The Legend of the Dancing Goats - Kaldi Coffee

The best coffee in the world just might possibly be Kaldi Coffee. I've read so many different accounts of the story behind this coffee that is hard to know exactly how it came to be, but it is a very cute little story no matter how it is told.

The Legend of Kaldi
The story tells of a goat herder by the name of Kaldi who happened upon some bushes that were decked out in bright red berries. He noticed that as his goats munched on the berries they became more energized, so he decided to sample the berries himself. Of course, he also experienced that caffeine rush we all get from our favorite cup of Joe. Kaldi soon shared his experience with some monks in his community. They experimented by roasting some of the red berries and realized that they were able to be more alert during their all night prayer sessions after sipping a cup of these brewed red berries.

Today there are several places that offer these same delicious beans. Kaldi Coffee seems to be considered among the very best. Here are a few places you can purchase the coffee and/or beans:

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar
One of the favorite places for coffee in the Atlanta area is Dancing Goats Coffee Bar located at 419 Ponce De Leon Avenue in Decatur, Georgia. Based on the many online reviews of this coffee shop, it is not only a huge place with ample seating, but it is also known for its friendly service, free parking (not often found in the area) and the coffee is as close to perfection as you will find. The only drawback to Dancing Goats seems to be that they do not offer a bottomless cup of coffee . . . no free refills here.

Kaldi.com
Another place on the World Wide Web where you can purchase your own Kaldi coffee beans and brew up a fresh pot is Kaldi Coffee. This source provides gourmet coffees roasted to order and has been a wholesale distributor since 1995. They also offer free shipping on orders of $20 or more. They also offer a variety of coffee brewing equipment, including air pots, decanter brewers, coffee grinders and much more.

Kaldi Roasting Company
Located in St. Louis, Missouri, The Kaldi Roasting Company will host the 2009 Midwest Regional Barista Competition. This takes place between October 30 and November 1st in St. Louis. Participants come from all surrounding states and compete by brewing up 12 different coffee beverages in 15 minutes time. The competition is free and open to the public.

Sources:
http://www.kaldi.com.au/about.html

http://www.dancinggoats.com/Home_C277.cfm?CFID=18725683&CFTOKEN=21668597

http://www.kaldi.com/index.htm

http://www.kaldiscoffee.com/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Coffee#Coffee_beans