Stay up to date on coffee we have coming down the pipeline and our latest green coffee outlook and arrivals schedule.
Green Coffee Notes for January 2022:
- We’re still working our way out from under a pile of orders that came in over the holiday season, but are very close to being completely caught up.
- This has meant employing some very temporary trade offs, like limiting the number of coffees on our website, and letting our Liquid Amber, French, and New Classic blends run out of stock. These sacrifices are only short-term, and things should get back to normal, with a full list of coffees, and regular order turnarounds at the start of February. Thank you so much for your patience as we work through this!
- Looking over the February Outlook below, you’ll see some a few origins coming back in stock, like 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...., and HondurasHonduran 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.... (actually, we just launched our first Honduras from BeneficioIn Kenya, a "Factory" is actually a coffee wet mill (called a washing station in other parts of Africa) where the fresh cherry is brought for wet-processing. It... San Vicente that you can check out here). In addition, we also have containers of coffee from 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..., 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..., 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 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... with ETA’s a little later in February. You’ll start to see those pop up on the February Coffee Outlook once we have a solid idea of ETA’s.
- On that note, the Oakland Port has been operating at normal capacity once again, which is good news for processingThe removal of the cherry and parchment from the coffee seed.: Coffee is either wet-processed (also called washed or wet-milled) or dry-processed (also called wild, natural or natural... our West Coast arrivals. Our most recent coffees moved through the Port within 10 days of landing, which is a huge improvement from the 1 month+ turnarounds we were experiencing in late 2021!
- But further up the logistics chain, congestion is mounting at trans-shipment ports such as Shanghai. Regional outbreaks of the OMICRON variant have caused several Chinese ports to temporarily close, leaving many shippers little option but to reroute to Shanghai, causing a massive bottleneck, long processing times, and extremely limited space for trans-shipping cargo on outgoing vessels.
- Obviously this does not affect incoming coffees from Latin America at the moment. But our recent shipments from 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 RwandaA Bourbon cultivar variant from Rwanda and Burundi. Bourbon coffees are named for the island in the India Ocean where French colonists grew it. Some history from the... are unfortunately caught up in the congestion, and we’re currently working with our import partners to push them through as quickly as possible.
- We just finished booking full containers of coffee from Colombia (yes, another one!), 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 TimorTimor-Leste (East Timor) is a tiny island between Australia and Sulawesi, annexed by Indonesia and liberated in a referendum several years ago. Small scale coffee farming was jump-started... Leste. We are also just starting to see early offer samples from EthiopiaEthiopia, formerly known as Abyssinia, or a coffee cultivar: Ethiopia, or more specifically the Empire under Haile Selassie, was known as Abyssinia. The name is Latin, derived from..., and expect those contracts to start to take shape by the end of the month.
A Note on the Rising Cost of Green Coffee in 2022
- There’s no doubt this will be one of the most expensive years for coffee in our 20+ years of business. The price for coffee on the ICE market (Intercontinental Exchange) closed today at roughly $2.35/lb, compared to $1.25 this time last year, an 88% increase.
- The C Market resistance we’re seeing at $2.50 at the moment may not be the ceiling, and how high this thing goes before the pendulum swings the other way is anybody’s guess.
- The initial upward push coincided with a severe draught in Brazil, followed by one of the worst frosts in decades, the damage of which is playing out in 2022. Coffee shortages and extreme transit delays in parts of the world have left buyers scrambling to cover their positions, which only served to push the price upward even more.
- But these are only the backdrop to what’s driving the prices we pay for coffee (we rarely follow the C Market unless it’s in an upward trajectory!). High local demand for coffee in the different buying origins, as well as higher costs to growers and exporters are pushing that price up even higher.
- This email excerpt from an exporter we worked with in Costa RicaCosta Rican coffee is typically very clean, sweet, with lots of floral accents. hey are prized for their high notes: bright citrus or berry-like flavors in the acidity,... last year illuminates some of the nuanced costs of doing business, not often seen by the consumer, but greatly affect the bottom line. It’s unfortunately a common story in many other regions too.
