tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50811435832387276132024-03-04T22:43:36.453-08:00The Coffee HereticCaffeinated ruminations outside the Coffeegeek Orthodoxy.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-10455369261877749392016-06-14T13:03:00.001-07:002016-06-14T13:03:39.949-07:00What the popularity of cold brew coffee really means.Many years ago, in the late 60's and early 70's, coffee consumption was declining in America. It had been declining for some time in fact. The coffee industry had come up with several reasons for the decline: the rise in popularity of soft drinks, the perception that coffee was an old person's drink, increased interest in healthy foods and beverages, and so on. The International Coffee Organization performed an annual "Winter Drinking Study" to analyze the trends of coffee drinkers and for years consumption had been on the decline. Moreover, those who were drinking coffee were using more sweeteners and "whitening" agents. This was the era of mass marketed RPG coffee driven primarily by couponing. Coffee brands were largely indistinguishable as each attempted to be cheaper than their competitors. Flavor had denigrated to a thin, soury, insipid brew.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Into this arena arrived an apt solution for dealing with such low quality coffee: cold brewing via the Toddy Maker. The Toddy Maker allowed users to soak cheap grocery coffee grounds overnight in the fridge and the thick filter extracted out the soury acids that dominated the taste in regular brew. Since it soaked for a number of hours, the resulting solution would have some semblance of body, making the coffee more palatable. Naturally, there was no aroma to the resulting solution since it was merely soaked and not brewed with hot water. This was no loss since the coffee was stale anyway and had long ago lost any aroma. So, all in all, it was an excellent way to make poor coffee drinkable. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We have come a long way from those days of little choice in the grocery store aisles. These days one can find any number of small, craft, quality-focused coffee roasters in most any town. Along with the rise in these roasters has been the drastic improvement in brewing technology. Programmable, pulse-controlled coffee brewers are capable of producing outstandingly flavorful coffee, with brewing profiles to bring out the best aroma and taste. These brewers can be set up to make excellent iced coffee as well, retaining all the delicious aromas and flavor in an iced version. With all these technical innovations and access to fresh roasted coffee one would think that there would be a corresponding improvement in coffee flavor. Sadly, I would argue, that we have gone backwards. Somehow it has become fashionable to only offer thin, soury coffee made from manual pour-over brewers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It comes with little surprise then that there has been a resurgence in cold brew coffee with hip new roasters extolling the virtues of cold brew. Some are even bottling said cold brew coffee for the ready-to-drink market. Compared to regular brewed coffee they promote cold brew's smoothness and rich body. It's the latest thing. And like so much in our modern coffee industry, nostalgia and novelty trumps critical observation. The simple fact remains, if your coffee improves through cold brewing it is an indictment of the coffee, not a validation of the brew. As stated earlier, the great thing about cold brewing is it makes poor coffee drinkable. The downside is that it makes great coffee merely drinkable. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cold brewing is an oxymoron, there is no "brewing" of coffee in cold water. One only soaks the grounds in cold water. Brewing, and brewing at the correct temperature and timing, releases the aromas of the coffee and extracts the flavors. That is why there is no aroma to cold brew, only a swamp gas smell from the grounds soaking overlong. It saddens me to see enthusiastic coffee people preaching this over-hyped method. The popularity of cold brew says a lot about the current state of coffee quality. The tide of quality seems to be going out with the third wave.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At this rate, the next big thing to come along in third-wave coffee will be the "discovery" of instant coffee.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-90166390042547576492014-11-22T14:46:00.000-08:002015-08-05T06:44:41.330-07:00Better Beans: Q Grading, Acidity and Scoring Quality Part Two<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
In <a href="http://kaladicoffee.blogspot.com/2014/10/better-beans-scoring-quality.html">part one</a> I addressed the difference between trade cupping and production cupping. In this part I will address the SCAA's adoption of the Q Graders Certification.<br />
<br />
Q Grader Certification Participants first learn to ignore their own preferences and "calibrate" their palette to the SCAA evaluation form. In this way, cuppers become "objective" to the coffee being evaluated through an established set of criteria. For evaluative purposes, the samples must be "correctly" (light) roasted, this being identified as a trade roast so as to not "color" the sample. The form identifies seven areas of evaluation, and a score is used to rate each area. To be "calibrated" means that all evaluators score a sample within a narrow point range.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMo_cjZGd-O0bvKE6pM0ZMQPOhQ1q_u_YiALXhNkNcOnHjGY20LRiLPpHE6Ztjkeske3fgRy9DNH8O0Nej8lkLvBsC1I7YdE3oymB8sB1vDD1h4qJCDQZQYk_hZRi3nZ9FEhyphenhyphenOWZG3GXVX/s1600/scaa+coffee+cupping+form.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMo_cjZGd-O0bvKE6pM0ZMQPOhQ1q_u_YiALXhNkNcOnHjGY20LRiLPpHE6Ztjkeske3fgRy9DNH8O0Nej8lkLvBsC1I7YdE3oymB8sB1vDD1h4qJCDQZQYk_hZRi3nZ9FEhyphenhyphenOWZG3GXVX/s640/scaa+coffee+cupping+form.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
The evaluative areas are: Fragrance/Aroma; Flavor; Aftertaste; Acidity; Balance; Body and Overall. An evaluator would score each area as they would taste the samples, noting if any cup was off. Coffee samples would be grouped together by geographical region, so you wouldn't compare an African coffee to an Indonesian or Central American. Like is compared against like. Coffees that score above 80 are considered Specialty Grade, with higher scores adding value. Coffees scoring above 90 are considered quite remarkable. If this seems to be a somewhat arbitrary and confusing set of parameters you would be right. How does one score for body, for example? Does more body in a cup result in a higher score? Or balance? What is the difference between Aroma and Flavor? What, if anything, is the guiding principal?</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Given that these coffees are trade roasted, one characteristic stands above all the others: <a href="http://kaladicoffee.blogspot.com/2011/05/coffee-acidity.html">acidity</a>. It doesn't take long for participants to figure out this fact, and the kind of acidity that the instructor deems ideal, usually described as juicy. Participants are encouraged to describe the coffee in a manner that suits this model, if you really want to impress find more obscure names for common fruits: <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>quince<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span> for apple or <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>pomelo<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span> instead of grapefruit. If you are having trouble coming up with a term, just say <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>stone fruit.<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span> This accounts for the peculiar practice of Third Wave roasters to feature coffees that sound more like a fruit salad or a package of Starburst than what would traditionally be thought of as coffee. It also explains the rather scripted narrative parroted by so many of today's self-proclaimed coffee snobs.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
The argument made in favor of promoting trade roasted coffees is that it more accurately presents the attributes that traditional roasting styles hide and so is in itself a marker of quality. It would be like a person trained to detect flaws in sheet metal insisting that all cars must remain unpainted; then becoming bored with flawless metal and so begin celebrating flaws as evidence of the steel's unique character. The juicy acids that have become so prized have less to do with terroir than with post harvest fermentation. Hence why natural processed coffees, especially from Africa, score so high (and how <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>'s have become specialty). Also why producers may intentionally manipulate the coffee during processing, such as Honey Processed, to increase fermentation.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Because of the trade roasts being used,the point system developed for the Q Graders can best be understood as an acidity index. Certainly this is not the first time our industry has taken a single concept to its extreme . . . much in the way of if dark roast is good, darker roast is better. I spent the first half of my career always hearing that I didn't roast dark enough. Now its that I over-roast. Certainly there have been many examples of over-roasted coffees, a certain large chain comes to mind, but the notion that a roaster may choose a darker roast only to hide inferior coffees is a fallacy. Defects do not roast away. For years the American coffee market was dominated by mass-marketed commercial canned coffee notable for its very light roast. Were they promoting high quality coffee? Hardly. They sourced the cheapest coffee they could find and roasted as light as they could to save money. There is no one correct roast, light or dark. The correct roast is the one that brings out the best qualities of a coffee.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Q68zq1_5DD08sAVixbGHB9qJ2OS3i8jDLEtQHhNOlzJQr6lEvVOqJL_RcqIwsYTX7v73wM8BJRS1dessfyc7maDxg6-yZzDz4SjjIX3ZmwLBMvdVZl_FWgmy1jzQ48qUo9dWRioU2RlT/s1600/IMG_0918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Q68zq1_5DD08sAVixbGHB9qJ2OS3i8jDLEtQHhNOlzJQr6lEvVOqJL_RcqIwsYTX7v73wM8BJRS1dessfyc7maDxg6-yZzDz4SjjIX3ZmwLBMvdVZl_FWgmy1jzQ48qUo9dWRioU2RlT/s640/IMG_0918.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Now, if acidity is your thing that is fine but there is at issue the entire concept of objectivity with relation to a product. Coffee is not manufactured, it is grown. How it is grown impacts both the environment and the people who live and work there. While no one would argue we need clear quality standards for a coffee to be considered <i>specialty</i>, focusing exclusively on the product too easily ignores the ecological and sociological issues surrounding its production. Worse, it often <a href="http://kaladicoffee.blogspot.com/2012/05/source-washing-and-illusion-of.html">green washes</a> that same product. One does not have to look far to notice the origin pictures gracing many third wave roasters web sites are often full-sun coffee plantations. And while many of these same roasters tout their Direct Trade arrangements with said plantations, its important to remember that Folgers buys their coffee direct as well. Even if you paid the owner of said plantation a premium price it does not mean that those premiums are in any way shared by those who work there or benefit the community as a whole.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
For years, farmers have been told that if they want higher prices for their coffee they needed to improve quality; quality defined largely as grading standards that required the investment of expensive processing equipment. This isolated small farmers who had little access to such equipment. Many of these farmers have come together, forming cooperatives, collectively investing in processing mills to bring their coffee up to the same standards of wealthier plantations. Now they are told this is not enough if you want to add value. Now you need to creat a "micro-lot," a limited amount of bags, and enter it into a competition. Maybe you take extra care with this lot, make a real effort; only to find that the one that wins is a coffee that had some random ferment happen to it. The evaluators go gaga over it. "Is that Muscadine? Jambul? It's so juicy!"</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
So, does this make the Q Grade score useless? By itself, I'm afraid so, at least from a consumer's perspective. It is useful to those of us in the coffee trade as <i>one part</i> of an evaluative criteria. It becomes problematic beyond the cupping table. A stand out coffee on the cupping table does not necessarily make for a great cup of coffee, as I have said <a href="http://kaladicoffee.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-cupping-table-trap.html">before</a>. Not only does it favor acidic light roasts over other flavor possibilities, it excludes externalities in its evaluation and so is devoid of values, absent of ethics.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
If you had two Central American coffees, one grown in traditional polyculture shade, from a cooperative who invests in their community, versus one from a large, high-density, full-sun plantation that heavily uses agrochemicals to prop up soil depletion, whose owner is absentee; if the former scored an 84 and the latter an 86, which one could truly be said to be the better beans? How many points would you give for ecological stewardship if such a box existed on the form; what value would you place on democratically run community institutions? Is it a value to you? It is to me. This is not to say that a cooperative coffee is necessarily going to score lower than an estate coffee, our new crop of Peru Andes Gold just scored an 87.5 thank you very much.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
There is, of course, a certain attraction to attaching a score to a bag of coffee, not least is the not so subtle connection to coffee's more admired beverage industry: wine. But, unlike wine, coffee's flavor is far more volatile. How many points do we take off for perishability? Is one point a week too little, five points a week too much? How long has that coffee been sitting on the grocery store shelf? Or worse, sitting on an Airport souvenir shelf (seriously, I saw that)? Then again, some of these coffees are so acidic that it takes a week or two from roasting before one can stomach them anyway.<br />
<br />
That score is beginning to look about as relevant as the Blue Riboon awarded to Pabst Beer.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-82743264386532478502014-10-20T09:29:00.000-07:002015-05-31T12:46:37.714-07:00Half Crack Roasting Co. ditches roaster, roasting.<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">IL</st1:state></st1:place>. Half Crack Roasters, darlings of the Specialty Coffee industry since their
inception two weeks ago and named Roaster of the Year by Roastergeek Magazine, announced today that they are ditching their roasters
and will only serve cold brew coffee from green beans. "Despite pioneering
the method of roasting to just before first crack, we realized that even this
is too far." Samuel Tillings, former Roastmaster said. "Any roasting destroys the true flavors of coffee," </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
"You can't taste origin."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Tillings, a
long time presence in regional barista competitions, further explained that
any heat applied to the bean, including brewing, destroys the subtle, nuanced
flavors of seasonal coffee. "Cold brewing preserves the terroir." Equally important, Tillings elaborated, is that the water not be too cold so as to not "shock" the bean. Water is carefully maintained at room temperature. </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Additionally, Half Crack has removed grinders as the friction from the burrs contributed to the loss of flavor. Each cup contains a micro-lot of one bean. "More than one bean muddles its unique character."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
A recent
public cupping was halted temporarily when twelve year old Phillip Ingersol
blurted out, "It's just water!" An awkward hush descended on the
crowd as he was quickly escorted from the room.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';">“</span>It
takes a refined, experienced palette to fully appreciate the nuanced seasonal
characteristics of micro-lot coffee,<span style="font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS';">”</span> Tillings said as he nervously adjusted his vest. </div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-88124804538683158082014-10-14T11:21:00.001-07:002015-08-05T06:43:16.654-07:00Better Beans: Q Grading, Acidity and Scoring Quality Part One<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Several years
ago I pulled into a gas station to fill up my car. Those who know me also know
I have a penchant, some may say affliction, for vintage British sports cars.
The car in question was a British Racing Green Austin-Healey with a vanity
plate that read Kaladi. The particular station had an espresso cart operated by
a new roaster in town. Upon seeing the plate on the car the young man came out
and informed me that "they had better beans."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
"How are
they better? I queried.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
"They buy better beans," he responded.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
"That's interesting," I replied,
"I'm the coffee buyer for Kaladi and I am very particular about coffee
quality so I would be interested in how your coffee is better."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
"They
buy better beans," he said and walked off.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
If there is
one thing for certain it<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>s that every coffee roaster only buys the very best beans.
Whether its a narrative of their intrepid globe spanning coffee buyer or some
statement of how selective their requirements are, it seems that every coffee
roaster would like you to believe that they have the sole purview over quality.
But how does one define quality in the coffee industry? It's a worthwhile
question, and one open to contention.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
For the most
part, when a roaster claims they buy the best beans, they are referring to the
grade of coffee. There are a few
different ways in which coffee is graded. What they most have in common is that
the fewer number of defects, those things that would have an adverse effect on
the flavor, the higher the grade. Defects could be things like blackened beans,
or sour beans, insect infected beans, or diseased beans, moldy beans or
fermented beans, or simply things that are not beans at all, like sticks or
stones.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
To aid in
this removal of defects, it is helpful if the beans share a similar size and
density. Bigger beans are equated to healthier beans: greater density in beans
is generally equated to higher elevation. When the beans are the same general
size and density they flow through the pulping and milling equipment more
effectively. Consistency is also necessary when using color sorting devices
that separate defective beans using spectronomy. Uniform bean size and density
was once more important to roasters as well to ensure a more uniform roast,
albeit newer technology in roasters has rendered this less important today. </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
There is a
confusing array of terms to designate a coffee's grade, there being no globally
recognized lexicon indicating grade. Some countries use names to designate
grade, like Supremo, Extra Fancy, Kohlinoor; others use various letter or
number designations, such as Grade 1, AA, SHB, SHG, etc. Additionally, these
grades may be different according to the import market: a AA grade may not be
the same for the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region> as for <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>. Generally speaking, though, the higher the grade,
the bigger, more uniform density the beans are with the fewest allowable
defects. </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Grading is
done at the export mill, often just before export. As the coffee is bagged it
is marked with an identifying number indicating its lot. A lot is a set number
of bags that will fit into a shipping container, usually 250, assuming that the
bags are around 70 kilos or 150 or so pounds. Of course, different countries
will have different size bags as well so this will affect the number of bags in
a lot. <st1:place w:st="on">Lot</st1:place> sizes can also be smaller in cases
where a buyer has specified a particular preparation or segregation of a
coffee. But it is this number assigned that is ultimately important as this
will theoretically follow the coffee to its destination. A coffee bag will have
a total of three numbers for identification; the first designates its country
of origin, the second the export mill that prepared the coffee, the last the
individual lot.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Along the way
the coffee will be evaluated by cuppers. Historically this has been the purview
of the exporting firm and the importing firm. In practice today, this model is
more variegated, but suffice it to say that these cuppers are operating within
the "trading" of coffee and so are often called trade cuppers. Trade
cupping concerns itself largely with identifying faults and defects in flavor
that grading misses. The role of the trade cupper is to act as a gatekeeper for
exporter or importer. The last thing these firms want to have happen is for a
lot of coffee to be rejected by the buyer because of a fault in the flavor. Best
to catch these things before the coffee has left the port. Trade cupping
concerns itself with identifying faults such as ferment, mold, past crop, taints
from improper preparation or storage, anything that would mar the coffee's
flavor and risk rejection by the end buyer, whether that is an importing firm
or a roasting firm.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
In order to
assess coffee for defects the coffee is roasted very light so that certain
taints, especially ferment and mold, are more pronounced. At a certain point in
roasting, the roast itself can make it more difficult to suss out these faults
but they are still there. The fact is, if you are cupping a number of coffees
on a cupping table there's no time for subtlety. You want things to slap you in
the face. You are not looking for the finer points of the coffee's character,
only making sure that you and your firm are protected from a rejected shipment.
