Sweet Maria's Weblog

Honduras FTO San Marcos - Cocosam Coop

One glance at a handful of this green coffee and you know you're in for a treat. It is beautifully processed and this lot got out of Honduras in top notch condition, not a fate that most coffees from this nearby country share. For our roast today we are aiming for City+, on the Probat this means a final temperature of 435 degrees and a roast time of 18:30 minutes. First crack happened at 399 degrees around the 12:45 mark. The resultant cup should have the crisp acidity, balance, a touch of apple and aromatic wood notes in the finish, as mentioned in the review. It's mild, it's balanced, but as it cools I think you'll taste more and more. Approachable coffee! Sometimes we notice coffees changing a bit over time but this one has held its character quite nicely since Tom first cupped it.

huila - thika - sana'a - kona

Here's a wide range of new arrivals; South America, Kenya, Yemen, Hawaii. Wow, you can't get more different (in terms of cup character) than these 4 lots, but each is a standout in their own right. I will leave you with the links to the reviews and you can sort it out. (You probably already know the ones that interest you, based on your preference for mild coffees or wild coffees). Colombia Huila - Las Piedras de San Augustin, Kenya Thika -Gethumbwini Peaberry, Yemen Mokha Sana'ani, Hawaii Kona Purple Mountain

Ethiopia Organic Sidamo DP - Special Selection (Fero co-op)

We are at the tail end of the '07 crop of Ethiopian coffees and this Special Selection Sidamo was one of the best lots from a less than stellar crop cycle. Processed using a labor-intensive method similar to the Misty Valley, this coffee has loads of character and a rainbow of bean colors at the Full City roast that we targeted for today. You may have seen our recent Tiny Joy newsletter that breaks down the whole Quakers in coffee phenomenon and this is the coffee that led to that newsletter. I spend a good bit of time culling out as many of these little light colored devils in the cooling tray but it is impossible to spot them all and some of them are even desirable for this cup to retain its true character. This coffee has wonderful blueberry notes and spice in a complex cup so we kept it in the City +/Full City range. That meant a final thermo-probe temperature of 440 and a roast time of 16:20. First crack happened around the 13:00 mark at 415 degrees. As a fun experiment try brewing a pot of this coffee with no lighter beans and then brew a pot with some of the lighter beans left in, there should be quite a difference in the cup characteristics and you might find that you like one better than the other.

an array of new arrivals

We have an array of new arrivals. An early new crop Central, El Salvador Matalapa Estate is cupping excellent, with that buttery Bourbon-type body and balance, and floral citrus accent notes. From Brazil we have a full natural single estate arrival, Brazil Cachoeira Yellow Bourbon Dry-Process, with heavy body, low acidity, fruit and brown sugar sweetness. And we have 2 Tanzania arrivals from the Southern districts. Tanzania Hassambo Macro-Lot Peaberry is from a single cooperative and has a winey fruit tone, lower acidity, and good depth. The brighter lot is the Tanzania Nyamtimbo Peaberry lot, which is more in the "alto" range, but has dynamic winey accents too. As our special guest cupper Saul Goodyawl says, "S' all good, y'all".

gwa - teh -mah - lah

I spent last week in Guatemala cupping new crop coffees and checking out a few farms that we really liked from last year. My Guatemala travelogue doesn't have a lot of comments, but there's a few nice photos! Above, checking out ripe Yellow Bourbon cherry as it comes into the mill after a day of harvesting.