In the Grinder - Our Daily Coffee Weblog

February 2011 Archives

SNOW-M-G!

February 1, 2011

Snow-M-G!

February is notorious for its storms and cold. This year is no different than any other. We’re experiencing (and expecting more) snow, ice, high winds, blizzard conditions, and even severe thunder storms.
 
Some parts of the Midwest are expecting around a foot of snow, while the East is approaching two feet. With cities running out of room to put it all after digging out streets and parking lots, roads are becoming narrower and are especially difficult for truck drivers to maneuver through. 

And while the Midwest is caked in snow, the Southern part of the US is experiencing rain, snow, and fog. High winds and snow lead to limited visibility on the roads.

With this new storm blazing through, expect some shipping delays and order accordingly. Please note that “guaranteed” shipping services available through many LTL carriers does not cover weather-related delays.
 
As always, please inspect your shipment upon arrival. Do not sign the delivery receipt until you have verified that 1) the shipment is in-tact, 2) the shipment is not damaged and nothing is lost, and 3) the shipment is yours. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to call your sales rep. If there is damage/loss, have the driver note it on the delivery receipt or bill of lading.
 
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Fun Winter Facts:

  • The probability of a white Christmas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is approximately the same as for Washington, DC: 13 percent.
  • The first Saturday in December is celebrated as Chester Greenwood Day in Farmington, Maine. In 1873, Chester invented earmuffs at the age of 15.
  • Johannes Kepler published perhaps the first scientific reference to snow crystals in a short treatise entitled On the Six-Cornered Snowflake in 1611.
  • According to meteorologist Vincent Shaefer, an estimated half million ice crystals are required to cover a one square foot (929 square centimeters) area with snow to a depth of ten inches (25 cm).
  • Herds of caribou in Canada's north can generate their own weather. Ice fog will form around the herd on especially cold days from the moisture exhaled by the animals.
  • A large avalanche in North America might release 300,000 cubic yards (230,000 cubic meters) of snow. That's the equivalent of 20 American football fields filled 10 feet (3.05 m) deep with snow.
  • On March 31, 1998, the air temperature in Sarnia, Ontario dropped from 22oC to 5oC (71.6o F to 41oF) in one hour.
  • Snowflakes falling at the rate of 3.6 to 6.4 km/hr (2-4 mph) can take about one hour to fall to the ground.

-Donna

Posted by NoahPermalink

2011 Northwest RBC Recap

February 1, 2011

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This past weekend I spent some time out in the Northwest for the Regional Barista Competition.  It was really neat to spend some time in a part of the country that is so rich with coffee knowledge and really stellar roasters.

I flew into PDX and spent some time in Portland getting know some of our customers better and enjoying some awesome food.  Pok Pok changed my life I think...

It was cloudy and rainy for the majority of the trip, and I was just really happy that the Northwest lived up to all the atmospheric stereotypes I had grown to associate with it; hammered in by countless viewings of The Goonies.

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The actual NWRBC event was held in Tacoma this year and graciously hosted by Dillanos

IMG_7911.jpgThe SCAA staff did a great job of choosing a spot that was super intimate, yet had enough space for all of us to fit and catch a glimpse of the action on stage.  The first two days the 33 competitors each competed and were judged on their espresso, cappuccino, and signature drinks.  Some signature drinks include reductions, fresh whipped cream, and countless other concoctions to make a mark on the judge's palletes. 

Saturday night the top 6 finalists were announced:

Laila Ghambari, Stumptown, Seattle

Ryan Wilbur, Stumptown, Portland

Sarah Dooley, Espresso Parts, Olympia (Using Olympia Coffee Roasting)

Robbie Britt, Espresso Parts, Olympia (Using Olympia Coffee Roasting)

Tyler Stephens, BARISTA, Portland (Using Barefoot Coffee)

Sam Purvis, COAVA Coffee, Portland

Following the announcement of the finals, Joshua Boyt and his new shop Metronome Coffee in Tacoma hosted a rocking party.  It seemed like it was just a great moment where people could let loose a bit after being all coiled up with nerves from competition. 

Sunday was the big day, and all 6 finalists took the stage one by one to compete once again for the judges.  At this point in the competition nobody really changes anything up in their routine, but just aims for even better execution. 

