones. Aside from our delicious Alfajores we are also offering aspecial selection of truffles and chocolates. Remember to give us a call ifyou need a special basket or packaging.
Our deadline for Valentine's Day is Feb 6th for our standard priority mailshipping and Feb 10th for Express shipments.

http://www.splitbeancoffee.com/page14.html

Keep in mind that all of our offerings are made to order, even duringspecial holidays. These assures you always receive the best productpossible.

For those of you who enjoyed our Lucuma Alfajores, we have decided to addthem to our standard offerings under our Alfajores Page.

We wish you all a Happy St. Valentine's Day filled with Love, Peace, andHappiness.

The Split Bean Coffee Family

PS - Be sure to visit our Circle of Friends Page where you will find a fewspecial websites offering special services nationwide. Be sure to tell ourfriends you saw them at Split Bean Coffee. If you are the owner of a smallbusiness, let us know and we will try to add a link from our site to yours.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Split Bean Coffee introduces their Valentine’s Day Collection for 2006.

2006-01-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

Split Bean Coffee introduces their Valentine’s Day Collection for 2006

This year’s collection features a traditional favorite, Rose Petal Marshmallows, and White Chocolates filled with Aromatic Guava Centers. Split Bean is also feature its standard offerings such as Alfajores La Misión packaged in a fancy gold or red box, the perfect gift for a friend or Special Person in your life. For the chocolate lovers, try the Alfajores dipped in assorted chocolate covertures, or one of the world famous Caliente or Traditional Truffles.

All sweets are hand-crafted to order to assure freshness. Split Bean Coffee’s products are natural and 100% preservative free.

What is and alfajor you may ask? Alfajores are South American Shortbread cookies. These delicious treats are normally filled with Dulce de Leche (milk caramel) and lightly dusted with confectionary sugar. Split Bean Coffee offers a variety of standard unique flavors including Quince, Guava, Raspberry, Strawberry, and a chocolate covered variety. Recently featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s Food Lovers Guide, The Miami Herald, The Oregonian, and The Oklahoman, these cookies are just to die for!

ABOUT SPLIT BEAN COFFEE: Split Bean Coffee® is a Southern California (Van Nuys) based Micro-Roaster of single origin Nicaraguan Coffees, and confectioner of Artesian Quality Gourmet Sweets, featuring their world famous Alfajores La Misión®.

Founded in 2003 by Roger Navas-Balladares & Paul A. Stone, Split Bean Coffee is a family owned business dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of Old Fashioned Coffees and Treats. Using family treasured recipes from their families in South America and The American South, they have combined the time honored traditions of people’s love for good quality coffee and the old-fashioned sweets traditions their grand-parents learned to love.

Split Bean offers a fine selection of Micro-roasted coffees, of which Nicaraguan Coffees is their flag-ship coffee. Grown in a family plantation, in the highlands of the Matagalpa region, the coffee is minimally processed by a fair trade co-op. Split Bean Coffee’s commitment to its customers is to provide freshest roasted coffee every time. Each bag of coffee is roast-to-order to assure the customer always receives the freshest roast possible.

Split Bean Coffee also carries a selection of hand-made Artesian Sweets, of which Alfajores La Misión® are their best seller. They are quickly becoming America’s favorite Alfajores.

Split Bean Coffee's products have been featured in several national publications including The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The San Jose Mercury News, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Specialty Food Magazine, The Dallas Post-Telegram, The Miami Herald, The Portland Oregonian, The San Fernando Valley Social, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Travel Savvy Magazine, The Oklahoman, and Indulge Magazine. Split Bean Coffee was recently voted one of the Top Five Gourmet Marshmallow Makers by Travel Savvy Magazine.

