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Writer's pictureMaine Cup

Coffee in hand on Mount Desert Island is a must



Maine roasted specialty coffee has become a topic of conversation this year, so much that two coffee roasters on Mount Desert Island will be featured next year, 2024, in a coffee subscription which also conducts interviews with the roasters. The two roasters are Crooked Porch Coffee Roasters and Acadia Coffee Company. A third roaster on MDI is opening later this year.


"I like to tell people the best way to tell if I am in the roastery is if it smells like slightly burning toast." said Jacquith Porter, roaster at Acadia Coffee. Although Jacquith roasts 6 days a week and has plentiful coffee to brew at home, he enjoys treating himself to coffee at either Choco-Latte, Acadia Coffee Company's sister cafe, or at his favorite breakfast spot, the Black Friar Pub. Crooked Porch Coffee's roaster Jon Guidry, on the other hand, prefers the solitude of being home in his oversized chair in the early morning hours before 6 o'clock. Jon uses what he refers to as his "good old fashioned" french press to make his routine cup using his blend named Moonshot.


The Rockport, Maine based online coffee subscription company, Maine Cup, takes pride in not only sending Maine roasted coffee across the U.S., but also meeting the people behind the coffee and sharing documentary-style videos with Maine Cup subscribers. " Each roaster and business has their own unique story and getting to know them makes the coffee taste that much better. There is something to be said about having a connection to what you consume." said Amanda Simko, of Maine Cup. Maine Cup's recent newsletter painted a picture of the family-run small business. Each family member had their own part in packaging the shipments, including their 3 year old dropping a magnet in each bag and their 8 year old inserting a document from the roaster which provided a discount code to be used for future orders with the August's featured roaster, Farm House Coffee Roasters.


With it being summer, both Jon and Jacquith, admit cold coffee hits the spot. Acadia Coffee Company has two coffees which Jacquith suggests, the Cold Brew blend and the Village Green, which he says is a seasonal blend and boasts flavors full of spice and fruit. Jon enjoys the flavor of an iced Moonshot oat-milk latte but will not decline a good cup of Crooked Porch Coffee's light roast, Summer Yirgacheffe, which he says offers an easy summer morning cup of coffee because of its subtle tropical flavor notes.


While Maine Cup travels the state for coffee to feature, the local roasters on MDI truly enjoy taking in tourist destinations regardless of the increase of traffic. Jon recently hiked Mt. Katahdin and said his Moonshot coffee, eggs, and bananas fueled his day. Being an avid disc-golfer, he also finds himself at a local disc-golf course, Hapana. Jacquith suggests visiting Southwest Harbor, with Sawyer's Market and The Salt Market being some of favorite spots, or taking the ferry over to Isleford for the day and having an espresso martini at the Isleford Dock Restaurant.


Amanda from Maine Cup expressed her love not only for MDI but the entire state. "With over 60 roasters across the state we saw the need to spread the word of all the great coffee Maine has to offer. We began highlighting coffee roasters earlier this year with the mission of inspiring coffee drinkers, those local and those from afar and vacationing, to fill their cup with Maine coffee. We hope they place a future order with that roaster directly, but also continue to be eager for their next shipment from us." said Amanda. Amanda, and husband Jesse, travel to the roasters and meet the roaster personally and complete interviews which they share with their subscribers. "Though our social media pages share snippets of our interviews, we release full interviews to our subscribers. We also maintain a blog and share information we have learned along the way such as tips from roasters." Maine Cup has also held ticketed events this summer in Camden where attendees have heard Mbingo Mountain Coffee's experience visiting coffee farms and Time & Tide explain the process the coffee seed takes to become the coffee you drink. Later this month Mainely Coffee from Millinocket will travel to Camden to demonstrate various ways of making coffee at home and is also bringing their tabletop coffee roaster to show the process of roasting coffee.


Both Acadia Coffee Company and Crooked Porch Coffee Roasters ship anywhere in the continental U.S. and offer free local delivery. The selection of roasts can be found online at their respective websites. Maine Cup, Maine's premier online coffee subscription devoted to roasters across the state, send subscribers a new Maine coffee each month and introduce the featured roaster to the community through videography and photography. Visit mainecup.com to sign up for the subscription.


Crooked Porch Coffee is brewed fresh at The Cup, a coffee stand with walk up service located on the same property as Sweet Pea's Farm & Cafe, both owned by Nicole, Christian and Jacob Cuff. You can have a taste of the coffee at various locations on MDI and even grab a cup of coffee at Seal Cove Auto Museum during their "Coffee and Cars" event every Saturday morning and stock up on roasts at the local disc-golf course, Hapana, in Trenton. Crooked Porch Coffee is also featured at Ciao, Peter Trout’s, Reel Pizza, the Bayview Hotel, the College of the Atlantic, Sawyer’s Market, Mother’s Kitchen, Ancora, and the Acadia Outdoor Center.


Michael Boland and Cassady Pappas, owners of Acadia Coffee Company opened the roastery in 2016 and have the coffee available across the island at various locations to try, some listed here: The Chart Room, Copita, Havana, Le Brun Brassiere, The Parilla at Havana, Sunday River Brewing Company, The Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast, A&B naturals, Sawyer's Market, Salt Shop, Salt and Steel, and Project Social.

 

The above blog post is a news article

 

We welcome comments below. Share your favorite MDI photo, experience, or recommend a business to visit.


What is your favorite thing to do on MDI

  • Hike

  • Browse Shops & Businesses

  • Explore the Food & Drink Options

  • Sightseeing

You can vote for more than one answer.



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