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How to Do International Coffee Day Right

Share the goods.

We love coffee at 8THIRTYFOUR, but if you’re like us, you might be using it more for fuel than for taste.
However, because October 1st is International Coffee Day, it’s the perfect time to up our coffee game!
This can be a little intimidating considering that, according to our in-house coffee expert, coffee has more than 850 aromatic and flavor compounds, while our other favorite drink (wine) only has 200.
To help us (and you) check out this guide we created to best celebrate International Coffee Day:

Finding Good Coffee

Good coffee is more than attainable in a home setting, but the learning curve is much less steep if you go to a good specialty café.
Since another one of our loves is local business, this is great time to visit the small café near you. If you live in Grand Rapids, then there are plenty options, and many are ArtPrize venues around this time of year.
You may be asking, “How do I know if a café is ‘good’ or not?” While taste is ultimately subjective, there are a few things you can look for that signal that a coffee place is offering high quality coffee:

  • They know where their coffee comes from (both from which roaster, and from which country it was grown)
  • They have a manual brew method, such as pour over, aeropress, or French press
  • The baristas can answer all questions related to the coffee they brew

What to Drink

If it is a good café, then try everything and find your favorite.
Here are some good options on where to start:

  • A simple pour over, preferably with a single origin coffee
  • A shot of espresso, while not for everyone, is definitely an experience we suggest tried at least once
  • Cappuccinos are good if you like milk, as it has a lower milk-to-coffee ratio than a latte, so you can still experience the coffee taste prominently.

Lastly, remember that this is for your enjoyment. If you know you like lots of cream and sugar, or a basic Pumpkin Spice Latte, then drink that with pride despite what the coffee snobs of the world may think.
If you like coffee as much as us, then we would love to meet sometime over a cup and chat. We can even show you some of our favorite spots around town – let’s connect!

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Recent Musings

Something on Your Mind?

Every WOSB deserves support, access, guidance, and a network, because when they have it, they’re unstoppable.

Just because you be small, does not mean you are not mighty. The Women’s Owners Network will accept its first cohort this November. Applications are due October 1.

Thank you to @lakemichigan_cu for partnering with us to provide this program. Their support means we can offer this at a significantly lower cost to business owners.

Go apply at the link in bio.
Introducing our second speaker for Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause, happening this Thursday. 

Meet Cheryl Bergman, Executive Director of the @miwomenscomm.

Cheryl is a statewide policy leader driving economic opportunity and better health outcomes for women across Michigan. Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, she brings together employers, healthcare experts, advocates, and policymakers to tackle the issues that actually move the needle - economic security, affordable childcare, and midlife women's health.

Before this role, Cheryl helped elect Michigan's first woman U.S. Senator and first woman Governor, and served as Senior Advisor on Governor Whitmer's 2018 campaign.

She's exactly the voice this conversation needs.

Join Cheryl and our powerhouse lineup of industry experts at The Pause on September 24th. 

Link in bio to register - spaces are going fast.
We love this trend, so we thought we’d jump on it and ask the team some “hard-hitting questions” to end the week. 

We’re a team made up of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Find out who knows the most about the classics. Any guesses?
We've received so many questions from new grads about breaking into a competitive market as a young professional. It starts with one thing according to @bodespeaks: being the salesperson of YOU. Emulate the leaders in your industry and show up where they show up.

It's not who you know, it's who knows you
Use the playbook of people you admire
Show up consistently and be seen
A handwritten note beats 100 LinkedIn messages, always.

See more Bode wisdom at her YouTube channel linked in our bio.
Meet our first speaker spotlight: Dr. Karen May, DC, CCSP, CCIP.

Dr. May owns and operates @mhneuropathycenter, and she's joining us for Uncomfortable Community Conversations: The Pause on September 24th to talk about something we don't talk about enough. 

Her career has spanned from elite sports medicine, including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body. 

Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer.

Join us for The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio.
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