After it was all said and done, Sam Purvis from Coava took home the top slot.  We are super excited to have him travel along with us to Brazil this summer as part of our Origin Trip Program we developed with the fine folks at the SCAA.  Every regional winner, the USBC winner, and the WBC winner will all be traveling on one rocking trip with us in July to Brazil. 

In addition to the traditional Barista competition, this year also marks the first year of the Brewers Cup.  This gives baristas the opportunity to choose whichever brew method they prefer to make coffee for a judging panel.  The winner of each regional will ALSO travel to Houston for the finals, and the US Brewers Cup winner will travel to the Netherlands to compete nationally.  How COOL!! 

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This years Brewer's Cup winner was Devin Chapman from Coava Coffee. 

Coava swept the NWRBC...great showing guys. 

Great jobs folks at the SCAA and BGA for putting on such a killer event.  I really had a blast, and as usual, the momentum behind the barista community right now seems to be almost unreal.  We love the excitement and energy coming from that area of the coffee world right now. 

-Noah



Posted by NoahPermalink

Los Naranjos de San Augustin, Colombia

February 8, 2011

I don’t know if any of you remember this coffee but four years ago we bought one container from some friendly exporters in Colombia for $1.75. It was the best Colombian coffee we had ever tasted; Intense passion fruit, bright champagne like acidity and rich, cocoa body. It blew out of here like wildfire. The next year we booked the groups entire production or 8 containers, imported 6 but struggled with our friendly Colombian exporters on quality and that relationship fell apart as relationships sometimes do.

In 2009 it was voted Coffee of the Year at SCAA Expo, submitted by Virmax.

Last year we heard from the Los Naranjos group again and they had rearranged a bit and were working with a different exporter, so I went to San Augustin to meet the farmers responsible for the best Colombian coffee we had ever tasted. We toured farms and talked about rust and the FNC, cupped coffee and decided to keep these farms separate for terroir’s sake, to make micro-lots and to have them packed in grain pro bags for posterity. They just landed in NY. Unfortunately they are not $1.55 but they are delicious.
 
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San Augustin
 
Through the town of San Augustin runs a river called Los Naranjos. Up the sides of this riverbank in to the mountains is a community of coffee growers with small clean and beautiful farms. Butterflies, Hummingbirds and giant lavender flowers are the norm. This land is buffeted on the west by a 500 sq mile biosphere reserve called Cueva de los Quacharo. It is the place where two of Colombias three mountain ranges converge and where ancient peoples lived and carved giant stone figures. It is a special place and the people who live here believe that the great forest tracts of the natural preserve protect their land from the violence of weather and give them a calm, peaceful place to live and farm.
 
In 2001, Some of the farmers of this area got together with the intentions of improving their managerial skills and gaining access to the elusive “specialty coffee market,” and they formed an association called La Asociacion Los Naranjos de San Augustin. 
Today there are 50 grower/members with about 150 hectares in coffee. Average size of a farm is 2.8 hectares. Yield is between 1,500 and 2,000 Kg per Hectare.
 
Coffee in San Agustin is grown in a plateau ranging in altitude between 1500 and 1700 mts. The topography is not extreme and the soil is rich in superficial volcanic ashes. Producers pulp, ferment and dry on their farm with remarkably clean facilities using mostly raised beds under parabolic dryers.

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Coffee area in production: 150 -200 hectares
Varieties: Colombia 5%, Typica 3%, Caturra: 92%
Annual Production:  250,000 kg parchment / 150,000 Kg per Year (87+ points)
Wet Process:  10% Mechanical demusilage, 90% Traditional fermentation
Drying:  100% Solar + aired drying beds
Native trees: Guamo, Cachingo, Nogal, Banana
Soil Types:  Franco arenoso , franco arcilloso
Topograpy : From Rolling hills to Steep Gorges
Altitude: Average 1750 mts Range 1,600 to 1,800 mts)
Coffee Profile:  Medium/High Acidity (notes Lemon, green apple plumb). Consistent.

These are a couple of the San Augustin farmers responsible for the exceptional Colombian micro-lots from Huila. We plan to cup again, the mitaca crop in May and are already looking forward to next October. 

We hope you enjoy this coffee!

