Each weekday in the United States, 46 mothers hear these words for the first time.

Inspired by this statistic, a group of mothers came together last year to raise awareness, and funds, to help fight pediatric cancer. They shaved all the hair from their heads, and felt a tiny part of the humiliation that children with cancer have no choice but to endure, with no guarantee that it will grow back. Or that they'll live long enough for it to grow back.

This year, my wife Amy has been honored to be part of the second group of women to shave their heads with the group "46 Mommas Shave for the Brave." She is joining this cause in honor of our son Kaiden (K-man!), who is currently in remission after his hard fight with brain cancer. She will travel to Washington DC in September 2011 to be one of the 46 Mommas honoring all the children who are battling or have battled cancer, and the families who make the journey with them.

46 Mommas is joining forces with St. Baldrick's this year, and has a lofty goal of $1 million dollars for this event. Please help Amy toward her personal fundraising goal, and help science kick pediatric cancer's butt!

THANK YOU ALL for donating to the 46 Mommas / Shave for the Brave fundraiser!

The Kman Coffee push has run its course, and we appreciate all of you who donated, while we shipped out coffee to say thanks!

The response was fantastic, and it seems like every one of our friends and family donated and received some coffee! When the orders slowed down, we stopped ordering beans, so it's time to put a cap on the Kman Coffee fundraiser. We hope you enjoyed the coffee, and thanks again for your generous donations!

The date for Amy's head shave is September 21st, 2011. She's getting close to her goal of $15,000, so please continue to help, and pass along the link below.

 

Ready to Donate?

Here's what to do!

We're raising money to fund research efforts to CURE CHILDREN'S CANCER, through 46 Mommas and the St. Baldrick's foundation.

Donate what you feel like giving, using Amy's link below, and all of your donation goes to 46 Mommas/St. Baldrick's. You're helping to find a way to make sure fewer parents have to bury their children early.

 

Thanks!

Brian, Amy and Kaiden

• Donate to 46 Mommas - Shave for the Brave

This link will take you to Amy's "46 Mommas" donation page at St. Baldrick's.

 

See the bottom of the page for links with more info about Kaiden, the 46 Mommas, and the St. Baldrick's Shave for the Brave fundraiser.

 

About the coffee:

I buy my greens from Sweet Maria's, with full faith in their practices, expertise and product quality. I'm roasting in a Nesco home roaster, which can do about 3oz per batch. Each batch takes about 20 minutes to roast and cool, so your 1/2 lb bag takes me about an hour to prep, roast, package and label.

Your coffee beans will be packed immediately after roasting, in a self-venting sealed bag. The one-way valve allows the CO2 gasses (which are emitted for several hours after roasting) to purge the oxygen from the bag, ensuring that it's fresh when it arrives via priority mail. You can consider the coffee beans top quality for 10-14 days after receiving them, but they'll start to lose flavor after that, like any coffee. The descriptions in the menu apply to the flavor characteristics of a properly brewed cup of this coffee. There are no sweeteners or flavorings added to the beans.

Each varietal of coffee is roasted to the level that complements its flavors best. If you're used to tasting only the "roast flavor" of bulk-purchased, lower quality beans from big chain roasters, instead of the "origin flavor" of good beans that can take a lighter roast, please keep your mind open for the differences. There's more to coffee than just turning beans to charcoal.

For best results, grind immediately before use. Use a fine to medium grind for drip cone or machine brewing. In a French press, use water just off the boil, over medium-coarse to coarse grounds. Allow to steep for 4-5 minutes, then pour into a vacuum flask if possible, to retain heat and stop the extraction process.

I grind 50-60 grams (5-6 "coffee scoops") of beans for my 32oz press, or half of that if I'm only filling it half way. "Bitter coffee" is often caused by over-extraction, so adjust your grounds and steep time to taste.

Last tip: Don't chug! Take your time and enjoy all the flavors of truly fresh coffee. The flavors change as the cup cools, so resist the urge to chug the last bit, and savor the coffee in all of its phases.

Enjoy!