Do Good Brew Good and Spend Mindfully this Holiday Season...

PRWeb October 30, 2008

* Original PRWeb article: Do Good Brew Good and Spend Mindfully this Holiday Season... Read the original story

- As consumers peer into their wallets and analyze their choices for gifting in preparation for the upcoming holiday season, San Francisco-based Citizen Bean (www.citizenbean.com) wins the trifecta of gifting options, scoring high marks for innovation, quality and social conscience - all in one clever package!

Now in its second successful year, Citizen Bean is an online, organic, subscription coffee-roaster-of-the-month club representing the very best in sustainable and complex roasts from small-batch 'specialty' roasters throughout the country. Coffee devotees are sipping the latest coffee varietals the way wine lovers sample new vintages and artisanal roasters are enjoying a surge in popularity as consumers search for the perfect 'just roasted' coffee experience.

Citizen Bean is an outgrowth of what is known in the coffee movement as 'The Third Wave,' which promotes the principle that coffee was introduced to America in cycles. There's the First Wave, which was the proliferation of consumer coffee in the mid-20th century--think freeze-dried Folgers. The Second Wave was the ubiquity of the espresso-based drinks in America, a la Starbucks, during the '80s and '90s.

The concept of the Third Wave is to bring coffee back to its roots--to let 'coffee speak for itself,' and although there is no official hard-and-fast manifesto, the Third Wave emphasizes two standards: One, nurturing direct farm relationships, mentoring its quality, understanding a coffee's origin and observing sustainability and organics; and two, highlighting the artistry and culinary aspects of coffee. The Third Wave makes a commitment 'from seed to cup' to nurture quality, sustainability and personal farmer relationships while elevating the complex, full-flavored, culinary appeal of coffee.

Dubbed 'coffee with a conscience' Citizen Bean's goal is to advance these ideals. Company founder Malcolm Stearns says 'our company is proud to celebrate the work of Third Wave roasters like Counter Culture, Stumptown and Intelligentsia, among others, by featuring a different artisanal roast each month.' 'With each gift subscription to Citizen Bean', Stearns continues, 'you will be presenting the coffee aficionados in your life with award-winning roasts of superior complexity and at the same time be contributing to a cause everyone can feel positive about supporting.'

With each one-year subscription to Citizen Bean, which features a full pound of freshly roasted beans from a different specialty roaster each month, one also receives an additional 'welcome' gift of a 4-cup French press, a timer and other special items for the coffee lover.

Just in time for this holiday season, Citizen Bean is also offering an 'espresso-only' option for those that prefer to make their own lattes.

Citizen Bean is a project of Bean Capers, Inc. of San Francisco. To learn more about Citizen Bean and its product offerings visit www.citizenbean.com

Contact: Beth-Ellen Keyes