Put a smile on your mug

Motley Brew Coffee Co. is the brainchild of Nancy Holub and Jim Sackett, two of the business’s six owners. One day Jim delivered a gift of bagged coffee beans to Nancy, the heavenly aroma of which made her speculate aloud: “Ummmmmmm. Wouldn’t it be great to deliver something that would make people smile?”

This wistful idea about how much fun it would be to roast coffee was seized by Nancy’s husband, Dan. Not one to waste words or time, Dan immediately began researching coffee roasting, and within two month’s time, a dream was born. Jim’s wife, Pam, and another couple, Dan and Lynn Stein, were brought into the mix, and Motley Brew was christened.

Roll up yer sleeves

The Holubs, Jim and Lynn soon attended a seminar given by Diedrich Roasters in Sandpoint, Idaho since the group had already decided to purchase one of their formidable roasters. Training at the seminar included the rudiments of roasting, learning to “cup,” selecting quality beans, and choosing reputable, discerning importers.

The real work began when the same four came home to begin roasting. In order to maintain strict controls concerning temperature manipulation, length of roast and bean development, roasters work in pairs; one keeps copious, detailed notes at 30-second intervals regarding temperature changes, rates of change, and flame adjustment, while the other roaster actually manipulates the flame and monitors bean development. Consequently, this attention to detail has enabled us to send you a bag of beans remarkably like the last one you purchased. Practice, practice, and more practice, along with a sincere determination to produce truly delicious coffee, has paid off with coffees that are, indeed, “gulpable.”

Here a sip, there a sip, everywhere a sip sip

First, however, roasts need to be evaluated. During each preliminary roast, numerous samples are taken, and each sample “cupped” to analyze such qualities as aroma, body, taste and aftertaste. Many of these samples are then sent to expert cuppers at Atlas Importers in Seattle for evaluation and suggestions. From their observations and our own, profiles (“recipes” determined by length of time and temperature settings for specific roasts) are developed and refined. The end result is a profile for each roast which best captures the most flavor and aroma from each type of bean.

My bean's better than your bean

Key to flavor excellence is the bean itself. At Motley Brew, we buy top-of-the-line arabica beans from all over the world because better beans equal better taste. (Buying the highest quality arabica beans not only allows us to roast the best cup of coffee for our customers, but has the added value that conscientious growers command better prices for their efforts as well.)

However, beans also need proper roasting and preservation of freshness. Therefore, we roast frequently to maintain freshness and in smaller batches for quality control of taste. We also specialize in medium to medium/dark roasts so that the natural, unique flavor of the bean is experienced, not the “burn,” an unpleasant carbony flavor which occurs from over-roasting.

Over the river and through the woods

Coffee is roasted, shipped and prepared within three days of receipt of your order to maintain freshness and taste.

Thoughts you can no longer live without

At Motley Brew, we believe that life is too short for lousy coffee.