aka Secret Santa Int'l Coffee Swap
Left Germany in December
Arrived in USA - Colorado Springs, Colorado in February
Thanks to Gourmet Geeks Germany/Deutschland for sending me this box of goodies--coffee 'n chocolates!!
Find their webpage...
https://www.gourmetgeeks.de/
Giulia & Markus
or find them on Instagram under +Gourmetgeeks
Also find ThirdWaveWichteln on Facebook...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thirdwavewichteln/
#exchangecoffeewiththeworld
@thirdwavewichteln on Instragram
And next Christmastime or soon after our US Thanksgiving, go sign up for a Coffee Swap from overseas, across the pond, International, Global 'n share your local coffee with someone who would probably never ever get to find it or try it... 'n it's so fun to find out where your coffee comes from 'n not know when it will come (or sadly in some cases--if it will ever come, tho I've been lucky for 2 years now?!) Plus, folks usually add other lil treats like say chocolates or other candies 'n a nice card/postcard/note inside with the coffee...
Little Side Story...
so, when my box arrived, the mailman brought it to the door... usually they put packages in the mail kiosk down the street with a key left in your regular mail box above the bigger boxes in order to unlock it to get your package... but this box was brought to the door so I could sign the slip and that way too the mailman got to tell me his story of how the box had gone back undelivered at first to the post office because someone wasn't able to read it... he told me his wife was German so he could read the address 'n notes 'n also knew that the numbers were written differently so say the Number 1's in my street address looked more like lower case L's - which was why it wasn't delivered earlier he told me... I was so happy to see this box, I knew it was my Secret Santa Coffee Swap Box right off when it was from Germany... I told the postman how happy I was to see it 'n that I knew it was my coffee box from way back at Christmas time...
And so I think I made him happy too, he was happy to deliver it, that he could read the address in German and get it to me - he probably told his wife as well and she was probably happy to hear that... I repeated my little postman story over on Facebook for the Third Wave Wichteln Group because I think they get some unhappy posts about how someone didn't get their coffee, which really as it was mid-February I had pretty much given up hope too - tho I'd read in the past that folks had gone as far as the end of February to get their December shipped coffee swap boxes... and who knows why, the different countries postal services or going through customs or whatever else may fall out along the way shipping packages--delivery notices not answered or returned back to sender then not forwarded out again or someone picks up the box on a doorstep or on 'n on the guesses could go...
I was just happy this year to receive a surprise box, tho as I've said to the group am unhappy that my box doesn't seem to have made it's way to the address in Taiwan 'n I can't seem to find the person's name on Facebook or in the Wichteln Group either - which does happen, as well as sadly that some folks sign up to do the Int'l Coffee Swap/Exchange and then don't open their e-mails to say who they are to Send their Coffee to?! (I can't imagine, that was not my case either year--last year I was lucky to receive my coffee and to see that my coffee was also received to China I think it was last year that I had to send my coffee box to...)
All in all it's still fun to see all the coffees from all the coffee roasters from all the coffeeshops All Over the World pop up on the group's Facebook Group Page or over on Instagram... OK, it's not a cheap nor effortless thing to do, but it's for Secret Santa Fun 'n I've loved it last year and this year and will do it again hah?!
translated what I could for the Tasting Notes...
"fragrant floral notes... Jasmine, Cherry, Exotic Fruit"
and then was curious what the AB Plus rating was all about so went a Googling to find out...
link to what Espresso Coffee Guide has to say about Kenya Coffee Grading, exp the AB Coffee...
https://espressocoffeeguide.com/gourmet-coffee/arabian-and-african-coffees/kenya-coffee/kenya-coffee-grading/
Specifications for Kenya AB Coffee
"Kenya AB coffee beans consist of both A and B coffee beans. The A grade is sorted using a 6.8 mm screen while the B grade is sorted using a 6.2 mm screen. These two types of beans, A and B, are mixed together to form the grade Kenya AB.
Though not as highly-valued as Kenya AA, Kenya AB is also popular and rates as a premium coffees. Typically the Kenya AB grade is the most plentiful in a particular consignment and is used as a representation of the other grades."
link to what InterAmerican Coffee has to say about Kenya AB Plus coffee beans...
http://www.interamericancoffee.com/kenya-ab-plus/
link to what Wikipedia has to say about Kenya Coffee 'n the classification or bean/screen size...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_production_in_Kenya
my coffee a Kenia/Kenya coffee roasted by Kaffeerosterei Baum in Germany
address:
Neue Str. 5, 26789 Leer (Ostfriesland.) Germany
webpage:
http://www.kaffeeroestereibaum.de/
my candy treats - first off 'n first opened/eaten a tiny chocolate covered fig from Spain via Germany...
and the other candy treat--a chocolate bar by Dolfin of Caramel with salted butter I believe... (then I looked it up on their webpage 'n they describe it as: butterscotch caramel... mmm... no matter what you call it, still yummy!!)
Link to Dolfin's Chocolates Webpage 'n to their description of this candybar...
http://www.dolfin.be/en/tablettes/milk-chocolate-caramel-butterscotch.html
I may have seen this brand in an all candy shop, back in The Woodlands, Texas at the Mall - tho I don't think I've ever tried it before (for some odd reason hah?!) hmm... am thinking it was in Lolli and Pops Candyshop... so in any case, this chocolate bar made in Belgian was forwarded to me from Germany in my multi-country Secret Santa Coffee Box this year, love it!!
Oh no, went to look 'n I find there's a Lolli and Pops Candyshop at Park Meadows Mall in Lonetree, CO on the way to Denver - between Castle Rock 'n Denver, as I drive from Colorado Springs... (I cannot stop there, too much temptation hah?! but luckily there's a lot of coffee over there so can stop for that instead Yay?!)
Lolli and Pops Webpage if you want to go check out where a store is too...
https://www.lolliandpops.com/
last bite hah?! almost forgot to take a pic of the actual chocolate inside...
so melt in your mouth, did break it up 'n tried real hard to spread it out over days (tried)
Third Wave Wichteln: A Global Secret Santa For Specialty Coffee
http://wire.sprudge.com/3942-2/
Third Wave Wichteln
Exchanging coffee with the world since 2013 – #thirdwavewichteln. A community project by @bosch, @lastguest_hh and @roitsch. Sprudgie 2015...
Plus they post other fun/useful stuff like this...
from Dept of Brewology's Poster 'n T-shirts of "Filter coffee not people"
and for coffeeshops you could order for free for awhile "We filter coffee not people"
Peace, Love, Coffee!!!
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