Making Waco Men Better Since 1852

Busy Brew

Busy Brew Coffee

busy brew

For years, Waco Masonic Lodge has operated the Coffee Shop in the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas during its annual convention. In 2017, the officers of Waco Masonic Lodge collaborated to develop a coffee of our very own to serve at Grand Lodge. On August 21, while the Moon blottted out the Sun fun factduring the eclipse, our coffee, Busy Brew, was born at Apex Coffee Roasters downtown near where our lodge had its first meeting in 1851.

Busy Brew is a high-quality single-source coffee farmed in Colombia, roasted in downtown Waco, and packaged at Waco Masonic Lodge. It is a flavorful and energizing beverage for busy men and women.

Why a Beehive?

One of our lodge leaders, Dave McHam, is a graduate of coffee college and came up with the name, Busy Brew as well as its image: a beehive. This extends a tradition used in masonic symbolism as well some of the most ancient philosophical systems known to man. Ancient Egyptians used honey with food, as an antiseptic, and even as an aide to childbirth. They believed their god, Re, cried tears that turned into bees and pollinated the world. The Minoans, Greeks, and Romans all had sacred beliefs regarding bees, honey, and what mankind could learn from their industrious and productive nature. In Book IV of Virgil’s Georgics, we find a complete contemplation of bees and honey with the message that:

Some say that unto bees a share is given of the Divine Intelligence.” -Virgil

Masonically, reference to the importance of the beehive as a symbol can be found right at the beginning of freemasonry as we know it in the 1720s. Jonathan Swift, of “Gulliver’s Travels” fame and a prominent freemason himself, wrote under one of his many pseudonyms that:

“A bee has in all ages and nations been the grand hieroglyphic of Masonry, because it excels all other living creatures in the contrivance and commodiousness of its habitation or comb; … nay Masonry or Building seems to be of the very essence or nature of the bee, for her building not the ordinary way of all other living creatures, is the generative cause which produces the young ones….”   

Thus, the beehive has been used all throughout our fraternity to symbolize industriousness and the sweet results of one’s labors. Teamwork, subservience where appropriate, and a consistent dedication to the work at hand are all essential to the freemason, and indeed, to all humanity.

Today, we know that honey is, as the Egyptians thought, antibacterial and contains numerous vitamins and minerals as well as unique qualities specific to each honey’s regional source. In modern society, coffee is much more often thought of as the fuel for a busy person much in the same way that the Egyptians and Greeks thought of honey so why not combine both the industrious elixir of the ancients with the enlivening beverage of modernity? Recent studies even suggest that the combination of a spoonful of honey with a cup of coffee makes a better cough remedy than common cough medicines.

How to Get Busy Brew

You can order a bag to be shipped to your home by scrolling down at our online store here or by visiting the lodge any Thursday between 9am and 7pm to get it in person.

How to Drink Your Busy Brew

Of course, we encourage creativity. Drink it any way you want! And truthfully, we think that it is hard to get a bad cup of coffee out of a Busy Brew bag. However, we do have some recommendations that are generally true to making any coffee better:

  1. It is best to use filtered or bottled water.
  2. Use 8 spoonfuls of coffee for every 6 cups of water.
  3. If you opted for the whole bean option, wait to grind your beans until as close to brewing time as possible(for a more fresh and bold taste).
  4. If you have used a different coffee in your pot, consider cleaning it before adding Busy Brew.

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What People Are Saying

“Has a great aroma while grinding the beans up in grinder. So far I have only tried it in a cold brew which I brewed it around 16 hours in refrigerator. Color of finished coffee was a dark raw honey color with a wonderful taste not so overpowering nor bitter. It’s definitely a winner. Five stars all the way!” -Brother David Dunham in Coastal Bend, Texas

“Busy Brew is very good and I find it has subtle hints of honey in its taste!” –Christina Utley in Burnet, Texas

This coffee is excellent in the morning. – Brother Grant Gates in Fort Worth, Texas

“I was very excited to get my first bag of Busy Brew Coffee. This coffee has a medium roast that is not overpowering and has a smooth mouthfeel. While many coffees are too weak to drink black, this rich brew does not have that problem. I stopped adding cream/sugar and went to drinking my coffee black with this fantastic coffee. I should also add that it is not overpowering and does not leave the mouth feeling coated or dry. As I write this post, I just finished the last of this fine coffee, which has left me distraught. I can definitely see why everyone is talking about this coffee and ordering it across country.” –Brother James Maher in Fort Worth, TX

“I have traveled the world with a large coffee company and brought home coffee from all over the world. This morning, we tried the coffee Busy Brew and it was so good. It was so roasted perfectly and the coffee has a great smooth taste. I would recommend anyone that loves good coffee to try it.” -Jason James