Cafe Imports | 2023 Wrapped & Strapped is here

2023 Wrapped & Strapped is here

How many pounds of coffee total did you order in 2023? What was your top origin? How many unique coffees did you sample? Find out in your 2023 Wrapped & Strapped!

New Videos Available in our Coffee Profiles

Enjoy new video content within our offerings list featuring our Green Buying team discussing their approach to sourcing in nine different producing countries.

Common Sensory Errors – An Introduction

In sensory analysis, common physiological and psychological sensory errors should be accounted for when designing cupping protocols. Welcome to a new blog series by Ian Fretheim, Director of Sensory Analysis, diving into how we control for these common sensory errors.

Proudly Bringing You Bird Friendly Coffees

We’re excited to announce that Cafe Imports is now certified to sell Smithsonian Bird Friendly coffees, produced by farmers committed to conserving the habitats of around 200 species of migratory songbirds.

Introducing Community and Farm Select Coffees

Learn about our newly organized Offering List, including two new Select Coffee offerings.

Find Us in Barista Magazine: WCP Trip Recap

Eleven travelers met in the Bogota airport early on Monday, September 11th. Five were Cafe Imports staff. The other six represented Ruby Coffee Roasters, Jibbi.Littles Coffee Roasters, City Market Coffee Roasters, Patriot Coffee, and Salto Coffee. They met for a five-day sourcing tour designed to help roasters cultivate and sustain genuine buyer-farmer partnerships with producers and cooperatives participating in our Women Coffee Producer Program.

Introducing ed+u by Cafe Imports

A brand new coffee education platform offering classes developed for both students and trainers.

Podcast: Water in Food with Ian Fretheim

This past week our Director of Sensory Analysis, Ian Fretheim, joined Zachary Cartwright as a guest on his podcast “Water in Food.” The two dove into a discussion on the role water plays in specialty green coffee, exploring findings from our sensory team’s long-term study on water activity (Aw), talking about sensory science as it relates to coffee, and getting excited about the future of cupping with our new Coffee Rose.

Pink…Bourbon?: Cryptozoology and Genetics in Specialty Coffee

One area that has been rightly ripping, in particular relative to historical norms, has been the introduction, interest in, and acceptance of new coffee varieties. When Castillo was introduced many people wanted to turn their noses up at it. In our lab, we were more accepting, as the results on the cupping table were impossible to deny. We regularly found it to perform well against Caturra, Typica, and the many other varieties that we blinded it against. When it won the Cup of Excellence, people were somehow shocked, going so far as to disbelieve the results.

And then, seemingly overnight, Castillos were broadly accepted. What happened?

Bringing two top-scoring lots from ECIEV Venezuelan producer competition to the States!

Cafe Imports Green Buyer Piero Cristiani judged and bid at EICEV 2023, bringing home the 1st place washed and 3rd place anaerobic lots.

Highlighting Carlos Guerra: Legendary Coffee Exchange Participant

Enjoy our interview with Roaster and Honduras Barista Champion Carlos Guerra, who won an Ikawa Pro 50 Sample Roaster through the Legendary Coffee Exchange at the 2023 SCA Expo.

2023 Progress Report: Now Published

A note from Founder and President Andrew Miller introducing our 2023 Progress Report.

Where Sensory Science Intersects Specialty Coffee

Field Report: Fermentation Training Camp in Risaralda, Colombia with Lucia Solis

At Cafe Imports, we’ve noted a rise in questions about processing, many of which either center around deciphering terminology or what the growing hype about methodology in fermentation and processing means for producers/processors and the coffees they create.

Where Are We Now? A Café Imports Australia MICE Panel Discussion

As we all came together during the week of MICE, we were excited to welcome some new and old faces to CIA HQ for an evening of good chats, tacos, and wine, paired with a panel discussion focused on the topic of change and the current state of the coffee industry.