Press Release Author: by Justine R Lessman/Powell Tribune visiting Editor
Industry: Food & Beverage
Press Release Summary: MYSTIC MONK COFFEE ROASTING VENTURE ALLOWS CLARK MONKS TO ADHERE TO ANCIENT RULE
Press Release Body: The Monk works in solitude. Silent Steady. The Beans are poured,the roaster lit,the churning begins. His surroundings are a treat for the senses-calming shuffle of roasting beans,their inevitable change from green to mahogany, the warmth as they tumble from the drum, the nutty aroma as they are ground,the richness of the piping hot liquid as it graces the tongue. Yet the monk is unwavering, fixated on the work at hand, lost in prayer. He is Brother Elias of our Lady of Mount Carmel, head coffee roaster at the Mount Carmel Monastery in Clark Wyoming. Nestled in the shadow of the Beartooth Mountains, Elias toils-adhering to the ancient Monastic Rule of St Albert, The Rule of Life. "The Rule of ST. Albert stipulates that we monks sustain ourselves through the work of our own hands," explained Brother Michael Mary, Mount Carmel's blend-master and one of the longest-tenured monks at the monastery. "This is a way in which to do just that." The small band of Roman Catholic monks cloistered within tall wooden walls near Our Lady of the Valley Church in Clark, well known in the area and around the state for their traditional Gregorian Chant, embarked on their newest venture in-adherence to the Rule of St. Albert just a few months ago. Under the supervision of Father Daniel Mary, prior of the monastery, and using the masterful blends of Brother Michael Mary, the monks roast and package premium coffee now available to the public. Brother Michael says each bag of whole beans or ground is prepared with care and prayer, offering the masses a glimpse into the mystical lives of Wyoming's Carmelite monks. "it gives people an opportunity to enter into our lives," he said "to taste and experience the fruit of our work and the fruit of our prayer-the results of our holistic life." And it is good! all of the blends. Elias attributes the fact to his blend-master's sharp palette. "Brother is able to select very fine beans and blend hem together in the absolute best way," he said "He's really particular about this." Brother Michael has developed three special blends of four types of beans, ranging from light to dark roast. The Mystic Monk Blend, after which the line of coffee is named, is a meduim-dark roast Brother Michael describes as "very deep, very complex with a deep nutty taste." The Breakfast Blend "is more snappy-a light roast that really maintains the characteristics of each individual bean," he said.
The third came about as the result of inquisitive cowboys and a happy accident. "we had some local cowboys ask about a cowboy roast," Brother Michael said. "I didn't think much about it until the day of the accident." The "accident" involved a batch of fresh dark-roast beans being unintentionally poured into a hopper of forgotten light-roast beans. The results? "The bset smelling blend I have ever encountered," Brother Michael Said. "Light-roast and dark-roast together --it made a deep bodied coffee that was really snappy. It became the Cowboy blend." Also roasted at the monastery is Fair Trade Organic; a host of light, meduim and dark-roast coffees from around the globe; many types of flavored coffee; and decaffeinated coffee. Father Daniel credits Brother Michael with the idea to roast and package premium coffee. Brother Michael, in turn credits his sister, once owner o a Costa Rican coffee plantation. "We started looking into a roaster about a year ago," Michael said. Rule Elias describes the roaster he mans as "The Cadillac of coffee roasters." "We wanted to pack quality into each bag and this machine lets us do that," he said. Not only is quality packed into each bag, the monks said, so too are the hopes and dreams of a small band of brothers in northwestern Wyoming. "Proceeds from this are in support of our cause and in support of the new monastery we plan to construct," Brother Michael said. "God has sent us many new brothers and potential brothers, and with this Mystic Monk Coffee, God has send a means to support this work." Michael talks of adding brothers, expanding beyond the current walls, of relocating to a new site, of stone cathedrals and stained glass. All the while Brother Elias pours, roast, prays, a faithful follower of the rule os St. Albert-the Rule of Life. Brother Michael Leaves. Conversation stops. The familiar sounds, sights, feel, smells and tastes continue, uninterrupted. And the monk works in solitude. Silent, Steady.
2022
