More space, more time

So, we've expanded. You probably know that.

Along with the needed space, it's given me a bit more time- mostly, I think, because I've given away some more of my bar hours to Garth and Michael in exchange for a bit more sleep, roasting during the daytime, and getting things done that seem to be neglected.

Including the Coffee Illuminati.

I want to have a coffee tasting soon. But, of course, there are things coming up we need to steer clear of. I'm hoping to go on vacation to Sedona next week. Hoping.

Garth and I are headed to Rio Negro in Costa Rica in November.

And much more.

For now, I wanted to post links to some stuff I've been reading that is interesting:

http://www.coffeeclubnetwork.com/redes/form/post?pub_id=2131

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=40774&t=Flooding+causes+evacuation+of+refugees+in+Guatemala

http://sprudge.com/aguagate-questioning-castillo-at-the-2010-colombia-cup-of-excellence.html

I asked Cristina about this last article and here's what she said:

"My opinion is divided on this matter.

I was very sad when I found out many growers from Concordia are changing to
Variedad Castillo, you know obviously my reasons, but when I heard everyones
story, I agree that unfortunately that is the reality these days and they
have to make their living. Coffee rust has been so dramatic in the last 2
years, that people who had Caturra lost their crop. There was nothing that
could stopped it, besides pesticides are very expensive and some people used
them 6 to 8 times a year and did not work either.
Coffee rust make the folliage to fall, so the beans do not mature and the
tree finally takes 2 years to recover.
I understand the FNC wants to increase production and protect the grower but
what I do not like and disagree is that they lie about the variety. We all
understand and the growers as well, that the variedad castillo is more
resistant and more productive but lower quality. That is the reality.

P.d. Lets hope nature gives us back the good weather to be able to keep
Caturra in our farms."

Change change change

I haven't blogged in a while. Sorry about that.
I may have mentioned before that we're working on re-structuring the Coffee Illuminati, and I may need your help.
And patience.

Part of what is taking up so much time is the impending expansion into the space next door, where Chrome was. That new space will be our main counter and seating area, with some seating still in the old space. There is a door between the two, which has been hidden behind the lockers. You may have seen us walking behind the lockers and disappearing lately. Not Narnia.

The story about us and El Boton Natural finally came out in Wine Specator. It's in the current issue, which may or may not yet be on the shelves, but subscribers are receiving the issue now. This is exciting for us. For one, it's a huge magazine- it has the biggest readership in the world. It's well-respected and read by people who, theoretically, can appreciate what we do. And hopefully it will mean a large, sustained increase in online sales. So far so good.
I'm trying to remind myself that, even if we didn't get a jump in sales, it's still a big deal.

Last night I roasted 20 new samples. Some are from Cafe Imports and some are from a new broker I haven't used before, called Mercanta. I'll be tasting them over the next couple days. Hopefully we'll find some gems.

I also have been working hard to try and make new contacts in various countries for coffees. I met a girl named Rouki at SCAA who lives in Guatemala City and has a lot of contacts with producers around the world. She has been connecting me with people in Guatemala (she says there are farmers producing some Geisha), Honduras, Nicaragua, and Kenya. I'm also trying to work out trips to these places if the contacts play out and I am able to acquire some unique and delicious coffees.

Kari and I have been trying to find time to plan for the DoubleShot Duathlon this year. It's going to be October 2 at Osage Hills State Park. Just one race this year. The proceeds from the races we put on go to help out various projects for coffee producing families. Check out the (very minimal) webpage: www.DoubleShotDuathlon.com

We've been talking about having a tasting of all our coffees, but time keeps getting away. We may wait and do it in the new space. That should be cool.

One last thing. I did buy another coffee from Ninety Plus, the people who brought us the Aricha and Beloya. It's called Nekisse. I think it's even better than the coffees from them before. Which is saying a lot. I suspect it won't be long until I roast it. Burning a hole in my pocket.

If you come to the DS, today there are two coffees sitting out on the cupping table. They are supposed to be the same coffee. The one on your right is the high-quality coffee we're used to seeing in this coffee and the one on the left is what we were sent this time. What a problem. You can see that there can be extreme variations in quality, and if I'm not careful and attentive, we can end up drinking crappy coffee. I guess I'm going to have to probe each bag that comes in and make sure it is what it's supposed to be. One more thing to add to the list.

Guatemala

I've been contemplating another trip soon and Guatemala keeps coming to mind, despite the trouble I had last time and the events of the past year or two.