Trade cupping is not necessarily about determining quality as it is about
ensuring that the coffee is fit for export. That being said, experienced
professional trade cuppers are astute identifiers of real quality. They can
recognize virtually all aspects to a coffee's growing and preparation in just 5
cups. Some of these cuppers work for famous estates and exporting mills
crafting signature flavor profiles from their production area or estate.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
The concept
of flavor quality, however, is a far more complicated concept to come to an
understanding on. One could erroneously
believe that there is some sort of objective standard we could agree on, but
here we move away from taste faults into the realm of taste preferences. For
the better part of the last century coffee was experienced as a blend. These
blend profiles, at least at first, were a roaster's signature, their trademark.
Its helpful to remember that Maxwell House Coffee gets its name from the
Maxwell House Hotel, who awarded the contract (and name) based on winning a
tasting competition. Hills Bros, too, was well regarded for the
"Arabian" blend featuring Mocca and Java coffees. </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Over the
years, though, these brands began competing on price and this put pressure on
the coffee buyers to reformulate the blends for price. Before this change in
priorities, coffee buyers had specific taste requirements in order to shape the
blend. Not only would the coffee need to be clean and defect free, it needed to
fulfill a particular taste profile within the blend. This devolved into
hopelessly muddled blends, largely indistinguishable from one another where
coffee buyers sought the cheapest possible coffee that offended the fewest
number of people. With blends consisting of a dozen or more individual
components, it is fairly simple to replace one with another and the consumer
would be unable to notice any change.
Along with cheapening the beans themselves, there was a push to reduce
weight loss during roasting with lighter and lighter roasts, becoming known as
"Continental" or simply "American" roasts.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
By the
1960's, the lion<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>s share of the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> coffee market was dominated by
just a few roasting firms: Smuckers, who has Folgers; Kraft with Maxwell House;
Nestle and Sara Lee. Most coffee sales were through the grocery isle, and
couponing dictated who garnered the most sales. As the flavor quality declined
in these brands the number of new customers to coffee waned. And for those who
continued drinking this swill, the amount of sweeteners and "creaming
agents" increased. The National Coffee Association conducted a yearly
winter drinking survey and consumption was decreasing every year well into the
1980s.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
But it wasn't
only about price in blending coffee beans, there were a number of smaller,
regional roasters that still relied on flavor quality to lure customers. Some
of them date back to the early days of coffee in <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region> like Gillies Coffee of New
York. Others were a direct response to the ever worsening quality in commercial
coffee, a return to quality, such as Peet's Coffee in <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state>.
These roasters distinguished themselves from the commercial canned
coffee by retaining the darker, European style of roasts and sourcing out
quality beans that could stand up to such roasts. Ever so slowly, a new breed
of roaster began to grow in <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>,
what now is referred snarkily as the <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>second wave.<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Roasters such
as this relied on specific flavors of coffee that represented their brand.
Whether packaged as a single origin or a signature blend, coffees were chosen
for their flavor profile. A coffee buyer for these firms would seek out coffees
based on these profiles. Some were the "classics" of coffee: Sumatra
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kenya</st1:country-region>,
for example. Others were less well known here in the states, but came from
respected estates that had for years prepared special coffees for the European
market. These coffees were more carefully sorted and processed, for more
exacting coffee buyers. Sometimes you will still see a coffee identified as
"European Prep."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
In any case,
a coffee buyer for these firms expected high quality beans from their sources
and rather than trade cupping the coffees for defects, they instead cupped for
profile. Rather than roasting the samples very light, the samples would be
roasted closer to production temperatures to tease out the potentials of the
coffee. In this way a coffee buyer would be able to see if the coffee would fit
with the profiles they wished to promote. A coffee buyer here would still be
expected to recognize taste faults, but their primary objective was looking for
favorable flavor attributes whether that was part of a blend or a stand alone
coffee. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlD8OKPeIJLN-LTB9-y-AAkr10K0OkqC3xLxXY0qtAA_QUHcSRBoiFMJnizqGJYnSLLfRdwjfEtw0V3R_ZpvavI-WTnXV3hGwBzdohIEaN1dBpQ-OaRdCmxRLgOVgOI3QwATL3AgVHAhu/s1600/Cupping+Table.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlD8OKPeIJLN-LTB9-y-AAkr10K0OkqC3xLxXY0qtAA_QUHcSRBoiFMJnizqGJYnSLLfRdwjfEtw0V3R_ZpvavI-WTnXV3hGwBzdohIEaN1dBpQ-OaRdCmxRLgOVgOI3QwATL3AgVHAhu/s1600/Cupping+Table.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Depending on
the size of the firm, such cupping would include samples, from production as
well to ensure the roasts were coming out right. While this type of cupping
differs in style and intent from trade cupping, it was never really identified
separately as such. One could call it profile cupping or production cupping,
but rarely would someone differentiate it, referring to both simply as
cupping. It was, generally speaking, new
territory anyway, and there existed a lack of common language for this type of cupping.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
This would
become problematic as time progressed. Without a lexicon to describe quality,
it made it difficult to define quality. The materials at the time focused
around faults and defects, barely mentioning favorable taste attributes beyond
something like, <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>clean,<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>balanced,<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span> <span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>smooth<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span>
and so forth. So, if you wanted to set out to buy the best coffee you would be
hard pressed to describe exactly what that meant. So we can forgive the young
man in the beginning of this story for not being capable of defining what he
meant by having better beans. The problem was systemic to the trade.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
In 1982 many
of these roasters gathered together to create a "common forum" to
promote quality coffee. The idea was to unite those in the coffee trade to a
common purpose: to serve as a sounding board and educate the public; and to generally
be a source of support in a world of coffee mediocrity. This group became known
as the Specialty Coffee Association of America and is today the world's largest
coffee association. Over the years, the SCAA has attempted a number of
initiatives designed to promote coffee quality, and naturally one of these
would be to develop a standard of what "specialty" coffee is.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Much of this
early work consisted of developing guides for common usage. Ted Lingles's 1985
handbook, <i>The Basics of Cupping Coffee</i>,
now in its fourth edition, was one such handbook. In it, he outlines his
objective stating that it was "written as a sales and marketing tool(,) to
promote specialty coffee, adding further that it was "designed to initiate
discussion on the most appropriate and descriptive terminology" and
"does not presume to be the definitive text."</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
In addition
to producing material, the SCAA began hosting seminars on cupping specialty
coffee during its annual exhibition and trade show. In the past, learning to
cup coffee was sort of an arcane endeavor, usually reserved for those in the
business. Traders would learn from other traders, roasters would learn from
roasters. Coffee buyers were often somewhere in between. On the one hand, they
needed to be conversant with traders to access quality coffees, but on the
other, needed to understand what worked from a production standpoint. A good
coffee buyer would need to learn how to navigate these two perspectives. I have
known too many roasting firms where there existed an acrimonious divide between
the coffee buyer and roaster on what constitutes good coffee. Usually this
resulted from a coffee buyer who spent a fair amount of time "in the
field," who becave acclimated to trade cupping and lost the perspective of customer preferences and
expectations.</div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
So,
establishing a common vocabulary for coffee quality would be a good thing, and
training would seem to be the perfect endeavor for the SCAA since its mission
is to promote specialty coffee. To this end, it has adopted a program called
the Q-Grader Certification that sets forward a systematic framework for
evaluating and describing specialty coffee. Using the cupping form originally
set out in the Coffee Cupper's Handbook it establishes a training program to
certify participants to identify and rate specialty grade coffee. The Q
certification is as good as any metric to create a normative vocabulary for
assessing quality. </div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="border: none; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in;">
Sadly though,
the SCAA has made the same mistake in perspective.<br />
<br />
How this mistake in perspective played out is the subject of <a href="http://kaladicoffee.blogspot.com/2014/11/better-beans-q-grading-acidity-and.html">part two</a>.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-32876274423610112132014-01-10T10:04:00.000-08:002015-05-31T12:49:31.035-07:00Mortar and Pestle named official grinder supplier for World Barista Championship(Los Angeles, CA) Organizers from the Barista Guild announced today that the Mortar and Pestle will be the official grinder for this years World Barista's Championship. "We wanted to emphasize the hand in handcrafted espresso beverages and thought what better way to do this than doing away with mechanized grinding equipment," Nicholas Gramby, head of product procurement for the Barista Guild, said.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
The decision recognizes the general movement within the industry of late, eschewing technologically advanced equipment in favor of simpler devices that focus more attention on the preparer than the misdirected focus on the product. "Customers want a show, Nicholas explained, "they could never hope to have the sophisticated taste and knowledge of a skilled barista but this way we can educate them about terroir and processing methods." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is hoped that the addition of the mortar and pestle into Third Wave coffee bars will help slow the line times down another 3 to 5 minutes, allowing baristas to more fully develop their coffee lectures to eager, uninformed customers. "Currently, our line times are averaging around 15 minutes, that's just not long enough to fully explain to the customer where their coffee is coming from," one barista said. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While it is too early yet to judge the potential success of the new model, many high end coffee bars are already adopting the mortar and pestle along with the return of propane-fired, piston-lever espresso machines, and finally, finally, ridding the stores of condiment bars. "We want customers to fully appreciate the coffee as we intended it," a spokesperson said. "Plus, they really make a mess over there." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Asked about any concerns about how the longer times may affect customer loyalty, Nicholas was quick to point out that they are already at work on a model that eliminates the customer altogether. One concept being promoted would include stadium seating in lieu of a cusomer queue so that Baristas can practice their craft without customer interuption. "We're very excited about this new model, I mean, customers are just such a hassle"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Just think of what we could do without them!"</div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-6357744130272038172013-08-30T09:06:00.001-07:002015-05-31T12:49:44.133-07:00Fourth Wave Coffee Shop Opens(Portland, Oregon USA) A new coffee shop opens today in Southeast Portland billing itself as the first Fourth Wave coffee shop in the world, pioneering a new model in retail coffee. The new store, called <i>The Cupping Room</i>, attempts to recreate the environment of a cupping contest by offering coffee only in sample form. Customers are allowed to purchase a cupping spoon and slurp and spit a variety of seasonal coffees. "Most third wave coffee shops pride themselves in their limited offerings, the best refusing cream and sugar," Elliot Frenton, The Cupping Rooms manager said. "We wanted to take it to the next level and offer our coffees as they are supposed to be experience, on the cupping table." Elliot went on to explain, "Great coffee shouldn't be consumed, it should only be tasted."<br />
<br />
The new model represents a culmination of efforts by industry professionals who, for a long time, looked down on the consuming pubic. "Customers don't really know how to properly enjoy coffee," one expert explained. "Its up to us to educate them."<br />
<br />
The new store will feature an array of coffee samples from around the world, emphasizing natural processed coffees in micro-lots of 1 bag or less. Customers are provided spit cups and those who choose to swallow their samples will be held in contempt and ridiculed just as soon as they leave the store. The store will also feature music from reel to reel tapes since vinyl is so over.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-20817162775240558062013-06-13T15:06:00.000-07:002015-05-31T12:49:56.038-07:00Cambodia announces new DPP coffee.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="Body1">
<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">(Phnom
Phen) Coffee farmers in Cambodia today announced a new process coffee for the
high end specialty coffee trade, DPP. The process is unique in the world and
was discovered by farmers in the Ratanakiri region already famous for its civet
processed coffee. Farmers discovered that much of the coffee passed from the
civet was being consumed by feral dogs in the area before they were able to
harvest the beans. Farmers then traced down the scat of the dogs and were delighted
to discover all was not lost. The resulting double ingested coffee produced a
unique flavor that the farmers realized would have appeal to the increasingly
specialized coffee market. "Nowadays, it seems everybody's getting into
the mammalian excreted coffee craze, not just civets, but monkeys and
elephants, too. Having our coffee pass through two mammal's digestive tracks
gives us a clear advantage," coffee farmer Thun Yesman said. This new coffee is
designated as DPP, Double Pooped Process and promises to be the most expensive
coffee yet in an already crowded market.</span></div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-3261168474235975792013-06-04T09:25:00.001-07:002015-05-31T12:50:10.369-07:00Taints and Defects Cupping<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Kq4-6__1P9M" width="480"></iframe>Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-16837485933367958192013-05-28T11:51:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:13:49.600-07:00Is Coffee Tasting Useless or just Bullshit?It would seem that coffee has an identity problem. Specifically, a low self-esteem problem. In a vain effort to make itself recognized seriously it has borrowed taste terminology and quality identifiers from another, more reputable industry: wine. For years I have heard of this image problem with coffee, in how do we get consumers to respect the care and effort that goes into the creation of high-quality coffee? The answer appears to be to ape another's reputation hoping it will enhance ours. We're like the unpopular kid hoping that if he wears the same clothes as the popular kids he will finally get some respect.<br />
<br />
Of course, for much of coffee's history here in the States, it was always a drink of the masses controlled by a few commercial conglomerates that chiefly gained market share through couponing and promotions. There was little in the way of customer loyalty to brands and so each attempted to out-price the other, knowing that customers' principal motivator was price. This resulted in a few brands that maximized profitability by managing blends that incorporated the cheapest beans, and roast profiles that minimized shrinkage. From the consumers perspective there was little reason for loyalty since all of the coffee brands tasted largely the same: thin, acidy, and stale.<br />
<br />
Making matters worse, the market in which all were competing was shrinking. The National Coffee Association performs an annual winter drinking study each year and the trend was unmistakably down from WWII right through the 1980s. The blame for this shrinking market varied, mostly centering around the idea that younger consumers were more interested in soft drinks or energy drinks and coffee couldn't compete in this new market. It just wasn't hip anymore. Not only were fewer people drinking coffee each year, those that did were using more "sweeteners and whitening agents." <br />
<br />