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Farmer Jose Rodriguez, Finca Filadelfia

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Farmer Julio Ernan Gomez, Finca La Triuna

View Video Here

Written by Andrew Miller

Posted by NoahPermalink

Cafe Imports Guatemala Origin Trip 2011

February 11, 2011

 Guatemala Origin Trip

This year’s origin trip brought together two Café Imports staff, 16 wonderful guests and one very special little girl. To put it mildly…the experience was outstanding. Anacafé graciously hosted our event and traveled with us every step of the way offering all sorts of insight to the tour sites and Guatemalan culture. 
 
Our minibus cruised the countryside in tight, get-to-know-you quarters, encouraging a bond to develop amongst the group of importers, exporters, roasters, baristas, coffee shop managers/owners, educators, and plain old coffee lovers! Through this diversity, every step in the life of a coffee bean was discussed and debated, offering a real treat for my curious ears. Throughout the trip Tim C revealed a fountain of information as he taught an in-depth coffee processing class on the drive, which was broken into parts depending on how car sick we were. The group asked excellent questions often resulting in tangents and discussions that exposed every single side of the coffee industry. 
 
The scenery at our first tour stop, Lago Atitlán, was breathtaking. Three giant volcanoes towered over the golden coffee drying in pergamino with a clear blue sky and flowers and trees dotting the landscape around the wet mill. We toured tiny parcelas, or small plots of land growing coffee trees, and a seedling nursery with Francisco Mendoza, who not only owns six parcelas, but also manages the Chucumuc wet mill. He shared that he loves working with coffee because he is able to take care of the beans “desde semilla” (from seedlings) all the way through the processing, and his meticulous care shows.
 
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The water taxi across the lake to the famous Panajachel and being bombarded by locals selling everything from gum to jewelry to shawls rounded out the true Lago Atitlán experience. 
 
In stark contrast to the parcelas that dotted the side of the road in Atitlán was the El Retiro Estate we visited in the New Orient. We caravanned in six heavy-duty pickups through tiny towns up the most bumpy, dusty road I have ever encountered only to emerge upon a grand paradise. José Herrarte Osante fed us lunch, coffee, and cake on the veranda of his farm overlooking his pool and mountains surrounded by green, budding flowers and birds.     
 
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We toured his giant farm (1 of 5, I might add) in awe of the towering trees that are 400-500 years old shading several varietals of coffee trees growing on rolling hills and his wet-mill where the best coffee stood out in the bright sunlight.                            
                            
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Surprisingly, the dry mill we visited was the most fascinating. Previously I thought, “well, a dry mill removes the parchment, how exciting can it be?” The coffee at this mill goes through five steps! All of which continue the separation and quality control process.  By far, the most amazing was the last step of the optical sorter. The workers are able to set the machine to a certain number of defects and the sorter uses a high speed camera to detects color differences signaling a defective bean. The off-colored beans are removed by a jet of air. Check out the picture below to see how precise this technology is:  the beans on the left are before going in the machine and the beans on the right are after; this is the same coffee!          
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We also had a chance to visit Guardería Las Nubes, which is a school sponsored by Coffee Kids in conjunction with ADESPA in Acatenango. We spent several delightful hours being entertained with songs and dance by the kids while we shared our Frisbee skills, technological toys, and blonde hair. 
 
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The kids were amazingly happy, friendly, and proud of their school and home. I admire the local attitude in saying how thankful they are for the help from outside support, but that they are working diligently towards the day when they can say, “thank you but we no longer need you.”
 
Lastly, our group toured the Anacafé and Unitrade offices and Unitrade’s local &Café coffee shop. Unitrade hosted a cupping of coffees from the many growing regions in Guatemala…many were very young but full of potential and got me excited for the fresh crop! We are expecting new shipments of San Pedro La Laguna from Atitlán in April or May as well as the return of the ever popular FTO Huehue from Codech in March or April. We are also looking forward to some new microlots coming out of Guatemala this year, so stay tuned!
 
The tour was the complete package…a seedling nursery, small production areas, a true estate, a micro-wet mill, a larger wet mill, a dry mill, a local coffee shop, and exporter offices. We witnessed every step of coffee production from the baby seedlings to how they leave the country. I would like to extend a very special thanks to Anacafé and Unitrade for being such wonderful travel companions and hosts, to Tim C for his wealth of knowledge, and to the fine group of coffee lovers who took the time out of their busy schedules to join us…I was truly touched by the camaraderie of the group and this trip goes down in my personal history.
 

 

Posted by NoahPermalink