- “Paying more for coffee” isn’t so much the issue here. Unfortunately, a big chunk of the inflated prices is being absorbed by supply chain actors like shipping companies who are able to squeeze exorbitant fees for their services because there are simply no other options. We’d much rather see that $$$ go to farmer premiums, but this is where we’re at.
- This is new territory for us, and we are looking for ways to counter some of these costs so that we don’t have to raise prices more than necessary.
- Unlike most coffee importers who sell their stock based off the current C Market price, our prices for coffees in-house are fixed. This means you never pay more for any coffee we currently have listed or in the wings.
- But for the coffee we are buying right now, you can expect to see prices trend upward as we move through the year to help cover that added cost. All coffee will be affected to some degree, but with “hidden” costs such as logistics varying wildly from one originIn coffee talk, it refers to a coffee-producing region or country; such as, "I was just at origin." Of course "Origin" for most product we use is not... to the next, that increase will also vary.
Upcoming green coffees currently on the schedule to be added to our website:
Please keep in mind that the coffees on the Upcoming Coffee Outlook schedule with a location status of “In Transit” are still a bit of a wild card, and the month we have them listed under is based on the current shipping ETA, and subject to interruptions out of our control. Thanks for your patience!
January Coffee Outlook
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... Xinabajul Los Chuchitos | 100 | 60 KG | Oakland |
IndiaS-795 is a variety based on the " S-Line" coffees of India, and stands for Selection 795, It has a very fine cup, one of the best in... OrganicGrown without the use of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, etc.: Organic coffee has been grown according to organic farming techniques, typically without the use of artificial fertilizers. Some farms... Araku Valley | 20 | 60 KG | Oakland |
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... Nyeri Gatugi 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... | 25 | 60 KG | Oakland |
Sumatra Honey ProcessThe honey process has nothing to do with honey other than the fact that they're both sticky! It's a term that became popularized in Costa Rica as another... Kerinci | 25 | 60 KG | Oakland |
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,... Sana’a-Ibb Highlands | 36 | 32 KG | Oakland |
Sweet Maria’s Moka Kadir Blend | N/A | Oakland |
February Coffee Outlook
Brazil Alta Mogiana Santo Amaro | 80 | 30 KG | Oakland |
Colombia Buesaco Productores Aliados | 51 | 70 KG | Oakland |
Colombia Inzá Rio Páez | 24 | 70 KG | Oakland |
Colombia 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... Process Ciudad Nube | 23 | 70 KG | Oakland |
Costa Rica Honey Process Las Anonas | 15 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Costa Rica Helsar SWPSWP means Swiss Water Process is a patented water filtration decaf method, not a chemical solvent method. The plant is in Vancouver, Canada. Decaf | 56 | 60 KG | Oakland |
El SalvadorEl Salvador coffee had an undeservingly poor reputation for years, marred mostly by the inability to deliver coffee of high quality in an unstable political climate. Unfortunately, agriculture... FincaSpanish 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.... Miravalle BourbonA coffee cultivar; a cross between Typica and Bourbon, originally grown in Brazil: Mundo Novo is a commercial coffee cultivar; a natural hybrid between "Sumatra" and Red Bourbon,... | 28 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Ethiopia Organic 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... Daannisa | 100 | 60 KG | Oakland |
Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe Kebele Gotiti | 120 | 60 KG | Oakland |
Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca Rosma | 69 KG | Oakland | |
Guatemala Finca La Florencia | 28 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Guatemala Xinabajul Santa Barbara | 20 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Honduras Las Flores Doña Maria ParainemaParainema is a hybrid with some disease resistance developed in Honduras by IHCAFE (Instituto Hondureño del Café). It is related to Sarchimor, another disease-resisitant type. Both have arabica... | 14 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Honduras Montecillos Finca La Alondra | 13 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Kenya Kirinyaga Kiunyu PeaberryThe 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... | 11 | 60 KG | Oakland |
Laos Paksong Typica | 8 | 60 KG | Oakland |
