Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 22, 2012, 7:09 pm
Just a quick note to let you all know we’re having some web site issues. Our host upgraded their PHP, and while we were told our cart engine was compatible, it turns out that information was erroneous. So we either need to switch hosts or upgrade te cart. Both are an equal pain in the ass, and ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 19, 2012, 11:09 am
One of my resolutions for 2012 is to have an editorial calendar for this blog.  To be completely candid, given the rise of social media in the past couple years, I gave serious consideration to ending the blog entirely.  But after extensive consideration, I realized that blogging does still have a...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 3, 2012, 11:19 am
Every year about this time, I write up a little something about how to drink better coffee in the new year.  Previously I had directed posts entirely to how to do it better yourself, and for sure I’ll cover that again.  But 2011 was an unprecedented year for us, and as I became busier myself, it...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 19, 2011, 12:02 am
☑ Kim Jong Il ☑ Khaddafi ☑ Osama Bin Laden ☑ Saddam Hussein ☐ K-cups http://www.muddydogcoffee.com
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 17, 2011, 12:40 am
I was alerted to this whole sordid affair by one little Tweet, which linked to a short blog post with the catchy subject “Amazon redefines the dick move”. The blog post speaks to two dick moves, really: 1. Amazon is now a supporter the Main Street Fairness act, having reversed its position.  ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 25, 2011, 3:21 pm
First, we swear this is not some kind of scam.  American Express and we have unintentionally created a situation where you can get $25 worth of coffee COMPLETELY FREE this Saturday only.  They’re doing their thing, and we’re doing ours, and it just so happens that if you take advantage of both...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 20, 2011, 11:57 am
Our "home market" (and favorite, candidly), Western Wake Farmers' Market Yesterday marked the end of our fourth regular farmers’ market season.   Over the years, we’ve sold at many regional markets, and we’ve learned a thing or two about the ins and outs of selling at markets and festivals....
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 4, 2011, 12:44 am
We have historically had a small number of customers who want their coffee light.  Painfully light.  Just dark enough to make it possible to grind.  This group of customers was always small enough that we dealt with them as custom orders whenever they made the request. In the past months, howeve...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Oct 31, 2011, 12:31 pm
If you’re one of the 99% (and face it, 99% of us are), you’re at least giving thought to how to save money in your daily life.  And if you listen to financial sages like Suze Ormon, sooner or later they all get around to telling you to skimp on coffee. You know what we say to that?  NONSENSE....
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Oct 24, 2011, 11:28 pm
As a younger man, I always wondered where I could get some tat.  So I could trade it.  Never did figure that out. 17 of the best small coffee companies in the nation, says CNN Money and Fortune Anyway… our little company has gotten quite a bit of news coverage in the past three weeks.  First,...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Oct 19, 2011, 11:07 pm
Bridge over the Tiber in Trastevere neighborhood. Our most recent trip to Italy was after a fairly long hiatus – it had 5 years since our previous trip. My first morning, in Pisa, I realized that the coffee was… different than the last time I was there. I chalked it up normal variability, and g...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Sep 29, 2011, 11:42 pm
A note from Gayla, on the Chatham Street Cafe web site Not literally, thank God.  But the death of a business is a sad thing, too.  And today I can tell you what we’ve known was coming for about a month now: the Chatham Street Cafe in downtown Cary is closed. We like all of our customers (it�...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Aug 26, 2011, 12:16 pm
Hurrican Irene from space. This image is from WRAL and should update over time. Eventually I suspect it will be something else altogether that won't make any sense at all here. And I'll forget to delete it. As Hurricane Irene is bearing down on the North Carolina coast, I and my neighbors are all h...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Aug 19, 2011, 10:35 pm
An image from the Simle Kneads Facebook page. Once in a while, a local news story catches your attention and resonates with you. Today was one of those days for me. The story of Simple Kneads, a small Greensboro, NC bakery surfaced via Twitter, specifically this Tweet alerted me to the story, and ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 31, 2011, 8:07 am
In case you haven’t noticed, the price of coffee has been going up lately.  Green coffee about doubled in price between June 2010 and June 2011, from about $1.50 per pound to $3 per pound. That still may not sound like a lot, since you’re probably used to giving up the better part of a $20 bil...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 23, 2011, 1:52 pm
Part of our farmers’ market repertoire is an assortment of iced teas that we rotate every week.  I’ve never thought of our lineup as particularly exotic, because I’m using teas and tisanes we keep in inventory.  But I’m coming to realize from customer comments that our iced teas push the b...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 20, 2011, 9:20 pm
Our last post gave some general guidelines for making great iced coffee at home.  This week we get a little more specific, and point out some great beans in our current inventory that lend themselves to fabulous iced beverages.  We also lay out a few recipes for you to follow to make cool coffee d...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 16, 2011, 12:54 pm
