scene from Fellini's 'Orchestra Rehearsal'

Gaggia 4 group lever machine, grinder hopper full of roasted coffee and an Italian Barista...

Roasting coffee in Bali...

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed."Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you."Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

There is a terrific new resource for the home coffee roaster! A place where wonderful green coffee from all over the world is made available to the hobbyist roaster.

It's the Green Coffee Buying Club, or the "GCBC" as it's fondly referred by it's members. It's a co-operative style arrangement that allows members to buy small amounts (usually 5-15lbs) of green coffee beans.

How does it work?

The motto here at the Green Coffee Buying Club is"Splitting bags of green coffee, and have fun doing it."The goal here is to get green coffee at less than retail and/or to get some coffee you may never see retail because it is so special. We always strive to find not just the best prices, but the best quality. Almost all will be specialty grade arabica that adheres to some of the highest standards in the coffee world. So on to the details.Those who are offering green coffee are referred to as distributors, those wanting green coffee are called buyers. Each distributor will have his own conditions, but basically it works like this:A certain coffee will be offered up by a particular distributor under the forum section "Green Coffee Offerings". He may already have the coffee, or he may be taking commitments before buying a bag. In any event, if you are interested in getting some coffee from him, he will usually give details on how to let him know (email, the private message system here, etc.). The payment for coffee, time frames, shipping, etc., is all worked out between you and him. Most accept PayPal and ship via common carriers. There may be other details like pound minimums, maximums, etc. but it is the buyer's and distributor's personal responsibility to work out all the details.

excerpted from greencoffeebuyingclub.com

So if this sounds like your thing, check them out at www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com