Thanks to introductions from the farmers comprising the La Golondrina (Colombia) project, our roaster discovered a farmers’ co-op high in the Andes Mountains in the Loja province of Ecuador, just south of its border with Colombia. These farmers are dedicated to naturally shaded and organic growth, as well as careful processing, and the result is our brand-new coffee from Ecuador.

El Gavilan combines the stone-fruit brightness of La Golondrina with the slightly chocolately smoothness of La Frontera, from Peru (Ecuador’s southern neighbor). This is a delicious coffee (of course!), and we are so pleased to offer you our inaugural crop from these quality-focused farmers from Ecuador.

El Gavilan is now our STAFF PICK, too, which means you can try this wonderful new coffee for $2 off the pound price. Yay, Staff Pick Coffee!

Well, every local forecaster has serious worry lines across his forehead, so that can only mean sleet and icy roads and … yep, a late opening for Blue Horse Coffee.

So, tomorrow morning, Saturday January 21st, we will OPEN at 9 a.m. If somehow the weather is even worse than they’re forecasting, we’ll adjust and let you know.

So sleep in, let the bad weather get out of here, then come to Blue Horse for your Saturday relaxation!

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Annette’s mother, Helen Schneider. Helen fought off cancer three times over the past 14 years, but she succumbed to the fourth attack of this horrible disease.

At Helen’s request, a memorial service will be held at her church, The Bible Chapel. The service will be this Saturday, January 14^th at 11 a.m. You are welcome to come. The family asks that no flowers be sent, and that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Bible Chapel Mercy Fund.

The Bible Chapel is located in McMurray, at 300 Gallery Drive. This is behind the shopping center that contains the Sunny Bridge Natural Foods store, the Sharp Edge restaurant, the Loafers bakery, etc. Lunch will be served at the Bible Chapel following the service.

We all know that the Steelers are tough to beat, especially in the playoffs. That holds true whether you’re the opposing team, or a business owner. The Steelers first (note, we said “first”) playoff game is this Sunday, January 8 at 4:30 p.m. So …

Blue Horse Coffee will CLOSE EARLY, AT 4 P.M., this Sunday.

Be on the lookout for other early closings as the Steelers march to the Super Bowl.

Let’s go Steelers!

Wow, 2011 is almost over, what a year it’s been! We still have to get through this last week, though, and to make sure that you get through with enough Blue Horse coffee, here are our holiday hours:

Christmas Eve – 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Christmas Day – Closed

Monday, December 26th – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

New Year’s Eve – 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (no change)

New Year’s Day – Closed

Monday January 2nd – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Only a few shopping days left, come in and pick up a beautiful, ready-to-go Blue Horse gift baskets, available in 3 different sizes, from $12.95 – $23.95. We also have a very special El Salvador coffee/cascara gift set (cascara is the dried coffee fruit, that you steep in hot water like tea – it’s a truly unique drink) in a burlap coffee bag for $30, and an African coffee sampler (12-ounce vacuum-sealed bags, Haru from Ethiopia, sun-dried Idido from Ethiopia, and Karatu from Kenya, plus 4 free coffee/tea coupons, for $45). We’ll also custom-make gift baskets for you, and of course, Blue Horse Coffee gift certificates are available. Blue Horse travel mugs, baseball caps, Mexican spiced cocoa cans and single packs, and a very nice wooden tea box with 50 tea bags, all still here for that someone who’s been very nice this year.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all the best for you in 2012!

This year’s Holiday Blend is now in the shop! The delicious coffee from the Konga farmers in the Yirgacheffe region of Ethiopia has been roasted a little darker, to bring out slightly richer, sweeter flavor notes. This coffee goes well with the desserts, as well as the savory foods, that we enjoy the last few months of the year.

The Holiday Blend is always special, because our roaster donates $1 per pound sold to a coffee community project. This year, donations will be made to build and fund schools in Ethiopia – an extremely important project. It’ll only be here through the end of the year, so please enjoy this certified organic coffee, knowing that you’ll be helping the children of the farmers who produce this coffee.

Ask us about ordering the beautifully decorated 12-ounce vacuum sealed bags. These make great gifts!

We’re very happy that Mary Frailey Calland will hold the book-signing for her new historical novel, Consecrated Dust, at Blue Horse Coffee!

The book tells the story of two horrendous events of the Civil War, one of which you know, the other, you probably don’t. On September 17, 1862, an explosion at the Allegheny Arsenal in Pittsburgh killed 78 girls rolling bullet cartridges for the Union Army. News of this was buried, however, beneath the horrible casualty reports from the Battle of Antietam, which occurred on the same day. Consecrated Dust focuses on four young northerners, whose paths ultimately lead to their presence both at Antietam and at the Arsenal.

So please, come in next Thursday evening, meet and talk with Mary, buy her book, and enjoy coffee and cookies, courtesy of the author. Word is there may even be a re-enactor or two on hand….

To paraphrase Eddie Izzard, “treat, please.”

This Sunday, between 2 and 4, YOU can get a treat at Blue “Horrors.” Kids of all ages in costume will be given a treat. So come in, show off your Halloween costume, and we’ll give you a little something for your dressing up. But don’t try to trick us with the old “I’m dressed up as a house-husband.” Only real costume-wearers need hold out their hands!

Now for my spooky laugh – Mwahahahahahahahaha…

Now that the Steelers are through with 1 o’clock games for a while, we’re going to be here for you all afternoon. Effective immediately, we will close at 5 p.m. on Sundays. We’re also going to alter our Saturday hours, closing at 5 p.m.

So, we look forward to serving you the best coffee and treats in the Steel City, and let’s go Steelers!

Yes, the leaves are falling and clouds are swirling and the temperatures are dropping, and best of all, our soup is cooking. We’re starting off this year’s soup season with the simply delicious Tuscan Tomato – chunks of carrot, celery, onion and tomato, with a couple of herbs and spices – YUM!

We’ll have lots of returning favorites as we go through fall and winter, including chicken vegetable, vegetarian chili, lentil vegetable, white bean & Swiss chard, and cauliflower with chick peas. And, yeah, we’ve got a new soup or two up our sleeve. So make sure you check out our soup of the day every time you come in to Blue Horse.