Nothing beats an iced coffee at the farmers' market. As we continue to bake in North Carolina, our market has shifted from wanting hot coffee to wanting iced coffee.  We serve a wide variety of iced coffees, and while customers love them, many of them seem apprehensive to make it at home.  Someho...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 13, 2011, 11:14 pm
Hand-crafted espresso tamper, made from pieces of antique farm machinery My brother Andy is a machinist.  He’s also a creative guy, and likes things that are off-beat and “old school” in nature.  It’s no surprise then, that when I asked him if he could make espresso tampers, he blew me aw...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jul 6, 2011, 5:34 pm
Background: The Western Wake Farmers’ Market will need to find a new home for the 2012 season, as the current site in Carpenter Village is to be developed.  The WWFM leadership has crafted a plan to make the Howard Farm Park in Cary a permanent farmers’ market home.  There are two upcoming pub...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - May 14, 2011, 6:45 pm
Four years into this gig I’ve created out first marketing collateral. It is a truly pathetic trifold, but feel free to share it around anyway! And if some artistically inclined friend want to take mercy on me and design a replacement, have at it! There’s free coffee in it for you! Muddy_Dog_...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - May 8, 2011, 1:03 am
I recently learned of H.R. 5660, a bill first introduced last July, more commonly known as “The Main Street Fairness Act”.  It is likely to be reintroduced in the 112th Congress, in a bi-partisan effort.  This bill, if passed into law, would require internet retailers to collect sales tax for ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - May 6, 2011, 8:09 am
We were honored yesterday to be among the top roasters in the nation with a 92-point review of our Brazil Moreninha Formsa Raisin coffee, written by the nice folks over at Coffee Review. They evaluated the coffee as a single-origin espresso, which you espresso fiends out there will realize is quite...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Apr 23, 2011, 10:54 pm
Plain-Jane label, not that there's anything wrong with that. Slightly hard to read due to font colors. Wish the bottle was smaller. Whenever I come across a new coffee beer, I feel obliged to try it.  Some of them I really like, others I don’t – what I’ve found is that they vary greatly in t...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Apr 1, 2011, 1:11 am
My Keurig. Yes, I have one, even though I don't use it. I try to keep up on what customers are using. I read a blog post today on Keurig brewers and brewing, a piece self-described by the author as an “epically long post”.  As I read, I found myself generally agreeing with most of the major ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Mar 31, 2011, 10:36 pm
We accept your credit cards at the farmers' market, with secure, mobile terminals. This week marks the beginning of the 3rd spring season at the Western Wake Farmers’ Market.  We’re eagerly looking forward to the new vendor line-up, making new friends, and of course, seeing our existing custom...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Mar 25, 2011, 10:40 pm
Check out our reviews on Yelp As a small business owner, one of the things I do from time to time is scan our online reputation.  A quick Google search, a hop over to Yelp, a check of the forums at various coffee web sites, etc… it’s not something I obsess over, although like any business o...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Feb 26, 2011, 7:42 am
A customer, Sharon, recently tagged us on her Facebook page, in this recipe for chocolate-espresso cake.  It sounds spectacular; I will make one and post some photos.  Meanwhile, here’s the recipe, directly from her. I recently made this chocolate cake — twice. I have to say that the best fro...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Feb 18, 2011, 5:00 pm
At some point, every one of us is a customer.  Whether you’re shopping for a personal computer, going out to lunch, or striking up a long-term deal for your company, we’ve all had the experience of buying something.  Sometimes we’re happy about the transaction.  Other times, we’re less pl...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Feb 14, 2011, 4:02 pm
One of my favorite parlor tricks to play with customers is to have them tell me their favorite wine, and I tell them a coffee they will like.  I usually nail it. The folks at Edible Piedmont are preparing a story about us, and in the course of our interview my “special skill” came up.  They a...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Feb 6, 2011, 12:57 am
I’ve uploaded a few photos of my visit to Mierisch Farms.  Click on the photo below to see my smugmug feed; when the feed loads in a new browser tab or window, use the right or down arrow keys to navigate through the photos.  Cupping photos will be next, maybe tomorrow, maybe not.  This is usua...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 28, 2011, 11:48 pm
I’ve resisted this for too long, mostly because we have a culture of secrecy around income, as if somehow you knowing how much money I make puts me at a disadvantage.  But quite honestly, I’ve grown weary of one question: “Why do I have to pay shipping?”, usually followed by the observation...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 22, 2011, 7:13 am
Yesterday, we successfully completed another cGMP inspection of our operation.  “cGMP” stands for “current Good Manufacturing Practices”, (usually referred to simply as “the GMPs”) which are mostly law, but also judgment of inspectors based on their experience.  Curiously, I could not ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 10, 2011, 9:51 pm
