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Frequently
ASKED QUESTIONS

Joe’s always up for answering questions. Here are some answers Joe’s given to questions he
gets all the time.

How can I learn more about RealCup™ Single Serve?

Call: (877) 991-9922 or Email: singleserve@realcup.ca

When was Martinson Coffee founded?

1898

Legend behind “Cup of Joe”?

A resourceful lad, he had the idea of roasting several kinds of high-quality coffee beans separately before blending them – an intricate, labor-intensive modus operandi rarely used then or now – in his mother’s kitchen.

Joe maximized flavor by discovering and using the ideal roast for each particular type of bean. The formula was an immediate success. The coffee aroma emanating from Joe’s cart as he made his popular door-to-door deliveries gave birth, word has it, to the expression “Cup of Joe.”

In 1908, Joe bought his first small factory and began marketing his premium blend to hotels and restaurants. Soon after, he packaged the ground coffee in cans and sold it to stores.

Joe was a pioneer in marketing. He bought a small fleet of Rolls Royces in the 1930s and painted the Martinson logo on them. He had the back seats removed and sent out salesmen and delivery guys dressed as chauffeurs to deliver the coffee to upscale hotels and restaurants in Manhattan. Ahead of his time, the clever entrepreneur also used small airplanes to streak across the Big Apple skyline trailing banners and served free coffee on Wall Street in the thick of winter from a Martinson bus.

Where does Coffee Come From?

Coffee grows best in an area known as the Bean Belt -the band around the Earth in between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

Coffee Cupping?

The tasting of coffee is referred to as “cupping”. The tasting of coffee is a rigorous and disciplined process.

The taster or “Cupper” first assesses the green coffee raw material for appearance. The green beans are then roasted in a small laboratory scale roaster and tested for flavor and aroma.

After the coffee has been infused in water, the taster “noses” the brew. After seven minutes, the brew is lightly stirred and smelled again. The resulting foam is removed and the tasting begins.

Coffee Roasting?

The process of roasting which can use convection, radiation or conduction, in various combinations, is the application of thermal energy which initiates physical and chemical changes within coffee beans. During roasting, sugars combine with amino acids, peptides and proteins in a caramelization process called Maillard’s reaction, responsible for many of the health benefits of coffee that continue to be discovered. The resulting roast may contain more than 1,000 different compunds affecting flavor and aroma!

This application of thermal energy can be varied by degree and timing in almost infinite combinations, each one having potential effect on flavor and aroma. Over the years, roasters have begun to log and graph these control factors in an effort to replicate prior roasts which have been found to develop flavor and aroma to an ideal or target level. Such efforts are known as "Profile Roasting".

Where can I find the nutritional information for Coffee?

Due to insignificant nutritional values, coffee is exempt from nutritional labeling. Coffee is the only ingredient.

Do your Coffees contain any allergens?

Are Martinson Coffees Kosher?

Yes

How much caffeine is left after the decaffeination process?

No more than 3% caffeine remains in decaffeinated coffee as per US regulations.

What’s a Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee?

The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal supports environmental, social and economic sustainability. Certification is awarded to farms which meet comprehensive standards, which includes providing habitats in which plant and animal-life can thrive, while providing farmers and their families with resources and support to sustain their livelihood.