Not until a few intrepid individuals came along and introduced customers to high-quality coffee, craft roasted, inspired by traditional European roasters, that the real culprit in the declining market share was exposed: taste. When an alternative to the thin, acidy, stale excuse for coffee was offered, customers responded, consumption trends reversed, and Specialty Coffee was born.<br />
<br />
A funny thing happened on the way to the revolution though, we became Specialty Beverage Retailers rather than Specialty Coffee Roasters. Instead of continually innovating coffee quality, coffee bars diluted the focus, dumbed down the process, and promoted the next hit drink from a blender. That's what the Third Wave Movement is suppose to be all about, correcting this back to be about the coffee. That's a good thing that deserves support.<br />
<br />
The Specialty Coffee Association of America has been instrumental in this movement. What began as a small group of like-minded souls dedicated to raising awareness of quality coffee has grown into a serious market changer. With the establishing of the Barista's Guild, the Roaster's Guild, the Brewer's Cup, Cup of Excellence and Q Certification, much has been accomplished to improve the knowledge and skills of coffee professionals. Today there is a veritable army of young coffee professionals eager to share their passion for coffee with the public. Coffee cuppings are no longer the purview of just coffee roasters, they can be found in any number of coffee bars. Baristas are commonly heard deftly describing the coffees they are preparing.<br />
<br />
But, as Alexander Pope said, a little learning is a dangerous thing. What dominates coffee conversation today is pretentious snobbery masquerading as intelligent analysis or helpful information. Here is one example of what I mean from a popular website describing a "94 point" coffee:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<i>Crisp, finely structured, quietly distinctive. Dark chocolate and a shifty, anise-toned fruit (orange, blackberry, grape) dominate in aroma and small cup, with backgrounded complications of cedar and butter. Creamy, full yet buoyant mouthfeel. Berry and chocolate in particular persist in a rich, deep finish. Round, quietly balanced in three parts milk.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Okay, this description jumps the shark from being simply useless to utter bullshit. It is not about the coffee but about the taster. But this nonsense is now commonplace. Few coffee professionals would go this far attempting to bullshit their clientele but some get pretty close. Most these days limit themselves to random lists of various fruits, candies, and the occasional dessert dish, such as, <i>look for: peach, mango, tamarind; </i>or, <i>apricot, marmalade, orange zest. </i>Its as if they got stuck in the enzymatic and forgot about sugar browning and dry distillation in the aroma spectrum. Others are so caught up in describing the variety of the coffee tree and the ancestry of the farm that any hint of a flavor description is lost in the miasma of horticulture and geography.<br />
<br />
Now, we all know that bullshit exists and we like to think we are pretty good at being able to recognize bullshit when we see it, but the problem here I think is that we are so steeped in bullshit that its difficult to recognize its source. I suggest that this problem stems from our image problem and adopting wine terminology, and hence wine quality identifiers, when describing coffee. What's worse, its as if there is only one style of wine, white, that counts as truly worthy. Interestingly, it has been observed that there are nearly three time the number of compounds that make up the flavor of coffee compared to wine and yet we have narrowed ourselves to just a sliver of our potential.<br />
<br />
What makes this bullshit rather than merely misguided is the adoption of the pretentious attitude that shifts the attention from what is being described to who is describing it. Many have become so enamored with this terminology that it has affected the way we roast, coming full circle back to thin, acidy coffee. We have inadvertently created an echo-chamber on coffee quality that leaves out the most important player: the customer. As one friend remarked: the SCAA is <i>not</i> a market segment.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many years ago when the Specialty Coffee movement was in its infancy I began offering coffee cuppings for the public. It became immediately apparent that the methodology was too cumbersome and participants were unable to come to any sort of agreement as to what they were tasting. It was largely a free-for-all in "I taste this" and "I taste that" sort of anything goes mentality. Thankfully, the <i>Nuz de Cafe</i> kit became available and with this and other props I was able to get a handle on producing repeatable results by adapting a methodology that incorporated simple ways to test cognition. In this way it became about the coffee and not about me, the taster. There is much literature on the subject of taste and odor perception and the follies inherent in memory and one needs to be cognizant of these foibles in order to connect with consumers. Ultimately what we had to do was establish a consistent terminology that was experiential to the customer. If the customer does not experience what is described there is no basis for loyalty.<br />
<br />
In contrast, third wave coffee bars have become the bastions of puffery, the retail beverage equivalent to golf: Never have so many paid so much to look so good while performing so poorly.<br />
<br />
I recently visited a third wave coffee bar that featured a local third wave roaster. This roaster, I was informed, "cures" their coffee for two weeks before delivering to their clients. For $2.50, I was carefully prepared a cup that would have been indistinguishable had I stopped by 7/11 on the way over and placed it side by side. Instead of the flowery rhetoric that the barista articulated to me during preparation I could sum the flavor up in three words:<br />
<br />
Thin, acidy, and stale.</div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-65618412551923351382013-02-12T15:48:00.001-08:002015-05-31T12:51:13.060-07:00Modern growing methods may be culprit of 'coffee rust' fungal outbreak<a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uom-mgm021213.php">Modern growing methods may be culprit of 'coffee rust' fungal outbreak</a>Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-11269387599187522822012-12-06T10:36:00.000-08:002015-06-01T10:14:15.603-07:00The Cupping Table Trap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWexWQGb-YMB3y-5jtHARSbjE_bFYQi6cyhS_0MoZwFM1iFQtXw-En58UlpmOcSlfTzcK5CIRWShTjf_sIyDnJCYQuklrpBK3g9PnbL2OQc7QfJcBGQ16I-529nhn-UaduU0Mf1BTLrbm/s1600/cupping7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWexWQGb-YMB3y-5jtHARSbjE_bFYQi6cyhS_0MoZwFM1iFQtXw-En58UlpmOcSlfTzcK5CIRWShTjf_sIyDnJCYQuklrpBK3g9PnbL2OQc7QfJcBGQ16I-529nhn-UaduU0Mf1BTLrbm/s320/cupping7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8919482159465397" style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not
too long ago, while on a trip to origin, the producers who had arran<span style="background-color: #783f04;"></span>ged
the trip set up a cupping to show off the variety of the coffee they
could provide. Each table had a number of microlots of various process
methods and farms and there were a number of tables. The coffee producer
that I had a relationship with was there and I immediately recognized the
flavor profile I had come to expect from his farm. There were a couple
of other farms that had similar profiles but there were also some
microlots that had unexpectedly unique flavors that really set them
apart from the rest. One in particular stood out. It was noticeably
sweeter, honey-like in its sweetness, with an almost crystalized ginger
quality. There was only about 50 bags of this coffee available and if I
wanted I could lock them up right then and there with the producer. It
was a moment every coffee buyer pines for, that special find, an
exclusive deal, a Direct Trade dream. I asked to have samples sent back
to the Roastery to cup them again when I returned. When I did, I
wondered what I could have been thinking. What stood out from the crowd
in the origin cupping room now reflected a flavor taint. Without the
other cuppers around gushing over this sample, the shine disappeared.
Once again I was glad that I didn't fall for the cupping table trap.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
was reminded of this episode just last week in the cupping room while
sampling production roasts. With the seasonal weather changes the coffee
cools faster and a couple of coffees’ profiles had changed more than
expected. Anyway, while cupping a client stopped by and, after having a
go around the table, was struck by one in particular. It was noticeably
sweeter, honey-like, maybe more like molasses. I told him this was a
coffee slated for a temperature adjustment. That this molasses flavor he
was tasting would change to a more liqueur-like characteristic with a
couple of degrees increase in final temperature. But he's hooked now. I
know how he feels. He's got the bug of discovery, wants to have that
experience at his shop, share his treasure. He's fallen for the cupping
table trap.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
process of cupping is enjoying much attention these days and cuppers
are often exalted for their ability to ferret out the nuanced subtleties
hidden within coffee. The once esoteric art of cupping is now taught at
workshops held everywhere, indoctrinating a whole new legion of master
cuppers with their own arcane vocabulary. This naturally has spread out
to the masses as converts share their new found gospel of taste. The
altar of this new faith is the cupping table. A magical realm where
secrets are revealed by revered adepts, bestowing favor in the form of a
cupping score.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of
course, it wasn't always this way. The business of cupping was the
purview of coffee traders and coffee buyers whose aims were not the
same. For traders, the principal concern was defects and taints that
could negatively affect a coffee's value. For this reason the cupping
samples are given a very light roast, commonly referred to as a trade
roast, to expose any off tastes. Particularly where taints and defects
are concerned, it is not enough to be able to describe a flavor
characteristic, one must also identify its cause. If something jumps out
at you on a cupping table it is not always for the best of reasons.
Coffee growers and traders have historically focused taste terminology
on defects since the principal concern was rejection by buyers.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mike
Sivetz observed that quality cupping language should consist of three
characteristics:1. A vocabulary pertinent to the item being tasted; 2. a
common agreement on a taste or odor impression from the same sample;
and 3. a depth and breadth of coffee tasting experience. In the past,
most vocabularies for coffee flavor leaned heavily on taints and
defects, not because we were looking for them but rather to avoid them
and, if identified, to fix the problem. Coffees that were free of off
flavors and displayed clean characteristics were approved for trade.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While
popular notions of coffee buyers as intrepid explorers dominate our
media depictions today, historically the reality has been far more
mundane. Most coffee buyers of the past worked for large roasting firms
producing a few blends for the commercial trade. Their job was not a
search for an elusive coffee, it was rather to find the cheapest
possible coffee for the blend. These cuppers, too, would have trade
roasted their samples to reveal taints and defects. The goal wasn't to
find the best bean, but the cheapest with the least defects. If they
shaved even a penny off the cost it was worth it since most customers
were not brand loyal - coupons dictated sales. Naturally, the coffee
couldn't be so offensive that customers would object, but most
commercial blends had so many components that it was a muddled mess
anyway, making it near impossible to distinguish one brand from another.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even
with the rise of specialty coffee most roasters still focused on
blends. Now, however, the goal was to create a complete coffee. One that
could serve as the flagship of the brand and have wide appeal.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
emphasis on blends may have influenced what was desirable in a single
origin coffee. Many roasters sought to align themselves with well known
estates that could offer exclusive, signature profiles. It wasn't so
much a uniqueness that was sought after, rather an ideal. Again, this
coffee needed to be complete in and of itself, not needing to be
blended. The operative trait associated with quality in this case was
balance. Estates could deliver on this quality by crafting a signature
profile from combining beans harvested from different parts of the
estate. In this scenario, the cupper is not only responsible for
identifying attributes that would detract from the experience, i.e.
defects and taints, but for crafting a distinctive flavor.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
technique would be adopted by cooperatives as they, too, entered the
realm of specialty coffee. Individually, small farms’ quality and flavor
was often inconsistent and unreliable, but by combining attributes
together into a coherent whole cooperatives could produce coffee that
rivaled estates. For roasters such as myself, these coffees are often
preferable over estates since the trees are more likely to be heirloom
varieties grown in very biodynamically diverse environments as opposed
to hybrids grown in specialized shade or even, too often, full-sun
conditions.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
both cases, whether working for a roasting firm or working at origin,
cupping is not simply a passive exercise, and quality isn't stumbled
upon - it is something created. Today, however, with the focus on
microlots this model is largely forgotten. We have come a long way since
the days when a few commercial brands dominated the coffee market and
now coffees are lauded for their own unique characteristics rather than
simply for being the next Jamaica Blue Mountain. But what may have been
lost along the way is that different is not always good. Having a sound
knowledge of taints and defects, and an idea what one is looking for in a
quality coffee would avoid the cupping table trap. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some
of this may have come from the very thing that the SCAA initiated to
improve coffee quality at origin - cupping competitions such as <i>The Cup
of Excellence</i>. In the beginning many growers would put aside a small lot
that would be carefully prepared for the competition but many are
simply baffled what it is cuppers are looking for anymore when they see
farmers who do little or nothing with their lots win. Many view the
competitions merely as one would a lottery ticket - it doesn't make much
sense to make a special effort preparing a coffee for the competition
when there's no sense to what wins.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Some
of this also may have to do with the cozier relationship that roasters
are encouraged to develop with growers in the world of Direct Trade. But
grower and roaster interests are not always aligned and an
inexperienced buyer may not recognize a known taste fault in a delivery
and a grower is not obliged to train him or her. This goes beyond the
obvious taste faults from growing to the more subtle taints from
processing. Too often I hear taste descriptions that are the result of a
mediocre coffee being subjected to processing taint, intentionally or
otherwise. I recall one grower insisting on a sample's “wineyness”,
when it was obviously ferment, despite the spin. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Perhaps,
though, the real culprit here may be the trade roast itself. Trade
cupping is meant to expose p<span style="font-size: large;">ossible</span> taste faults from taints and
defects, not reflect potential flavor. A good coffee, free of taints and defects,
is clean and straightforward at a trade roast. This would certainly seem
boring after awhile. This may be why process taints are gaining favor
among those cuppers caught in the cupping table trap, they create an
impression of complexity and diversity. Some may argue that we are
entering a new era of taste acceptance, that the old rules no longer
apply. I must disagree. Taste faults are not taste preferences,
ignorance does not make it so. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sivetz
further asserted two aspects of taste terminology for coffee. One
consists of the trade or lay terminology by non-chemists, e.g., growers,
traders, and buyers. The other is chemical terminology by chemists,
chemical engineers, and food technologists; the industry benefits from a
combination of the two. While I am no chemical engineer myself, I
benefited greatly under his tutelage when confronting the different
taste attributes in coffee. Particularly when it came time to call a
duck a duck when confronting an unusual taste characteristic on the
cupping table. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Recognizing a defect should be obvious to any cupper;
harder, I think, is to recognize taints. Some coffee taints are
generally accepted in the trade, i.e. processing taints such as
dry-processed beans from Sumatra. Many would argue that this taint, so
long as the dry-process is done properly, characterizes this coffee, is
part of what makes it unique. Sivetz himself long carried Sumatra coffee
in his roastery. But there are too many dry-process coffees out there,
not just from Sumatra, that are simply dirty tasting and fermented. This
is not character, this is not uniqueness - this is sloppy processing.
Coffee left on the side of the road to dry is not quality coffee
regardless of poetic waxing.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While
the days of looking for the one complete coffee are over, we should be
equally concerned about falling for “anything goes”. We can become so
fixated on finding something different that we forget what’s good.
