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Monarch
Mountain Coffee, a coffee house and specialty roaster in Sandpoint,
Idaho, offers far more than great java. If you've ever wondered what goes
on behind the scenes in a coffee roastery, you can ask owners Kathy
and Dan Garcia to give you a tour.
Dan
showed us several kinds of green beans, and roasted some Ethiopian coffee
in his custom-made air roaster, which can handle thirty pounds at a time
and completes the job in eleven minutes or less, depending on the style.
The beans are done when they reach a temperature of 460 to 480 degrees
(Fahrenheit), and we watched them turn from pale green to rich brown though
the glass window of the roaster (pictured above center). As soon as the
beans were cool, Dan treated us to a sample of the most freshly roasted
and ground coffee we've ever had.
Dan
and Kathy hail from Alaska, where they left successful corporate careers
to follow a dream that began on their honeymoon when Dan said, "I want
to have a coffee house in Sandpoint, Idaho." After nearly three years
of reasearch, Monarch Mountain Coffee was born. Just recently, Dan and
Kathy moved Monarch to a location with a spectacular view of Schweitzer
Mountain. "Altitude and air quality make a difference, not only to people,
but to coffee," says Dan. "Our coffee is mountain air roasted and mountain
air fresh."
In
addition to a full array of brewed coffee and espresso drinks, Monarch
has a great food menu. We especially enjoyed their pasties, a version
of the traditional British recipe made with fresh croissant dough. The
"Popeye" had spinach, feta, fontina, pesto and pine nuts, and the "Black
Forest" had Black Forest ham, Monterey jack cheese, and spicy mustard
dressing. We wish they were available by mail order, like Monarch coffee
is!
Dan
& Kathy Garcia
Monarch Mountain Coffee
208 N. Fourth Ave.
Sandpoint, Idaho 83864
(800) 599-6702
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