march @ thump

march news + events @ thump coffee - bend, oregon

HOURS: We won't be staying open late for March Art Walk. Join us for an Artists Local 101 reception on Friday, April 4 for the Spring Art Hop.

ART: Artists Local 101 - Group Show (through April)
Artist Local 101 is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemporary and outsider art. For many years, the group has provided local artists who work "outside the box" with a vehicle for exhibiting their art, as well as a place to network with other artists. This group show features a diverse representation of many artists affiliated with the organization, including Holly Hutton, Lisa Wachs, Lloyd McMullen and Bridget McGinn. Artist Local 101 welcomes new members, and membership forms will be available at thump.

ART: "Wishes" Are Back!
If you've been wishing the "Wishes" would come back, your wish just came true. Thank you to everyone who created a new "Wish Plank" for 2008. Artist Mark Bernahl's popular "Wishes" installation is back with a whole new collection of cedar planks hung from the ceiling, gently swaying in the air currents. Read more>

LITERATURE: Buffalo's Column According to Buffalo, his column "was and is mostly to entertain, sometimes to stimulate, and possibly, to make you think. The column will deal with current political situations, socioeconomics, local news, current movies, or anything that comes into the wacky mind of its writer."

Pick up the daily installment next time you're in. And check the video about his scuplture work here.


"What's A Thump?" Contest Winners: Written Response
There were so many fun entries, we decided to create three categories so more people could win: Written Response, Illustration and Kids.

Written Response Winner: Courtney Pratt
"A Thump is a magical forest gnome full of vim and vigor, from the land of Espressiata who brings joy, jitters and higher functioning beta brain waves to all who consume its magical forest nectar brew."

Runners Up:
1) Tina Baker
"Take a sip. The foam, all fluffy and white, sticks to your upper lip like a mustache, while the coffee sifts through to your taste buds. Yum. Then
. . . Thump!
The day is brighter.
. . . Thump!
Conversation gets more interesting.
. . . Thump!
You feel so happy.
. . . Thump!
Go on a brisk walk,
SMILE
Say hello!
Be happy.
That's Thump."

2) Lowell Snider
"As a person is wavering in that morning twilight of existence in the last minute while stumbling ahead of the current minute. Reaching for that first shot of coffee. That will land them squarely in the now.

"Possibly one of man's few organic means of harnassing the long sought answer to time travel."

3) Jillany
"An elixir of faith and bravery that always helps you stand up right where you're at - and do the next right thing."

4) Kyle
"Thump is the feeling you experience when complete happiness is realized. You smile, turn off your headlights and drive home with a chocolate malt to guide your heart, and a full moon to light the path."

5) Jasper Peslin
"Thump: (noun) The slippery, expanding, clicking sensational experience at the bottom of the swallowing of your first decadent warming wake up drink, in downtown Bend, OR."

6) Janet Brooks
"It's when a great patient all-knowing muse finally cracks through my too-cluttered skull.

A gentle insistent Thump. . . Thump. . . Thump. . . Until a triumphant final THUMP! Crashes through, and I, thinking it was by my own effort, give birth to a story."

Winners of the Illustration and Kids categories along with runners up will be posted next month.


CUPPING: Sunday 3/23, 1:30-3:30pm
Listen to Kent's apearance on Julia Gray's "Cooking With Gusto" radio show.

This is where the sensory adventure begins! Come to our public coffee cuppings and taste coffees side by side. Discover personal preferences, likes and dislikes, and begin to taste hints of citrus, fruits, wines, chocolate, spices and possibly flowers. You will appreciate how a skilled roaster took meticulous time and care to bring those flavors out instead of roast them away (see this month's Thumpology). Cuppings are usually the third Sunday of the month at 1:30pm - get details at our website and by subscribing to this newsletter.


featured coffee: Guatemala Finca el Injerto - Pacamara varietal (Direct Trade)
From the folks at Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland:

