Cafe Grumpy » coffee roasters

Colleen’s Trip Report – Costa Rica & Panama

cafegrumpy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:06:42 +0000

The harvest is only in the very beginning stages in some regions in Costa Rica and has yet to start in others, but it was still a very informative and exciting trip. I visited producer’s mills in Tarrazu, Costa Rica then flew to Panama to visit Volcan and Boquete. The next week, I headed back to Costa Rica to visit the Central and West Valleys.

Since this was my first visit to Costa Rica, it was great chance to spend time visiting mills and speaking with producers to learn more about how the coffee industry in Costa Rica works. They are moving away from having centralized processing mills where producers would simply deliver their coffee cherry to a mill to now processing their own cherry and working directly with an exporter. This is especially exciting for us as coffee roasters because it means the conversation between us and the producer has fewer intermediaries.

During this trip, I also had the opportunity to meet a producer we have been working with for the last couple of years – Richardo Calderon. His coffee has always been an exceptional arrival. In fact, it is the one I wait all year to receive and then feel sad when we roast through it all! Richardo and his sons have a few farms and a very thoughtful perception on producing coffee as well as pride in their mill. It’s very promising to see an entire family dedicated to such high quality production and it looks to be that the next generation of Calderons will be great farmers, just like the current generation.

The second half of the week in Panama was just as interesting as our time in Costa Rica. Over the last two years, both lots of coffee we have featured from Panama were bought through the International Best of Panama Competition. The selections entered into these competitions have always been impressive and I took this visit as a chance to discover what factors in to producing such great coffees.

There is, in Boquete, maybe even more pride and friendly competition between producers then I have ever before seen. Boquete is a pretty remarkable place for growing coffee due to its many micro-climates. All of the basic rules of quality are strictly adhered to so it is almost like crossing off any external variables and tasting truly how the available nutrients, moisture, and maturation of each micro-climate effects cup quality.

I returned from this trip very excited and hopeful for the coming year in coffees.

-Colleen

View more photos from this trip here.

El Limonar

cafegrumpy — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:56:14 +0000

Sweet malted milk chocolate, cotton candy, key lime & kiwi.

El Limonar is located close to the Mexican border in the mountainous region of Huehuetenango. This farm was originally part of the renowned Finca El Injerto which was divided between the two Aguirre brothers who had inherited the estate. El Limonar is now owned and managed by Rogelio Aguirre’s widow, Rosa María Ovalle Mont. She is focused on quality and sustainability for this 123 hectare farm.

Native shade trees have been planted in the higher areas of the farm to give the coffee around 60% shade. There is an on-site wet mill where treatment tanks are used to purify and recycle the waste water. Left over coffee pulp is then recycled as a fertilizer.

Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai varietals. Fully-washed. Shipped in GrainPro.

NY Coffee Guide: The Best Coffee in Chelsea

cafegrumpy — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:25:03 +0000

“…and a sure place to find top-of-the-line technology mixed with beautiful, seasonal coffees sourced in-house. The completely ungrumpy staff will guide you through selection of espresso or filter coffee…”

Read the full guide on Serious Eats here.

Alteration – Paintings by Akane Ogura (Park Slope)

cafegrumpy — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:39:33 +0000

Akane Ogura’s painting exhibition “Alteration” is a colorful series of portraits of people and their individual styles.

Akane Ogura is originally from Japan. She studied Dressmaking and Fashion Design in Tokyo. After graduation, she worked as a Theatrical Costume Designer then moved to California in 2004. She found herself creating her world by using not only fabric and thread on a figure, but also with line, shape, value and color on a surface more freely. She received her BFA in Illustration at Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2010. She currently lives in New York, and works as a Fine Artist and Illustrator.

“Alteration” is on display in Park Slope throughout the month of March.

For more information, visit Akane Ogura’s website here.

Finca Santa Teresa

cafegrumpy — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:47:05 +0000

Rich & earthy with notes of semisweet chocolate & cantaloupe. Subtle orange brightness.

Luis Joaquin Lovo’s farm Santa Teresa is located in Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, just north of Ocotal very near the Honduras border. This 12 hectares farm, located at 1,250 – 1,480 masl, produces around 100 bags of specialty coffee annually. Luis also manages his dad’s farm Bella Aurora (14th place at 2007 CoE) and his brother’s farm La Pradera (14th place at 2010 CoE).

Shipped in GrainPro.

Finca El Carmen

cafegrumpy — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 01:06:38 +0000

Floral aroma with flavors like peach, apricot, green apple and baking chocolate.

Finca El Carmen was founded by the Alfaro family in the mid-19th century. The Estate is located within the Mesoamerican Life Corridor System – a sanctuary for many species of fauna.

Naturally fermented, fully washed and sun-dried on clay patios. Bourbon varietal, shade-grown at 1300 masl.