Knowing the difference between a taste fault and a taste preference is
crucial to creating true specialty coffee. One can develop a warped view
of coffee flavor on the cupping table if one loses sight of the purpose
of cupping. This trap can be avoided when one recognizes that the
cupping table is a tool to be used for quality, not a world to stumble
through hoping to discover treasure. Much of my own work on the cupping
table isn’t looking for something new but cupping what we have done,
i.e. production roast cupping, with an eye towards improving it. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the world of coffee<span style="font-size: large;"> you can always <span style="font-size: large;">have something different<span style="font-size: large;">, but that does not m<span style="font-size: large;">ake it good. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>True coffee professionals not only identify great coffee, they create it.<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-23568008206854016952012-10-03T09:27:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:14:34.775-07:00Seasonal Coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyPXLwL7ZMY12Y0lRCrmL8YUDSNTv_lDhbO-WnLNmRlqa8pd0gOpmarB1_IpF2gCmMGi7NWBgge2L5f6klwcGyjVSKGFX3DdY0rSiNQqHgFshKAbrv3Yh7_i1C_2rwAH9cAJZ5S38ELSz/s1600/inseason7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyPXLwL7ZMY12Y0lRCrmL8YUDSNTv_lDhbO-WnLNmRlqa8pd0gOpmarB1_IpF2gCmMGi7NWBgge2L5f6klwcGyjVSKGFX3DdY0rSiNQqHgFshKAbrv3Yh7_i1C_2rwAH9cAJZ5S38ELSz/s200/inseason7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Not too long ago, while visiting a number of coffee bars in a particular city, I began to notice a peculiar phenomena. It is fashionable these days if you are a third-wave coffee bar to offer a few different coffees from a select number of roasters, usually whoever happens to be the new hip thing. The rationale behind this selection is the latest buzzword in coffee: seasonality.<br />
<br />
What was peculiar was that I began to notice it was the same few coffees coming from three roasters. At one shop it would be Roaster A with Coffee X, Roaster B with Coffee Y, and Roaster C with Coffee Z; but at another, Roaster C would have Coffee X, and Roaster A would have Coffee Y, while Roaster C would have Coffee Z. This pattern would switch around randomly from shop to shop. Each bar, of course, when asked why they had a particular coffee from said roasters would share the gospel of seasonal coffee.<br />
<br />
The concept of seasonal foods and seasonal eating has been gaining traction in recent years with the popularity of farmers markets, slow food, and farm to table eating. It is a response to the increasing commodification of food and the adverse effects of diets that are largely made up of processed foodstuffs. Adherents to this philosophy point to the increased flavor and nutrients of eating foods that are in their harvest season, along with the health benefits of a variable diet that reflects the changing seasons. It stands to reason that one should not expect the exact same foods year round, but with globalization that is exactly what we see in grocery store aisles. Almost anyone can taste the difference from a tomato sourced locally from a farmers market or backyard garden to one from the supermarket.<br />
<br />
It seems only inevitable that this concept would be appropriated by the coffee industry. Here's how one prominent roaster explains:<br />
<br />
<i> We've dedicated ourselves to transforming our experience of coffee from a generic commodity to a really special beverage, and treat it more like fresh produce than some faceless staple. . . This understanding of coffee as produce has wonderful implications: it lets us think of coffee as a fresh, artisan-crafted food, with all the delicious experience that brings. However, many in the coffee industry are unaware that, like all produce, coffee is a distinctly seasonal crop.</i><br />
<br />
There is some truth behind the seasonality of coffee but the error here is the simple fact that coffee is <i>not </i>produce, it is the seed of a cherry. It is, in fact, one of the few products in the world in which the fruit is discarded and the seed is saved (although recently I was introduced to a beverage product derived from the fruit that touts its antioxidant characteristics). Moreover, it is an equatorial crop. The harvest season occurs over a number of months, requiring repeated pickings as fruit ripens. The harvest times themselves vary according to each country's relation to the equator. Some countries situated directly on the equator experience more than one harvest season, essentially delivering fruit year round. After picking the cherry and removing the fruit, the beans are often stored in the protective parchment until final milling. This resting period, or reposa, is important for mild flavor. Producers are not racing against the clock to get the coffee out before it goes bad. Rather, they are challenged to give the coffee enough time to bring out its best characteristics.<br />
<br />
Experienced roasters have long known that there are ideal times within the harvest season to source coffee, but once the beans are milled, bagged, and stored appropriately, that coffee is good for a long period, long enough to cover to the next crop.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3He6dhMOQVbQ5KHNF38Pls3cyT1C2IB6ekWb7K8I6u594IPZ__LJ39DCUuCkoKrAxs9EWREUBDV7QFm-b-yznAPmAGLKhxs0RM6szUDZ2wgzyTythnt9fKbV3-n7LrWkvya2i4FmCASCG/s1600/coffee_harvest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3He6dhMOQVbQ5KHNF38Pls3cyT1C2IB6ekWb7K8I6u594IPZ__LJ39DCUuCkoKrAxs9EWREUBDV7QFm-b-yznAPmAGLKhxs0RM6szUDZ2wgzyTythnt9fKbV3-n7LrWkvya2i4FmCASCG/s400/coffee_harvest1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I can forgive a new roaster for falling for this fallacy, but when a market leader, who should know better, participates in these shenanigans it bodes ill for the Specialty Coffee Trade as a whole. This knowing deception seems more an attempt to create an artificial sense of scarcity rather than truly educating consumers. But I believe that this sophism has other adverse consequences beyond simply duping customers - it inhibits the opportunity for long-term relationships between farmers and would-be consumers. Most, if not all, of our best selling coffees come from producers we have been sourcing from for more than a decade. In many ways, we have grown together through our long-term relationship. It is through these relationships that we have been able to create some really special coffees. The simplest benefit comes from selecting our lots at the peak of the harvest. Producers are more likely to do something special for a roaster that comes back year after year and they often develop a good sense of what we are looking for in a coffee. So when the best cherries are arriving at the mill they can be set aside for specific customers. Its simply something one does for a relationship that is built on trust and respect.<br />
<br />
This trust and respect extends to our customers who have come to rely on us for their favorite coffees. Sure, there are those who like to explore different varieties, and we occasionally will bring on a coffee on a limited basis to see if it builds a following, but to spin this as seasonal smacks as fallacious in my opinion. Co-opting buzzwords from other industries is no way to build respect in our own industry. Someone once said that the Specialty Coffee Industry has a self-esteem problem, that we are constantly trying to borrow from other, seemingly more respected industry segments, like taste-terms from wine. Likewise, promoting seasonal availability in coffee is a me-too gambit.<br />
<br />
Later in that same trip I had the opportunity to visit a local green coffee warehouse. While looking over all the pallets of coffee I couldn't help but notice those same few coffees that I had seen around town. Our guide to the warehouse explained that in addition to storing coffee for other roasters they were also bringing in a few coffees to sell to a handful of small roasters in town. That way these roasters could simply come by and buy a few bags at a time as needed.<br />
<br />
Then it dawned on me: Seasonal is whatever happens to be in this warehouse. <br />
<div class="blogpress_location">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-86772234961194247122012-08-21T16:59:00.000-07:002015-05-31T12:53:41.434-07:00After the Harvest<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="443" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYK5mEkC.html?p=1" width="550"></iframe><embed src="http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#AYK5mEkC" style="display: none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed>Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-91707937012693705462012-08-08T09:57:00.001-07:002015-06-01T10:14:55.427-07:00Fair Trade BetrayalLast year Fair Trade USA stunned the coffee industry with its announcement that it was pulling out of Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO), the international body that governs the use of the Fair Trade mark, and changing its criteria to allow certification of estates as part of a new initiative they are calling "Fair Trade For All."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4PwUjQgxICTcJIowQwucx5xUYyL3jDi5XcrVoc4EJJ6CzHAhgv8qgg1QBR6l5ySKVtCo4rendIyQ0y6O4HSY920nza_w5dq1Z8ZQ-HjeqNChZvn6RxvzFd_BjuJkJyXcwuZ1YG8f29cq/s1600/newFT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4PwUjQgxICTcJIowQwucx5xUYyL3jDi5XcrVoc4EJJ6CzHAhgv8qgg1QBR6l5ySKVtCo4rendIyQ0y6O4HSY920nza_w5dq1Z8ZQ-HjeqNChZvn6RxvzFd_BjuJkJyXcwuZ1YG8f29cq/s1600/newFT.jpg" /></a>This decision was made without consulting producer groups or licensed roasters currently certified with Fair Trade USA and came as a shock to both parties. Members were left confused, as it seemed that Fair Trade USA had abandoned its core supporters. Fair Trade USA claimed that it had to act unilaterally since FLO had spurned earlier efforts to expand the certification criteria.<br />
<br />
By and large, this move has had little overall public impact. Indeed, it seems as if the general response has been a collective yawn both within the industry and among customers. This comes at an especially dangerous time for the Fair Trade movement as it has been revealed that there is explicit language in the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that poses a direct threat to protections for small producer groups and Non-Government Organizations (NGO's).<br />
<br />
Should we care?<br />
<br />
That all depends on how you perceive the Fair Trade mark. Does it represent a movement or a market? If it is a market, then expanding the criteria would seem to be a good thing. But if it is a movement . . . criteria matters. This movement vs. market question has long dogged Fair Trade since it began and it may be helpful to review a little history on how we got here. <br />
<br />
For the better part of the past half century, since the ending of WWII, the price of coffee was controlled by the International Coffee Agreement administered by the International Coffee Organization. This agreement came about after world leaders reflected on the many causes that led to war and national instability. It was recognized that there was a link between poverty and terrorism (I know, crazy, right?). In an effort to build stability in the developing world it was decided that developed nations needed to work together in order to create income stability. Coffee was seen as a logical vehicle to this end since the areas it is grown in tend to be hotbeds of revolutionary impulses. The International Coffee Agreement was a tool to regulate the flow of coffee around the world in order to maintain a stable price that farmers could rely on to provide a positive cash crop. Not only would the amount of coffee produced be regulated, but so too the amount of coffee imported into developed nations that were party to the agreement. The Soviet Union was not a part of the agreement since they did not have a convertible currency, neither was much of the middle east, since imports there were considered marginal.<br />
<br />
Did it work? Well, aside from a couple of years of severe frost in Brazil when coffee prices soared, the answer is unequivocally yes. Unless, of course, you are a commodities speculator. Its hard to make much money in a stable market. And if you subscribe to Free Trade ideology, nothing rubs you wrong more than a working, international, market control mechanism. So, in a wave of market reform movements unleashed in the 1980's, the International Coffee Agreement was suspended in 1989 with the result in the collapse of the price of coffee since Brazil had been stockpiling coffee for years and now could dump it on the world market, much of it below exportable grade; coffee trash, as it were, since the agreement not only covered how much a country could export but of what quality as well.<br />
<br />
I recall when this happened. I had been a coffee roaster for only a few years then and I couldn't believe my good fortune. Almost overnight, the price of coffee was cut in half. It was a boon for profitability- if you were a roaster, that is. If you were a coffee farmer, particularly a small coffee farmer, it was disastrous. Before long, I would reconsider what kind of boon this was. I began to notice the availability of good quality coffee drying up. Today, I am embarrassed to admit that it took the decline in coffee quality to wake me up to poverty around the world, but that's the truth of it.<br />
<br />
As I began my travels around the world learning about coffee growing, what I began to understand was the connection of environment to coffee's flavor. The coffees I loved the most, the ones that really stood out to me, were the ones coming from traditional farms. It was these traditional farms that were the most under threat in the new "market" reality. The new reality stated that it was a speculator who dictated the price paid for coffee. The new reality said if you couldn't compete with the market, then you need to leave. And leave the farmers did, swelling the population in urban areas where jobs were few and crime was high.<br />
<br />
During this same period missionary groups and activists began to bring the issues of globalization to the public's eye. Ten Thousand Villages promoted indigenous handicrafts and the Max Havelaar label was born in Europe. Small producer farmers in Mexico pushed to use the Max Havelaar label for coffee. In 1989, forty Alternative Trade Organizations (ATO) joined together to form the International Federation for Alternative Trade, and the founding of the Fair Trade Federation.<br />
<br />
These organizations united South and the North, developing with the developed activists with markets. Out of this grew a tension between two competing visions, according to Daniel Jaffee, author of <i>Brewing Justice</i>, one that sees Fair Trade as a tool for modifying the dominant economic model and the other that emphasizes fair conditions for products from the South.<br />
<br />
In the first vision, cooperative models are promoted to contrast the dominance of market forces that favor multinational corporations who have a history of exploiting under-represented communities, especially rural village communities. The second vision sees the march of globalized commerce as a given and seeks to merely reform certain aspects of its practices, such as working conditions. Is Fair trade a corrective to the structural unfairness of globalization or is it an alternative, competing vision of world trade? What's important to our discussion here, though, is that it is the close collaboration of cooperative groups that provided the formation of the Fair Trade movement in the beginning. It could be said that it was these cooperative groups that <i>co-founded</i> Fair Trade, and as a result have a say in its criteria.<br />
<br />
As Farmers Markets gained popularity in the US as a way for consumers to experience face to face interactions with food producers, standards based certification acts as an effective surrogate where such face to face interactions are impossible, allowing customers to embed such transactions with greater morality and responsibility. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oC2juh31BbZ0CLp57X8lJ194KG6pgYBa7tEh1HobkZIqAwq4CSZhSv28wLhEJfhw6fhyphenhyphenVNBT13ew2rXA4Bh14DPAPzDe1P24BpGO4GQc1B7h2Bfwl08SPjhAAOzMWeGKfHDj3a2Z_UpD/s1600/flo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oC2juh31BbZ0CLp57X8lJ194KG6pgYBa7tEh1HobkZIqAwq4CSZhSv28wLhEJfhw6fhyphenhyphenVNBT13ew2rXA4Bh14DPAPzDe1P24BpGO4GQc1B7h2Bfwl08SPjhAAOzMWeGKfHDj3a2Z_UpD/s200/flo.jpg" width="131" /></a>In 1997 all of the national certification entities united to create the Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) in Bonn, Germany to create an international standard for certification and in 1999 Transfair USA debuted the mark in the US. It was a heady time for anti-globalization activism, and Starbucks was a favored target. It would be here that the clash of Fair Trade activism in the North would be played out, and the actions of Transfair USA would set a questionable precedent for the future of Fair Trade in the US.<br />
<br />
An aggressive consumer awareness campaign highlighting the poor pay farmers received for coffee narrowed the discussion of Fair Trade in the US, much in the same way that the meaning of Organic has been reduced to a question of allowable inputs. This narrowing of message may have seemed necessary to communicate to consumers used to sound bite narratives and easy solutions. Indeed, just purchasing coffee with the Fair Trade label was an easy way to feel good about purchasing a product whose origins are largely shrouded in mystery. But focusing on consumers meant that many roasters found themselves on the defensive, not the least of them as what many considered the biggest baddie of them all: Starbucks. In one of the more convoluted explanations, Starbucks claimed that there was both not enough supply <i>and </i>not enough demand for Fair Trade Certified coffee!<br />
<br />
Transfair USA was quick to want to work with Starbucks, seeing them as a way to mainstream the idea of Fair Trade to consumers and a way to leverage other roasters. But the decision in 2000 to bring Starbucks into the Fair Trade movement caused a number of problems. The first was that the contract agreement was secret, while the Fair Trade system is supposed to be transparent. The arrangement exposed the issue of Transfair USA being both a certifier and promoter, while FLO has separated the certification and promotional functions to protect legitimacy. The certifier is the gatekeeper of that legitimacy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzko5tUFUhtZ1xSyjrm5fw5dDllaxZUygV7FuPESLS8GJJmugAXgAEDRzkDbYjVFTf67xXTtgHoyTiOygUttbZktj6okpAAiEko_AmtSfRxoYpKJhJ5AAE7KYKDgJcwQPo3UOEiKIAL2bZ/s1600/fair_trade_federation_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzko5tUFUhtZ1xSyjrm5fw5dDllaxZUygV7FuPESLS8GJJmugAXgAEDRzkDbYjVFTf67xXTtgHoyTiOygUttbZktj6okpAAiEko_AmtSfRxoYpKJhJ5AAE7KYKDgJcwQPo3UOEiKIAL2bZ/s200/fair_trade_federation_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a>Rather than creating greater acceptance for Fair Trade products, the entry of Starbucks raised serious questions about corporate involvement. Some worried that large corporations could sow confusion about the level of their involvement with Fair Trade, using the mark to essentially deflect consumer concerns of exploitative trade arrangements. If Transfair USA allows such companies to promote the Fair Trade seal, wouldn't that lead to consumers being cynical about the integrity of Fair Trade?<br />
<br />
