Stay up to date on coffee we have coming down the pipeline and our latest green coffee arrivals schedule.
Green Coffee Notes for February 2021:
- We currently have more coffee in limbo between the Port of Oakland and the Annex offsite coffee storage
Green coffee can be stored much longer than roasted coffee: Roasted coffee starts to lose its aromatics in 10 days after roasting. Green coffee can be stored months without degrading quality. Very often the type facility than we do on the water…that’s a first! - I’m not complaining, just stating the facts. But containers are moving, and the folks responsible for that transport are all doing a fantastic job keeping the trickle constant despite the mountain of work they are up against.
- For our part, we’re keeping the conversation with our importers constant so that we are ready to take our incoming arrivals as soon as they are ready. All eyes are on our email inboxes awaiting “stripping reports” from the warehouse (the report that accounts for coffee coming off a 20 foot shipping container, signaling the coffee is finally available for pickup).
- You’ll see in our updates below that a lot of the coffees are marked “AT PORT”. This status isn’t entirely accurate as many of those have actually moved from the Port of Oakland and are waiting to be unloaded at the Annex.
- What this means for the next few weeks is that we are having to shift around our new coffee additions in order to accommodate some of these delays. See the Upcoming Coffee list below for the latest update.
- On the more distant horizon, we’re wading through piles of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee: it is in the forests of the Kaffa region that coffee arabica grew wild. Coffee is "Bun" or "Buna" in Ethiopia, so Coffee Bean is quite possibly a poor and KenyaKenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both in the cup, and the way they run their trade, everything is topnotch.: Kenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both samples from the current cropRefers to any coffee that has not been replaced by new crop shipments, even if it was shipped from origin many months before. See Past Crop and New Crop as well. and doing what we can to get fresh reinforcements here before Summer. Fingers crossed!
As always, send any coffee questions to us at [email protected], or wholesale questions at [email protected]. We’re here to help.
Upcoming coffees currently on the schedule to be added to our website:
| February Outlook | |||
| BrazilBrazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra sang, "they grow an awful lot of coffee in Brazil".: Brazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra sang, "they grow an awful lot of Dry ProcessDry process coffee is a method for taking the fruit from the tree to an exportable green bean. The whole intact coffee cherry is dried in the sun with the green bean inside. Later it Patrocínio Ricardo Vagne | 30 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Brazil Dry Process Amecafe Cooperative | 53 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
BurundiBurundi coffee bears resemblance to neighboring Rwanda, in both cup character, but also the culture surrounding coffee. Burundi is a small landlocked country at the crossroads of East and Central Africa, straddling the crest of Honey Process "Red honey" process gesha at a coffee farm in Costa Rica's Central Valley growing region. The honey process has nothing to do with honey other than the fact that they're both sticky! It's a term Gahahe | 50 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Burundi Rwiri Yagikawa | 20 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Burundi Dry Process Gaterama Agahore | 40 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
| ColombiaColombian coffee is highly marketed and widely available in the US. They have been largely successful at equating the name Colombian Coffee with "Good" Coffee. This is half-true. Colombian can be very balanced, with good Inzá Floro Pillimué | 5 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Tesema Mamo | 56 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to the United States. : Guatemalan growing regions Cuilco Finca Spanish 101: Finca is the Spanish word for farm. Sometimes the term Hacienda is used to imply an Estate, which would mean the farm has its own wet-mill. A Finca does not necessarily have a El Regalito | 19 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Guatemala Proyecto Xinabajul Bojonalito | 31 | 46 KG | OAKLAND |
Kenya Kiambu Fram Farm Peaberry The Spanish-language term for Peaberry is the same for "snail". See Peaberry for more information on the single bean fruit of the coffee tree. A peaberry is the rounded singular seed found in the coffee | 10 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Kenya Nyeri Chinga PeaberryA peaberry is a green coffee "bean" that has a rounded form: Coffee is the dried seed from the fruit of a flowering tree - each fruit having 2 seeds facing each other (the flat | 11 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| PeruPeruvian coffees have Central American brightness but in a South American coffee flavor package overall. The good organic lots do have more of a "rustic" coffee character.: Organic Peru ... you can get it anywhere Jaen Granjeros de Huabal | 45 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Peru Nuevo Trujillo Marcial Olivera | 33 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| SumatraIndonesians are available as a unique wet-hulled or dry-hulled (washed) coffees. Giling Basah is the name for the wet-hulling process in Bahasa language, and will have more body and often more of the "character" that Kerinci Tujuh Cooperative | 34 | 70 KG | OAKLAND |
| March Outlook | |||
| Brazil Dry Process Sítio do Engenho | 23 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Brazil HoneyIn coffee, honey-like sweetness is often found, but we use terms such as refined honey (highly filtered and processed) as opposed to raw honey rustic honey sweetness. This form of sweetness is largely a dynamic Process Laura Barros | 21 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
