Giving Tuesday Getaway Giveaway

You’ve given so much to us in this short time, we’re happy to give back to you.

We’re just a team of 3 people. We run the shop, we source and roast the coffee, we make the swag you see online by hand, we create the designs, print the labels. There’s no way we could keep rolling without you all and it will never be lost on us, the herculean effort this community has shown us . From Tacoma, to Japan, every state in the US to Canada, you lifted us up and MADE Campfire what it is and what it is becoming.

And we thank you.

As a small token of that appreciation and in staying true to our overarching mission of getting more people into the outdoors, we are kicking off giving tuesday with a Getaway Giveaway.

Getaway Cabin - Portland

A winner will win a stay at a Getaway cabin (https://getaway.house/portland) courtesy of all of us (ahem, 3 of us lol) at Campfire coffee.

In order to be considered to win, please fill out the form below.

(No purchase is necessary to enter or to win. Winner will be announced New Year’s Eve (December 31 2020). Prize cannot be redeemed in exchange for cash or other items. Winner will be notified through the email address provided in the form. Winner can gift to a 3rd party but 3rd party must be named in the submission form. We (Campfire Coffee, LLC) will coordinate with the winner on travel details. Prize does not include cost of transportation such as gas, tolls, rental car, bus, train or other fees associated with getting to the Getaway location.)

Disconnect Congolese coffee - A Journey

At Campfire Coffee we’re very much about the outdoors so it’s natural that all of our coffees have a nod towards enjoying outdoor goodness, but the double meaning behind this Congolese coffee, Disconnect, hits different (as the kids say).

We definitely want people to disconnect in the general sense. To get out in nature and unplug from the madness our world is giving us, especially now. Disconnecting is good for the body, mind and soul. But disconnecting from one thing inevitably means you connect into something else. Disconnect from technology, plug into nature. Disconnect from wifi, connect with your old movie collection. Disconnect from reality, connect to fantasy and in this case, Disconnect from simply enjoying a cup of coffee and plugging into understanding the coffee.

We’re constantly on a journey for hard-to-find coffees and honestly, no region is more fascinating for this journey than Africa. As most people in the specialty coffee world know, East African coffees are some of the best in the world but, what happened to those delicious Central and West African coffees? I couldn’t help but think about the similarities between the West and Central African coffees and West and Central African people in Western society.

One similarity i’m interested in exploring is this: The history of both coffees and peoples originating from West and Central Africa have had their histories erased through trade in western society. A little known nugget about our modern history is that Central and West Africans were brought to the “New World” in the slave trade, in part, to cultivate coffee. Not just cotton and sugar like history books teach us. As Mark Pendergrast, Author of Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed our World, states:

“European companies imported slaves from Africa to labor on plantations in the Caribbean, Asia, and the Americas in what is known as the Triangular Trade. Barbados and Jamaica were some of the earliest British colonies, and slave traders provided the outposts with human labor from Africa to work the sugar and coffee plantations. Goods and people were moved in a triangle between West Africa, colonies in the Caribbean and Americas, and Europe.”

It appears as colonialism dissipated in slave trading nations, so did the spread of their coffees, and other conflicts arose which would halt coffee production. This affected not only the Congo but West African countries and the Caribbean countries like Haiti who at one point supplied upwards of 40% of the world’s coffee. Coffee production in Central African countries like the Congo region saw a sharp decline from the late 90s onward as civil war crippled infrastructure. But this seems to be almost eerily in lock-step with the story of the people in America who are descendents of those who were brought to the new world in the slave trade. The history of the people from this region as they made their way to the new world, much like the history of this region’s coffee in Western society, has been scattered at best and mostly lost. Disconnected.

Drinking Disconnect helps us bring more of these hard-to-find if not rare coffees to life.

A little context here, I had my DNA analyzed and it came back that a good portion it comes from Congo/Cameroon part of Africa, making this exploration all the more fascinating. I’ve been disconnected from the history of those I share DNA with just as we’ve all been disconnected from the beautiful coffees of these regions in Africa.

Take 15% off your next bag of Disconnect by using code: CONGO

So What is Campfire Roasted Coffee Anyway? Here’s the definitive guide to your FAQs.

Coffee roasted over a campfire? Like a real fire in a fire pit? Yes. Exactly that. We get asked all the time about Campfire Coffee and how we got started on this method so we felt it be best we get your questions answered!

1.      Campfire roasted coffee sounds so cool! Why do it like that?

Campfire roasted coffee IS cool and in all honesty, campfire style is the OG of coffee roasting and we want to honor that. When you think about it, industrial roasters that we all drink coffee from today is a fairly new concept in the grand scheme of coffee things (how else did people roast coffee 100+ years ago?). But why we Campfire roast is pretty simple. We really like to camp and we really like good coffee and through enough camping trips we found that roasting micro batches this way gave us some of the tastiest coffee we’d ever had and we’re not ones to hide the goodies. We share. =D

2.      Is it hard?

Hell yea it’s hard lol. So let’s be honest, coffee roasting isn’t rocket science no matter how “artisanal” and “crafty” and “scientific” we roasters want to make it seem (talk to a roaster about roasting and you can bet it’ll sound more like they’re describing a science project than a food item). When it comes to campfire roasting though, it’s pretty easy to burn up an entire batch before you know it if you’re not paying attention to how the wood and air interacts with the drum and the beans.

