Go green with our new Biodegradable Ugly Cups! In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, Ugly Mug Coffee has made the switch from recyclable Ugly Cups to 100% Biodegradable Ugly Cups with aluminum lids. By teaming up with our manufacturer, Joy Goal, we were able to transition to a biobased plastic made from renewable raw materials that is both 100% biodegradable and compostable.
Our cups are now NON-GMO, ecofriendly PLA cups made of cornstarch. With over 80 patents for ecofriendly products including the US Patent (No. 11118226), these cups are certified compostable (*BPI & EN 13432, OK Compose & OK Biobased Certified). They are made of disposable virgin PP laminated with EVOH, and are SGS Standard Passed with High Barrier.
Check out the specs in full detail below:
What does this mean for you?
The bioplastic used in our cups are the only PLA that is both biodegradable and compostable. They are the world's first greenhouse-gas-neutral polymer, and can enrich soil when composted. The biobased plastic these cups are made from require significantly less energy to mold, and uses 68% less fossil fuel resources than traditional plastics. Instead of taking 500 years to break down, these take as little as under 2 months to decompose. Not only are our cups more carbon-neutral, they also have 20% more coffee (so they're 20% stronger)! Average k cups only have about 9 grams of coffee per cup, while ours have 11-12 grams per cup.
]]>Introducing Ugly Mug's newest Rare Origin Coffee: Myanmar. This Naturally Processed Coffee features cupping notes of floral blueberry and white grape flavors. This coffee is in an extremely limited supply and is by far the most difficult to obtain of our rare origin coffees.
COFFEE CULTIVATION
Myanmar (formerly Burma) boasts favorable conditions for coffee cultivation. Sitting at 4,250 - 5,250 feet above sea-level with a tropical climate and nutrient-rich, red-brown soil, this environment provides densely flavored beans. Coffee growing was originally introduced to Myanmar by missionaries in 1885, and only began to boom in production in the early 2000s.
HISTORY OF THE BEAN
Political unrest and civil rights issues caused the coffee market in Myanmar to be unsteady, leading to limited availability on the market. However, the end of a long military dictatorship has seen coffee cultivation flourish and the steady increase of coffee production, specifically by Myanma farmers.
Grind City Coffee has been hosting it's Xpo for the last 3 years, highlighting the people and passion in and of the coffee community. By hosting social events that are inclusive, educational, and craft centric their goal is to foster community over competition.
With tons of local coffee houses, specialty roasts and blends of beans come "grind, sip, repeat" your way through the Xpo with the Memphis coffee community. There will be tips, tricks, techniques and latte art galore.
We will also be sharing the event space with another exciting event - Fieldaze, who will be using Wiseacre as their hub for their 3-day adventure-centric event. For more information about their event checkout the Fieldaze Website.
For more information about the Xpo checkout the Grind City Coffee Website.
Proceeds of the Xpo will benefit Protect Our Aquifer.
You can purchase tickets (for different times and price points) here.
The Xpo is on Saturday November 6, 2021 from 10 am - 3 pm located at Wiseacre HQ 398 South BB King Blvd. Memphis, TN 38126. We can't wait to see you there!
]]>The celebration brought with it live music, fire dancers, food trucks, craft vendors, luminary bag decorations and more activities for all of us to enjoy. It was a wonderful day to honor the nations best, and salute the community in which we thrive.
We are proud to support and be supported in this event for and by the Nations community. We loved gathering with our neighbors to give back with games, giveaways and prizes and we are thankful we got to have such a good time with all of those who stopped by.
We look forward to seeing you next year at the 6th Annual Light The Nations. Till then.
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Inspired by the strongest among us, our Coffee Roasters set out to create a coffee that could compete with the likes of our boldest beans (think Ugly Mug's Think Big). Our head roaster and his team got together for some Coffee Cupping, or Coffee Tasting, where they taste-tested small batches of sample roasting they did to begin the journey of finding the perfect combination. If pressure creates diamonds, roasting coffee creates delicious inspiration. They had to fine tune the flavors through the arduous process of finding the taste of each bean, pairing them appropriately and then roasting each to later blend. They sourced beans from Guatemala and Sumatra Island, then began experimenting on the roast.
We all want to be at our best when facing the world and coffee beans are no different. Before coffee beans are finished roasting and ready for your morning brew, they have to go through the process of Bean Development. This process is crucial for flavor and aroma creation during roasting. Coffee beans, technically, begin developing once they enter the roasting drum and continue developing to the moment they are ground and added into water to be brewed. Early chemical reactions create a foundation for the Development Phase, which for roasters, begins at what's called the First Crack. The pace of your roasting determines the coffee's profile from the First Crack where different flavor dimensions will emerge. In our case with Amplifier the flavors our roasters were looking for emerged between the First and Second Crack.
