The Straight Poop:

By Drake the Dog
Reader Pet Columnist

Where am I taking my humans today?   Here are some paws up clues:

•Aficionados spend 2,555- minutes waiting in line for this item annually.

•This product was originally chewed.

•Beethoven enjoyed this product daily and was extremely particular about it’s preparation. He insisted that this item contained exactly 60 units.

•This product is second only to oil, as the world’s most valuable commodity

•Annual global consumption is about 12 billion pounds.

•It’s a fruit!

•This product has over 850 flavor compounds.

•This business was the official host of the FIRST Yappy Hour, and the tradition continues every year.

•Frank Sinatra sang a song about it.

•The Mr. and Missus have this product everyday, sometimes twice!

Paws up … anyone?  Here’s three more:

1.  Top 3 Winner of America’s Best Coffee House Competition in Portland, 10/2015

2.  2016 and 2013 Good Food Award’s Winner, San Francisco

3.  Home of my BFD- Roxy

Rick Evans with Drake (left) and Roxy (right).

You guessed it! Evans Brothers Coffee, located at 524 Church St. We open the door, and the smell of coffee is amazing—just like home. We are greeted by Roxy, my BFD, the official EB shop dog, and brothers Rick and Randy Evans. Roxy is somewhat of a mystery; she may be part Sheppard, part Sheba Innu, and part Yoda from Star Wars. Four years ago, Rick adopted her from the Panhandle Animal Shelter. She already had four or more owners (not her fault, dying, jail, etc). She visits with every customer, and is more comfortable at the shop than at home. She even has her bed here! We started our friendship rockin’ to KHQ’s Sean Owsley’s band, The Blue Mustangs at Oktoberfest, and now we enjoy coffee weekly in the EB living room.

EB’s passion is to bring the best and highest coffee to their customers daily. They recently added some dog day morning and afternoon comfortable leather chairs, sofa, tables, woodstove, and a coffee bar. Everyone is drinking amazing coffee, reading, and conversing. It is so great to see so many of my four footed friends in the local living room. I love this place in the summer too. We are able to enjoy the summer sun outside on the patio.

As the Missus and I talked to Rick, we learned that EB has been here for almost seven years.  Rick and his brother Randy moved to Sandpoint in order to raise their families in a nurturing community, and Sandpoint offers the best of everything, including skiing.

EB stands out among the rest of local coffee shops because they source exceptional raw beans. The owners want to know about the origin, the farmer, the cultivation, processing, and storage. Randy and Rick are seeking relationships with producers who share their beliefs and passion for providing the best coffee.  They will travel to  faraway places in efforts to cultivate those relationships.  And here’s the Straight Poop –EB will be unveiling a new coffee from Brazil soon!

Rick says,  “Coffee is exciting because we get to be a part of the tremendous, impactful world of specialty coffee. It’s a fascinating business, connected to so many inspiring people, including not only our producer and importer partners but our customers as well. I enjoy every day at work. For example, we have learned to  ‘cup’ –a technique that involves slurping and spitting a tablespoon of coffee to analyze the aromas and flavor.  This is similar to wine tasting. We will ‘cup’ countless samples before we purchase a single bag of coffee. Then we roast and ‘cup’ that coffee at the shop until we have created the optimal roast:  a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, body, and aftertaste.”   I’m all into that slurping technique, as I have mastered the EB water bowl! The EB team offers customer  ‘cup’ demos, which are led by Randy and Daniel Gunter. Let’s go slurp!

EB is my home away from home. These guys make dog lovers and their owners feel welcome. Coffee and dogs, what -a winning combination!  But wait, there’s more.  Just as we were leaving, our friend John Hatcher, owner of EzyDog brought us some coffee and some special news.  Starting with this issue, all of our featured Straight Poop business owners will receive a new leash and collar for their  ‘shop dog.’  EzyDog also provides each Shelter dog with a collar when adopted. A pawliday for a safe 2016! Thank you EzyDog!

When you visit EB, take time to smell the coffee, and:

1. Leash and collar optional—if you behave.

2. Slurpping ‘a cupa’ is ok.

3. Relax on the rug by the woodstove.

4. Share treats with Roxy.

5. Do not interfere with the non-dog owners enjoying their coffee experience.

6. Take some coffee home for your friends and family

7. Coming soon—grain free dog treats. YUMMO!

Look for the PAW sticker in the window of the following dog friendly businesses:

•Cedar St. Bistro

•Sunshine Goldmine Company

•The Alpine Shop (Sandpoint and Schweitzer Mtn.)

•Flying Fish Co.

•Taylor and Sons Chevrolet

•Eve’s Leaves

•Evans Brothers Coffee….and more on the way!