The Mesquite Roasted Coffee Story

One day while grilling a steak over a bed of glowing mesquite coals, I was intrigued by the thought that over 150 years ago settlers, wagon trains, cowboys, and cavalry soldiers crossing the land that is now my west texas ranch, cooked their meals and roasted their coffee over open wood fires. They used wood 150 years ago from the very same mesquite stands that I am now harvesting (see the Hodge Ranch, click here...) to fire my own cook grill.

It seemed logical that what those early settlers cooked must have tasted of mesquite roasting... even the coffee. Mesquite roasted coffee?? True, mesquite roasting gives steaks a fantastic satisfying flavor. Would the same be true for mesquite fire-roasted coffee? My idea was presented to the "Best of Everything Club" membership (which passed by unanimous vote) and the challenge was on.

Driven by the quest of tasting wood roasted coffee, it was only days before I located one of those old style open fire popcorn poppers and began roasting coffee beans over glowing mesquite coals just as the west Texas pioneers had done 150 years ago. The results were an unbelievably smooth cup of coffee, full of rich coffee taste, and with a tiny mysterious touch of mesquite smoke flavor.

It was an exciting discovery to learn how mesquite fire-roasting seasons and enhances the flavor of coffee just as a mesquite grilling seasons and enhances a steak's flavor. The flavor was so intriguing and satisfying that I could hardly wait to share my wonderful discovery with others; and so, the Mesquite Roasted Company was born.