Samples

Pretty exciting for us.  The experiments I told you about in Colombia have come through.  This morning we received a package from Cristina containing the samples of coffee from El Boton.  One is a pulped natural and the other is a dry process.  They look interesting.  I also have a sample of Ariel's regular coffee, which he processed using a desmucilaginadora.  So we should be able to taste the differences processing has on a coffee.  

They also did a couple different washed coffees fermented for 36 hours, but Cristina said they weren't good and didn't send samples. 

Also on the cupping table recently are a few Brazils from a company called Beccor.  We've been running into Bruno, Beccor's... cupper?  Salesman?  Representative, at least.  We see him at all the industry events and he is a character.  The samples we have received from Beccor have been very interesting and a couple of them are delicious.  So new Brazils could be on our horizon.  The current Brazil (Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza...) is going fast.  We only have a half bag left.

An El Salvadoran Pacamara from Tim Castle cupped out pretty good.  This could be the first coffee we've had from El Salvador.  I also cupped the coffees I brought back from Colombia.  The El Boton (mentioned above) was good.  I was surprised.  A coffee from La Eternidad also cupped out really nicely.  

We're still struggling to find a good Ethiopian this year.  The situation is grim.

I just opened a box of samples from Cafe Imports.  There is a Harrar on the top of the list.  Along with 5 Kenyans, an El Salvador, 3 Costa Rican micro lots, a Guat, and two Brazils.  Should be a fun table to cup.

I also just ordered a bag of coffee from Hacienda Rio Negro- the farm I visited in the south of Costa Rica last time I was there.

Exciting stuff coming up.

Thoughts, Hopefully Relevant

[Here is all you need to know, if you would like to skip out on the following, emotionally-driven post. No feelings will be hurt :)
1) jimseven blog
2) anne lamott (author, not related to coffee, but life in general)
3) david schomer (author of espresso coffee: professional techniques)
4) brian's previous post on the concordia children's center]

First, a warning: this post may be more emotional than factual, more ego-centric than coffee-centric--and I promise to try not to do that too often. But the truth is, coffee has become what I do, what I spend time thinking about, dreaming about, reading about...and I guess for this reason, it has become one of my major avenues of self-revelation. That is, through working with coffee, I often am jolted into realizing how selfish and insecure I can be.
Here is a recent example: Yesterday, I tried reading the jimseven blog--the blog of James Hoffman, 2007 World Barista Champion. It is very interesting, and you should check it out! Anyway, back when I'd first heard of it, my illogical assumption was that the name "James Hoffman" would belong to someone much older, someone whom I could cheerfully allow to have a very popular and informative coffee blog...someone whom I would not feel threatened by, because I'm young and still learning, etc etc. Ok, I don't know how old he is, but he is fairly young. And incredibly enthusiastic/passionate, innovative, and curious. And has an entire bookshelf full of coffeebooks--which makes the maybe 6 books I own seem, all of a sudden, nearly pathetic.
I'm trying to be honest, not depressing. This morning was spent reading Anne Lammot's book Travelling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. Anne is a writer who admits to "my emotional drag-queeny self." She candidly admits to failure, and at the same time, speaks of what she learns from it--while being very clear that she is still emotional, still failing, still learning every day. So maybe I'm trying too hard right now to be like her, but she's incredible. The point with all of this is: I don't even know how much I don't know about coffee...and the temptation is to get discouraged because I'm proud and Want to think I know everything. Or, similarly, I want to believe that I'm the kind of person who is going to do incredibly beautiful things for the coffee industry, fighting injustice and all that...when I am rarely compassionate to the people right in front of me because I wrap my insecurity in snobbery.
I love coffee, and what I understand of the coffee industry--it's encounters like this, like reading jimseven and jealously freaking out, or narrowing my eyes at every person for whom i have to make a brr-latte (frozen blended drink), that threaten to paralyze everything--that make me afraid that all my love is selfish and therefore i can't do anything. But I don't think that's true.
Now I'm at the point where I want to wrap this up, but don't know how because it's a process and I'm still living in doubt and fighting mis-motives. Does this resonate with any of you? Do you look at what needs to be done, at what you love, and think "How can I possibly do any of that?" And if so, what then? What do you do about it? Again, I apologize for so much emotional venting...but it's important to me. It's what I want to do with my life, but haven't "figured out" yet. Which is okay.
To end on a positive note, here is my very favorite quote ever from a coffee-book. From David Schomer's Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques. "Ideally, espresso should taste like the freshly ground coffee smells. Texture is featured always, and should feel like a pair of velvet pajamas wrapped around your tongue." That image of velvet pajamas makes me smile every time. :)

Concordia Kids' Community Center

Thanks to everyone who came to the Colombia event last night.  I hope you were entertained and learned something.  I never know if we're saying anything interesting or informative.