| Burundi Kayanza Dusangirijambo | 35 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| CongoKivu is the general name for East Congo (Kinshasa), covering a very broad geographical area, and the lake of the same name that divides them. It borders on Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Lake Tanganyika on Kivu Kalehe Cooperative | 50 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Tesfaye Doni | 76 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Bogale Deyaso | 35 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| FloresFlores is an Indonesian island, and as a coffee bears more resemblance to the coffees of Timor-Leste, New Guinea and Java than to the wet-hulled coffees of Sumatra and Sulawesi. It is sweet, with good Tangkul Village | 40 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
| Flores Wolo Wio | 40 | 30 KG | OAKLAND |
| Guatemala Patzun Finca Las Camelias | 8 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Guatemala Michicoy Finca Rosma Lot 2 | 7 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Guatemala Proyecto Xinabajul Paraiso | 20 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
Honduras Honduran coffee was absent from the top ranks of the Specialty market, but that has changed. It has all the environmental factors on its side: soil, altitude, climate. All it's neighbors have sophisticated coffee production: San Vicente Feliciano Sabillon | 17 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
Java There are several types of Abyssinia, but they are not from Ethiopia but rather Indonesia. Abyssinia 3 = AB3. PJS Cramer, a Dutch plant researcher, introduced this variety in 1928, supposedly from Ethiopia seed stock. It was Tambak Ruyung Wet Hulled | 60 | 30 KG | OAKLAND |
| Java Honey Process Frinsa EstateA "coffee estate" is used to imply a farm that has its own processing facility, a wet-mill. In Spanish this is called an Hacienda. A Finca (farm) does not necessarily have a mill. (And Finca | 20 | 30 KG | OAKLAND |
| Kenya Kiambu Evans Farm Peaberry | 6 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
| Peru El Diamante Roger Chilcon | 30 | 69 KG | OAKLAND |
| RwandaRwandan coffee was, at one time, rarely seen in the United States as either a Specialty grade or low-end commercial coffee. There simply was not that much coffee produced in Rwanda that went anywhere besides Nyamasheke Gitwe | 50 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Rwanda Dry Process Nyakabingo | 20 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Mutovu | 25 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Rwanda Rulindo Tumba | 49 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| SulawesiSulawesi coffees are low-acid with great body and that deep, brooding cup profile akin to Sumatra. The coffee is sometimes known as Celebes, which was the Dutch colonial name for the island. Indonesians are available Gowa Topidi | 44 | 30 KG | OAKLAND |
| Sulawesi Honey Process Tana Luwu | 40 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
| Sumatra Honey Process Kerinci | 15 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
Sumatra Wet ProcessWet-processing starts by removing the outer skin of the coffee cherry with a machine called a pulper, then fermenting the remaining fruit (with green bean inside) in water for 8-36 hours. The fermentation breaks down Ribang Gayo Gayo is ethnic group from the area of Aceh Sumatra around Lake Takengon. They use the name Gayo Coffee to market their production. The Acehnese are a different ethnic group, more centered in the lower | 40 | 60 KG | OAKLAND |
Incoming coffees currently on the water:
| Africa Outlook | |||
| Burundi Kayanza Yagikawa | 30 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Kayanza Dusangirijambo | 35 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Rwiri Yagikawa | 20 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Mutambu Colline Migoti | 20 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Kayanza Gahahe | 65 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Kabarore Commune Yandaro | 50 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Honey Process Gahahe | 50 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
Burundi Yeast Fermentation Yeast fermentation involves adding different types of external yeasts to the fermentation stage of wet processing in order to help control the outcome, and ultimately, how the coffee tastes. Naturally occurring yeasts are always a Nemba | 5 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Dry Process Kibingo | 50 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Burundi Kiganda Murambi | 40 | 60 KG | ANNEX |
| Rwanda Nyakarenzo Rusizi | 30 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Mushonyi Rutsiro | 30 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Macuba | 25 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Ngororero | 30 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Anaerobic Kanyege | 8 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Honey Kanyege | 20 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Dry Process Rusizi | 25 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Dry Process Karambi | 10 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Dry Process Kanyege | 20 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Dry Process Nyakabingo | 20 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Congo Cocaska Cooperative | 50 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Gitwe Peaberry | 40 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Gatare Peaberry | 20 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Mutovu | 25 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Karongi Gitesi | 45 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Gitwe | 50 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Rulindo Tumba | 49 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Rwanda Kivu Kageyo | 57 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| TanzaniaIn terms of the Tanzania coffee character, it belongs to the Central/East African family of washed (wet-processed) coffees, bright (acidy), and mostly aggressively flavorful of which Kenya is certainly the dominant coffee. Peaberries are often Ngorngoro Nitin Peaberry | 8 | 60 KG | not yet shipped |
| Tanzania Ngorngoro Nitin Estate AA | 25 | 60 KG | not yet shipped |
| Tanzania Heights AA | 60 | 60 KG | not yet shipped |
| Tanzania Ngorngoro Nitin Peaberry | 19 | 60 KG | not yet shipped |
| YemenYemen has a coffee culture like no other place, and perhaps some of what we enjoy in this cup is due to their old style of trade...: Technically, Yemen is on the Asian continent (on Dry Process Bani Mattari | 150 | 32 KG | not yet shipped |
| Yemen Dry Process Al Hiwar | 50 | 32 KG | not yet shipped |
