Resin Drink Art

     We're getting new art up on the walls of our stores thanks to local artist, Jessica Barbera.  Jessica specializes in artwork made with resin, and in this case, she used ingredients for our drinks to create the pieces we are currently displaying. Through a process of tasting the drinks for each piece she created, Jessica incorporated the actual ingredients used in our drinks in the resin. The end results are pieces that represent how the drink tastes, somewhat similar to how our fresh roasted, retail coffee bag images look. Some of her pieces have vanilla bean, tea leaves,  or a cinnamon stick within the colors and textures in the artwork. The artwork ranges from specialty coffee menu drinks to coffee and tea blends. Next time you stop by one of our stores, be sure to keep an eye out for these art pieces and try to guess which drink the piece represents.

 

Introducing the Skert Skirt

We've got a new item on our merchandise shelves, the Skert Skirt. This new product allows the user to grind their coffee beans right into the espresso machine portafilter instead of into a glass vessel and then pouring ground coffee into the portafilter or coffee brewer. This Skert Skirt allows for less mess and less transport of your ground coffee to your brewer of choice. Alex Haas, President of Muggswigz Coffee and Tea, competed with his Skert Skirt in "America's Best Espresso " Finals. The Skert Skirt is designed to fit onto the Hario Skerton Mill Grinder, a manual hand grinder. It uses burr grinders which provide more even ground coffee particles, regardless of the coarse or fine grind setting, which results in a better tasting cup of coffee.  This product also comes with a nut so that users can use a drill instead of manually grinding for a quicker and more effortless coffee grinding. You can find the Skert Skirt exclusively at Muggswigz.

Costa Rica Coffee

Earlier this year, Alex, Muggswigz President and Founder, traveled to Costa Rica and engulfed himself in the coffee culture of the Central American country. He visited family owned farms, cupping coffee and finding outstanding coffee that caught the attention of his palette, that you will see on the shelves later this year. He stated that " it was good to see micro-mills and co-ops that are economically viable." In the this day and age, that is essential. He also noted that many coffee farmers are distancing themselves from washed coffee processes and using more honey and natural processes, which instead of a clean coffee note, you may find more berry and earthy flavor notes. Payment programs for coffee pickers were usually based on volume rather than weight. This seemed to improve more selective picking and harvest quality. In his experience, Alex observed more experimentation by the farmers than any other origin trip that he has taken. Many of the family owned farms he visited had cupping rooms, where he was able to taste the coffee that they offered all while enjoying beautiful views of the landscape.

COVID-19 Response

Our Coffee & Tea Bars are staying open for carry-out and delivery orders. Our online store for wholesale and retail orders remains open. We have added additional cleaning, hygiene, and sanitizing protocols. We are asking guests in our coffee & tea bars to please wear a facemask and pay with a credit card, and instead of handing your card to your barista, please insert your card into the chip reader. If you are paying with cash, please do not hand it to your barista. We've designed a crude cash sanitizer to sanitize all incoming cash. Please put your cash though the sanitizer and the barista will retrieve it. We are 3D printing the sanitizers for the stores now. We've made the design publicly available ( here ) for any other businesses that would like to print their own. Just keep filled with 70% or higher alcohol.  If you don't have a 3D printer and would like a sanitizer, contact Alex via the contact page and we'll print you one and fast as our little Monoprice 3D printer can do it (which is like 20 hours) .

Muggswigz Employees Make Another Generous Donation

Working as a team, Muggswigz employees have generously chosen to donate upwards of $3,750.00 to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a foundation fighting childhood cancer. 

Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a program that enriches the lives of children diagnosed with cancer, as well as funding research and funding for travel and treatment for families and children affected by cancer. This is the 3rd year in a row that Muggswigz employees have participating in their Charitable Donation Program. Last year, participating Muggswigz employees donated about $3,000 to the National Parents Organization. Participating employees contribute their choice of dollar amount every pay period, matched 5% by Muggswigz, to a pool to be donated to an organization or program. The top donors pitch ideas of charitable programs or organizations to be voted on at the end of the year. It is optional for the employees to participate and contribute. You can learn more about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, or make your own donation, by visiting https://www.alexslemonade.org/.