These issues compelled Cooperative Coffees Network to withdrawal from Transfair USA in 2004. Over the next few years an exodus of roasters occurred, citing a lack of commitment to Fair Trade principals. Many began promoting the Fair Trade Federation mark, which certifies companies who commit to 100% Fair Trade purchases. But for those roasters who, for various reasons, unable to source all of their coffees from Fair Trade sources there was no alternative.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwfEXwQT-FuQvcbeG-gYDk60n0Gwm8YHkSzoDFXap2OmLy0-eljy5bfD4x6hIzMjmUjAiEN15OL3zdaYdQNyadc703G3it5UKP_IHylFmMFKnN4lUaYs1jeV2dzKKbV3Rb87wUvbQyba5/s1600/Inteldirect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwfEXwQT-FuQvcbeG-gYDk60n0Gwm8YHkSzoDFXap2OmLy0-eljy5bfD4x6hIzMjmUjAiEN15OL3zdaYdQNyadc703G3it5UKP_IHylFmMFKnN4lUaYs1jeV2dzKKbV3Rb87wUvbQyba5/s1600/Inteldirect.jpg" /></a></div>
Meanwhile, some roasters began creating their own look-alike seals, under the nomenclature "Direct Trade," and sowing further confusion among consumers by claiming that they were better than Fair Trade since they claimed to pay higher prices to farmers than the Fair Trade specified minimums. Such copy cat seals are particularly deleterious. It would be akin to Walmart deciding that it wanted to allow its customers the <i>experience</i> of a farmers market and setting up a fake market populated by representatives of Tyson and Monsanto in their parking lot. Direct Trade is the Intelligent Design alternative, it suggests certification legitimacy where none exists.<br />
<br />
But when the certifier is also the promoter, there is the tendency to wish to expand available products to certify. This is exactly what has happened to Fair Trade. Consumers wished to see the seal on other products beyond coffee, especially tea and bananas. The problem being that these products are rarely grown in cooperative farms. So the criteria for these products focused on fair labor standards.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr3P_rhUOolL9R662x2zHU3nnoicL7Z_MZtGzIHvLyXL7MxeygxgxBY6SuoRtBVHSnPZkfiSfe20nO2VsfqpGxakNdcMfzhVPNwJwl5IuHqILyvlgAU8UV8ZAzHIQ7tXrFsJaW9Qu_Vzh/s1600/rainforest-alliance-certified-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr3P_rhUOolL9R662x2zHU3nnoicL7Z_MZtGzIHvLyXL7MxeygxgxBY6SuoRtBVHSnPZkfiSfe20nO2VsfqpGxakNdcMfzhVPNwJwl5IuHqILyvlgAU8UV8ZAzHIQ7tXrFsJaW9Qu_Vzh/s200/rainforest-alliance-certified-logo.jpg" width="200" /></a>If these products can be certified Fair Trade and not come from cooperatives, why not coffee? At the 2003 FLO annual assembly this very question came to a vote. The vote failed due to substantial opposition from farmer organizations and progressive roasters. Transfair USA's (now Fair Trade USA) claim that FLO was dragging its heals on the question is partly true, due to the fact that it is a member organization and the members opposed the idea. Fair Trade USA's decision then to pull out of FLO and move ahead with certifying estates is in direct conflict with member directives. That they made this decision without consulting even their own members further complicates the matter. Who did they do it for? Roaster members were not asking for it, and producing members certainly were not behind the idea. Their "Fair for All" campaign suggests that they are doing it for farm laborers who currently do not have a stake in the current certification criteria. But the fact is there <i>are</i> already certifying agencies that do address this, namely Utz Certified and Rainforest Alliance.<br />
<br />
This has left US roasters who wish to remain true to the original tenets of Fair Trade in something of a quandary. Moreover, it left FLO without a certifying agent for the largest consumer coffee market in the world. In the interim, Fair Trade Canada has accepted those roasters formerly certified with Fair Trade USA who wished to comply with international standards. Many roasters, however, have taken a wait and see approach with Fair Trade USA. For their part, Fair Trade USA has stepped up promotions of cooperative projects, perhaps as a way to deflect criticism. Regardless, their decision to include estates in their criteria is a betrayal to the cooperative groups who help create Fair Trade. Many of these groups are ambivalent to this change, some are outraged, but know that Fair Trade USA still commands the largest consumer market for certified coffee.<br />
<br />
Should we care?<br />
<br />
I think we should. Fair Trade Certified coffee still represents a tiny fraction of sales in the US market. Fair Trade was built on the ideals of cooperative enterprise and it is this ideal that is being eroded by Fair Trade USA "experiment" with certifying estates. Small farmer producers are still the most vulnerable players in global commerce. By supporting small farmer producers you strengthen village communities, giving a voice to those who traditionally have had little say in their's or their children's future. Fair Trade is more than just a marketing label, it is a commitment. Fair Trade USA has betrayed that commitment by placing brand promotion over label integrity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha86tpATbGLfH6pPlYzHuquJGQ5IDE9kuO1g7u8ax0GtQKWgiZLhOPIyUcSMwp7odQjh8VRwr0u2nOzJXQhGO2Ho2foysvfU0PBun5CRdoZSyQTpLuEYZHHR6NLc6FZfSgMvz18trfoAxY/s1600/fairtrade.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha86tpATbGLfH6pPlYzHuquJGQ5IDE9kuO1g7u8ax0GtQKWgiZLhOPIyUcSMwp7odQjh8VRwr0u2nOzJXQhGO2Ho2foysvfU0PBun5CRdoZSyQTpLuEYZHHR6NLc6FZfSgMvz18trfoAxY/s200/fairtrade.png" width="183" /></a>For our own part, we have made the transition to Fair Trade International. Fair Trade USA's move to separate itself from FLO represents a final blow to what has been, admittedly, an increasingly tenuous relationship. As a small roaster committed to small farmer cooperatives, Fair Trade USA's move is a slap in the face to not only small producers but small roasters as well. It seems to me that this move is one simply to increase Fair Trade USA's available products, and thus increase its own coffers. It is not something that we want to be a part of, nor is it something that is in the best interest of coffee producers. It is a betrayal to its members, both South and North.<br />
<br />Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-38929324332323458022012-05-22T12:40:00.001-07:002015-06-01T10:15:13.230-07:00Source Washing and the Illusion of Transparency.Not too long ago McDonald's determined they had an image problem and wanted to do something about it. No, they didn't want to address the issues that contributed to the problem, they wanted a PR campaign! The problem, as they saw it, was that too many people saw McDonald's as a huge, soulless, corporate monster hellbent on destroying the health of its consumers and the livelihoods of its suppliers, or something to that effect. The solution would be to put a face behind the product. One post featured a beef farmer, another a potato farmer. By focusing on the people who supply McDonald's they hoped to deflect the negative image the public held.<br />
<br />
It would have been a successful campaign had they not decided to deploy it through social media that allowed for user comments. All went well for a short time until they were forced to take down the posts as negative comments began to dominate the discussion. By opening up the posts to comments they inadvertently exposed themselves to their own hypocrisy. Many users were not swayed by the campaign and called out the company on their practices.<br />
<br />
This story reminded me of an experience I had recently during the Specialty Coffee Conference in Portland. I had accepted an invitation from a Brazilian coffee exporting firm to tour Portland area roasters and participate in a program that included a cupping of a number of Brazilian coffees. The invitation came from a long time friend in the coffee industry who got his start in Brazil. He knew of my long held unfavorable opinion of Brazilian coffee but he assured me that Brazilian specialty coffee had come a long way in the last decade and deserved a closer look. Knowing that I am highly opinionated but often wrong, I decided to keep an open mind and hear what they had to say.<br />
<br />
The heart of the presentation centered around the transparency the program offered. Every roaster would be supplied with a tracking number that identified the background information of that particular lot. It was even tied into a Google Earth map that would pinpoint the exact location on the farm where that coffee was sourced. Moreover, it would pull up detailed information on the farm itself. This pop up included all the requisite info on the farm, i.e. type of coffee tree, harvest technique, elevation, and best of all, a picture of the farmer.<br />
<br />
I found this information was somewhat problematic rather than having its intended effect of drawing me in. First off, the Google image showed what any ecologist would recognize as a "Green Dessert," a landscape of monoculture devoid of any other living organism. This form of industrial agriculture has been championed in the last sixty years as a revolution in production. But with it has come the dark side of run-away chemical inputs and runoffs, habitat destruction and loss of indigenous flora and fauna. The identification of the land owner as a coffee farmer (a third generation coffee farmer no less) was just as egregious, this guy is a coffee farmer about as much as Howard Schultz is a barista. All of this made for a complete example of what I have come to call <i>source washing.</i><br />
<br />
For the better part of its history, the coffee industry has been guilty of the exact opposite - purposely concealing the origins of the coffees used in mass-marketed blended brands. The advent of the Specialty Coffee market changes matters only a little. Many roasters, while promoting the idea of using only high quality Arabica coffee, still preferred marketing blends, partly to create a sense of exclusivity, partly because it was easier to sell coffee with catchy blend names that evoked exotic locales rather than the locales themselves.This practice had the added benefit of allowing the roaster to substitute particular coffees whenever availability or price dictated. When you have a blend with five or so components in it no one is going to notice that you switched a coffee from Colombia with one from Brazil.<br />
<br />
Despite the prevalence of blends some origins were able to develop a value identity. Even before the Specialty Coffee movement, the Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers launched an incredibly successful campaign in the US market encouraging customers to look for "100% Colombian Coffee" using the now iconic Juan Valdez and his donkey as their model. Maybe because of this early success, Colombian coffee has not always had the reputation it deserves in the Specialty Trade, being perceived as somewhat passe' to the Specialty Coffee drinker. Other countries followed Colombia's lead and became early names in coffee, notably Kenya and Sumatra. While Kenya made a concerted effort to create a quality association with their coffee, Sumatra is a different matter altogether. Coffee from Kenya gained notoriety for its clean, winey flavor with big floral notes, and it represented a refined taste. Sumatra, on the other hand, was the Rolling Stones to Kenya's Beatles, dirty, musty, often over-roasted; it represented the hardcore coffee drinker.<br />
<br />
As roasters and consumers became more sophisticated, so too coffee's specificity. Soon customers were familiar with more than just the country of origin - regional names entered the lexicon. Savvy consumers looked for Guatemala Antigua and Ethiopia Harrar. Before long, roasters distinguished themselves by the individual estates from a given region so one could find Costa Rica Tarrazu Hacienda La Minita.<br />
<br />
Recently I have noticed that some roasters have begun identifying the particular variety of the coffee tree in an ever increasing quest to up the ante in sourcing. I dread the day when a customer comes in and when asked what they may be looking for responds, "Well, I was into pulped natural yellow caturras, but now I find I am leaning more toward honey processed pacamarcas." Source identity devolves into a narcissistic notion, as product identity becomes an individual referent rather than any relationship to the choices we make and their impact on the world.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s_MkngT7efvgCN3kglaPKDu8hxHT1k0H67L0RqCLygLoX03oFL2Air4TiUT30N7S2HJg-tunZeA-LFdaIZlHzDdMq7LMg_X7OGH8jvbz99kLWI4vtWbdCtx-uVb70n8JIH7UmH6TGuiM/s1600/womenfarmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6s_MkngT7efvgCN3kglaPKDu8hxHT1k0H67L0RqCLygLoX03oFL2Air4TiUT30N7S2HJg-tunZeA-LFdaIZlHzDdMq7LMg_X7OGH8jvbz99kLWI4vtWbdCtx-uVb70n8JIH7UmH6TGuiM/s320/womenfarmer.jpg" width="212" /></a>All of this hyper-inflated source identification obscures a very harsh reality: that 70% of coffee is produced by about 10 million <i>small</i> producers. Any roaster who has made a trip to origin cannot escape the sheer magnitude of poverty that goes hand in hand with coffee's production. Some may recognize their own complicity in a system that too often exploits the most vulnerable in the course of global commerce. These Roasters have come to recognize that <i>who</i> they sourced their coffee from is just as important as <i>what</i> coffee they sourced. Many Roasters purposely sourced coffees from small-farmer cooperatives that followed traditional farming techniques. They participated in a cooperative movement that actively promoted community development in the most impoverished areas. This coalesced into what now is known as Fair Trade, a third-party verified certification program that provided consumers an opportunity to choose a product that reflected ethical considerations. Other certification programs soon followed calling attention to environmental concerns and worker rights. Rainforest Alliance and Utz Certified are just two examples.<br />
<br />
No industry likes to have its dirty laundry exposed, and the coffee industry has long nursed its romantic notions of idyllic mountains and rustic farmers. Much of the push back for certified coffee has come from roasters who otherwise have a reputation for quality. This has led to the very dubious practice of identifying coffee as "Direct Trade" to compete against certified trade marks. I have heard roasters respond to customers asking for Fair Trade that their Direct Trade is better than Fair Trade because they pay the farmer <i>more</i> than the Fair Trade price, reducing the issues of trade down to simply a dollar amount. This ignores the fact that Fair Trade sets a <i>minimum</i> price for coffee paid to farmers. Moreover, Maxwell House buys their coffee direct from origin but I don't think anyone would believe that stamping their own Direct Trade mark on the side of the package guarantees credibility. Without third party verification this remains an empty promise, an illusion of transparency.<br />
<br />
So, too, having a Google image of a mono-crop coffee farm with a fact sheet promoting the land owner provides little in the way of real value. What it does is <i>source wash</i> over the reality of global trade and environmental concerns. It creates a false sense that quality is something separate from how that product is grown and the conditions of its production. We can make a difference in the world based on what we consume, but source washing blurs this choice and allows those who are unconcerned about their impact to profit from those who want to do good. Roasters who participate in source washing merely muddy the waters.<br />
<br />Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-9623039339051879252012-05-01T16:04:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:15:31.528-07:00Why Third Wave (Pour-over) Coffee Bars Fail.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq56JBJZXbRM22JzYHgakWuL7tdRU_Hk2cpZFnoZfpUPWLZO0EbtxTiG0zev-NsBEXYCV3xT2VA0hPYK34xBVxNKNJUHAv2yGE31SikIqYDVr3kbFRprNirgy9brt8KZ1UxEItjnCGo-TN/s1600/coffee+siphon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq56JBJZXbRM22JzYHgakWuL7tdRU_Hk2cpZFnoZfpUPWLZO0EbtxTiG0zev-NsBEXYCV3xT2VA0hPYK34xBVxNKNJUHAv2yGE31SikIqYDVr3kbFRprNirgy9brt8KZ1UxEItjnCGo-TN/s320/coffee+siphon.jpg" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Portland was a perfect venue for the 25th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Perhaps, more than anywhere else in America, third wave coffee bars have stormed into existence. Third Wave Coffee Bars are notable by how they look and what they do. They are a direct facsimile of current fashion of SCAA Championships. It’s as if the participants are trying to reproduce in the real world the artificial world that exists during these championships. As a result, these new bars imitate one another in the type of equipment used and more importantly, what and how coffee is offered to customers. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Now, I have been a big fan of the Barista Guild and their efforts to raise the perception of Baristas as a viable professional skill. This is long overdue and has helped our industry staunch the move to automated equipment and look-alike chain operators. But what I have noticed is a disturbing trend in these coffee bars that has more to do with being a part of a club rather than actually serving truly good coffee. These bars can be identified often by what they don't have: they don't have skim milk, or soy; they don't do flavors or 16 oz to go cups. And as far as I could tell, most don't have much in the way of customers, either. What they do have is seasonal single origin espressos from a number of the latest names in roasters, they have pour-over bars featuring Chemex's with metal filters, Hario V60 cones, or Siphon brewers; and they have an educated superiority that leave you degraded, dismissed, and otherwise not a member of the club. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I really would like to admire these coffee bars for their commitment to a vision, a vision predicated on coffee quality. But the concept of quality now seems to be more a sense of style rather than a discerning sense of taste. Coffees, and Roasters for that matter, are chosen based on their merits of who's hot right now. Brewing techniques are chosen in a similar fashion, pour over bars provide more theater and the illusion of choice. Never mind that the metal filter is an inappropriate application for the Chemex brewer and one has to adjust their brewing style to compensate resulting in an over-extracted brew. At least the coffee siphon provides excellent cup quality but it is a ten minute exercise and costs, in some cases, $9.00.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I had debated whether to do a post about pour-over bars before going to Portland and decided to focus my attention on the pour-over experience. We had abandoned pour-over many years ago but I wondered if there had been significant improvements that warranted another look. What I found, aside from the one aforementioned coffee siphon episode, was brewed coffee that almost always was near undrinkable. The problem lies in the substitution of the metal cone for the Chemex or the use of the Hario v60 cones. In either case the issue centers on dwell time of the brew. Great coffee is a function of dwell time and brew rate. Both the metal filter and the V60 cone allow the water to pass too quickly through the coffee grounds requiring the barista to slow the rate of pour in the center of the grounds. Never do all the grounds dwell in a solution, rather, the water passes through the middle over extracting the same grounds. It is a similar phenomena as cheap electric coffee brewers with inadequate heaters that heat a little water and send it through, heat a little water and send it through, and so on. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The secret behind the Chemex isn't the carafe so much as the interaction of the carafe and the paper filter that allows the user to fill the funnel with hot water and have a full dwelling of water and coffee with the filter and grind dictating the rate of flow for the brew. The Hario V60 also has too large of an exit hole and the striated fins on the inside of the funnel allow water to channel through the filter requiring the user to adopt a similar pour technique as the metal filtered Chemex.
