Animal lovers Pam and Cal Nicholson of Nicholson Jones winery will be donating a percentage of their proceeds to the Humane Society of Missouri through the end of 2012. The St. Louis owned winery is located in California, and their Mountain Cuvée can currently be found at our Clayton, Webster Groves and Central West End locations.

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I bought green coffee beans for a year when we roasted our coffee on site and I became much more familiar with the grades, varieties and growing regions involved with coffee. Coffee grows best in subtropical regions and high altitudes with well defined rain seasons. As with any agricultural product, soil types, regions and altitude all contribute to the taste and quality of the coffee. The skilled timing of the roaster determine how long the coffee is roasted and what beans are blended for the final taste profile. Roasting a shorter time lets more of the natural beans’ flavor profile emerge and coffees that are roasted a longer time tend to have a slight ash flavor that is to me, a flavor which is surprisingly popular. The food comparison would be a chocolate chip cookie – bake it a little less and it tastes more raw, like the ingredients, bake it longer and the same cookie takes on a different taste – crispy and caramelized, still good, but very different. The roaster tries to get the roast level consistent from batch to batch so the best flavors of the coffee are brought out. We now source our roasted coffee from Northwest coffee, here in St. Louis, and their roasting skill and coffee quality is phenomenal.

Straub’s is proud to announce that we are the first store in the United States to offer Surat Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Lycopene! Imported from Spain, this oil is infused with lycopene direct from the skins of tomatoes. Exceptionally light and flavorful, this high quality oil is processed naturally with lingering tomato notes. Ingesting Surat plus Lycopene leads to an 85% increase in absorption of this powerful antioxidant versus regular consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. Lycopene is a very natural and potent antioxidant that belongs to the family of carotenoids. It gives the characteristic red color to tomatoes, watermelons, and, in lesser quantity, to other fruits and vegetables. It provides very beneficial properties to our health as it acts by protecting the body cells from oxidative stress:

• Anti-aging
• Reduced cholesterol levels
• Prevention of cardiovascular diseases
• Prevention of degenerative diseases
• Increased male fertility
• Reduced risk of cancer

A Useful Tip: the natural color of tomatoes is captured in the vibrant orange hue of the oil. Try using it on steaks and other red meats to make a brilliant presentation! Also great for adding a little sheen to a cheese platter, or drizzled over pasta, pizza, and vegetables.

Straub’s hosted some very special guests last June from the BBC television show “Chef Race: UK vs U.S.” The contestants competed to sell their team’s unique barbecue sauce to various small market stores and barbecue joints in Saint Louis. Tune in to BBC America on Tuesday, October 30th to see Straub’s make a special appearance!

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