Because of this process our team of Coffee Roasters were able to create this Indonesian blend which has a bold flavor and features notes of Cocoa and Smoked Almond. Not for the faint of heart, Amplifier is for those of us that need motivation in the form of a cup to wake up and feel alive for the day. With its bold, strong, full body and rich flavor you'll be ready to handle whatever life throws at you. Grab a bag today and see what you can take on.
]]>You can make it your own by drizzling it with our Pumpkin Spice Syrup or topping it with a biscotti. You can even try this drink cold. The possibilities are endless!
With Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
1 cup milk of your choice
1 tbsp. pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling (homemade or store bought)
½ - 1.5 tbsp. Sugar (depending on preference)
Or, you can use Ugly Mug Coffee's Mosaic Pumpkin Spice Syrup
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. Pumpkin Spice
Or dash of cloves, dash of nutmeg, ⅛ tsp. cinnamon
Optional – dash black pepper, ginger, allspice
1-2 shots Ugly Mug Coffee's Classic Espresso (for classic latte)
Or, ¼ cup Ugly Mug Coffee's Pumpkin Spice Coffee or Pumpkin Spice Ugly Cups (for stronger pumpkin spice flavor)
Optional – whipped cream
Instructions:
Without Pumpkin Puree
Ingredients:
1-3 pumps Ugly Mug Coffee's Mosaic Pumpkin Spice Syrup (per your preference)
1-2 shots Ugly Mug Coffee's Classic Espresso (for classic latte)
Or, ¼ cup Ugly Mug Coffee's Pumpkin Spice Coffee or Pumpkin Spice Ugly Cups (for stronger pumpkin spice flavor)
1⅓ tsp. Pumpkin spice seasoning
Or ¾ tsp. Cinnamon, ¼ tsp. Nutmeg, ¼ tsp. Cloves
Optional – dash black pepper, ginger, ¼ tsp. allspice
1 cup milk of your choice
Steamed or boiled
* if boiled, whisk afterwards
Optional - whipped cream
Instructions:
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We're happy to know that our Café's commitment to service, quality products, and personal style won your hearts over enough to get us here. We'd like to thank our awesome team at the Poplar location for their dedication. We apply a standard of training in our own Barista Certification Program, our Ugly Mug Method, which helps us to ensure outstanding performance and service. None of which would be possible without our amazing staff, or the one-of-a-kind beans they brew.
Not only are we dedicated to the happiness of our customers, we're also passionate about our craft. Our mission is to be the premiere provider of quality coffee and services, and our coffee roasting is at the center of this vision. Our head coffee roaster David, has 30 years' experience of sourcing and curating the perfect combination of flavors. With dedicated commitment to searching the world for unique coffee beans to include in our craft we are able to focus on the quality and flavor that is unique to our beans. Because of this, we were up to the challenge. We are so to have won best coffee roasters, but if it weren't for our customers, the true heroes of this moment, we wouldn't be here at all.
We at Ugly Mug Coffee are passionate about our craft, dedicated to the happiness of our customers, and driven to do best by both, and because of you we have. We love serving locally, creating and doing our thing in our backyard to give back to our community. We want to thank our customers for encouraging us with their support. We are so happy to have won this year's Best of Memphis, but Memphis is only the best because of the people that call it home.
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Ever since their first festival 5 years ago, Light The Nations has supported over 50 local business annually in the Nations neighborhood with its free family (and dog) friendly event while a percentage of the festival funds supports Thistle Farms. The Festival features food, music, local businesses, artists, vendors, live entertainment, activities and so much more.
We are so excited to be a sponsor of this year's event and we can't wait to see you there! We'll have tons to show you and share with you, we'll have coffee trivia games and even have a raffle wheel in which you could win one of many amazing prizes. If you're in Nashville and looking to have a great time (or get holiday shopping done early) then check it out, and while you're there don't forget to stop by Ugly Mug and grab something to drink, eat, or a gift for the coffee lover in your life.
You can find more about the festival on their website at lightthenationsnashville.com
Here, you can find a festival map, FAQs, the performance lineup, and a list of vendors. If you're curious and would like to know more, you can reach out to Light The Nations via their website, or contact us if your question is Ugly Mug specific.
