We have some arrivals that should interest folks greatly. First off, great Harar is back! Fruited, spicy, rustic, complex. I think it’s a general “up” year for Harar but this particular lot blows the rest away: Ethiopia Harar Horse DP - Lot 17406. Perhaps one of the most spendy coffees of the year is this Bolivia Cup of Excellence - San Ignacio. It’s only fair to call it a “Nano-Lot”, truly sub-Micro, and we have to limit it to 1 Lb. per person. (At this price it might be wise, but it is certainly worth it! ) And oddly enough, we have only a small amount of Costa Rica Dota Conquistador to offer, hence the 2 Lb. limit. But it’s a nice cup this year. Colombia Antioquia - Jardin Cerulean Warbler has one of the oddest names, but read the review and you’ll see that it is both a great, delicate cup, and part of an interesting conservation project. And probably least exciting to the majority of you all, Colombia MC Decaf - Huila Tolima. But it has a very bright fruited cup, an exemplary decaf
Monthly Archive for March, 2008
As someone who is on the fence about the Clover (love the idea, like the people, have some reservations about the cup) … I am shocked. A lot of respectable people have been cheerleaders for the Clover , and I imagine they feel really burned. But think of all those small places that coughed up $11k per machine (or a bit more). What’s it worth to them now if Starbucks will have one just across the street. Clover was part of a quality initiative to elevate the level of brewed coffee, to give the independent a better chance against the chains. Of course, it’s a very savvy move by Starbucks, something called “recuperation” in culture studies. But it’s a sad day for specialty coffee (it that term still means anything). Now what the hell is the Mastrena? Just another robot espresso machine …
Tom
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
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”.
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.
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