Combine this slow pour with the fact that water temperature stability is thrown out the window. One operator was using the Marco Uberboiler for hot water, a precise controlled water boiler that can deliver accurate temperature, set at 210 degrees to allow for the rapid cooling while pouring. Most places make no effort at all water temperature stability. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
This was one of the major reasons we abandoned pour-over years ago. But what really made us abandon it were the incredible improvements in programmable commercial brewers. If pour-over produced better results than what we could get out of our Fetco Extractor then I would be on board, but the fact is it isn't remotely close to the same quality and moreover, I can make better coffee in my home using a paper filter Chemex or Aeropress without the condescending attitude as an added bonus.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
At first I mistook the Third Wave Movement with its penchant for trade roasts and manual brewing techniques as a response to the like of Starbucks and the wannabe chains. Now I understand that it is an attempt to recreate the experience of the Barista Championships that take place at various convention centers around the world. A fabricated event designed to impress judges and their peers, that manufactures in-the-know celebrities of coffee culture. Customers were never the consideration.<br />
<br />
I was asked the other day whether I thought Third Wave Coffee Bars are here to stay. If this is what this movement continues to serve, they won't be around for very long.</div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-38483720205773640402012-03-01T11:39:00.005-08:002012-04-12T13:15:13.500-07:00Green Coffee Buying<style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.Body1, li.Body1, div.Body1 {mso-style-name:"Body 1"; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.6in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >By traditional reckoning, this has been a disastrous year for me as a coffee buyer. I have been consistently wrong on my price fixing against the market. As I look today the "C" market, the place on the commodities market where mild Arabica coffee contracts are traded, the price closed at $2.05. The coffee we received on contract in December was booked at $2.63 at a time when coffee prices were peaking out at $3.00.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Now, I realize that our image of a coffee buyer is a carefully constructed fiction of a world travelling explorer on an Indiana Jones style quest for God in a Cup. Look at virtually any coffee roaster's website and somewhere you will find a story of their intrepid Coffee Buyer out in the deep coffee lands choosing the rarest and most exclusive coffee beans. Usually there are some pictures of said explorer standing next to some green shrubs wearing their requisite coffee buyer garb of Dockers Khakis and an Ex-Officio travel vest. Never mind that they are on a sponsored mass group tour in Costa Rica.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLQffso_z41KzWIgAE0AbleEKWriBUPLKQMrI_UFvTEgPsoyp1ss1C14b8pcaD5R4BpYBe_aXhS8iicQaBbTe33w6zvEPJu8EkHWlxMD8JSgiY2fX5RtXab3FZHc6Vb8S53EP25LShRbM/s1600/web+guat.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLQffso_z41KzWIgAE0AbleEKWriBUPLKQMrI_UFvTEgPsoyp1ss1C14b8pcaD5R4BpYBe_aXhS8iicQaBbTe33w6zvEPJu8EkHWlxMD8JSgiY2fX5RtXab3FZHc6Vb8S53EP25LShRbM/s320/web+guat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715025681936708098" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Indeed, whenever I identify myself as a Coffee </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Buyer invariably the first question I am asked is if I g</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >et to go to all the places we get coffee from. This question always tends to pose a problem in answering. It would be easy to say, why yes, I have travelled around the world on coffee expeditions; and feed into the common misperception. Depending on the situation, however, I try to explain the travel in a more </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >nuanced way. The fact is, in my experience, I have rarely bought coffee on one of these trips, so to </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" >suggest that I am travelling around the world </span><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >buying coffee misses the point.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >The value of travelling to coffee growing communities, and I believe it is invaluable, lies in a better understanding both of the environmental and social conditions that coffee is grown. While, as I said above, I have rarely bought coffee on these trips, I have decided not to buy coffee from particular suppliers based on what I have experienced. In one case it was due to very large differences of opinion on growing techniques, in this case the use of herbicides and mechanical pruning/harvesting methods that clearly wrought environmental damage. In another case it was less obvious, hard to articulate beyond to say that something seemed off on the farm and I felt more comfortable working with another farm that exhibited more of the values of relationship that I share. </span><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >These are important reasons for visiting the places you do business with, not the least that they are a reflection of what you represent.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >More often, though, I visit a coffee growing community that I have developed a buying relationship to express my gratitude for their hard work and persistence. Growing coffee is largely a thankless occupation populated by some of the most marginalized people. The typical coffee farmer, especially a small coffee farmer, never meets the people who ultimately buy their product. At worse, they are taken advantage of by local coffee buyers, "coyotes", who would cheat them; at best, they meet with an exporting firm or maybe an importing firm who tend to keep compliments to a minimum and instead voice a steady drumbeat of better quality. Maybe this is due to a rationale that if they were to compliment the quality the price would go up, and from an exporter's perspective just a couple of pennies difference in price can have a huge impact on their bottom line. Especially when you are competing on the commodities market.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS";mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >What I want to accomplish, though, is a long term relationship with our coffee producing partners. When all is said and done, I am a pretty lazy coffee buyer; I would rather have a consistent source of reliable quality than to go searching for it every year. And experience has shown that coffee producers are much more likely to offer a higher quality lot to a long term buyer than some gringo that flies in boasting how much money they are willing to spend. While there are those who always want something different, I prefer having coffees that can be relied on each year. This is particularly true when it comes to something really important like an espresso blend. And this is where we come back to the traditional concept of a coffee buyer.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >Historically, a coffee buyers job was to ensure that the brand's coffee blend flavor profile did not change. It is a difficult task to maintain blend consistency with imputs that are in varying degrees of flux, not just year to year but within the year itself. Much easier to simply throw a bunch of ingredients together and call whatever the result is good. But to maintain a blend consistency requires fair amount of perseverance. Perhaps this is why some roasters have abandoned the idea completely and opted for "seasonal" espresso blends.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >By and large, with the exception of a screw up from our supplier, which to their credit they promptly corrected, our espresso blend profile has remained constant. Its in the realm of the other aspect of a traditional coffee buyer's job that has been the disaster: forecasting the price.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >And here is where things get a bit tricky. For most of our coffees I try to forecast how much we will expect to use until the next crop and the price is set according to what the market is that day, plus whatever "differential" premium is set for that coffee. Differentials are determined by the exporting agent based on, well, any body's guess really, but largely around an additional value a particular coffee may have. It used to be that Differentials were quite small, five or ten cents, plus or minus the market based on perceived quality and supply. Today, Differential premiums can be quite large, sometimes as much as the market price itself, since there has been a real decline in availability of top quality coffee.</span><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >Now, in the case of the espresso blend we have some other options. Since I generally know how much coffee we will use over the course of the year I can book that coffee without setting a price. Maybe I think the prices are artificially high and that the market will cool off at a later date. Or, perhaps I think the exact opposite, that coffee prices are set to go up, I could book out even a year's worth of coffee based on the market price. I could do the same with the differential. So here's my options: I can book the coffee price and differential to be fixed; I could set the price and not the differential, or the differential and not the price; or I could book the coffee price and differential at an agreed price set for up to a year.</span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >Normally I book our espresso blend coffees in the fall of the year for the next year. The year before last the prediction when I booked the coffees was that the market was a little overpriced and would probably come down about ten cents. Supply was a bit of a concern so I went ahead booked the differential but left the price to be fixed later. Then, the coffee prices began to climb. And Climb. And Climb. We started off around $1.70 and by years end had passed $2.50. This was unprecedented. Moreover, the price continued to climb throughout the new year and there was much talk of it topping $3.00.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";mso-ascii-font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >The reasons for this dramatic volatility in the market stems from a number of factors. Some of it is due to the concentration of coffee production to just four main countries supplying the majority of coffee. Last year saw serious crop shortages in two of the four. IMF and World Bank policies have virtually destroyed the coffee industry in most African nations and many nations are dealing with the effects of climate change, Coupled with the fact that warehouse inventory stocks have seen a steady decline to historically low levels due to supply consistently lagging consumption and one would conclude that the higher prices are here to stay. However, the combination of algorithmic trading and too few people with too much money makes the commodities market operate simply as a casino. I could see a report that the Brazil crop is larger than average and the price goes up. Now we are seeing reports of diminished supply and the price goes down. The price no longer reflects supply and demand, or any fundamental market conditions. Prices are determined largely by emotionally charged speculation fueled by computer frenzied automated buys.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-size:100%;" >The idea behind fixing prices on a forward delivery contract is to have a sort of insurance policy on your price through the year. Mostly what you want to do is to hedge yourself to an overall average price so you can set prices for the year. One thing people hate is to have the price change, well, change upwards anyway. A Coffee Buyer can set forward delivery contract prices against future months. In this way, the price paid throughout the year is averaged. This works great in normal times, but these are not normal times.<br /></span></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Body1"> </p> <p class="Body1"><span style="mso-hansi-Arial Unicode MS"font-family:";" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">So now we have coffee coming in that is far above market price. I would have been better off never fixing the price at all and letting the price be determined when we took delivery. But to do so would make setting our prices impossible. We would never know what our cost of goods would be from delivery to delivery. Currently, forward delivery contracts against September are about $2.10, far below what we are paying now. The question now is am I willing to gamble? If history is any guide, I'm a terrible gambler.</span></span><br /></span></p>Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-33621697255352953412011-11-03T09:27:00.002-07:002015-06-01T10:16:05.179-07:00The Coffee Varietal Quest vs Biodiversity<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="//img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9JZnOiLU0jCMkv0UPi4FfogMDTgZ3KfCdvvm0S0oNp8MqpaDMbmIMnasMz8cdypZ86Z2b7bPkkHlSMI0XhBTfRq2uPf99t0Qm4msbMxppZYAdlhtzxXw1OOK4kW98mt0XQ7RQdE46MsG/s1600/India+photos+143.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670812175240528642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9JZnOiLU0jCMkv0UPi4FfogMDTgZ3KfCdvvm0S0oNp8MqpaDMbmIMnasMz8cdypZ86Z2b7bPkkHlSMI0XhBTfRq2uPf99t0Qm4msbMxppZYAdlhtzxXw1OOK4kW98mt0XQ7RQdE46MsG/s320/India+photos+143.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The coffee tree comes from a large family of evergreen shrubs; to call it a tree may be </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">somewhat of an exaggeration. For much of coffee’s recent history, the species and variety of the tree was chiefly a concern of coffee farmers’ efforts to combat disease and pests along with increasing crop yields. Recently, coffee roasters have taken an interest in coffee varieties for a very </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">different reason: marketing. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: autofont-family:arial; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">While coffee originated in Ethiopia, it was in neighboring Yemen that Turkish farmers first cultivated it on a commercial scale. Undoubtedly, the Turks could have selected any number of species and varieties to plant, but the one they chose was most likely for its fine flavor since there were other hardier, and greater producing species to be found. The Turks closely guarded their treasure, and how seeds were finally secreted away is a source of legend. This species of coffee took its name from whence it came: Arabia; taking on the nomenclature Coffea Arabica, which today accounts for 80% of the world’s production.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: autofont-family:arial; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The spread of Arabica coffee around the world was based on a very limited number of trees. Seven berries were taken by Baba Budan to India; a small shipment was taken to the French colony of Reunion; and the tree taken from Java to Amsterdam in 1706, together with its offspring in Paris, which provided all the planting material for South and Central America. Consequently, the whole genetic base of the Arabica coffee industry is very narrow. As demand for coffee grew, large areas - sometimes entire countries – became dedicated to coffee production, revealing weaknesses inherent in propagating a single species. Since the coffee tree is an evergreen shrub having broad leaves, it is a tempting target for pests and disease. This became glaringly clear in Sri Lanka - once one of the world’s largest producers – that ultimately lost its entire crop to disease in the late 1800’s, never to recover. Experience has led farmers to seek alternatives through inbreeding to increase resistance, and to boost crop yield. Since the coffee tree is an inbreeder, natural mutations occasionally occurred. These mutations often displayed characteristics that allowed them to adapt to specific growing conditions. Inbreeding has led to a number of hybrids of the Arabica species that are referred to as varieties or cultivars. These cultivars all derive from the original typica variety from Yemen and the bourbon variety from the Reunion. The two varieties are considered identical from a herbarium perspective. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hybrid varieties have become so popular that in many countries they greatly outnumber the original typica and bourbons and, in some cases, have completely replaced them. For the most part, coffee connoisseurs were quite unaware of this change until recently. Hybridization began in earnest after the Second World War as part of the “Green Revolution” that occurred throughout the world’s agricultural industry. This movement was characterized with a change in growing practices to increase production and simplify labor practices through mono-cropping and heavy use of fertilizer and pesticides. Since coffee contributes significantly to the GNP of many equatorial nations, government sponsored research institutes and boards were created to assist farmers in the latest methods in what came to be known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">technified farming</i>. Technified farming encouraged the removal of traditional multi-story shade canopies in favor of specialized shade or full sun growing techniques.A new form of hybrid propagation was encouraged to combat disease and pest outbreaks due to intense mono-cropping. This new hybrid is referred to as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">interspecific</i> hybrids. Interspecific hybrids are cross bred from outside the Arabica species, most notably the Robusta species. These hybrids display negative taste characteristics that are quite recognizable to the trained coffee professional. The success of interspecific hybrids may have increased yields and forged a (temporary) bulwark from disease and pests, but many professionals within the coffee industry believe that this success has come at a cost to flavor quality. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: autofont-family:arial; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The confusion between inbred cultivars and interspecific hybrids has led to a resurgence of interest in specific varieties, and what some may describe as the heirloom varieties of bourbon and typica, and an “Indiana Jones” style quest to find the ultimate cultivar. The recent interest in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Geisha</i> variety best illustrates this phenomena. Some roasters, as a fashionable method to display their commitment to quality, now actively promote particular varieties. What is important to remember however is that the extreme narrow genetic base for the Arabica species makes taste variation quite negligible. It is difficult enough, if not impossible, to distinguish a flavor variance between the typica and bourbon variants, much less variants within cultivars. Any perceived taste variation is more likely resulting from external variables. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Ultimately, flavor quality depends on microclimate variables, ecological stewardship and processing methodology. Flavor profiles are the result of specific locations, the best cultivar is the one that thrives best in its location. Coffees coming from technified plantations are thin, acidy, and flavorless due to the low nutrient quality of their environment. Pumping nitrogen fertilizer into poor soil conditions and highly variable temperature conditions does not make for good flavor quality. Coffees coming from rich, biodiverse environments, that are managed in a systematically caring fashion, whether through science or tradition, display fine flavor characteristics that are a snapshot of their environment. Rather than wasting time promoting varietals, roasters would do better promoting micro-climate. Not only would this better promote flavor characteristics, it would reward farms that are healthy stewards of biodiversity.</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" face="arial">
<span style="font-family: Palatino-Roman; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SAfont-family:Palatino-Roman; mso-bidi-mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 130%;"></span></span></div>
Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-79010625683428318022011-09-03T08:55:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:27:49.467-07:00The State of Espresso MakingImagine you are standing on the top of a ten story building and you have been tasked with dropping a paintball onto a target on the sidewalk below. It is a partly cloudy day, a few slight breezes, but you are a professional paintball dropper and have come prepared. You have your special paintball dropping shoes that provide just the right amount of grip, your special paintball leather gloves for that perfect handling, and your favorite paintball glasses that provide excellent perception abilities.<br />
<br />
As you drop your first ball it veers off to the upper left of the target so you make your adjustments and try again. This time the ball is off the upper right side, then upper left side again, then the center bottom and so on. Occasionally the paintball makes it within an acceptable range on the target and you develop a complicated philosophy on how you got it there. Over time, though, this philosophy is not producing results so you do the only obvious thing: you get rid of the target and decree that wherever the ball landed is where you intended.<br />
<br />
This, I'm afraid, is the state of espresso making today.<br />
<br />
I came to this observation while visiting a number of coffee bars in New York City recently. In the last year I have been making an attempt to get out and see what others are doing; from roasters that I admired, roasters that are talked about, and coffee bars that are recommended to me. While I am happy to see a new generation of passionate coffee people, I could not help but notice that almost without exception, everyone was using semi-automatic espresso machines. One place even offered the option of making your drink from an old Piston <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Faema</span>. The results were uniformly inconsistent, often disappointing, sometimes undrinkable. How did it come to this?<br />
<br />
I first learned to make espresso on an old propane-fired Piston <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Cafethema</span>. We used <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre</span>-ground coffee and didn't really think about whether what we were making was good - the concept of good hadn't really occurred to us. It wasn't until a couple of years later when I first went to Seattle for espresso machine repair training that I was introduced to the idea of making espresso properly. Obsession quickly replaced embarrassment and I threw myself into a quest for quality.<br />
<br />
Being an Alaskan, I excused myself for my Johnny-come-lately arrival to espresso quality. The simple fact was that there existed a great number of people both in the coffee roasting side and the machine manufacturing side of the business who were chasing after quality.<br />
<br />