If you haven't been keeping up, you should read these stories. It's a sad situation.

http://www.dhauckphoto.com/blog/?p=170

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/americas/14guatemala.html

http://www.radiomundoreal.fm/Never-ending?lang=es

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25810892@N04/3541262537/

Probably a bad time to go. Also a bad time to turn our backs on Guatemalan coffee farmers.

Legesse Sherefa

Just received a few new coffees: Natural Yirgacheffe, Burundi Kirimiro from the Mwurire washing station, Yemen Harazi, also the El Boton Natural, Colombia La Alondra, and more Kenya French Mission and Tanzania Peaberry.

While I was looking for info about the Nat Yirg, I googled the exporter's name and found this story: http://www.ethiopianreview.com/articles/9426

Amazing what is happening in Ethiopia. Good coffees have been few and far between from there this year.

Haiti

I'm sure you've all been following the disaster in Haiti. It's terrible, and every time I hear about it, I wish I could do something to help.

A long time ago, before I opened the DoubleShot, I was in really good physical condition. I could run, ride, paddle, or whatever all day long. And all night. And all day again. I could literally go and go and go without wearing out. I realized at some point that I had an unusual ability, probably partly natural and partly because I worked at it so hard. But once I understood that I could do things other normal people couldn't do, I started to feel that I should use the ability for good. And I racked my brain trying to figure out how I could get a few more people like myself together and find an organization that would allow us to go at a moment's notice to places like Haiti, to deliver supplies and help people and to go where vehicles and other people couldn't get to very easily. I really could've been a force back then, had I known how to use it. As the years have worn on, I'm now just an average person. I've worked so much in this business that I've let my physical abilities falter. That bothers me, and I wish I were still in shape enough to help in Haiti. And I wish I had the time, resources, and know-how to get there and help. But I don't. So I sit here behind my computer trying to think of another way to help. Donating money? Ugh. I know they need stuff, but blindly giving money makes me queasy.

If you have a source to give money to help Haitians, do let us know.

So I've been thinking about Haiti's history. They were a French colony a long time ago and were producing half of the worlds coffee at the time. Which is an amazing because it's a small... half of an island. The other half is the Dominican Republic.

The coffee and sugar industry in Haiti was run by plantation owners and worked by slaves. In 1791 the slaves began the only successful slave rebellion in known world history. As a result, their economy was wrecked and has never recovered. The plantation owners were killed and coffee crops were destroyed or neglected. Their coffee production plummeted by 45 percent.

In recent years, a French organization called FACN with the help of USAID have developed a blend called Haitian Bleu, which is supposed to compete in the specialty market. Unfortunately I've never really heard of it and don't know anything about the coffee. So I'm thinking their efforts might not be that effective.

I started thinking. After this horrible disaster, there is going to have to be rebuilding. In my opinion, rebuilding the same thing they had before the earthquake is not going to make their lives better. I'm wondering if there could be an opportunity for the Specialty coffee industry to step in and try to guide and help them retool their coffee industry. Maybe Tim Schilling, who directed the programs in Rwanda that have bee incredibly successful, could lend his expertise to Haiti's coffee growers. Maybe changing just a few things and educating Haitians about the state of Specialty coffee today could have a huge impact on their economy.

Is it possible that Haiti could become a big player in the coffee industry again?

I don't know.

What are your thoughts? How can we help?

Happy Day Off Day

It's been a rough season, work-wise, around here.  Isaiah, Garth, and I have been working way too much, and on top of it, they are preparing to compete in the South Central Regional Barista Competition in Austin January 7-10.  We're all tired, and for sure enjoyed the day off yesterday.

But we haven't lost our zeal for coffee.  I hope you all got the chance to try the Panama Gesha La Esmeralda.  That was our special coffee this year.  I thought it was really good.  I also roasted the El Boton Natural that I hauled back from Colombia in my suitcase.  We'll have more of that (a lot of it) probably mid-January.

