I have always loved a good cup a coffee, but probably never really appreciated everything that goes into that perfectly roasted bean. Over the past year, I have started to find those coffee shops that really care about the experience in the cup of coffee they provide. I have no problem bypassing the national chains when I can find a local coffee shop!

My first introduction to Normal Roasting Company coffee was through a coffee stout from Scratchtown Brewing Company in Ord, Nebraska. The Normal Breakfast Stout had such a wonderful coffee flavor that I had to find out more about the company that created this coffee.

I loved how they were building this amazing coffee shop in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Burwell is the home of Normal Roasting and the owners take it very seriously about producing the best coffee possible. A labor of love, Sara and her husband Josh believe in the connection that good coffee brings to people. Over the past eight years, they have worked hard at every blend of coffee they have created.

One thing you know you will always get is the TLC that goes into each batch of coffee that gets roasted. No machine automation here, just a lot of hours carefully roasting and making sure each roast lives up to its expectations. That is one thing I really love about their coffees and I bet many others do also!

So how do you know how good your coffee really is?

You love the support of your community. You know the orders you are getting in. The big question is how would I rate with other coffee companies?

Normal Roasting this year participated in the fifth annual Golden Bean North America Roasting Competition. This is not a small competition. These are your top 500 roasters from the United States and Canada! I can’t imagine the nervous rush of energy when submitting your coffee to a competition like this!

There are 11 categories that blind-judged over a three-day period. I can see this being a lot of fun to judge! Normal Roasting submitted two of their most cherished coffees - Normal Espresso and the Loup River Blend. The results were bronze medals in three categories with two coffees. Normal Espresso took bronze in the espresso (a shot of espresso) and milk (latte = espresso + steamed milk) categories. Loup River Blend, a local favorite, took home a bronze in the pour over category.

What a great accomplishment!

It is been amazing to see how Sara and Josh Holmquist have taken over the Normal Roasting that started in a garage in Normal, Illinois. Their passion for getting coffee out to coffee shops, churches, restaurants, and businesses who have their same value of amazing coffee and connecting people is really cool!

I love what they are doing and enjoy having their coffee at home! You too have the same opportunity no matter where you live of ordering the coffee from their website.

I highly recommend if you make it out to Burwell, Nebraska that you stop in and have a good visit with Sara and Josh - oh and tell them Joe says “Hi”.

To good coffee and conversations!