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Who were the Contras? Why should I support them? Is Contra Café certified Fair Trade Coffee? Where can I buy Contra Café? How does Club Contra work? |
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What type of coffee is Contra Café? Does Contra Café offer different roasts? Is all Contra Café coffee grown by former Contras? How much coffee does one 16 oz. bag make? How much Contra Café should I use when brewing a cup? How long can I keep a bag of Contra Café? Should I keep my Contra Café in the refrigerator or the freezer to keep it fresh? Should I order ground or whole bean Contra Café? Does Contra Café offer decaf? How much does shipping cost? What if I want to buy a large quantity of Contra Café, can I get a discount? Is online ordering safe? When will my order be delivered? Do you offer other Contra Café merchandise? What other websites do you recommend? Who were the Contras? Why should I support them? The Contras were freedom fighters who battled to overthrow the communist Sandinista regime that ruled Nicaragua in the 1980s. President Reagan called the Contras "the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers." The first Contras actually fought beside the Sandinistas throughout the 1970s to overthrow the Somoza dictatorship, but they turned against the Sandinista Revolution when it embraced Marxism rather than democracy. These early Contras were later joined by people like the Contra Café farmers, who entered the democratic resistance rather than serve in the army of a Marxist regime. To learn more, check out The Real Contra War: Highlander Peasant Resistance in Nicaragua by Timothy C. Brown, a scholar at Stanford's Hoover Institution. Is Contra Café certified Fair Trade Coffee? No. Contra Café is not certified Fair Trade coffee. However, Contra Café does pay its producers more than the established Fair Trade price. Fair Trade pays $1.26 per pound for conventional and $1.41 per pound for organic coffee. Contra Café pays $1.50 per pound for a mix of conventional and organic coffee. More importantly, Contra Café donates a portion of profits back to the cooperative for development projects. Where can I buy Contra Café? Contra Café is available on this website for $12 per 1 pound bag, or $10 per bag if you join Club Contra. We also offer t-shirts and mugs to help you show your support for the Contras. Go here to purchase. You can also call toll free (888) 277-6520 to place an order. How does Club Contra work? Sign up for Club Contra to receive monthly shipments of Contra Café at a reduced price of $9 per bag. At checkout, you'll choose the number of bags per shipment and the shipping method. You'll pay immediately for your first month. After that, we'll continue to send your order once a month and your credit card will be charged after each order is shipped. It's a great way to ensure you always have Contra Café on hand. Cancel anytime by emailing customerservice@contracafe.com. What type of coffee is Contra Café? Contra Café is 100% Arabica coffee that is shade-grown in the highlands of Nicaragua's Jinotega region. Does Contra Café offer different roasts? We are proud to offer Contra Café in two versions. Our medium roast has a mild and sweet flavor, while our dark roast has an intense smoky and toasted flavor. You'll find both roasts to be rich and full in profile. The medium roast will highlight more of the tastes unique to these particular farms and this particular growing region of Nicaragua. The darker roast will focus attention on the roast itself, bringing out the smoky fullness of the longer roasting time. Is all Contra Café coffee grown by former Contras? Our coffee comes directly from a cooperative of former Contra growers. However, we may be forced to source from other specialty growers when the cooperative does not have sufficient coffee to meet our customer demand. In the event we source from other growers, the Contra farmers still receive a portion of the profits that Contra Café makes. How much coffee does one 16 oz. bag make? Depending on how strong you want to brew your coffee, one bag of Contra Café makes 40 cups of coffee, which is $0.25 per delicious cup. How much Contra Café should I use when brewing a cup? A good rule is 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 8 oz. cup. If it's too strong, you can always add water. How long can I keep a bag of Contra Café? Unopened bags can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to three months. Once opened, whole beans will keep up to four weeks from date of delivery, but ground coffee should be brewed within a week or two. Should I keep my Contra Café in the refrigerator or the freezer to keep it fresh? Neither. Freezers and refrigerators are full of odors that will be absorbed into your coffee. Refrigeration also causes condensation on the coffee, which will cause the flavor to deteriorate rapidly. You should buy only enough coffee to last you one month or less. Should I order ground or whole bean Contra Café? Whole bean coffee offers the best flavor because you grind it at the time of brewing. If you are giving Contra Café as a gift, it is best to buy ground if you don't know how the receiver likes to enjoy his/her coffee. Does Contra Café offer decaf? No. Freedom Fighters love caffeine. How much does shipping cost? When you fill out your order, the system will show your shipping cost. You will have an opportunity to review your order before purchasing. What if I want to buy a large quantity of Contra Café, can I get a discount? We would be happy to discuss large orders with anyone who is interested. Please contact sales@contracafe.com with your inquiry. Is online ordering safe? Shopping at contracafe.com is safe. Every credit card purchase is backed by our secure server technology. Our software encrypts all of your personal information so that it cannot be read during transmission over the Internet. Personal information gathered on the Contra Café website is kept confidential. We do not sell information gathered on this site to other companies or send unsolicited e-mails to customers. When will my order be delivered? At Contra Café, we roast to order, which simply means that your coffee is roasted after you place your order and then shipped as soon as possible. This guarantees you the freshest coffee available. We strive to ship your coffee within 1-2 days of receiving your order. If you selected:
Currently we have coffee, t-shirts, and coffee mugs available under our Order Contra Café link. If you have a good idea for another product, please contact customerservice@contracafe.com. What other websites do you recommend? We've been asked what else is out there on the web similar to Contra Café. There's nothing quite the same but these are some of our favorite sites (it's a preliminary and non-exhaustive list):
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