I was fortunate to come across a three group La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Marzocco</span> GS2 paddle machine, now considered a modern classic. This machine set a new standard for taste quality over our old piston machines. Unfortunately, though, these early machines did not really have enough steam capacity to keep up with the demands of the growing Latte scene. We replaced this machine with a new La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Marzocco</span> Linea, and while the flavor of the espresso seemed to lack the depth of the old GS2, the introduction of volumetric dosing made things far more efficient on the bar.<br />
<br />
We weren't the only ones to notice a difference in taste quality in these early volumetric machines, it was widely reported and soon <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Marzocco</span> addressed this issue in subsequent machines while many of us modified our existing equipment.<br />
<br />
The culprit largely was the mechanism that measured the water volume itself. The water would have to travel outside of the boiler to be measured and in the process would cool. Later machines would solve this but some users preferred the old on-off switches that bypassed this mechanism as a solution.<br />
<br />
The next innovation would have a severe impact on our (by then) bars, this was the introduction of timers on the keypads. Rather than setting the grind and then assuming that all was fine until it looked wrong, now each shot would be timed as it brewed. Since our number one complaint from customers was drink inconsistency we quickly adopted these machines.<br />
<br />
What seemed like an obvious quality tool turned out to be a nightmare.<br />
<br />
Our first client to take delivery of the new "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Chronos</span>" machine called almost immediately complaining that the machine was inconsistent. After a number of visits out to the client the only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">solution</span> was for us to replace to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Chronos</span> keypads with the standard non-timer variety. Sometime later I returned from a coffee buying trip to find one of our technicians holding a strange device. After inquiring what it was he informed me that it was a water pressure regulator to be installed on our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Chronos</span> machine downtown.<br />
<br />
This was a new store with a wrap around bar that allowed one to sit and watch drink production. After a while I called the manager over. Watch with me, I said. . . This shot will be fast, this shot will be fast, this shot will be long, this one will be good, this one looks good, this one will be very long, and so on, I was predicting the shots with around 90% accuracy. How are you doing this? the manager asked. I'm watching how much coffee the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">barista</span> is putting in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">portafilter</span>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">barista</span> was operating at about 30% to 40% efficiency overall.<br />
<br />
When I asked the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">barista</span> about her experience of the machine's consistency she iterated a detailed examination of which group pulled more consistently than others. She assured me that she always used the same amount of coffee in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">portafilter</span> each time. And so it was, most <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">baristas</span>, when queried, expressed dissatisfaction over their machine's inconsistency, all were convinced that they dosed consistently.<br />
<br />
It would be years, and a revamping of our training program, before we would overcome this phenomena. In that time I observed other companies deal with this issue. Most of the chains adopted Super Automatic machines that removed the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">barista</span> from the process. Perhaps in an effort to differentiate themselves from chains, or from a desire for more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">barista</span> control in the brewing process, many independents have returned to semi-automatic machines. Indeed, the most talked about machine on the scene now is paddle operated machines. I'm afraid, though, that they have thrown the baby out with the bath water in their efforts to create the third wave of coffee. My trip to New York exposed me to the gulf between what high profile independents intend to offer customers and what is being delivered on their bars.<br />
<br />
It seems to me that process now trumps product and that coffee quality now has more to do with showmanship.<br />
<br />
Lest this be an isolated experience I took the opportunity to visit Seattle and catch up with the gang at La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Marzocco</span>. Now, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Marzocco</span> is a tiny company in the world of espresso machine manufacturers, despite their high profile. They are one of a small number of companies that still build the machines by hand and as a result can implement design changes fairly rapidly. As a result, they are on the forefront of paddle control machines, responding to customer demand. Today, 70% of their sales are semi-automatic machines, an almost complete reversal from about ten years ago. Then, most customers who bought semi-automatics did so for the cost savings. The new paddle machines are in response to the recent interest in "pressure profiling."<br />
<br />
Now, I don't think a manufacturer should be faulted for responding to customer requests, but I fear that this current trend will have long term detrimental effects for espresso quality. The fact is that we are introducing more variables into the equation, making the ability to produce good quality more difficult. This will become a greater problem as these machines age and pass into increasingly less qualified hands. I related my experiences in New York to them and my reservations about semi-automatic machines but they assured me that this wasn't an issue.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HSvgP5cD0Y3AW6CaprwwQZBPfVrVW9LVHPNWGIxtPNIRtzF8SuBjogtCNsMtTBRw0y8Aw_PH-eAk02FG6Fi7A_E1VQsHZTvJ5_b173XC0gM0W29c1C9Ffv8JWcLhtEOyZnIyqUZ99rfb/s1600/Seattle+coffee+035.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656793513424114274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HSvgP5cD0Y3AW6CaprwwQZBPfVrVW9LVHPNWGIxtPNIRtzF8SuBjogtCNsMtTBRw0y8Aw_PH-eAk02FG6Fi7A_E1VQsHZTvJ5_b173XC0gM0W29c1C9Ffv8JWcLhtEOyZnIyqUZ99rfb/s320/Seattle+coffee+035.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 259px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a>So, an old friend of mine from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Marzo</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">cco</span> and I set out to see if Seattle was any better than my experiences in New York. The first place we came to had a paddle machine with pressure <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">gauges</span> mounted atop each group head, allowing the user to "surf" pressure while brewing. I asked the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">barista</span> what pressure they shot for in which she replied: oh, I never look at those. Then, while we were talking behind the bar, she sets up another shot for a drink, busies herself at the sink, realizes the shot was still pulling, races back to the machine, stops the pour, then proceeds to pour the espresso in the cup, adds the steamed milk and out it goes. My friend looks at me at which I could only shrug.<br />
<br />
On the other end of the experience we stopped into a shop that offered two espresso choices, the standard blend for drink making and a single origin for straight shots. I ordered a straight shot and noticed that he was using a deep dish basket, originally created in an attempt to produce triple shots. We long ago realized that extraction was a factor of basket diameter and depth, not just depth. Nevertheless, these baskets are still on the market and clearly in use. He prepares me an espresso that was no more than one ounce including <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">crema</span>; just barely enough to cover the bottom of the cup.<br />
<br />
The experience was such that it sent shivers down my spine and the look on my face after I tasted it prompted my friend to try it. After sampling it himself he says, I don't think I know what good is anymore. I responded, not only is that not good, that is not even drinkable. As the day wore on it was clear that my experiences in New York were not an isolated event, that this is now the norm. Most telling for me was visiting one store that was maybe a quarter full of seated patrons and nobody lined up at the bar. Directly across the street was a Starbucks that not only was at least three quarters full and a line was at least 20 deep. If I were the proprietor of the independent I think I would be seriously evaluating my business. I think it would be foolish to write off those Starbucks customers as ill-informed. Chances are they have good reason why they choose to stand in line while the independent is nearly empty.<br />
<br />
We have three Starbucks within a mile of our store in Denver and we routinely outperform them. In fact we joke to our customers that there is plenty of free parking at the Starbucks when we are full. We don't offer the same drinks as they do, there are no <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Frappuccinos</span> or Carmel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Macchiatos</span> at our store, and yet we continue to pull customers from them. We differentiate ourselves from them not by knee-jerking away from technology, operating blind in response to the fully automated model of corporate chains that replace <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">mediocrity</span> with quality in the search for consistency. Rather, we utilize technology to improve quality <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">and</span> </span>consistency by creating systems of monitoring and control that provides the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">barista</span> the tools to make the right decisions for creating quality coffee drinks.<br />
<br />
The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">SCAA</span> should be applauded for their efforts in education with the creation of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Barista</span> Championships, Brewer's Cup, and Cupping Certification. Unfortunately, an insular culture has developed that seems divorced from reality. Some of this is manifested in the current trend of espresso machines that is directly traced to competitions.<br />
<br />
A trend, I dare say, that is a step backwards in quality.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-44246687770322224122011-05-31T12:59:00.000-07:002015-06-03T08:42:15.221-07:00Coffee AcidityOne thing was painfully clear at the SCAA show in Houston, acidy coffee is in! Really! I even heard one coffee described as having "aggressive acidity." Dark Roasts are out, Light Roasts are in. Light Roasts are complex, refined, have good acidity. Dark Roasts, well, Dark Roasts just aren't cool anymore. I mean, Starbucks over roasts their coffee. And we all know that Starbucks is not cool. Light Roasts are Third Wave and Third Wave is in.<br />
<br />
Along with the trend towards Light Roast is this new found appreciation for Acidity. Acidity is what gives a coffee its brightness, its liveliness. Good Acidity can be likened to carbonation in a soda, without it the beverage is flat. Something I heard repeated time and again was the necessity of educating the customer about coffee acidity. But not all acidity is good, and a lot of what I tasted was acids due to defects in the coffee.<br />
<br />
Of the plus 1000 different chemical compounds identified in coffee about 50 or so are acids. Many of these are volatile compounds and diminish in roasting. Light Roasts tend to emphasize these acidic compounds and bring them to the fore. This is why coffee tasters in the import/export trade roast their samples very light to expose these particular defects. Trade Cupping or Defect Cupping is a necessary skill for any coffee professional but one would be remiss into assuming that this is some higher form of taste.<br />
<br />
Coffee's acidity comes from a combination of its inherent acidity along with the coffee bean's production cycle: growing, processing, and roasting. Coffee's inherent acidity is chlorogenic acid, which, along with caffeine, is part of the plant's defense against insects. Chlorogenic acid breaks down in roasting into quinic and caffetic acids depending on the amount of time the coffee is exposed to heat. Roasting machines with poor heat transference produce more of these acids resulting in a tinny, bitter taste. I have written more extensively on this acid in "Bitterness and Acidity in Coffee."<br />
<br />
One of the more oft quoted acids is Citric Acid. This acid is usually associated with fresh crop coffee and indicates new harvest. Experienced cuppers will tend to opt away from these lots and wait for later deliveries, giving the coffee a chance to mature. If the flavor persists it is an indication that too many immature green coffee cherries are making their way through. I have notice in my own travels that first time cuppers often take a liking to this taste largely due to the fact that it is the first taste that they learn to identify. This acid is less volatile than other acids and so cannot be "roasted" out. Its easy to identify, since most of us are familiar with citric acid from citrus fruits.<br />
<br />
Another common acid is malic. I have noticed an increase in this acid over the years as sun grown coffee has become more commonplace. It is due to excessive day/night time temperature deviations. Shaded coffee farms have more stable temperatures which benefits the plants night time expiration. This acid has a distinct tart apple peel taste that lingers on the palette.<br />
<br />
Acetic acids come about from the just pulped coffee beans sitting in the fermentation tank. The time in the fermentation tank is critical since the enzymes break down the silver skin on the coffee beans. Too much time, or if the temperature is too high, however, results in a vinegar like taste. Sometimes this is confused with wineyness.<br />
<br />
Most of these acids will decrease in roasting, aside from the Quinic, but as more roasters opt for a Light Roast these acids come to define the coffee's flavor. I hear a lot of pontificating about this coffee's blueberry taste, or apricot, plum, or jammy, as if they are talking about their favorite wine. The one thing that these acids have in common is that they invariably lead to a soury cup. You can mask some of these flavors by increasing the brew temperature, but as the cup cools so returns the sour. What's more, these acids tend affect a person's body, resulting in an edgy, uncomfortable feeling. Some assume it is caffeine, but it is these acids.<br />
<br />
In my years of roasting I have never had a customer come in and ask for an acidic coffee: you know, something that tastes like fresh squeezed lemons? Something that will sour my stomach and make me feel all jittery?<br />
<br />
Maybe its time the customer educated us.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-36552997064286835742011-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:002015-06-01T10:28:11.885-07:00What makes good espressoRecently I visited a new coffee bar just opened by a local up-and-coming roaster. It was everything one would expect from a third wave coffee bar: a pour over bar in lieu of a coffee brewer, a paddle operated espresso machine, and your choice of a couple of different espresso offerings. Both espresso offerings were single origin, one being described as their "princess" espresso, the other was touted as a bigger espresso. I opted for the bigger one and was presented with a perfectly prepared, thin, biting, one-dimensional espresso.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprNyFInPF3_o7v_C0A3QIi5CzVPDT9AH3TUFbQXpzWJt5HLGH1udHJ0UcFbZJXTzQuSplRPAbxECzJn7_KbrBc3ooWAu8eueOwKFVvITKM0XYaYDHVmOqywTuGzWD6Z4tgMHX6ZjXmsMZ/s1600/DSCN0461.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607686336746345666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprNyFInPF3_o7v_C0A3QIi5CzVPDT9AH3TUFbQXpzWJt5HLGH1udHJ0UcFbZJXTzQuSplRPAbxECzJn7_KbrBc3ooWAu8eueOwKFVvITKM0XYaYDHVmOqywTuGzWD6Z4tgMHX6ZjXmsMZ/s320/DSCN0461.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a>This reminded me of a quote from Antony Wild's <span style="font-style: italic;">Coffee, a Dark History</span>. He said, "espresso is a wonderful way to make good coffee, but not a good way to make wonderful coffee." This statement may seem like a slam on espresso but Antony is pointing out a fact that seems to have been lost of late, espresso machines make espresso coffee. What makes for a good coffee, or even a wonderful coffee, does not make for a good or wonderful espresso. I love Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffee, it is one of those iconic great coffees. It has this incredible Jasmine like perfuming and an almost tea-like aftertaste. Put it in an espresso machine and you will get a thin bodied, acidic, almost flavorless shot. It's very delicate nature makes it completely unsuitable as an espresso coffee, especially on its own.
<br />
<br />
Many years ago, just after we had opened our second store in Alaska, I was working behind the espresso machine when a little old Italian lady came up and ordered a double espresso. I made the espresso and she disappeared around the corner. A short time later she returned the demitasse and saucer and said, "Your blender, he is a genius." It was, and still is, the highest praise from the best authority I could ever have.
<br />
<br />
Notice that she praised the blender of the espresso; not the Roaster, the Coffee Buyer, or even the Barista. The Blender, to her, was the craftsman.
<br />
<br />
In the early days of the espresso revolution here in America, there was a concept brought over from Italy known as the 4 M's. The 4 M's were Italian words that corresponded to the 4 necessary ingredients of a properly prepared espresso. They are, the Mano: the person making the espresso; Macinazione, the correct grind; Macchina, the espresso machine; and finally, Miscela, the coffee. Literally, <span style="font-style: italic;">the blend</span>.
<br />
<br />
When we first began roasting we could only afford a few different varietal coffees. As the business grew, we were able to expand our offering. Armed with a simple sample coffee roaster, I began feverishly searching for unique coffees. I was excited at the time to try my hand at new blends, and since we were principally an espresso roasting company, these were espresso blends. But a funny thing happened with the espresso blend. The "better" the coffee used in the blend, the worse the espresso tasted. Now, better here means more uniquely tasting coffee beans. I found these unique flavors did not translate well in the blend, assuming they translated at all.
<br />
<br />
The thing about espresso machines is that they amplify certain flavors and mute others. Moreover, each brand of espresso machine has its own particular taste. The breakthrough for me was when I finally figured out that what I was trying to do was wrongheaded in its approach. Instead of trying to blend in new coffees what I needed to do was work backwards from what was, to me at least, an ideal espresso flavor. I needed to have an end in mind and utilize the components to reach that end.
<br />
<br />
For many, I think,the assumption was that espresso is just strong coffee, and so they went about a creating a strong espresso blend. Sort of like saying if brewed coffee is like wine, then espresso coffee is the liquor. In this case the end was more like a strong whiskey resulting in something akin to a distilled spirit, not entirely enjoyable, but gets the job done. For me, what I had in mind was more of a liqueur, a top shelf Cognac, something that was complete in and of itself. Paying as much attention to the mouthfeel as to the aromatics and taste. It should be a complete package, a complete experience in one serving. The espresso should affect everypart of the mouth.
<br />
<br />
Over the years I have spent the majority of my time working on just this one blend. I find it best to break the blend down to component parts, in a way that each component has a part to play. In time I realized that there were only so many parts one could feasably work in the blend. Its important to remember that it is only about 18 grams of coffee that can fit into a typical Marzocco basket. Too many components not only means the blend becomes muddled, but also creates variations from shot to shot. For me this meant a blend of 3 or 4 components max. Some have argued for more, Dr. Illy famously stated that 11 was too many, 9 was about right, but I find too many makes the blend unwieldy.
<br />
<br />
The challenge, of course, is not so much creating that ideal flavor, but maintaining it consistently. Developing a reliable supply chain is the first step. More important, though, is this idea of component parts. How does one keep the same mouthfeel? What about the body? What is the overall impression the espresso should have? How do I adjust through the year? I now keep samples of past blends going back some ten years just for when I get so lost I can go back and get my bearings again. I have tried on a few occasions to create a second blend without much success, admittedly. Seems as if I have only one good espresso blend in me.
<br />
<br />
Now, I love a great cup of coffee . . . right after I have had my espresso. When I visit other coffee roaster's clients or their own coffee bar, I tend to judge the roaster by their ability to get their espresso right. If the blend is lackluster, I become suspect of their other coffee offerings. I have known coffee bars that offer more than one espresso at a time, sometimes it is simply a variety of blends, other times it is a "seasonal" offering. I don't have any beef with that, other than espresso machines need to be temperature calibrated to the blend profile and it is difficult to do it for more than one blend. But that is different from a roaster saying that their espresso blend itself is seasonal, that it is going to change from year to year, or season to season, or simply a combination of whatever is on hand. Seems a bit of a cop out to me. Its one thing to pull off a great tasting blend, but it takes a professional to keep it consistent.
<br />
<br />
More wrongheaded, I believe, is simply taking a varietal coffee and making that the espresso offering. While I was out of town, a friend and I visited a local coffee bar. It was a great little store with a just-installed three group La Marzocco Paddle machine. I ordered an espresso and the Barista asked if I would like the Guatemala or the Brazil, Which one is better? I asked. He said to get the Guatemala. I did, and it was just as disappointing as I expected a single origin espresso to be. I decided to try again and asked about the Brazil. Get the Guatemala, he said, strongly indicating that the Brazil was not so good.
<br />
<br />
Pretty bad for the Barista to lack confidence in what he/she is serving, but I fear a more long term negative effect on customer's appreciation for espresso. Single origin espressos cement old stereotypes on espresso that took a long time to overcome here in the States.
