A new coffee roasting company is open for business in Thompson Falls. Koo Koo Sint Coffee owners Sylvia and Luke Miller named their business after David Thompson "because we live up Thompson River Road," Sylvia said. The Native Americans referred to Thompson as Koo Koo Sint, she added.

The couple started their business in February but Luke said he has been roasting coffee for eight years. "I began roasting beans for friends and family until one of them said I should start a business," he said. They launched their website on Valentine's Day. Coffee is currently only available online, but the Millers hope to have their special roasts available in stores and coffee shops in the near future.

The beans are organically grown and come from wholesale farms that get profits from the sales. "It's called Profit First which means the farmer gets the money for their work instead of the government, or some other entity," Sylvia said. The beans are shipped to Seattle or San Francisco as silver skinned from countries such as Honduras, Guatemala or Yemin. The beans originally are red and called cherries because they have a red coating that gets removed in the first process. "No chemicals are used in the processing of the beans," Luke said. One farm in Honduras has been family owned and operated since 1865, he added. The coffee is shipped in humidity and moisture controlled containers to the West Coast. "Once we receive the beans, we roast them to remove the chaff during the final roasting stage of light, medium or dark," he said. Certain beans are better as light roast while others taste better as dark roasts. "The beans are fresh and chemical free, so they are less acidic and cause fewer side effects typical of other coffees," Luke said.

The Yemin beans are air dried on rooftops and are picked by hand. Luke said good crops are special as Yemin is one of the drier places for coffee to grow. The unroasted beans have a grassy scent. "Our Yemini coffee is on the higher end of pricing, but it also is a milder coffee lightly roasted to bring out the unique aroma and flavor," Sylvia said.

Peaberry coffee beans are a cherry with one bean in them instead of the usual two, Sylvia explained. "They tend to have a strong, uniquely distinct flavor," she said. Ethiopian beans have a fruity aroma, Sylvia added.

Luke explained that coffee is graded on a scale of zero to 100. Specialty coffees are 80 or above. "We won't buy coffee with a score below 85," he said. The Millers are working on being organically certified by the USDA so they can put that on the bag labels. "Right now our labels say the beans are from an organically grown source but we can't say they are organic on our end until we get certified," Sylvia said.

Luke creates his own roast profile, and altitude and temperature affect the roast, flavor and color, he said. The beans are placed in the hopper and are heated and go through an agitator, then roasted in a seasoned cast iron drum where the chaff is sifted out. "We can create special blends to order," he said. Beans can be roasted at different temperatures for varied aromas and tastes. Roasting levels create sights, sounds, taste, smell, and touch qualities for discriminating coffee drinkers, Luke said. The temperatures for roasting vary from 417 degrees, which produces fruity lighter results, to 470 degrees for a full rich dark coffee result. Customers can choose which roast they want and from which source, or they can have a blend. The bags have the roasted date so customers know how fresh they are and the best use by date. Luke suggests using the beans within three weeks.

The Millers are originally from Ohio and moved to Oregon, then to Thompson Falls three years ago. Luke is a physical therapist at Aspire Physical Therapy in Thompson Falls.

Sylvia does free drop off in Plains on Fridays. The Millers give a 10% discount to first responders. Orders can be placed at [email protected], kookoosintcoffee.com, or call (406) 916-6006.