The Festival is on Saturday October 16, 2021 from 2 pm -10 pm located at 51st Ave. N. Nashville, TN 37209. We can't wait to see you there!
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When designing an at home coffee bar, you can make it as simple or as elaborate as you'd like! Below, you'll find 6 tips on basics that you'll need to design an at-home coffee solution.
Now this may seem simple, but this is really the basic step in any sort of coffee setup. Most people will arrange some sort of counter space in their kitchen so they can be close to the sink and to wall outlets. This is a great idea, especially for smaller spaces. If you have more flexibility with the amount of space you're working with, you can use a separate bar height table and create your own separate coffee bar area.
Do you want a simple cup of coffee? Or do you want to learn how to create crafted, intricate beverages? Deciding on what kind of coffee you'd like to be able to create is an integral part of building your coffee bar. There are a million different machines on the market, so make sure to do research on what each one has and the restrictions on different machines.
Over the last couple of years, single-serve machines have become really popular with a huge amount of coffee consumers. Big names like Keurig and Nespresso sell their machines, but they do have limitations. Since these machines will only take certain cups, you have to make sure you're okay with only buying one certain type of product. A Keurig is going to offer a little more flexibility than a Nespresso machine, and we actually sell our own single-serve cups that can be used in Keurig machines at home!
**INSERT LINK TO K-Cups**
If you're more of a traditional coffee drinker, a normal pot brewer could work fine just for you. Or, if you'd like to be able to have the most flexibility with drinks, you can also purchase an espresso machine. This will definitely be the priciest option, but if coffee is a hobby of yours, it can be a great investment into learning the craft.
Utensils are necessary but you can also have fun with your choices! Creating a certain aesthetic for your coffee bar is an enjoyable experience that will make your coffee-making process just a little more special. For utensils to start, we recommend getting some measuring tools, as well as mugs, glasses, as well as straws and stirrers if you are having iced beverages. With utensils, there's quite a variety of options to choose from depending on what kind of drinks you want to create. Hand-held frothers are also a great option for at-home coffee bars if you want an easy way to stir your drink or just to froth your milk.
If you prefer grinding your own coffee, make sure you purchase a grinder as well! You can get great grinders for decent prices on just about any ecommerce website, like Amazon or Walmart.
Now that you have all the basics for your coffee bar, now you get to pick out the most important part: the coffee! One of the best things about coffee is that there are so many options for any sort of coffee-drinker palette. Flavored coffee has become increasingly popular, and we like to think that we have some of the best flavored coffee in the game! Buttermoon is a great coffee option for those who like a buttery, nutty cup of coffee. The smells that arise from a fresh pot of Buttermoon are sure to pull anyone out from even the deepest of slumbers. Regular coffees are the OG, so we must pay them respect as well. Depending on your preference of light, medium, or dark, you should be able to find a cup of coffee that makes you feel just right- but don't be afraid to experiment! One of our most popular blends combines light and dark roasted coffee- and once you've tried it you'll never go back. ***SAVING GRACE***
If you're into espresso-based drinks, we got you covered, too! Our espresso is available in both whole bean and ground, and it'll be sure to become a staple in your coffee routine once you experience the buzz.
Sweet coffee-lovers: this is where you shine. Drink add-ins allow you to customize and experiment with your drinks so you can have the perfect cup depending on your mood that day! The possibilities are truly endless: they are so many syrup, sugar, and milk varieties on the market today that your ability to create any drink is truly a glass ceiling. Toppings are also a fun way to spice up any drink that you have! Whipped cream is always a popular choice (which you can also find dairy-free versions of in most grocery stores), but you can also use your milk frother to create foams to top your drink with! All you have to do it combine milk and syrup, froth it up, and top your drink with it for a little extra softness in your sip.
Love toppings? Fancy cups? Make sure your bar is somewhere you want to spend a little chunk of your morning- the more it reflects you, the better.
]]>Uganda has been investing in elevating the quality of their coffees for years and it is beginning to pay off in a big way. Bordering Kenya, Uganda coffees are high grown and share some of the notes from Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees, which are known for their wine-like acidity and complex fruit tones.
This particular coffee is characterized by a silky body and hint of acidity in the finish. The flavor profile has an herby complexity punctuated by flavors of brazil nut and lite citrus. The aroma is a mild high note of stone fruit.
This coffee stands alone as a great addition to your morning routine, and will leave you feeling light and bright to start the day!
Link to buy: https://ugmcoffee.myshopify.com/collections/regular-coffee/products/rare-origins-uganda
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