NicaraguaNicaraguan coffees from the Segovia, Jinotega, Ocotal and Matagalpa regions are nice balanced cups. They often possess interesting cup character along with body and balance, outperforming many other... Finca Buenos Aires Lot 2 | 25 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Nicaragua Honey Buenos Aires MaracaturraAs the name indicates cross between large-bean Maragogype and Caturra cultivars. : As the name indicates cross between large-bean Maragogype and Caturra cultivars. It seems to be found... | 5 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Nicaragua Dry Process El Suyatal | 5 | 69 KG | Oakland |
Sumatra Kerinci Tujuh Cooperative | 40 | 60 KG | Oakland |
Incoming coffees currently on the water:
Africa Incoming Coffees
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... Organic Dry Process Kivu Katana | 60 | 60 KG | Feb 10 |
Congo Organic Kirumba Kavisa | 40 | 60 KG | Feb 10 |
Rwanda Rubavu Rwinyoni | 60 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Rusizi Gaseke | 25 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Nyamasheke Nyakabingo | 25 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Ngororero | 25 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Nyamasheke Macuba | 45 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Dry Process Kanyege | 25 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Honey Process Kanyege | 30 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Dry Process Macuba | 40 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Dry Process Nyamiyaga | 20 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Rwanda Honey Process Karambi | 30 | 60 KG | March 21 |
Yemen MokhaThe Yemeni type of coffee, both in terms of the family of cultivars planted there, and the general trade name.: Mokha Yemeni type of coffee, both in terms... Khulani | 150 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Yemen Mokha Matari | 150 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Yemen Hiwar | 50 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Yemen Mokha Harasi | 100 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Yemen Haimi | 50 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Yemen Hajjah | 100 | 32 KG | March 21 |
Burundi Yeast FermentationYeast 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... Yandaro | 20 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Kabarore Commune Yandaro | 70 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Kayanza Gahahe | 65 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Gatare Masha | 45 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Dry Process Kibingo Station | 60 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Gaterama Agahore Station | 28 | 60 KG | April 1 |
Burundi Dry Process Agahore | 26 | 60 KG | April 1 |
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... Namku AA | 30 (of 55) | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
Tanzania Sepulila AB | 39 (all) | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
Tanzania Namku Peaberry | 19 (all) | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
Tanzania Igale Peaberry | 24 (all) | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
ZambiaFrom the country formerly known as upper Rhodesia in a country now named for the Zambezi River, Zambian coffees range from Kenya-like brightness to subtle, balanced coffee with... Anaerobic Dry Process | 15 | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
Zambia Fully Washed | 15 | 60 KG | Not yet shipped |
South America Incoming Coffees
Peru Quanda Chirinos | 20.00 | 69 KG | Jan 23 |
Peru Lonya Grande Velo De Novia | 45.00 | 69 KG | Jan 23 |
Peru San Jose De Lourdes | 20.00 | 69 KG | Jan 23 |
Peru Organic San Ignacio | 50.00 | 69 KG | Jan 23 |
Peru Organic La Coipa | 75.00 | 69 KG | Jan 23 |
Brazil Marcos Ferreira De Faria | 50.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Brazil Thiago Marson Casavechia | 80.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Brazil Vera Lucia Pereira | 20.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Brazil Thales Donizete Dos Reis | 30.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Brazil Adair De Oliveira Neto | 25.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Brazil Fred Terumi Iwano | 35.00 | 60 KG | Jan 29 |
Peru San Francisco Pedro Garcia | 40 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru Bello Horizonte Andres Burga | 29 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru Las Pirias Ramiro Vela | 26 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru Huabal Dalila Cruz | 42 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru El Diamante Roger Chilcon | 58 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru Pueblo Las Piñas | 48 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Peru El Paraiso Yoner Arevalo | 38 | 69 KG | Feb 2 |
Indonesia & SE Asia Incoming Coffees
