JOFFREY'S NAMED OFFICIAL SPECIALTY COFFEE OF
WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT, DISNEYLAND RESORT AND DISNEY VACATION CLUB

TAMPA, Fla. (February 21, 2013) -- Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. and Disney have entered into a long-term strategic alliance that makes Joffrey’s the official specialty coffee of Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland® Resort and Disney Vacation Club properties. Through this agreement, Joffrey’s becomes the first Disney Corporate Alliance sponsor in the category of specialty coffee and will have expanded presence at select Disney dining locations and resort hotels.

“Like Disney, we are committed to high quality and memorable customer experiences,” said Joffrey's CEO Ted Abrams. “We are thrilled to extend our connection with Disney in a way that exemplifies our shared values of innovation and excellent service. Our alliance is definitely a source of pride for the entire Joffrey's Team.”

Guests at the Walt Disney World Resort are already familiar with Joffrey’s. The company has been operating specialty coffee kiosks throughout the property since 1995. In addition to their kiosks, Joffrey's supplies the espresso and specialty coffee blends for the Fine/Signature dining restaurants at both the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. With the new alliance, Joffrey’s will develop unique coffee blends just for Disney guests that will be available at additional locations at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Disney Vacation Club properties, including quick service restaurants and in-room coffee service for guests at select hotels.

“We are thrilled to be creating unique coffee blends exclusively for Disney guests,” said Chris de Mezzo, Joffrey's Roastmaster and COO. “After all, a Disney vacation is like none other, so the coffee that Disney guests drink should be like none other, as well.”

In addition, the new alliance will offer guests the chance to bring home those specialty coffees created for Disney through a catalog to be located in their rooms at select hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort and an exclusive online catalog. 
 
“We are committed to providing our guests with exceptional beverage options and expanding our relationship with Joffrey’s will complement our efforts,” said Maribeth Bisienere, vice president, Food & Beverage and Merchandise for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Joffrey’s focus on innovation and specialty blends aligns with our desire to enhance our guests’ experiences with memorable and unique offerings.” 

About Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company
Established in 1984, Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company imports and distributes premium coffees and teas using the finest beans and tea leaves from around the world. Joffrey’s coffees and teas are meticulously selected by the company’s dedicated roastmaster, a coffee and tea artisan, aficionado and visionary dedicated to the craft of creating exceptional coffees and teas. Joffrey's roasts an ever-evolving variety of coffees from hand-picked beans collected from continents all over the world. Moreover, Joffrey’s uses only Specialty Grade Arabica beans, an elite category with rigorous standards that can only be met by fewer than 10 percent of coffee beans worldwide. Privately held and based in Tampa, Florida, Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company distributes its products nationally to world-class resorts and hotels, fine restaurants, cruise lines, coffee shops, gourmet stores, supermarkets and in business offices. 
 

About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
More than 50 years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world’s leading family vacation destinations – Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, located on Lantau Island. A sixth resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, is currently under construction in Pudong New District, Shanghai. In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world’s most popular destinations; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts, cruise ships, entertainment and attractions. 
 
 

As coffee drinkers around the world often refer to coffee as “the nectar of the gods” -- especially those of us not fit for human company until after our first cup -- the tribe that first used coffee seeds to make our favorite beverage actually believed it.

The Oromo tribe, descendants of the Ethiopians who first made coffee, would place a coffee plant on the graves of tribal sorcerers, believing that it grew from the tears of the gods who would cry over the memorial site. While many still debate the effects of coffee on our bodies, minds and spirits (and we’re still not discounting the presence of magical properties), there is one debate that is far more clear -- the difference between Arabica coffee and everything else.

“There are two different primary types of coffee grown commercially around the world,” said Chris deMezzo, COO and Roastmaster for Joffrey’s Coffee. “They are Arabica and Robusta, with Robusta accounting for most of the canned or pre-packaged coffee available in grocery stores. You would think that the demand for the different kinds of coffee would be driven by taste alone, but that’s not usually the case. Arabica is known for its more delicate and smoother flavor, while Robusta tends to be more bitter and have less flavor. However, because Robusta is much less expensive than Arabica, it is widely used as an inexpensive substitute for Arabica in many mass-produced, canned and pre-packaged coffees. At Joffrey’s, we use Arabica coffee exclusively, and even then, we source only the highest grade of Arabica, the specialty bean.”

The key, according to deMezzo, is that not all Arabica coffee is created equal.

