When Cory Dean returned to Taos after years away on the East Coast, he was at a loss as to what he was going to do here, to earn a living.
Well for this entrepreneurial soul it was simply a matter of time before a great idea presented itself.
While immersing himself in Taos’ rich coffee culture (we have great coffee here), a light bulb went off. What about home-brewed Great Fucking Coffee? Sourcing quality coffee, especially for coffee shops can be really challenging. The only quality supplier that I could think of is Iron and Fire. There was definitely a gap/ a real need for someone else to step up and provide high-quality coffee too!
What about buying a damn good single serve coffee maker (click here to find one) and brewing your own damn good great fucking coffee?
After talking with a friend in Bucks County (close to the town on the Delaware, he had lived in for the past decade), who had a small Coffee Roasting operation, the two decided to go into business sourcing the finest, fair trade. sustainably grown coffee beans on the planet.
Buying small batches from small growers, have enabled them to realize Cory’s dream a lot faster than he imagined, bringing Great Fucking Coffee to Java lovers everywhere, via the World Wide Web.
I went to visit Cory at the home he shares with his girlfriend, Lisa, in Des Montes last week, to talk about, and drink, the Great Fucking Coffee he’s marketing relentlessly online.
He gave me a cup filled with already made (French Pressed), coffee he heated in a microwave for a minute. It was lukewarm and black. I was a bit put off – being a true coffee aficionado, I like my coffee freshly brewed and steaming hot. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t have a mug warmer, like one of the reviewed list by The Full Moon Cafe. If he was going into the coffee industry, surely he knew that using the microwave wasn’t going to create an amazing tasting cup; it’s best just to keep it hot for longer with a mug warmer! (I never use a microwave for anything, in fact I don’t own one. Normally I use a coffee machine, especially after my friend suggested that delonghi’s brew good coffee) So I stared at the cup, looked at him a little askance and asked for cream.
“You don’t need it,” he responded. “Just try it, it’s sweet, not bitter and best black.”
I took a sip. He was right, it was sweet and mild. I would have preferred it stronger, hotter and with cream, but it was definitely very fresh, with slightly fruity notes. I felt like I was tasting a fine wine, so subtle were the flavours that married in my mouth. Definitely Great Fucking Coffee!
We went outside to sit on his portal, overlooking the mountains, to talk about his coffee enterprise.
After a decade in a high-powered, high energy job that ended with him feeling worn out by the fast paced lifestyle he’d become accustomed to, plus having survived a divorce which ended with his kids moving back to Taos with their mother, and a bout with cancer that was miraculously cured, Cory decided it was time to downsize and take life a little slower.
As we chatted, his son Bodhi, who was visiting for the day, interjected his (10-year-old) opinions on the coffee he sipped from his dad’s cup. Moving back to Taos (where he lived for a decade before moving East where he grew up), has enabled Cory to relax more and work less, making more time and room in his life for his kids whom he clearly adores.
I commented that Bodhi had been present (at a local coffee shop) when I’d interviewed his mother, the very talented writer, Estelle Laure a couple of years ago.
“That’s right,” his big brown eyes widened. “I remember that!”
“Now here you are drinking Dad’s Great Fucking Coffee,” he smiled, relishing the opportunity to say the “bad” word out loud.
Great Fucking Coffee promises to continue bringing you the freshest (roasted just prior to shipping), most sustainably cultivated (shade grown and bird safe), coffee beans on the planet. From Central and South America to Africa and Indonesia, these beans come from small, practicing and/or certified organic farms only. That’s why this current batch is from Nicaragua while the initial, introductory beans hailed from Columbia.
Customers will have to wait for the next harvest cycle before tasting those Columbian beans again!
Cory explained as our visit came to an end. “We buy raw beans and roast them fresh as they are ordered.” He told me. “And we sell both whole beans or ground for Drip or French Press.”
“We buy in small batches because these are not mass producing monster coffee plantations.”
Lest you think he jests, I’ve known Cory a long time. His philosophical approach to life has taken him from fly fishing in New Mexico (where catch and release was the name of his game), to the fast paced world of East Coast Commerce and back again; his spiritual journey means more to him than anything money can buy, including coffee.
And if he’s buying coffee, it had better be clean, green and the best Great Fucking Coffee around!
Great Fucking Coffee is only available via the website linked below this post., taoStyle readers can enter the code taostyle for 15% off your initial order.
Top photo taken on Cory’s portal on my iphone. All other images c/o Cory Dean and Great Fucking Coffee
