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Our customers say...

  • I ground up some of your Swiss Water Process Decaf beans all fresh and nice and fixed a delicious cup of coffee. I drank it black, no sugar. It was thoroughly enjoyable -- not at all thin or flat, as so many decaf coffees can be. And I noticed it is a darker roast than most, which I particularly like, too. It's excellent.  I would certainly serve it to guests of an evening after dinner.

    --Darlene N., Ridgefield, WA
  • "I know I must sound like I'm delivering a line from a beer commercial, but  I love Obama Blend's smooth taste. It's never bitter. I come by Longfellow's every day for my cup of Obama Blend."

    --Robin, NJ
  • "I'm at Longfellow's every day, so you know I think their coffee is wonderful."

    --Colleen Flatley, NJ
  • "G'Day, I'm flying back to Australia to live for the next 1 1/2 years. Thanks for getting my Obama Blend to me so quickly before before I moved!  I am very happy with the company's customer service."

    --Jody K. from Sunnyvale, Calif.
  • "The Obama Blend coffee is wonderful...smooth, full of flavor. My Republican friends certainly will be surprised when they discover what they are drinking...."

    --Jo Ellen H., Musician/Choral & Organ Consultant, Charlotte, N.C.
  • "I pass through three towns and six coffee shops, including a Starbucks, to get to Longfellow's for my large dark roast (sweet and light)...."

    - Scott Meyers, Teacher's Assistant
  • "Longfellow's Coffee has a something-special-for-everyone menu...(and) unique coffee."

    -Joe Nugent, High Point, N.J.
  • "On a whim, I stopped by Longfellow's Coffee on my way to Starbucks. I'm so happy I did. I've been a regular daily customer ever since. Their cappuccino beats Starbucks hands down!!!!

    -Jill Van Ness, Court Stenographer

Inspiration for Obama Blend

THIS BLOG covers 6 stages from the genesis of Obama Blend specialty coffee through its  creation and the enlightening discovery of its quality - a cup of coffee for the ages.

Hello from Longfellow's Coffee in New Jersey...

It's a pleasure to introduce you to our new, innovative specialty coffee -- the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend.

This is a truly spectacular mixture and roasting of three highly-prized coffees. I'm confident that from the moment you savor your first cup, you're going to love its taste and characteristics. I certainly have been captivated by its unique qualities since taking my first sip of the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend a few days ago.

I expect that for years to come it will be the specialty coffee you often choose to make for yourself, your family, and for guests.

Within this blog, I will cover 6 topics regarding our Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend:

  1. My admiration of its namesake, Barack Obama, our nation's 44th president
  2. The genesis of the idea for the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend
  3. How we went about formulating our Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend
  4. Why our Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend is priced just a bit higher than some (but not all) specialty coffees, with descriptions of the gourmet, specialty coffees we selected for its mixture
  5. Our serendipitous surprise upon first tasting the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend
  6. The Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend: Obamamania gimmick or enduring?

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My admiration for Obama

As I write these words in November, 2008, soon after election day, my admiration of Barack Obama is limitless. I see an even-spirited, very intelligent young man who possesses an agile mind, who exhibits compassion, and who appears to have the best interests of all Americans at the top of his agenda. I hold a real hope that he is the transforming individual who has the vision and capability to lead all of us out of the difficult and sometimes frightening quagmire in which we find ourselves.

Genesis of the idea for Obama Blend

I wish I could brag that the idea for the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend was entirely mine. It wasn't. The concept belongs to my son, Jason. He says he was taking a shower when the brainstorm hit and he immediately wrapped a towel around his middle and hurried to the phone, dripping wet, to call and tell me about it.

Jason's inspiration took note of the coincidence that Barack Obama's early life is associated with three of the world's prime specialty coffee-growing regions. The president-elect's Kenya-born father and his American mother met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Obama was born in Hawaii and spent eight of his first 10 years living in Indonesia.

Kenya, Hawaii, and Indonesia all grow some of the world's most esteemed coffees.

Jason suggested that a blend of the finest specialty coffee beans cultivated in those three regions might combine to produce a uniquely successful brew, just as those regions contributed to the development of such a uniquely successful man.

How we formulated Obama Blend

I operate Longfellow's Coffee with my other son, Jordan, as my full partner. Together we run two drive-thru coffee cafes in northern New Jersey. Customers at our stores are constantly giving us kudos for how wonderful our coffee tastes. A significant contributor to the success of our coffee is Kobricks, a fourth-generation icon among specialty coffee roasters, and the company that roasts the coffees we sell in our stores.

Within hours of hearing Jason's bright idea, I brought it to the master roasters at Kobricks, who immediately set about experimenting with various combinations and roast levels of coffee beans grown in the three regions associated with Barack Obama's lineage and early life.

In the end (with just a little bit of help from me) they devised what has become the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend. It consists of a delicately balanced combination of three exceptional beans -- Kenya AA, Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy, and Indonesian Sulawesi. This mixture is brought to a Vienna Roast in order to free the three beans' nuanced tones.

The premium we placed on selection of the best coffee beans

We might have used inferior coffees from the three growing regions in order to keep our price down and at the same time to increase our profit. But the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend is meant to be something special:

Both an appropriate tribute to the man who inspired it, and a wonderful cup of coffee for you to enjoy.

So we decided to not stint one bit on the excellent coffees we put into the mixture.

Kenya AA is the finest grade of coffee from Kenya (that's what the AA stands for). It has a full body, intense flavor with a delicate acidity, and a smooth wine-like flavor. Experts perennially rank Kenya AA near the top of the list of the world's finest coffees.

Some say that Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy is a coffee without parallel. Many coffee lovers pay up to $40 a pound for this very special brew--the only coffee, by the way, grown on U.S. soil. Hawaiian Kona Extra Fancy is characterized by a superb aroma, a light and mild body, and a clear, sweet, mellow flavor.

The Indonesian Sulawesi delivers a cup of coffee of unexpected interest. It presents earthy taste, slightly smoky tone, and hints of spice.

Our serendipitous surprise

You've probably heard this term many times: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Well, that was the thought that struck me when I took my first sip of the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend.

Each of the world-class beans that comprise our Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend easily stands on its own. Coffee lovers around the globe willingly pay premium prices to enjoy any one and all of these exceptional beans.

So I anticipated liking the taste of these three coffees when they were roasted and brewed in combination. I wasn't prepared for the stunning experience that hit my senses, though, when I first tasted the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend.

This is a brilliant brew--full-bodied and smooth and...well...just plain delicious. We expected something great; what we got far exceeded our expectations!

A special treat for you and those you care about.

We want the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend never appear to be a flash in the pan or a gimmick that you'll only buy once. We want it to become that special gift to yourself, to loved ones, and to friends when the occasion calls for a celebration.

If we were to charge half of what we are charging for the blend, and if upon sipping it you found it disappointing, then you'd likely never buy another package again.

Here's what we think...

When you brew and then taste a cup of the Longfellow's Coffee Obama Blend, you will smack your lips and say to yourself that this is an instance when you got your money's worth. You will know that you found your go-to coffee when you want an excellent brew.

You will believe, as I do, that you have enjoyed a quality beverage that is worthy of its namesake.

Regards,

Bruce Jed, Founder & Co-owner
Longfellow's Coffee