TONX: New, subscription-based "artisanal coffee" by mail

My friend and fellow coffee-lover Tony Konecny, aka @tonx, has launched a cool new business with co-founder Nikolaus Bauman at tonx.org. For $35 a month, they'll ship you a 12-oz bag every two weeks of their favorite beans fresh-roasted (like, within the last few days). That's it. You don't have to drive anywhere or remember much or make any decisions.

They're doing other interesting things with email alerts and flash-sales via Twitter, but all I care about is that Tony is obsessed with coffee like a record store nerd is with vinyl. You can read his blog to get inside his head and learn more about the nuances of coffee production, selection, roasting, and brewing, and cupping, and on and on —or not. Me, I trust the guy's taste. I just want really good coffee. Send me the beans.

I met up with Tony in Los Angeles yesterday, and got a bag of the current offering. He roasted it two days ago. I brewed some this morning. It was heaven. These were from La Antigua, Guatemala, and a finca I've visited in person before. I felt like I was back in Guate, and could taste the air and flowers and caramel-colored earth in the beans. They were fresh and exquisitely crafted.

I will be subscribing today.

(photo by tonx)