Colombia La Suiza

     In Huila Columbia, a Finca, or farm, is owned  by a man named Hector Arcadio Zuniga, who lives there with his wife, two sons, and daughter. He has been producing coffee for 25 years, as he is a second generation coffee farmer.  Hector and  his workers not only grow the coffee on their 44 hectare farm, but also process it on their own land, instead of sending the crop to a processing site. Hector processes his crop using the patio and solar machines,, so he uses the sun and mechanical drying (when the sun is unavailable). Each year, hector's farm produces 2,100 bags from his harvest. He says, "All of us are always working toward the same goal which is to offer you all the best cup. Just taste it."

 

     This coffee is washed process coffee, grown in an altitude of 1630-1670 masl. The plant species is Arabica with varietals of Columbia and Castilo. The tasting notes are cornbread with fruit cocktail and lime.

Muggswigz Employees Make Charitable Donation 4th Year in a Row

 Muggswigz Coffee and Tea shop employees donated $4,624 to an organization as part of their Employee Charitable Donation Program from 2020. The National Parents Organization was the recipient of this generous donation, an organization that strives to make positive changes and bring about family law reform nationwide. Sitting among other recipients of the Donation Program include ‘Alex’s Lemonade Stand’ and the ‘Camp Invention Project from the National Inventors Hall of Fame’. 

This year will mark the 4th year in a row that Muggswigz employees have donated to a charity or organization of their choice. The Employee Charitable Donation Program is completely voluntary.  Participating employees contribute their choice of dollar amount every pay period, matched 10% by Muggswigz, to a pool to be donated to an organization/ program based on popular vote at the end of the year. This year, the National Parents Organization was chosen upon popular vote. Muggswigz President Alexander Haas said “The National Parents Organization agreed to use the funds locally in Ohio and it’s an honor to know that the generosity of our team will help keep separated parents non-adversarial and help to secure and strengthen the sacred bond between parents and children.” 

Muggswigz has been Canton’s local coffee roaster and tea merchant since 2003. There are three locations located in Downtown Canton, Jackson Township, Portage Lakes. To learn more about Muggswigz, visit  www.muggswigz.com. You can learn more about the National Parents Organization, or make your own tax-deductible donation, by visiting https://www.sharedparenting.org/ 

Resin Drink Art

     We're getting new art up on the walls of our stores thanks to local artist, Jessica Barbera.  Jessica specializes in artwork made with resin, and in this case, she used ingredients for our drinks to create the pieces we are currently displaying. Through a process of tasting the drinks for each piece she created, Jessica incorporated the actual ingredients used in our drinks in the resin. The end results are pieces that represent how the drink tastes, somewhat similar to how our fresh roasted, retail coffee bag images look. Some of her pieces have vanilla bean, tea leaves,  or a cinnamon stick within the colors and textures in the artwork. The artwork ranges from specialty coffee menu drinks to coffee and tea blends. Next time you stop by one of our stores, be sure to keep an eye out for these art pieces and try to guess which drink the piece represents.

 

Introducing the Skert Skirt

We've got a new item on our merchandise shelves, the Skert Skirt. This new product allows the user to grind their coffee beans right into the espresso machine portafilter instead of into a glass vessel and then pouring ground coffee into the portafilter or coffee brewer. This Skert Skirt allows for less mess and less transport of your ground coffee to your brewer of choice. Alex Haas, President of Muggswigz Coffee and Tea, competed with his Skert Skirt in "America's Best Espresso " Finals. The Skert Skirt is designed to fit onto the Hario Skerton Mill Grinder, a manual hand grinder. It uses burr grinders which provide more even ground coffee particles, regardless of the coarse or fine grind setting, which results in a better tasting cup of coffee.  This product also comes with a nut so that users can use a drill instead of manually grinding for a quicker and more effortless coffee grinding. You can find the Skert Skirt exclusively at Muggswigz.

Costa Rica Coffee

Earlier this year, Alex, Muggswigz President and Founder, traveled to Costa Rica and engulfed himself in the coffee culture of the Central American country. He visited family owned farms, cupping coffee and finding outstanding coffee that caught the attention of his palette, that you will see on the shelves later this year. He stated that " it was good to see micro-mills and co-ops that are economically viable." In the this day and age, that is essential. He also noted that many coffee farmers are distancing themselves from washed coffee processes and using more honey and natural processes, which instead of a clean coffee note, you may find more berry and earthy flavor notes. Payment programs for coffee pickers were usually based on volume rather than weight. This seemed to improve more selective picking and harvest quality. In his experience, Alex observed more experimentation by the farmers than any other origin trip that he has taken. Many of the family owned farms he visited had cupping rooms, where he was able to taste the coffee that they offered all while enjoying beautiful views of the landscape.