3.      So what’s the difference between campfire roasting and traditional roaster roasting?

The long and short of it? Flavor and presentation.

Think about it this way. You’re at a party and the host has beef brisket that’s been baking in an oven for a couple hours. You’ve had it before and you know it’s gonna be good and then a guest brings in a BBQ beef brisket that’s been in a smoker for 16 hours giving off a beautiful aroma. They’re both beef brisket, they both will taste good, but which brisket do you think people are going to jump at? The smoked one of course. It doesn’t mean the oven baked brisket isn’t a great tasting piece of meat it just isn’t the smoked one. Campfire roasted coffee looks different and tastes different then coffee that comes out of a traditional roaster. It doesn’t mean that it’s better or worse, it’s just different. Just like you can have both of those hypothetical beef briskets, you can have traditional and campfire roasted coffee! It’s all good.

Now on a deeper level, the approach with a traditional roaster is all about controlling everything.

Campfire roasting is just the opposite. It’s more about working with the elements than controlling them. (so zen, right?).

So what ends up in your bag isn’t necessarily a “light roast” or a “medium roast” or a “Dark roast”. If we had to put our roasts into terms like that it’d be medium/dark across the board but because what you actually get is the entire spectrum of roasts which we think, makes a more complete depiction of the flavor profile of the coffee you’re drinking.

4.    So I’ve never had Campfire Coffee, what do I need to know about your beans?

Here’s a very simple breakdown by each one we offer:

Classic Coffee lineup

a)      Summer Camp: Our best selling coffee, it’s a single origin from Mexico that has a rich chocolatey flavor and depending on the batch can be a little bold up front or bold on the back end. Summer Camp is what we like to call a good “sturdy” coffee. It’s not as trippy as some coffees can be but it is really satisfying and invigorating any time of day and any brew method.

b)     Starry night: African coffees are incredible and this Ethiopian falls right in line. It’s got a fascinating complexity of being bright, juicy and rich but really light and clean on the finish. The flavor is almost a mystery because it can morph on you from having an earthy flavor to a floral flavor. This coffee is fun and if you pay attention to it, it’ll wow you every single time. It’s really good in a French Press or Pour over but we really dig this as espresso too. It can roll like that.

c)      Mountain top: This is a blend of African and latin American beans that is as good as they come. It’s everything you want in an espresso blend – strong and a little in your face but also mellow enough to
drink straight up. We prefer it in espresso but truly, do what ya want with this and you won’t be disappointed.

Blends, Features & Specials

A)     Midnight Hike: Now this is the one you pull out when you want to impress your friends. This is the coffee that when you sip it, you look at the cup and nod like somehow the cup did something special to the drink. Naw, that’s just how good this coffee is. Honduran single origin from a veteran owned farm - French Press or percolator all day on this bad boy. Or if you’re brave, espresso over ice with a hit of some monkfruit sweetener. It’s bold even as a lighter roast, but somehow juicy, fruity like apples and berries, drinks like a tea and extra chocolatey on the back and oh lord!!! It’s hands down one of the most if not the most interesting coffee we’ve tasted around here and it’s one that we hope we can keep around for a while because it is just that good.

B)     Lakeside Livin’ (currently not in stock): This was a fan favorite. It’s a single origin Rwandan bourbon bean that does really well with the campfire roast style. It comes out velvety, smokey and balanced. It has a creamy texture and a hint of cocoa and vanilla on the back end. It’s super good in a French press or drip and holds up really well as espresso.

C)     Snowcap: White coffee done right. It’s a little more flavorful than your typical white coffee and it’s got a rich peanut butter and toffee finish. Super light and clean with extra caffeine. If you’re really walking on the wildside, pull some shots over ice with a hit of honey. Otherwise, pour over all day.

D)     In The Trees: This is a truly magical and special blend. It lives up to the name because the moment you take a sip you get a little piney aroma and feel like you could be tucked away amongst some old growth cedars. Despite it’s complexities being a Rwandan and Ethiopian blend, it’s a straight forward shot of invigoration. Chocolatey, earthy, smokey and in a weird way, bright and citrusy. We could’ve easily called this the Lumberjack’s roast because it feels like you should just have a red & black flannel with suspenders on ALL THE TIME.

E)      Fireside Vibes: This is a decaf that’s grown up. If you don’t want the caffeine, this is a coffee you can drink in the afternoon or evening and feel like you still had a coffee. Swiss water process makes it extra smooth and clean but the flavors of this single origin Colombian really shine with the campfire roast. Mix it with some Heritage distilling Brown Sugar Bourbon over ice. You’ll thank me.