<br />
<br />
While in Houston at the Specialty Coffee Conference I had dinner with some Italian friends who complained they couldn't find a decent espresso at the show. "Nobody knows how to blend, here," they lamented.
<br />
<br />
Miscela.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-6599247851186268332011-05-03T14:28:00.000-07:002011-05-11T15:49:03.851-07:00SCAA 2011 HoustonFor the first time in a number of years I decided to attend the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Annual Conference and Exhibition, billed as "The Event" in Houston, Texas. Last year I had attended the World Conference on Coffee put on by the International Coffee Association in Guatemala and since so much has changed in the intervening year of the coffee market I was curious as to how the SCAA would be dealing with the new market reality. The SCAA presented a Symposium for coffee professionals two days prior to the Conference proper, and it was that offering that attracted me most.<br />Well, okay, if I were really honest, the Symposium was a waste of time and money on my part, with the exception of being able to spend a lot of time with some old industry friends that I haven't seen in some time. The content of the Symposium, though, was lacking, especially when compared to what was presented in Guatemala. Perhaps I was expecting too much from this trade association, and I doubt that any trade association is capable of real dialogue on global matters.<br /><br />What trade associations do well, however, is show new equipment and there was new equipment a plenty on display in the exhibition hall.<br /><br />First up for me w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnKx8v12lBEY-rnRX-E8wwpuF86RI-g3D-uYz3Pb3NL6IfLku05a_hhiYsQucmFxdoezh7I6zT4S0SqT1qvApgQYxOBEJUcI5dkvbiKhqDpb9BFxL43IazHiPKIK1WArZ71nNAtgXbvT3/s1600/SCAA+2011+008.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnKx8v12lBEY-rnRX-E8wwpuF86RI-g3D-uYz3Pb3NL6IfLku05a_hhiYsQucmFxdoezh7I6zT4S0SqT1qvApgQYxOBEJUcI5dkvbiKhqDpb9BFxL43IazHiPKIK1WArZ71nNAtgXbvT3/s320/SCAA+2011+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604835013905993602" border="0" /></a>as the La Marzocco booth. Marzocco is enjoying a sort of renaissance of late after an abysmal year due to the economic crash. They had just moved into a new factory in Florence and it was a real struggle. Despite the perception in the SCAA as being a manufacturer heavy weight, Marzocco is a tiny company. This year, even with sales rebounded, they produce 10% of what a mainstream espresso manufacturers like La Cimbali and CMA produce.<br /><br />They have been clearly busy in the development department as they were displaying a number of very cool machines, most notably the new Strada. The Strada repres<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qOnlETQVtfaWXqoMtRWUwAtiAxaebQ5R-PGBCcdtuZBu8aeYoyH6PakbpTnqDeXxJDC7m_XnZfNqy4JXe8ICj0BpTxRRXOzaaBbtN6MZAWHWKer2ZqREXkEZxVvuVE8X9bt4d4hiyk8f/s1600/SCAA+2011+010.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qOnlETQVtfaWXqoMtRWUwAtiAxaebQ5R-PGBCcdtuZBu8aeYoyH6PakbpTnqDeXxJDC7m_XnZfNqy4JXe8ICj0BpTxRRXOzaaBbtN6MZAWHWKer2ZqREXkEZxVvuVE8X9bt4d4hiyk8f/s320/SCAA+2011+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604835016300357218" border="0" /></a>ents their top of the line, displacing the GB5. So now there are currently four lines on offer, the venerable Linea, the FB80, the GB5 and the Strada.<br /><br />The Linea gets the addition of the mechanic paddles to have three variations: the MP, mechanical paddle; the EE a semi-automatic rocker switch; and the AV, our favorite, with volumetric dosing. All of the machines will now be PID controlled for brew temperature, replacing the old mechanical thermostat.<br /><br />The poor GB5 and FB80's are sort of the forgotten middle children in the line, and to be honest I barely looked at them. The principal difference, that I can see, between these and the Linea are the addition of preheaters for the brew boiler. Customers can choose the same variations as the Linea.<br /><br />The Strada was the star of the show. This machine comes in two variations, the MP and the new EP. The MP being the same mechani<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbS-q-gWQegr_40gBKfBaoEHNjd17sRPrnEQabbdeTSwUF9MsGJuNCBu3hXF8lMffFcjNbTfUwbxcrgGCmGow1ewpk8sGqQ7vi9DHIY7yWRqUr9vc6bSwLfcS_r-Ltqm0Iu6kvDbB3bzz/s1600/SCAA+2011+012.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbS-q-gWQegr_40gBKfBaoEHNjd17sRPrnEQabbdeTSwUF9MsGJuNCBu3hXF8lMffFcjNbTfUwbxcrgGCmGow1ewpk8sGqQ7vi9DHIY7yWRqUr9vc6bSwLfcS_r-Ltqm0Iu6kvDbB3bzz/s320/SCAA+2011+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604835025225911938" border="0" /></a>cal paddle arrangement as on the Linea, the EP being an electronic version. Instead of the mechanical rotary pump, the EP uses an internal gear driven pump that allows for infinite pressure profiling while brewing. What's more, one can program a brew pressure map and the machine will reproduce this profile on the fly. Very cool!<br /><br />Aside from geeking out over the new stuff, what really made my heart happy was seeing the Linea respected again. For a long time we have loved these machines. Many of our clients use rescued ex-Starbucks 3 and 4 groupers in their bars and to see these machines recognized as classics is long overdue. They are rock solid reliable and make great espresso.<br /><br />Also at the Marzocco booth was a lot of new stuff from Marco. This is equipment made for the growing Pour-over Bar market. On hand was the new Uberboiler with electronic scale, and special grinders. A lot of activity around this stuff as Pour-over Bars are the new rage.<br /><br />However, on the other side of the exhibition hall at the Baratza booth there was a prototype machine on display that pretty much makes Pour-over Bars obsolete. A fully programmable hot water delivery machine for use in pour over brewers such as the Chemex. The water sprayer rotates around the top of the brew funnel and can be programmed for any determin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHvmeuLVtAxW8zDEyzZJEJfteA5gAaJvA2612EpeXFwIdXnE0A6sntgcpgZEt3cjY2jvZ8wQN8D10CpoHhLxWxhZUqTUVRkxz34eo4Uossp5OqacJIQIpt0r17MoUmTR-zmoFWaHlG5RY/s1600/SCAA+2011+014.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHvmeuLVtAxW8zDEyzZJEJfteA5gAaJvA2612EpeXFwIdXnE0A6sntgcpgZEt3cjY2jvZ8wQN8D10CpoHhLxWxhZUqTUVRkxz34eo4Uossp5OqacJIQIpt0r17MoUmTR-zmoFWaHlG5RY/s320/SCAA+2011+014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604835029301405346" border="0" /></a>ed pulse brew. The designer has yet to decide whether to target the commercial or home market yet but the device easily out performs any manual operator. So much for the Brewers Cup!<br /><br />Speaking of pour over brewers, an old friend, Kevin Knox, was attending and strongly suggested I check out a just introduced brewer called the Sowden Softbrew. This device essentially renders the Press Pot and the Chemex obsolete in every respect. Easier to use than a Press Pot and the Chemex, but with the best attributes of both. Outstanding flavor clarity and no sediment. I didn't take any pictures but I bought three cases!Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-36090612757822717642011-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:002011-01-17T16:36:30.750-08:00The Rise in Coffee Prices.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAZ46Sdv0M4NyUIhXByCLonSUwsUTGnxtvd_NuqPbaGdLZHhdIxwAUpxJ-cb8VnHXgNAG6F9dQTNzaHpJvaNW1Vv4iXA5DIe3fvMGiFT04mSPOhMR2T7zELvQmSZXVDEJmjjI_fouLk69/s1600/Chart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAZ46Sdv0M4NyUIhXByCLonSUwsUTGnxtvd_NuqPbaGdLZHhdIxwAUpxJ-cb8VnHXgNAG6F9dQTNzaHpJvaNW1Vv4iXA5DIe3fvMGiFT04mSPOhMR2T7zELvQmSZXVDEJmjjI_fouLk69/s320/Chart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563233072562536130" border="0" /></a><br />Many of you by now have already heard reports of rising coffee prices in conjunction with rising commodity prices as a whole. Over the last four months, coffee prices on the New York exchange have risen some 75%. Many roasters have already started raising prices, and for the rest of us it is only a matter of time. I have to admit a certain amount of denial in these rising prices, hoping against the market that prices will begin to fall, but it seems the longer I wait, the higher the prices go. The last couple of days have seen a leveling off of sorts but few in the industry expect prices to come down soon, if ever.<br /><br />What's up with that?<br /><br />Lemme <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">esplain</span>:<br /><br />For the better part of the period from just after the Second World War coffee prices were held stable by a program called the International Coffee Agreement, administered by the International Coffee Organization. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ICO</span> was a member organization of coffee producing countries and coffee consuming countries. These member countries agreed to quotas set by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ICO</span> of how much coffee producing countries could export and how much consuming countries could import. The program was initiated after WWII in an effort to boost and stabilize coffee prices in an effort to curb terrorism. It was observed that there was a direct link between countries with high rates of poverty and militant movements ( I know, crazy huh?), Since many of these same impoverished countries were coffee exporting countries the agreement sought to raise and stabilize these same countries via raising and stabilizing coffee prices paid by consuming countries.<br /><br />The program worked well by any measure, the only hiccups occurring when Brazil would have a particularly devastating frost and threaten overall supplies. Even still, prices tended to correct rather quickly and remain consistent year to year. This was good for traditional coffee farmers since they could reasonably expect coffee prices to remain the same year to year so investing into future harvests could be done with relative security.<br /><br />During the 1980's there was increasing pressure on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ICO</span> to disband the agreement. This effort was largely driven by the largest consumer country, the USA, where a rising tide of market <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ideology</span> abhorred any efforts to control markets; and Brazil, where increasing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">technified</span> farming practices resulted in large surpluses of coffee held in warehouses.<br /><br />In 1988, the agreement collapsed and nearly overnight the prices of coffee lost more than half their value. It would take some ten years for Brazil to get rid of their excess coffee stocks, and adding to the oversupply, some ten million bags of coffee debris that formerly would not be considered suitable for export was now counted as part of the total supply of coffee.<br /><br />Free Marketers heralded the change as good for everyone since it would get rid of those producers that were unable to produce efficiently in a competitive, open market. Such proclamations are parroted frequently in any discussion of world trade, ignoring the realities of production and unequal subsidization of industrial production over traditional farming practices.<br /><br />Think of it this way, imagine if we decided that automobiles were a commodity. Now, for simplicity purposes, we would have to have only a few classes of autos to trade, based on generalities (the market hates specifics). So, lets say autos were divided into three classes: two door sedans, four door sedans, and trucks. Simple enough. Now, you decide you want to buy a two door sedan so you go down to your local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Kia</span> dealer and see that a two door there sells for $10,000, which is what you expect because you have been following the two door market for some time now, watching production and sales numbers. No problem. If you want to sell or buy a two door, $10k is the price. Then you wander on over to the Ferrari dealer to check out what they have in the two door department. Hey cool! The market says that if Ferrari wants to sell two door cars, then they have to sell them for $10k! Awesome!<br /><br />So, how many Ferrari's do you suppose will be made next year?<br /><br />Just as Brazil's effect on the market began to wane, another country came to the fore as a leading producer of low priced coffee. Vietnam, in a project largely subsidized by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">USAID</span>, became the second largest exporter of coffee in the world in just a few short years. The coffee is the cheap, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Robusta</span> variety favored for commercial producers, especially instant coffees.<br /><br />The net effect has been chronic undervaluing of coffee for over twenty years, leading to the Fair Trade movement and other efforts to boost prices for desirable coffees, for it was the good tasting, high quality coffees that we have seen steady erosion in availability. Moreover, countries where the IMF have imposed strict policy adjustments, especially in Africa, have seen their coffee production nearly collapse.<br /><br />With coffee production reaching peak limits in Brazil and Vietnam, and climate change, increasing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">aridification</span> and desertification , these pressures are placing concerns on the global capacity of coffee production.<br /><br />There is another factor at work here: computerized trading. The reality is that most of coffee traded on the exchange is done by non-coffee agents. Over the last ten years, computerized trading has played a larger role in volume trades and now these programs are taking into account fundamentals along with market movements. Okay, let me unpack that.<br /><br />Close to 90% of the buying and selling of coffee on the commodities exchange is done by speculators. They are essentially gambling with the price of coffee, up or down. Increasingly more of the trades are being done by computer programs that watch the market prices. When prices are lower they are programed to buy and when they are higher they sell, an oversimplification, but you get the general idea. Now, these programs are taking into account actual production forecasts and other hard information coming from producer countries. Seems they have discovered that the production of better coffees (known as the "C" market) is in a decline.<br /><br />This is happening at a time when investors are increasingly looking for "real" things to invest money in, rather than imaginary "financial instruments" that were the rage right up until the whole financial collapse. So, some of this is technical, as they say in the trade, some of this is fundamental. In other words, some of it is the players and some of it is the supply.<br /><br />Will coffee prices come down? Not likely. At least not to levels they have been. But let's face it, we have been buying Ferraris for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Kia</span> prices for probably too long.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-71611922948309732722010-12-11T10:31:00.000-08:002015-06-01T10:30:20.661-07:00Sulawesi Saga Continues!Perhaps I am to blame.<br />
<br />
I jumped the gun and stated that we received shipment confirmation for the White Eagle. Our importing partner had relayed to me that he expected shipment confirmation that day.<br />
<br />
Just before the coffee was to be loaded onto the ship the exporter did a final quality check since the coffee had sat at the warehouse while they waited for an available ship. You may remember me posting the delay due to heavy weather a few posts ago. As they feared, the high humidity caused the coffee to have a strong musty flavor so they rejected the shipment. They are processing another batch now so all is not lost. But, I jinxed it!<br />
<br />
Dang it!<br />
<br />
So this means that it will be at least another month before we can expect to have more information about availability since we are essentially starting over but we have had a good track record with this group so confidence remains high despite the setbacks this year. Sometimes it is simply matters out of the control of producers and exporters. And, we have to respect exporters practicing due diligence and not letting product out that would damage the reputation of the farmers. I would have been severely disappointed (although maybe not surprised given the weather) had the arrival sample come to me with this defect flavor and I had to reject the shipment.<br />
<br />
Disappointing news for all.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081143583238727613.post-48069532477859974222010-11-29T09:50:00.000-08:002010-11-29T10:25:31.720-08:00Indonesia Coffee Update 11-29-10<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA0wpe0LRIpQ69dOnInWwTrEOxVztVlc5RGrzbVwyeyfyV0zp9f3LZ1VycpiXd2VpQYpuagq6IeLmllD5vBTccNW-11gtNKofav51qU9por9d_uBmWODEq0rPWHb5P6iyjt7pax5TurY5/s1600/cupping6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA0wpe0LRIpQ69dOnInWwTrEOxVztVlc5RGrzbVwyeyfyV0zp9f3LZ1VycpiXd2VpQYpuagq6IeLmllD5vBTccNW-11gtNKofav51qU9por9d_uBmWODEq0rPWHb5P6iyjt7pax5TurY5/s320/cupping6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545039148803321250" border="0" /></a><br />So, here it is, the end of November and still no Sulawesi White Eagle!<br /><br />The last update I stated that the coffee would be shipped in about 10 days and would likely be here in six weeks. I figured six weeks would give me plenty of time to look good. But alas, the universe did not cooperate!<br /><br />There seems to be an inverse relationship to receiving orders to the level of demand for those orders. The more we need a coffee order to arrive, the longer it takes. So it is with the White Eagle. Not only did I underbuy the coffee last year, causing us to run out before new crop was available, but weather in Indonesia has effectively stopped most transport, delaying our shipment for weeks. Still, it could be worse than just us inconvenienced by not having a favorite coffee. The intense rains in Indonesia have hampered rescue efforts in Sumatra for the victims of the volcano eruption.<br /><br />Our producing partners have confirmed a new shipping date and the coffee should be on its way presently. But this will mean that we most likely will not see the coffee until sometime in January.<br /><br />On a similar note. The rains have also affected the harvest in Sumatra. So far, the quality of the cherries coming into the mill have been such that our partners have yet to do a wet run for us. They expect that the harvest will improve later in the pickings but for now we will have to wait. This is actually better news than what was offered earlier when we were in doubt of even having in wet processed Sumatra coffee. Here's keeping our fingers crossed.Mark Overlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14288250998300485325noreply@blogger.com2