Here's our Keurig. I think it was close to the top-of-the-line model when I bought it. It is pretty, I'll say that for it. Over the holiday, I finally got around to unboxing the Keurig K-Cup machine I bought nearly a year ago.  While I don’t expect to use the machine to make coffee often, I like...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 2, 2011, 9:45 pm
OK, I have to admit this post is a recycle from 2010, but it was good advice then and now, and one of the most popular posts of the year on this blog.  So we are going to rerun it! #10.  Stop Drinking Coffee as a Water Substitute. Much as we want to sell coffee, it’s not the right beverage for...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Jan 2, 2011, 12:15 am
My home coffee bar, spic and span to start the new year This afternoon I performed my annual New Year’s Day ritual, and cleaned all of my home coffee equipment.  I’m not talking about a wipe down, either.  This was a tear-it-down-as-far-as-you-dare and clean it till it shines cleaning. Why? ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 30, 2010, 11:18 pm
This week marked another milestone in the evolution of our little Company.  As of this afternoon, we will accept your American Express card for payment.  This is, of course, in addition to all the other usual forms of payment: cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover. I’ve been an AMEX card hold...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 30, 2010, 9:15 am
People who know me well will tell you I’m not an overly sentimental guy.  I don’t save much by way of trinkets, gifts or cards, and my view of most special occasions is that they were invented by Hallmark and promoted by industry to sell more stuff. But somehow, New Year’s Day is different. ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 25, 2010, 9:42 pm
Kahlua = Coffee Liqueur. Who knew? A few weeks ago I was out with friends and as it often does, the conversation turned to coffee.  I’m no teetotaller, but somehow I managed to make it through my adolescence, and now most of my young adulthood, without ever realizing that Kahlua is coffee liqueu...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 24, 2010, 10:09 am
Click the image to go to our subscription offerings page For three years we have offered coffee subscriptions.  Based on our experiences over those three years, we have now changed and simplified how we do these.  We are certain that most people will be more satisfied with our new subscription pr...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 17, 2010, 10:27 pm
Just some quick notes related to holiday stuff: TOMORROW (Saturday, 18 December) is Last day to place an order in time for delivery by Christmas Last Western Wake Farmers’ Market before the holiday (no market on Christmas day) We will be OPEN next week (the week leading up to Christmas); we anti...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 13, 2010, 7:36 am
Fabulous coffee, get it while you can.  Link to buy HERE. Cupping Notes Lemongrass, lavender, hibiscus notes. Pipe tobacco, sweet pecan. Mulling spices. Unusual coffee. Product Details 2010 Crop Single Estate coffee from the farm of Erwin Mierisch (Limoncillo Estate) Sold in 1, 2.5 (5% disco...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 10, 2010, 9:34 pm
The odyssey started about a year ago. It was then that I became determined to make roasted cornmeal and grits from blue corn.  True to form, I decided to try the hard way first: I tried to have the corn grown for me.  The winter was spent searching for seed, settling on an heirloom variety of Per...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 4, 2010, 8:11 am
Every year these are hugely popular: a half pound of our Christmas Blend, dropped into a festive holiday overwrap.  At just $7 each, they are the perfect gift for so many people on your list – the mail carrier, kids’ teachers, babysitter, office Pollyanna, the list goes on and on.  And they co...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 3, 2010, 10:02 am
Yeah, I like my coffee a bit on the “stiff” side.  Turns out I’m not alone on this preference, as many of our customers like to tell me.  Plus they like the coffee we make for them, which is always brewed to SCAA Gold Cup standards, but to the heavy side. At one point some time ago, I made ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Dec 2, 2010, 4:54 pm
We have DECAF subscriptions, too, just not shown in this graphic   Your Christmas wish is our command!  Many people have been asking for a “finite” subscription product, and we’ve finally gotten around to doing it.  And with FREE SHIPPING, no less! Click the image above, or THIS LINK to ...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 24, 2010, 10:19 am
…we’re thankful for YOU.  To all our customers – we appreciate your business, but more importantly, your friendship.  Here’s hoping that tomorrow is the beginning of a healthy and happy holiday season for you and yours. http://www.muddydogcoffee.com
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 21, 2010, 8:03 am
I love to read Seth Godin’s blog.  Godin writes the world’s most-read marketing blog, and has a portfolio of success (and failure) that every entrepreneur admires.  His blog posts are usually daily, brief, but profound. This morning’s post really resonated with me (I paste it here with attri...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 14, 2010, 9:53 am
Say hello to my little friend. I prefer head-on shrimp, because there is no faking freshness and good treatment. I like them cooked head-on, too, but usually compromise and fully prep them before cooking to satisfy my family. Yes, this post really does belong on this blog. We’ll cross-post it t...
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Jim P. posted an article on Muddy Dog Roasting Co. - Nov 7, 2010, 3:59 pm
Necessity is the mother of invention, or so the saying goes.  Turns out it’s true, as I discovered once again Saturday morning. Here's Farmer Tim whipping up a batch of Java Joe Sandwiches. I love Tim - he's like the perfect combination of Dilbert and The Marlboro Man Every Saturday morning, w...
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