I just read a blog entry written by a guy I've never heard of, but I really enjoyed it and I agree with what he wrote.  I thought the comments below it were interesting too.  Many of the big players in the industry seemed to try and defend their positions.  Here it is:

http://theotherblackstuff.ie/thoughts/challenging-flavours/

Here's something too about new botanical discoveries this year, including varietals of coffee:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8424817.stm

I am speaking at Philbrook Museum on January 14 (Thursday) at 530p for a group called Tulsa Green Drinks.  Generally they get together for drinks and listen to someone speak about something related to sustainability.  They're giving me 20 minutes, which you know isn't much if you've ever come to listen to me speak in the past.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to talk about yet, but it will most likely skim the issues with buying coffee and the responsibility I feel regarding coffee producers.  You should come.  I'd like to fill the house and see a lot of familiar faces there.  And hopefully I'll discuss some things, in a different format, than you've been exposed to.  You can pick up passes to attend at the DoubleShot if you want to come.  Read about it here:  http://tulsagreendrinks.blogspot.com/2009/12/january-green-drinks-at-philbrook.html

Colombian Coffees

More news about our coffees in Colombia.  

The El Boton Natural is in a shipping container in port in Colombia, waiting to get loaded onto a ship.  Before they can, every coffee in a container must be cupped by the Coffee Quality arm of the FNC (The Federation).  Yesterday they cupped the El Boton and rejected it, which means it could not be exported.  Cristina asked me to write a letter to the head of the Coffee Quality institute, stating my intention to buy the El Boton based on its unique cup profile.  I did that, and he accepted my letter, allowing for the export of our coffee.  Whew.  

It will ship out on the 22nd and arrive in Oakland on the 10th of January.  We will get it on a truck at that time and it should be here by the 18th, if there are no holdups in customs or whatever. 

Remember, also in this container is a coffee from a farmer named Octavio Restrepo whose farm is called La Alondra.  You can see pictures of La Alondra here.  This coffee will be good- chocolate, raisins, cinnamon, and a big, silky body.

I haven't mentioned the story of another coffee we'll hopefully be buying soon.  Because I don't want to spread this around.  I don't want to set a precedent for every situation like this, and I don't want to focus so much on a story as I do the coffee that results from it.  That's my job, to worry about who gets what and how and where we get coffee.  But I'm going to tell you this story anyway.  While I was in Medellin, Cristina told me about an old couple named Gabriel and Orfilia Escobar.  They own a very small farm called Las Animas (around 2 acres) outside Concordia.  They work this farm by themselves, and Cristina told me they produce delicious coffee, but in very small quantities.  Apparently Gabriel has been ill and his vision has been deteriorating until he finally fell completely blind.  Orfilia has been tending to him, afraid to leave him in the house alone.  So their coffee is not being harvested.  Orfilia called Cristina to tell her the story and ask if Cristina could buy their farm so they could move into town and be able to support themselves.  This story really bothered me and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  What can I do?  So one day I called Cristina and asked her if I could hire people to pick the coffee for Las Animas.  She said she would find out.  My one stipulation was this.  I wanted them to dry-process the coffee, like Ariel is doing at El Boton.  I promised her I would buy it even if it wasn't good.  Cristina told me they have a marquesina, like the one Ariel built (a raised drying bed).  Cristina called and talked to Orfilia about it, explaining the process over and over.  Because it sounds stupid to them.  But Orfilia let us pay for pickers and she laid the coffee out on the marquesina.  Las Animas is planted all in Caturra, so it is a different varietal from the Maragogipe planted at El Boton.  Orfilia dry-processed some coffee and sent it to Cristina.  It is only a small amount, but when Cristina cupped it she said it was delicious.  She seemed very excited about it.  So hopefully we will have some of this coffee to buy soon.

The other thing I need to find out about is another small experiment Ariel is doing at El Boton.  While we were there, he seemed distressed that all the coffee cherries weren't completely red.  He talked to the farm manager, Luis, and they discussed why and what for.  Luis said they have to pick coffee that is at least half-ripe because they will not be back to that area for another week, and by then those cherries would be overripe.  In spanish they call the ones that are half-ripe and half green, PINTON.  Ariel argued that Luis wouldn't eat an avocado if it were pinton; he would buy one that is maduro (ripe).  Because when an avocado or a mango or any other fruit is ripe, it is sweet and delicious, but when it is pinton (or unripe), it is sour and bitter.  Ariel argued that coffee is probably the same way.  In general, coffee producers do not drink their own coffee.  They export all the good coffee and drink the worst coffee or instant coffee.  So they don't know.  And Luis doesn't drink coffee at all.  So Ariel told Luis to separate one square foot on the marquesina for ONLY pinton cherries and another square foot for ONLY maduro cherries.  Cristina will cup them side-by-side and we will see the results.  What effect does ripeness of cherry have on the cup?