Colombian Harvest

Good news.  Good news indeed.  Yesterday the FedEx man delivered a big, beat-up box.  I asked him what it was (because I was concerned that whatever was inside had been pulverized), and he told me it is from Colombia.  

The first coffee from the trip to Colombia has arrived!  

It's the micro-lot (so small it might even be considered a nano-lot) from Rafael Herrera.  When we cupped this coffee in Medellin, it was sweet, fruity and delicious.  The entire lot, which is much different than his usual coffee, is only 54 pounds.  54 pounds total for the entire lot of coffee.  That's 3 roasts for us.  This is very exciting.  

Soon I'll post more info about Rafael.  We didn't visit him while we were in Concordia, but I'm sure we will next time.

So why is the coffee from this very small lot so much different?  And how does the farmer know?

These farmers know what coffee looks like.  They are beginning to understand what Cristina is looking for, and thus what we are looking for.  She is teaching them the things that usually are considered defects or problems in coffee production (according to the standardization of The Federation) may actually be differences that people in the specialty coffee industry love and will pay more for.

The farmers know when one day's coffee is better than usual.  When the cherries look especially ripe, there were no problems in their little wet mill, the depulper did a good job, fermentation seemed to go just right, and the coffee looked clean and beautiful in parchment.  It's sort of like when I roast, I usually get excited about one or two roasts that seemed to be perfect.  That's based on the way the coffee reacted in the drum, how fast the temp rose, how strong it moved into first crack, what the end of the roast looked like, and a general feeling that it was good.  I guess it just comes from experience, paying attention, and caring about it.  And you can imagine these farmers spend so much time with their trees, they know what side of their farm usually produces better coffee.  They know what weather is ideal during fermentation and drying.  They know what coffee should look like when it is finished in parchment.  And like I was saying at our presentation, they can look at green coffee and tell you whether it has 9% or 12% moisture content (very accurately).  That's amazing.  

So I guess Rafael knew this small amount of coffee was different and special, so he chose to keep it separate from his main crop.  And now we have it.

Like I said, Cristina pays the farmers a differential when the coffee is sold.  And I've asked to double that differential.  Because we really, really want these farmers to succeed in producing great coffee (by our standards) so they don't have to go back to producing great coffee by the standards of the Federation.

I'll be roasting this coffee soon.  But I'll let you know before I do.  You'll for sure want to have some.

Colombian Adventures

We're back.

Jason and I had a great time in Colombia.  Uh... I mean... we were working the entire time and it was laborious.  

No, we really enjoyed the trip and I feel like we accomplished our goals.  Which is an amazing feat.  And we definitely wouldn't have had nearly as much fun or success without the help of several people.  

Fernando and Russ from Distant Lands (La Minita) were so kind.  We at the DoubleShot are barely even a blip on the radar.  We're not even a rounding error for these people.  Yet they care enough and are generous enough to invite us down to Colombia to see the new mill they are building; to put us up in hotels, feed us, entertain us, and show us a beautiful place.  I was really impressed with their generosity, not just toward us, but to the community and the kids of Jardin.  And one of the things I love most about coffee is how much there is to learn; how much is unknown.  Fernando and Russ teach me so much and I wish I could spend more days listening to them and asking questions.  

A couple of people we met for the first time were also very gracious hosts in Jardin.  Kike (that's kee-kay) and Vivian Vasquez were so fun to hang out with and they were our local source of information (and interpretation).  Their family is part owner of the new mill in Jardin and they also own the mill that produces a coffee we've been roasting since we opened- Reserva del Patron (from the Nariño region of Colombia).  Just GREAT people.

The second half of our trip was a success mainly because of Cristina Garces.  Not only is she successful and beautiful, she also has a heart for the small farmers.  She's trying to make a difference in the quality of Colombian coffee and in the quality of the lives of the farmers who produce it.  When she talked, many things she said were an echo of my own thoughts.  She made me feel excited about coffee and excited about being a part of something so important (if even a very small part).  Cristina introduced us to a farmer in La Concordia named Guillermo, who invited us to stay at his house, which was beautiful and overlooked coffee fields leading down the mountain to the Cauca River.  Guillermo was so nice to let us stay, and for feeding us and making sure we were well taken care of.  Guillermo's daughter, Carolina, really took us under her wing.  She spent virtually every minute while we were there making sure we understood what people were saying (she spoke very good English), taking us to all the places we wanted to see, introducing us to people all around town (most of whom were her relatives), and keeping us out of harm's way.  Carolina was so kind, and I felt bad for teasing her about her Colombian-British accent.  

Anyway, to say the least, we learned a lot about the way coffee is produced in Colombia.  And we found some coffees that we are definitely going to buy.  Some from Jardin and some from Concordia.  

We are excited to tell you about it and to show you our pictures. So come to the DoubleShot on Thursday, December 18th at 7p.  I think the story is a great one and between Jason and me, I think we got some pictures you will enjoy.  Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Thursday, December 18 at 7p at the DoubleShot