Posts Tagged ‘NYC’
23rd 2011
Colleen’s Trip Report – Costa Rica & Panama
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.
22nd 2011
La Coqueta (Jose Ider Zapata, Producer)
Delicate herbal rose aroma, maple sweetness, citrus zest.
In the traditional style of farming in Colombia, Jose Ider Zapata is a small hold farmer with his farm encompassing just 3 hectares. On his farm, La Coqueta, he cultivates both Caturra and Bourbon varieties. Jose and his family process the ripe cherry they harvest daily on their own micro mill employing the traditional washed method. With 25 years of coffee farming experience, Jose Zapata takes great care in producing this high quality lot.
Caturra and Bourbon. Grown at 1650 masl.
13th 2011
Holiday Gift Ideas (Part One) – Colombian Coffee Sampler
It is that time again! Over the next two weeks, we’ll be posting some holiday gift ideas for your coffee-loving friends.
We are proud to present these three unique coffee selections from Colombia. We have been working with the El Meridiano Co-op, Desarrollo Co-op & Jose Ider Zapata for a couple of years now. We feel that these selections showcase the hard work and dedication of these producers with their distinct and complex profiles.
-El Meridiano, Produced by El Meridiano Co-op, Herrera, Tolima
Mellow sweetness with notes of honey and red apple. Tangerine brightness. Waffle cone in the finish.
-Desarrollo, Produced by Desarrollo Co-op, Gigante, Huila
Red grapefruit, candied apricot, peaches & cream, brown sugar, tangerine.
-La Coqueta, Produced by Jose Ider Zapata, Herrera, Tolima
Delicate herbal rose aroma, maple sweetness, citrus zest.
The Colombian Coffee Sampler Set ($40) contains three ½ lb bags of coffee beans (sealed in bags with one-way degassing valves). The set comes in a kraft gift box with our logo stamped on it. For our out of town friends, you can order the sets online here.
25th 2011
Best Place to Have an Actual Conversation Over Coffee: Café Grumpy
“In an era when entitled customers expect Wi-Fi, table service and an endless reservation on their chair, Café Grumpy’s no-laptop policy feels curiously antiquated. But while it does drive away over-achieving students and part-time bloggers, it brings in a much preferred crowd…Did we mention they have great coffee?”
Read the full review in New York Press.
8th 2011
Las Flores (Cesar Fernandez, Producer)
In the department of Santa Barbara near the town of Peña Blanca, Cesar Fernandez grows coffee along side his four brothers. On his 4 hectare farm, land that was given to him by his father, Cesar and his brothers support each other in the production of great quality coffee. Motivated and driven by each other, this year together they installed a shared, tile lined, fermentation tank. His coffee and that of his bothers, consistently rank highly in the Cup of Excellence program. They continuously reinvest the money they earn in the auction to improve their farms and processing. Cesar knows quality is found in harvesting only ripe cherries. Depulping and fermentation take place on the brother’s shared equipment only a short distance from Las Flores. The close proximity of the wet mill ensures that all coffee harvested is depluped and ready for fermentation the same day. The amount of time allotted for fermentation varies based on the weather conditions of the day. Working together and listening to the advice of the Paz family, sons and relatives of the owner of Beneficio San Vicente the exporters of Las Flores, Cesar is able to produce a consistently high quality, beautiful coffee.
Pacas and Bourbon. Grown at 1500-1600 masl. Washed. Shipped in GrainPro.
See images of the farm and order this coffee online here.
8th 2011
Copo Mico (Mariano Mejia, Producer)
This selection comes to us from another Cup of Excellence winning producer, Mariano Mejia. In the department of Santa Barbara near the town of San Luis Plane, Mariano cultivates both Catuai and Pacas varieties on his 10 hectare farm Copo Mico. Although he is a first generation coffee producer, he pays close attention to quality. The conditions for drying coffee on his farm are not excellent, so Mariano brings his coffee to Beneficio San Vicente to finish drying. Working with the Paz family, Mariano can improve the quality of his coffee by proper drying. In partnership, they have produced a magnificent coffee.
Catuai and Pacas. Grown at 1400 masl. Washed. Shipped in GrainPro.