In addition to Alfajores, Split Bean Coffee also makes Artesian Marshmallows, Toffee, Southern Peanut Brittle, & Chocolate Truffles. These products are available under the Dulces del Rocío® label.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Coffee – A Historical Tour - Part IV

2006-01-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

Coffee – A Historical Tour
By
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Part IV

Astonished by the profit of the Dutch and French coffee plantations the new Brazilian government wanted a piece of the pie, or should be way cup. So it is said that a Lt. Col Melo Palheta designed an international plot to smuggle raw coffee bean or seedlings from the Dutch colonies to the North.

Colonel Palheta was sent to French Guiana to broker a border dispute and charmed the Governor’s wife into giving him a few seedlings concealed in a parting gift. From this illicit affair, spawns the world’s largest coffee based economy of the 1800’s.

Coffee was taking Europe and the New World by storm. To this day, coffee is only second to Petroleum in volume of trade world-wide. The little humble bitter bean has been blamed for revolutions, international intrigues, baptized by the Catholic Church, and banned by many protestant sects.

Coffee was at the heart of the American Revolution as well. As part of the Boston Tea Revolt, the new Americans are said to have forsaken tea, and adopted coffee as the national drink. Americans started to consume coffee and with each decade continue their climb to become one of the world’s largest consumers of the little green beans.

Through the decades, we have consumed inferior quality beans, adding different things such as chicory, roasted fish scales, bitter herbs to hide the taste of inferior beans. We have even attempted to substitute the greatness of coffee with roasted grains, but have resistance if futile. Coffee is King and it is here to stay.

Americans are learning to appreciate good coffee. Little by little, the large tubs of coffee found at your local grocers are being displaced by bins of gourmet coffee beans from around the world. We are opting to purchase our coffee whole bean vs. ground. Soon, we will demand not just a fresh brewed cup of Joe, but a “fresh roast” as well. I foresee the day when coffee roasters will be forced to place a roasting date on their coffee bags so that we can all see how fresh our coffee really is.

At Split Bean Coffee, we micro-roast our coffees to order to assure our customers always receive the freshest roast possible. Try any of our single origin coffees, or blends. We will even grind it to your specifications. Just be sure to only order what you would consume in one or two weeks maximum, otherwise, your coffee just like your cream won’t taste good.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Coffee – A Historical Tour - Part III

2006-01-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

Coffee – A Historical Tour
By
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Part III

Louis XIV was known as the Sun King because everything in France revolved around him. He had Versailles built to house the entire French aristocracy so that he could further centralize power. Nothing escaped the King, so it was believed. Enter a young naval officer from the colonial territory of Martinique, Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu. The young officer had heard of the success the Dutch had in growing coffee in Java, and he though Martinique would be a great candidate to establish a coffee plantation. He asked the Royal Botanical Gardens for a graph, and his request was denied. Legend has it he climbed the walls of the Garden on the night he was to leave for Martinique and stole a seedling.

Resolute, de Clieu led a moonlight raid of the Jardin des Plantes—over the wall, into the hothouse, out with a sprout. Aside from running from French Authorities, de Clieu had to fight off jealous shipmates, pirates, and endure storms. At times, it is said water was rationed, and the zealots de Clieu gave half of his ration to the tiny plant.

It is incredible to believe that this tiny seedling was the genetic Eve of all the coffee trees that grew in the Caribbean and Latin America. Next time you enjoy a cup of “French Roast” keep in mind that your brew may have more French Roots then just the Roast. Oh la la mes amies, Bon Appetite!

Be sure to try our Costa Rican French Roast - Micro-Roasted for your enjoyment!

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Coffee - A Historical Tour - Part II

2006-01-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

Coffee – A Historical Tour
By
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Part II

It is believed that Venice merchants introduced coffee to the Western European World. Coffee was introduced to Western Europe via the Turkish Empire trading ships of the merchants of Venice during the early 1600’s. One sip of this black exotic brew, and Europe was hooked.

Coffee became a popular drink of European elites and some members of the church. Some members of the clergy were so afraid of the effects of coffee that they tried to get it banned.

