Green Mountain Coffee:
From town favorite to national fame - in double time!

It was 1981 and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) had just hung a shingle in front of a little cafe in a small town in Vermont. They roasted the beans right there and served the freshest coffee possible in Waitsfield.

Credits: Amazon Customer

Soon, hotels, restaurants and pubs were asking for their coffee and the little company began to grow — and grow and grow! GMCR now have a Specialty Coffee Business Unit that includes GMCR and Tully's brands and the Keurig Business Unit (K-cups). And Green Mountain Coffee has become seriously popular with consumers nationwide for providing top quality coffee in a convenient form.

And somehow, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has managed to develop something of an Eco-friendly and socially responsible company, something that competing brands have tried in vain to do. How?

GMCR specializes in organic free trade coffee and specialty gourmet coffees. It was named #1 in "The Best Corporate Citizens" in the years 2006-2007; the company contributes at least 5% of its gross profits each year to help fund socially responsible programs in the community.

In an effort to make a significant impact on the way the environment is impacted, the company began producing a paper cup for hot beverages made from eco-friendly paper in 2006. The unique feather is that the lining of the cup is made from a special type of sugar-derived bio-plastic. Called an eco-tainer cup, it is completely renewable resource that is made from natural materials and yet does what it is supposed to do very well.

All of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' beans are 100% Arabica. The company produces over 100 different coffee types including signature blends, estate coffees, flavored coffees, certified organic, Newman's Own Organics and Fair Trade Certified. They bought Keurig in 2006 and have gotten even more exposure and dedicated fans by producing single serving K cups of their various blends and types.

As for their coffee, let's look at a few favorites. Vermont Country Blend is very smooth and has notes of cherry, aromatic wood and pipe tobacco in its aroma. The cup has a touch of semi-sweet chocolate and nuts and the finish is soft, pungent and roasty. It's a blend of medium and dark roasted beans and is certified Fair Trade.

Kona Kama Lei Special Reserve is from Hawaiian beans, a gentle and balanced cup with citrus and fruit notes in the aroma that get stronger in the brew. It has a fruity acidity, feels silky on the palate and gives a rich finish. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' Breakfast blend is a medium roast that smells like flowers and currants. The brew has a hint of dark chocolate with a sweet tart acidity.

If you want something more exotic, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe is made from medium roast beans grown in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. It has a crisp and bittersweet taste with hints of lemon, dark chocolate and bergamot. A long dry finish allows the flavors to linger on the palate.

El Salvador San Isidro is made of beans from El Salvador that are roasted medium dark, producing a molasses and nut sweetness in its aroma. It's a heavy, smooth cup with a syrupy feel in the mouth. The low acid fruitiness has dark chocolate tones; it's a rich cup of coffee with a sweet finish.

Our Blend reminds one of baking spices and nuts as it brews and the cup has a hint of flowers in the dusk of the evening. That flavor fades in the finish in favor of a mild astringency.

Credits: Kyle @ Amazon

Green Mountain Coffee is ecologically and socially responsible and delivers quality and value for a reasonable price. You can't ask for much more in your cup!

And finally...

Wherever you are, remember "Only Great Beans Make Great Coffee"!

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