| Yemen Dry Process Moka Khulani | 50 | 32 KG | not yet shipped |
| Yemen Dry Process Moka Small Producers | 150 | 32 KG | not yet shipped |
| South America Outlook | |||
| Peru Diamante Roger Chilcon | 14 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Diamante Roger Chilcon Lot 2 | 30 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Pueblo de Pinas | 40 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Santiago Rafael Tapia | 10 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Nuevo Trujillo Marcial | 33 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Ancelmo Vera Guevara | 14 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Peru Presbiero Herrera Torres | 13 | 69 KG | ANNEX |
| Colombia Urrao-Caicedo Las Alegrias | 24 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Urrao Finca Los Palomos | 20 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Urrao Jhon Alexander | 10 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Urrao Finca San Carlos | 24 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Urrao Valle de Penderisco | 18 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Urra Fray David Moreno | 10 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Inzá Las Estrellas | 15 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Inzá Rio Paez | 44 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Inzá Cresta El Hato | 24 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Inzá Palomos del Sur | 15 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Inzá Veredas Vecinas | 51 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia La Argentina Alberto Paya | 10 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Honey Las Aguilas GeshaGesha is a long-bean Ethiopia selection with unique cup character.: Gesha (often wishfully misspelled as Geisha) is a long-bean Ethiopia cultivar selection with unique cup character. It is most famously grown on the Jaramillo plot | 10 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
| Colombia Las Aguilas Lasso Gesha | 10 | 70 KG | mid Feb |
Indonesia USDA is (obviously) the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA also had coffee plant breeding programs in the past and one variety they distributed to Indonesia and was widely planted is called USDA (sounds like Outlook | |||
| Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island it shares with the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, part of Indonesia. The two primary areas for coffee production can be grouped roughly as Baroida Morita | 65 | 60 KG | mid Feb |
| Papua New Guinea Norikiri | 10 | 60 KG | mid Feb |
| Papua New Guinea Kainantu Urara | 25 | 60 KG | mid Feb |
| Flores Wawo Muda Washed | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Flores Wolo Wio Washed | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Flores Waja Mala Washed | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Flores Sobo Washed | 30 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Flores Tangkul Washed | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Java Tambak Ruyung Wet Hulled | 60 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Java Frinsa Saccharic Honey | 20 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulalwesi Pulu Pulu Washed | 26 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulalwesi Angin Angin Washed | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulawesi Topidi Washed | 44 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulawesi Topidi Honey | 17 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulawesi Topidi Natural | 31 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulawesi Sisola Honey | 40 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
| Sulawesi Sapan Wet Hulled | 30 | 30 KG | AT PORT |
Timor Hibrido de Timor abbreviated HdT is the interspecies hybrid of C. Arabica and C. Canephora (Robusta) that was found in Timor Leste in the 1940s. It has been the bases of plant breeding for disease Leste Goulala | 25 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Timor Leste Lekisala | 30 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Timor Leste Koliate | 20 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Timor Leste Loi-ludo | 25 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
| Timor Dry Process Leste Kailitlau | 26 | 60 KG | AT PORT |
9 Responses
Thanks for the update. I wait all year for Sulawesi and will be patient.
Allen Reames
Coming soon! I think the new crop lot are better than last year too…
Waiting for good Sumatras with the herbal flavor — my very fav — but they seem few. Any good alternatives that fit that profile?
Hey Julie! I hear “herbal” and my mind goes to wet hulled coffees. Right now we just have the one, Kerinci Tujuh Cooperative, but it’s definitely on the herbal side. Next week we are posting a really interesting wet-hulled Java called “Tambak Ruyung”. It hits a lot of those Lintong-like herbal/earthy flavor notes in the cup, lower acid, thick body etc. Certainly one to check out if you’re a fan of Sumatran coffee! In addition, we have a couple more Sumatras going up in March that I think you’ll like, including the ever popular Raja Batak Peaberry that we haven’t had for a while. Hope that helps!
-Dan
You have 4 Yemen that are on the not yet shipped list, any idea when they will show up?
Hey Bill,
Good question. The Yemen actually just went afloat last week and I will post an updated ETA in the March Outlook. Right now we’re looking at mid April arrival, which means hopefully fresh coffee on the list by May. Fingers crossed!
Best,
Dan
Gents, when would you estimate SM’s next robusta stocks will arrive? SM’s Flores and Rwanda robustas of recent years were rare, fantastic components in 3-part blends to make delicious caps. Thank you!
Thanks for the question and glad to hear you’ve enjoyed the Robusta we’ve had in the past.
We tried picking up a couple nice lots in our last Indonesia container (the contents of which start to go live this week – Sulawesi, Flores, Java etc), but unfortunately, weren’t able to secure the two lots we liked. That’s just how it goes sometimes.
Robusta is a tough one for us We don’t have it very often because we have trouble finding examples that hit our quality target. So nothing in the near future, but that could change.
Wish I had better news!
Thanks again for checking in.
Best,
Dan
Thank you Dan! I really appreciate the suggestion and will look out for the Tambak Ruyung. (You don’t have to post this 😉 ) Have a great week.
Julie