Allegedly when Pope Clement VIII's advisers asked him to declare coffee an instrument of the Satan (since it was popular with Muslims) he replied: "The devil's drink is so good...we should cheat the devil by baptizing it." And so according to legend Coffee became the first drink to be baptize. Today we can thank the Cappuccino Order with the name of one of the most popular coffee drinks - The Cappuccino, named after the drinks resemblance to the Cappucino Monk’s robe.

But European entrepreneurs did not want to be mere consumers of coffee; they wanted to become producers of this rapidly growing commodity. After many failed attempts, the Dutch managed to set up a coffee plantation in the island of Java. Their success was beyond belief, and the Dutch quickly became the coffee purveyors for Western Europe. Coffee trees also became popular exotic plants for European aristocrats to own.

King Louis XIV, Le Roi Soleil, received a coffee tree from a Dutch merchant and it was proudly placed in the Jardin des Plantes, The Royal Botanical Garden of Paris. These status symbols were a conversational piece in aristocratic symbols, and hardly ever bore fruits.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

Coffee – A Brief Historical Tour - Part One

2006-01-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

Coffee – A Historical Tour
By
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Part I

Coffee is native to Eastern Africa, and most experts agree it originated in what is now Central Ethiopia.

Legend has it that in the 800’s AD, an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi had lost some of his goat, and later found them frolicking around a dark green leafed shrub with bright red cherries. Kaldi tried a few of the bitter berries, and soon realized that it was these bright and learned of their powerful effect.

It is believed that a monk happened to see Kaldi and his goats jumping around and decided to take a few cherries back to his monastery. That night, the monks brew the cherries into an infusion and stayed awake until morning as if by “divine inspiration”. The world would never be the same.

According to The National Geographic’s website, other Africans of the same era may have used coffee beans to prepare a primitive form of “energy bar” by rolling animal fat and coffee beans; it is also believed that they used the coffee-berry to make wine.

Coffee as we know it is a product of the Arabian Peninsula, where it was first roasted around the year 1000 AD. During this time, the Kingdom of Yemen was it’s largest importer and consumer. It became a staple drink of Muslims community throughout the known world. Coffee houses sprouted all over the Muslim controlled Mediterranean and coffee became a valued export.

Arabia at this time exercised a tight monopoly of coffee beans. Because of the importance of coffee as commodity, it was illegal to export raw coffee beans. By edict, no coffee beans were allowed to leave the Arabian Peninsula without first being parched or boiled to prevent merchants from planting coffee beans elsewhere.

According to legend, in the 1600’s an Indian pilgrim to Mecca by the name of Baba Budan smuggled some green beans back to his homeland giving rise to a twisted and complicated agricultural staple loved and cherished by millions worldwide.

It is interesting to know that coffee is the second most exchanged commodity in the world, only another Middle East darling – Petroleum Oil surpasses it in volume. Most of the coffee grown today is grown in Latin American, Asian and parts of Africa, with Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico and Vietnam being some of the largest producers. Keep in mind that though these countries produce a larger volume of the mass consumed coffee of the world, some of the best coffee comes from smaller producers such as Jamaica, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Yemen to name a few.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

What are Alfajores (al-fa-ho-res)

2006-01-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

What are Alfajores (AL-FA-HO-RES)?
by
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Alfajores (Al-fa-ho-res) are a South American type of Shortbread Cookies. These delicious cookies can trace their origin back to the Moorish occupation of Andalusia, Spain and the great culinary traditions of the Mediterranean Basin. As per some Spanish culinary experts, the cookies were first composed of dried fruit preserves rolled in carefully prepared dough then rolled in an assortment of nuts or sugar. To this day in some Middle Eastern culinary traditions, there exists a nougat with nuts that resembles the ancient “alfajores” from Andalusia.

With the Spanish conquest of the Americas came one of the greatest culinary exchanges in history. The Spaniards brought with them their foods and traditions, and it was just a matter of time before each region the American Continent developed their own style of cooking, taking a little from both the native and conquering cultures and a great deal of improvisation to create what we now known as Mexican, Peruvian, Argentinean, Chilean, Nicaraguan, Californian, or Cuban Cuisine to name just a few.