We talked briefly about the project that the Coffee Children group is working on in Concordia to build a community center for youngsters to hang out, study, play, and eat while their parents are working in the coffee fields.  I really want to support this project because I think it's the right thing to do and because it helps the people on the lowest rung of the coffee chain.  And this time it's OUR coffee chain.  These aren't just anonymous coffee people, they are the people (potentially) who pick the coffee cherries that make up our San Rafael, the La Aurora, La Estrella, and anything else we buy from Concordia.  

Like I was saying last night, I want to do something bigger than just us.  I feel like if each of us pitches in a few bucks, it's not going to go very far in building this project, so I'm trying to think of a way for us to pool our resources and raise more funds.  I have a couple ideas, but I'm looking to you for a better idea.  

Below are the pictures of the proposed new project.

And here is a link to a video they put together in Colombia:  http://www.cafemontesycolinas.com/downloads/video06.wmv

On Silence and Acids

Before diving into a discussion that stirs up memories of agony (high school science classes), I’m going to start with a quote from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. The Phantom Tollbooth, by the way, is an excellent book—my Dad first read it to us many years ago, and I remember learning, among others, the words “lethargic,” “dodecahedron,” and “unabridged.” It is about a boy, Milo, who is always bored, until one day a mysterious box appears in his room: the Phantom Tollbooth. He drives through it, and adventure—and a growing love for learning—follow. The quote comes from the time Milo visits the Valley of Sound, which is completely silent because the Soundkeeper took away all sound as it became evident that the Valley’s population had quit caring about sound, and only were interested in the ugly noises of economy, destruction, etc. He visits the Soundkeeper, and finds her sitting in front of a radio. She says: “Isn’t that lovely?...It’s my favorite program—fifteen minutes of silence—and after that there’s a half hour of quiet and then an interlude of lull. Why, did you know that there are almost as many kinds of stillness as there are sounds? But, sadly enough, no one pays any attention to them these days. Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?...Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked, or the hush of a country road at night…or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you’re all alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful, if you listen carefully.”

Lovely. And now for the chemistry part. Did you know that there are a ridiculous number of acids, and that the taste of coffee is quite dependent on them? And that these same acids are found in other natural edibles—such as apples or citrus—which explains why, when you sip your coffee, you may detect the flavor of lemons or berries--? I may be completely out of my depth here, but am going to try to make sense out of the “Coffee Acidity” section of Ted Lingle’s The Coffee Cupper’s Handbook.

Here are the first two points: 1) Coffee is actually less acidic than most alcoholic beverages (gin and vodka are exceptions), juices, and sodas—really, anything you’d typically drink other than water, milk, or tea (though tea is close to coffee in acid content). Which is interesting, because I think coffee’s reputation suggests otherwise.
2) “Acidy” and “Acidity” are not the same things. “Acidy” refers to a sweet taste sensation, and relates to how sugars in the coffee combine with certain acids. Other acids, however, interact with other components and may produce sour, salty, or bitter taste sensations. (Sweet, sour, salt, and bitter are the four basic tastes).

Here is the outline version of Coffee Acids:

I. Amino Acids—influence sweet sensations

II. Phenolic Acids—influence bitter sensations, includes caffeic acids
*Chlorogenic Acids—it is the decomposition of these acids that results in the
unpleasant (overly bitter/sour) taste of coffee that has been sitting around
too long. So, when you enjoy a cup of fresh-brewed coffee, thank the
chlorogenic acids.

III. Aliphatic Acids—influence sour sensations—and others
*Tartaric
*Citric--citrusy
*Malic—apple-like
*Lactic--buttery
*Acetic—fruity—also, too much acetic acid results in a fermented taste. (Acetic
acid is not inherent to the bean, but is formed when the beans for a wet-
processed coffee are fermented. Fermentation is one step in the process
of separating the coffee bean from the fruit of the coffee cherry.)


Again, the word “Chemistry” is one that I typically think of with horror or disinterest. The words “chlorogenic” and “aliphatic” have no meaning for me—yet—but, thanks to coffee, it has become a personal goal to be able to drink a cup and identify, “oh, an apple sensation—malic acid” or “this coffee must have more citric acid, and reminds me of grapefruit.”

Why? Think of all the citrus fruits, the different varieties of apples, different butters, berries, etc—and how each time you taste one of these, you’ll have a flavor memory that a future cup of coffee may bring to mind! And these are just tastes that came up because we were talking about acids! If we talked about sugars, think of all the different kinds of chocolates or caramels—or aromas, flowers like jasmine and lavender, spices—cinnamon, vanilla, cloves—it is incredible how all these organisms relate to one another, and I must grudgingly owe a debt of gratitude to chemistry and things like chlorogenic acids. And happily go to the grocery store to buy a pineapple, so as not to miss a potential pineapple note in my next cup of coffee :) Hooray for flavor!

So that’s acids--I know I left some holes in the explanation, so if you have any questions…or corrections…let me know, and I’ll see what I can find out!