The Stumptown-El Injerto relationship is one of our proudest relationships. It's our longest standing Direct Trade coffee and we feel like our efforts, combined with that of the Aguirre family, have improved the coffee year after year. Unfortunately, that's not enough for us. We need more El Injerto! Last year we brought you folks the Maragogype varietal for the first time and it sold quicker than a hoppy IPA at our ritual Friday 'Mandatory Meetings'. This year, we brought in another El Injerto varietal family member: the Pacamara. The Pacamara is a hybrid varietal, created in El Salvador, from the Maragogype and Pacas varietals. Pacas is a mutation of the Bourbon. If the Marago is the young, punk rock brother, the Pacamara is his classy older sister. She's bright but refined. She's past-punk and delves into the darker toned underground. Finca El Injerto's Pacamara varietal beautifully balances a delicate savory flavor with milk chocolate, orange pekoe tea, orange blossoms and violets.


meet our thumpistas: Emily
For those of you who loved hanging out at A Cup of Magic, you may remember seeing Emily working there (she's also lived in Central Oregon for 15 years and attended middle school and high school in Bend). The Cup was where Emily made her barista debut, and we're so thrilled that she brings a little bit of its magic to Thump!

Emily, like many of our thumpistas, juggles job(s), interests and school. In Emily's case, she is attending school as the teacher, not the student. She works for the Bend-LaPine Schools in a job share as a 4th grade teacher. She also enjoys practicing yoga, discussing good books, knitting cool hats and scarves, and traveling when time permits.


Thumpology: What's the Big Deal About the Roast? Part I: How the Roast Affects Flavor Before we knew much about coffee, we'd buy black beans glistening with oil, with descriptions like, dark roast, smoky, robust flavor. This sounded pretty good because, who wants to drink a whimpy cup, right? If dark roast meant robust flavor, then it would stand to reason that a medium roast or light roast must somehow be less flavorful. Once we started learning how to roast and cup coffee however, we learned that nothing could be farther from the truth!

Simplistic comparisons have been made between roasting coffee and barbequing meat, in terms of how one's "cooking technique" ultimately affects flavor development. In both cases, there's a search for the perfect time/temperature relationship to create a wonderful end result. Add too much heat and/or time and the end product tastes like any burnt barbequed meat or burnt roasted coffee, instead of like the sought-after savory cut or the deliciously complex cup of coffee.

Coffees from around the world contain unique flavors trapped inside them, and it's the roaster's job to coax them out through the roasting process. If he or she is not paying close attention to the beans throughout the roasting process, making adjustments as needed to the heat and time, then certain flavors will not develop or will possibly be roasted out of the bean. Knowing that there are many factors such as density, size, age, and moisture content that affect how a bean roasts, a roaster will roast several batches and cup each batch to determine how to best roast each type of coffee.

Come to our public coffee cuppings, and you'll be able to taste coffees side by side. (Cuppings are usually the third Sunday of the month at 1:30pm - get details at our website and in this newsletter.) This is where the sensory adventure begins! You will discover personal preferences, likes and dislikes, and you will begin to taste hints of citrus, fruits, wines, chocolate, spices and possibly flowers. Then, you will truly appreciate how a skilled roaster took meticulous time and care to bring those flavors out instead of roast them away. You will also notice that all of our beans are brown and oil free, not black and shiny, an indicator that the coffee was carefully roasted to bring out its individual flavor profile.

Listen to Kent's interview on Julia Gray's "Cooking With Gusto" radio show.

(Next Month - Part II: Coffee Roasting Crash Course, What a Roaster Looks, Listens and Smells for When Roasting Coffee)


Warm Your Soul: New Baked Goods, Loose Leaf Teas & Herbal Infusions

• 7-Layer Coconut Bars
• Dark Chocolate Brownies (without nuts)
• Butterscotch Pecan Cookies
• New Loose Leaf Teas & Herbal Infusions

• Organic Green Jasmine Tea - Sweet & soothing. Green tea scented with real jasmine blossoms. Think of jasmine pearls letting loose!
• Organic Ginger Herbal Infusion - Sip up the zing! Steeped from chunks of dried ginger root. Perfect for fighting a cold or clearing your mind.
• Organic Yerba Mate - Bursting with antioxidants, this stimulating drink will brighten your spirits!