“When you see ‘100 percent Arabica’ on a coffee label, it does mean it’s of a higher quality than coffees that use Robusta beans, but it does not mean it is the highest quality coffee available,” deMezzo added. “All coffee beans are graded according to color and size uniformity and taste. We only use the highest grade, Specialty; 75% of all coffee grown is Arabica while only 10% can be classified as Specialty.”

The coffee grading system can seem a little technical, but it creates a consistent method of determining which beans are, in the end, going to taste better. It consists of:

•          Grade 1 -- Specialty Grade Coffee Beans: These beans are pristine, and they are all pretty close to being the same size. These beans stand out because of the following qualities: taste, acidity, body or aroma. The moisture content of these beans ranges between 9 and 13 percent, and that’s important, because drier beans won’t provide as much flavor. No unripened beans, called quakers, are allowed in specialty grade because they do not darken well when roasted. Of the more than 20 different defects that can affect coffee beans -- ranging from being over-wrinkled, partially crushed, damaged by insects, or even diseased -- this grade does not allow any defects. But all of those qualifications aren’t enough. Graders want the highest category of coffee beans to display some distinctive qualities, as well, so they’ve zeroed in on taste, acidity, body and aroma. All in all, you have to be a pretty special batch of beans to be Grade 1.

•          Grade 2 -- Premium Grade Coffee Beans: Same as Grade 1, except a few quakers are allowed in these batches, which accounts for the lower grading. Between 0 to 8 defects are allowed in Grade 2 batches, which make it more difficult for this grade to show much distinctiveness.

•          Grade 3 -- Exchange Grade Coffee Beans: These beans vary a little more in size than Grade 1, and a few more quakers are allowed in the mix. The number of full defects permitted in this grade range from 9 to 23. These beans are not special. They are just basic, average coffee beans.

•          Grade 4 -- Standard Grade Coffee Beans: 24-86 full defects. This level of defects in the batch really affects flavor and moisture, which is why these beans are graded so far below Grade 1.

•          Grade 5 -- Off Grade Coffee Beans: More than 86 full defects. Interestingly, off grade beans are still used in coffees people buy at supermarkets, but they are the generally the least expensive coffees on the shelf.

“Coffee bean quality originates from the kind of soil, moisture, micro-climate and cultivation techniques and processing used. Coffee drinkers have become more aware of these nuances, and they are beginning to pay attention to the more subtle cues of the grading system.”

“The lesson here is not to look at the label, but trust your taste buds,” deMezzo concluded.

“If the label says it contains 100 percent Arabica, it does not always mean you’re getting good coffee,” he said. “However, chances are better if you see Specialty Grade; you can get a great cup of coffee."

By Chris De Mezzo, Roastmaster
Every once in a while I stumble across a truly exceptional coffee, usually when I least expect it. Recently, I took my wife Linda on a trip to Kona Hawaii for vacation, where by coincidence the “Coffee Fest Hawaii” show was taking place during our visit. Naturally, I just had to check out the show so I begged Linda to come with me, and experience Hawaiian coffee first hand. While walking the show, an interesting aroma grabbed my attention. I looked around and saw someone at a nearby booth brewing a delicious smelling coffee called Hawaiian Kona Maragogype (Maragogype means Elephant Bean) using an Aero Press.

Linda and I made our way over for a sample, and the closer we got to the booth the more delicious this coffee smelled. But what really blew me away was the taste! After one sip it was like an explosion of fruit! The collage of flavors and textures sent me into sensory overload! Although full of different fruity nuances, the most prominent was peach, followed closely by melon and apricot. The mouth-feel was buttery and smooth!

I was so excited about this Hawaiian Kona Maragogype I asked the friendly farmers at the booth if Linda and I could come visit their farm and maybe sample some more coffee! Lorie & Joan Obra, mother and daughter farm owners, granted our wish immediately and two days later we were enjoying their hospitality and a fun tour of their beautiful farm and processing facilities.

Unfortunately, Lorie and Joan had only sourced a very small amount of this particular kind of Kona bean which had actually been planted accidently, and so Kona Maragogype is considered a very rare offering. Even if it were grown in larger quantities, the growing conditions would not always be as perfect as they were this year, and so there is no guarantee we would get such a delicious crop every time.

So that I could bring this incredible coffee experience home to our customers, I purchased as much as the ladies had to offer me. So after selfishly squirreling away a stash for myself, I have only 20 pounds left to sell exclusively online. I’m not big on this sort of marketing hype, but this really is a very rare treat. If you are a true coffee lover you don’t want to miss this opportunity! Experience for yourself the excitement I felt when I first tasted this truly exceptional coffee.

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