You will recall that last summer did not have the best weather. It would be sunny for a couple days, but then rain a bit or get cold. It never really opened up. This summer is making up for it! One couldn’t ask for better weather than we’ve been having. A year ago July’s average temperature was 66°, and kept people off the beach. This year July was a more typical 73° on average.

While the temperatures are up, the rainfall is steady, and the mosquitos are still after us at times. What I ponder these days is that if everything has bloomed two weeks early, will the trees also turn colors sooner? The first maples change in mid-August, so I’ll know the answer soon.

Amidst all the gloomy news about Americans’ eating habits and weight gain, remember that coffee is good for you on many fronts. First of all it is likely your largest intake of antioxidants each day. Second & third: no fat or calories. Flavored coffees make a terrific after dinner dessert—tasty and satisfying, but no weight impact. Just a thought.

If you don’t have a smartphone, skip this paragraph. If you do, have you played Foursquare? It’s a fun app for your phone (all platforms) and you check into shops and restaurants (called venues) to register your presence. If you frequent a particular place, you can become the Mayor! Dennis K. is the Mayor of Leelanau Coffee Roasting. We are currently running a special on Foursquare: check in ten times and the tenth coffee is free. It’s like a punch card for your phone. I hope you’ll try it, especially up north.

Remember the contests! $25 online gift certificates for the best photo, coffee recommendation, and tweet. Details here.

Enjoy your August!

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

You knew we wouldn’t forget you. It just got crazy around the holiday, and now we’re relaxing a bit. Still, yesterday was a record day for the cafe. Go figure. Meanwhile, the Fourth of July was splendid, and both the Glen Arbor parade and the Glen Lake boat parade were well attended, despite 93°. We’re a tad cooler today in the 80s, but the humidity is almost that high.

This year’s Grand Marshals in the parade were Lou and Judith Batori. Some of you may know that Lou rides his bike around Glen Lake almost daily in the summer, and skis daily in the winter. He will turn 100 this month. You can read about Lou and Judith in the Glen Arbor Sun.

Our supply of Organic Sumatran coffee beans were not always Fair Trade, but we’re pleased to inform you that they now are Fair Trade, and that is reflected on the website. Surely that will make several of you very happy!

Over the winter I was invited to be a guest lecturer for an e-commerce class at Lorain (Ohio) County Community College, and the students’ charge from their professor was to analyze our website. Overall they liked it, but there were several great suggestions for improvement. A few tweaks have been made, and a couple additions that I had been waiting on have also been implemented, with more on the way. Testers, I may be in touch soon for some new experiments. (If you’d like to be a tester, just email me.)

Two of the changes you’ll really like. The first is the addition of a visual flavor scale with each coffee, showing the Body and Roast. The second is the addition of a Location Finder. Type in your zip code and choose the type of venue, and see if Leelanau Coffee is available near you. And, if your local grocer does not carry our coffee, be assured that I will pay you a bounty if you get us in! Finally, if you have other suggestions, please let me know. We want to make the website as informative, fun, and easy-to-use as possible.

Ahhh, contest time. I have three that will run through Labor day, and the prize for each one is a $25 online gift certificate.
#1—Photo Contest. Post your best Coffee photo on the blog, our Facebook page, or email it to me, and the best one wins.
#2—Best Coffee. Again, on the blog or Facebook (in the Discussions section) describe what YOU think is the best Leelanau Coffee and why. We’re always asked that question and stumped for a great answer, so here’s your chance to come through.
#3—Best Tweet. On Twitter, or our Facebook page, give us your most clever tweet.

These will be judged by our staff, and by re-tweets, likes, and blog comments. Hey, if you’re lucky, you’ll be the only entrant, but I’m thinking we’ll hear from a number of you. And, along the way, we hope to increase our Facebook membership.  By the way, that’s where you learn about special one-day sales and receive online discount coupons.

Check out the Coffee Gear online for this summer’s stylish mugs. We also have some great t-shirts, but they sell so quickly in the cafe I can’t list them online.

We are roasting up here, both coffee and with the heat. And I might add, bring your bug spray with you as this is the first summer in a long time that the mosquitos (so far) have the upper hand.

Well, summer is definitely here.  Warm days, cool nights, light breezes, and the occasional rain shower.  Overall, everything has greened up beautifully, and already some of the hardwoods are sprouting new leav

es after the tent caterpillars ate away at the forest canopy.  Each day, more and more customers trickle into Glen Arbor and the cafe, and increasingly in groups.  They come as families, and sometimes extended families, and even this afterno

on two British families on holiday together.  All the kids ate Moosetracks ice cream

This Sunday we’ll celebrate Don’s 90th birthday.  Many of you have known him over the years in the cafe, and we have long referred to him as The Mayor, for his friendly smile and warm engagement of locals and visitors alike.

Hopefully this photo of waterlilies in my home pond will put a smile on your face.  Have an enjoyable weekend!

This morning I awoke to the sound of waves crashing in Sleeping Bear Bay as a north wind blew in.  The sky is clear and deep blue, and the trees are swaying slightly in the breeze  as their tiny leaves have pushed about halfway out.  All around there is a golden green tint to trees, and the prairie grasses and forest floors are sporting darker green.  We’re hopeful that yesterday’s light rain will be enough to encourage some morel mushrooms to emerge.  In all, spring is finally emerging.  It got an early jump, then backed off, and now is more or less on it’s usual track.

Here is a view of the D.H. Day barns, with the greening pasture and trees.

Greetings, Coffee Lover!

The calendar says April, but it feels like May. We are about two weeks ahead of normal weather, which nicely offsets a few years ago when we were a month behind. What that has meant is several days so far in the 60s and 70s, which sure creates a lot of smiles around here. March was one of the sunniest I can recall, and therefore it was warmer. We could use some rain, and had a little on Saturday, and there is more in the forecast.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament was a topsy-turvy thriller, and it was great fun to watch Michigan State advance for yet another time. Still, it is spring, and the Tigers open their season today, and those of you in other locales may not know how excited everyone is about the Tigers this year. I think we’re second only to Cubs fans in the hopefulness category.

Last weekend saw many of you celebrating Passover or Easter, and in a few conversations with customers I noted that all of Leelanau Coffee Roasting’s coffees are certified kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Some folks asked about the Rabbi blessing the coffee, and that is a common misconception. While certain meat and dairy operations require a rabbi’s supervision, in our case it means that all of our ingredients (coffee beans and flavorings), equipment, and processes (such as Swiss Water Decaf) conform to kosher law. Our coffees do not have any meat or dairy derivatives in them, so they are neutral or “pareve,” (PAH-ruh-vuh). If you’d like to read more, please go here. Bottom line: not only do we pass Department of Agriculture and Organic inspections, we are also inspected by a rabbi from CRC, and certified Kosher.

Word around the Chamber of Commerce is that reservations are “up” and “stronger” than in the past few years. Fortunately, Glen Arbor really hasn’t been down, but reservations are a good barometer of what is to come, and when the calls were coming in late, it was a little scary. If you did phone late the last few years and found your dream property, it might be gone this year. So, plan accordingly.

Thanks to all of you who joined Facebook and Twitter. I hope you’re enjoying the updates and specials. Please feel free to post comments and photos on Facebook, and if you ever have Leelanau Coffee photos to share you may also email them to me and I’ll put them up.

I’m fresh out of contest ideas.  Please send me your suggestions.

Time to clean the pond and sweep the patio!