Coffee Long Boards are HOT

There’s a lot going on that’s cool concerning coffee in Coeur   d’Alene, Idaho, especially considering the size of the city. I’ve gotten to know some great baristas from Dave Patterson’s cafe, Java, and of course we all know the esteemed Jon Lewis hung his hat in Coeur d’Alene for a while.

Now there’s a whole new reason for coffee pros and baristas with cool cred to love the city though: it’s where you can find artist Mike Normand, who is a teacher, coach and builder of long boards.

Mike and Dave Patterson are pals, so Mike made Dave some long boards for Java, using coffee as the grip, and they’re cool as hell.

“I have made boards for about 10 years, but I have been using coffee grip for the last three,” Mike tells me. “I have shipped these boards all over the country. I am a small business. I make and sell 40 to 50 boards a year.”

Mike works on a small, artisan level, just like so many of us in specialty coffee do ”and his work speaks for itself. So if you’re into long boards and want to talk to Mike about getting one of the beauties for yourself, look him up on Facebook at Mike Normand and/or Coeur d’Alene LongBoards. Or just email him at cdalongboards@adelphia.net.