With time each region of the Americas adapted the Spanish Alfajor and made it their own. For example, in Argentina and Peru alone, there are over 15 varieties of the same basic cookie. In Nicaragua, the Alfajor is made with corn meal, molasses, and cocoa resembling a brownie or fluffy energy bar.

No matter where you go in Latin America, you will find a local version of an Alfajor, and everyone will tell you they have the “Original Alfajor”. Little do they know that the history of these cookies stretches back hundreds of years across continents.

Through family research, we have been able to trace our family recipe to the late 1800’s to what is now Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. Hopefully some day old recipe book will surface pushing the date even further back in time.

Our Thanks to our aunt Tita for preserving the recipe for present and future generations. For teaching us to make Alfajores the way her mother made them, and for all the stories told while time passed by in the kitchen. Each cookie we make is a tribute to all those people who have for centuries made their version of the “Original Alfajor”, to all to all the members of our family that have maintain our traditions alive by sharing with each new generation, and for those that improvised for the sake of preserving tradition.

We at Split Bean Coffee are happy to share this time honored tradition by offering “Alfajores la Misión” to all of our customers. Each cookie is still carefully made by hand just like our Tia Tita made them. Our commitment to quality and tradition has earned us both a great following as well as honorable mentions by culinary experts such as Specialty Foods Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times Food Section critics, The Miami Herald, The Dallas/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Portland Oregonian, Sally’s Place, The Daily Oklahoman, Tiempos del Mundo, The San Jose Mercury News, The Not For Tourist Guide, Tu Ciudad Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine and El Peruano.

As our reputation grows, we not only have taken the necessary steps to preserve the Traditional Dulce de Leche recipe, but also adapted our cookie by incorporating new flavors like, Guava, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Raspberry Preserve. Always taking care of using only fresh ingredients available, and keeping our recipes free of preservatives and dangerous additives and 100% Vegetarian. We hope you enjoy our offerings. Buen Provecho!

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com

2006-01-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

A Smarter Cup of Coffee
by
Roger X. Navas-Balladares

Several leading publications from Forbes to Time Magazine have published articles which state that coffee may actually make you smarter. Last night in an interview with Dr. Gupta in CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°, Time magazine reporter Michael Lemonick said "It allows you to use what brain power you have in a much more efficient and focused way." Dr. Gupta's piece when on to say that coffee has yet to be scientifically linked to all the bad things we associated with, including high-blood pressure.

Perhaps it is not coffee per say what should be associated with all of its evil characteristics, but all the wonderful crap with add to it. Think about it, sugar, milk, flavorings, cream, artificial sweetners, artificial creamers, whipped cream. We add some or all of these things to coffee because overall, we Americans have been duped into drinking bad coffee. Let's face it our aside from the independent roasters/baristas, American coffee is bad from the start.

I would venture to say that 80 to 90 percent of our coffee is roasted en-mass without using any of the old-time cherished techniques. The grounds are dump into a gigantic drum a few buttons are pressed and "voila" the machine just made 100-500 pounds of "French Roast". Most of the time, coffee beans are over-roasted to hide the essence of lower quality beans. It is an economy of scales employed by most of all the popular "Cafés in The Box" that have popped up all over American and the World.

You also have think how long this coffee beans sit in a warehouse, cafe, or grocery shelves before it actually gets brewed into your morning java. Your coffee beans should be freshly roasted to appreciate all the wonderful nuisance of it’s under tones. Just like would not eat day old pop-corn at the movie theatre, you should not settle for a coffee beans that were roasted weeks prior to making your brew. If you asked me, all roasted coffee beans should be sold with the roasting date stamped on the bag for consumers to see. I wonder what this would do to the large Wal-Mart-like coffee roasters?

This is the way most of the coffee is roasted today. So, it is no wonder we add all the wonderful crap to make it taste good. But there is hope, things are changing. However, change is not a fast moving currency in America, because that would be deemed Revolutionary.

www.SplitBeanCoffee.com