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... Kainantu Sero | 70 | 60 KG | Jan 17 |
Papua New Guinea Korgua 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... AA | 26 | 60 KG | Feb 21 |
Sulawesi Rodo Rodo | 17 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Sulawesi Wet Hulled Latimojong | 40 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Sulawesi Panaikang | 8 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Sulawesi Desa Topidi | 8 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Sulawesi Honey Process Gowa | 5 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Sulawesi Dry Process Topidi | 11 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
JavaThere are several types of Abyssinia variety coffee, but they are not from Ethiopia but rather Indonesia. Abyssinia 3 = AB3. PJS Cramer, a Dutch plant researcher, introduced this variety... Wet Hulled Siki Alit | 30 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Java Wet Hulled Waspada | 40 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Flores Wawo Muda | 18 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Flores Waja Mala | 18 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Flores Wolo Wio | 38 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Flores Dry Process Bei Poso | 7 | 60 KG | Feb 25 |
Timor Leste Daurfusu | 25 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Daurfusu | 30 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Daurfusu | 10 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Honey Process Leste Daurfusu | 55 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Dry Process Leste Daurfusu | 55 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Dry Process Lulirema | 18 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Taurema | 18 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Basargeon | 16 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Hatletegeo | 15 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
Timor Leste Lekisala | 40 | 60 KG | Not Yet Shipped |
26 Responses
I appreciate the schedule you have online.I gives me a good idea when coffee from coffee producing countries are potentially arriving at your wharehouse.I can then plan on when and what particular coffee to order.I like the coffees of central and South America the most.
Hey, that’s good to hear Jim. We expect some of the dates to shift around a bit, but hope that having some idea of when you can expect fresh coffees helps. Sounds like it does! We have a good amount of Centrals in-house now, and new Colombias just arrived Oakland this week. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks.
Cheers,
Dan
Its always helpful to see what is coming up, and I am excited to see some Burundi and more Rwandan coffees, as I have really liked those I’ve tried.
Also, I am stoked that Yemen Sana’a Ibb is back. I bought a pound past year, and it made some of my favorite espresso shots ever!
Yes – our Burundi and more Rwanda (including more naturals and honey lots) are coming soon, so delayed by international logistics issues! We have Yemeni coffee now and more incoming, but not yet departed from port yet.
Hugely helpful as I live in Switzerland and bulk purchase once or twice a year. Can you please make sure this kind of info is maintained and easy to find?
Yes for sure – you can search our archive posts here and see we have been doing these updates regularly for some time!
Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands are good coffee growers and producers. I’ve been to several coffee farms in Puerto Rico and they seem well organized. I don’t see any Caribbean green coffees in your inventory, but would like to buy some. Are there any coming?
Hi John – yes there are some good farms for sure. I would love to offer more Carribean options … or any Carribean options! The big issues for us 1. cup quality due to relatively low altitudes of most coffee areas, 2. damage to the cup quality in export, mainly due do high humidity 3. scarcity … not because the coffees are so rare or good, but because most island nations are consuming everything they produce! And it fact a lot if it goes into very low grade pre-ground coffee with high defect counts. Problem there is that farmers can sell any quality of coffee with less labor involved, so why invest more when you can sell locally at a decent price? It all adds up to a difficult time sourcing anything that cups well, when compared to say Central America offerings. We did see a nice coffee sample last harvest from Dominican Republic, which has some of the better altitudes and coffee varieties around. But when it arrived it tasted papery and faded and we couldn’t offer it. Jamaica, ugh, haven’t tasted anything that tastes better than low grown Mexico coffee for years now. PR: similar. It’s been frustrating! But we will keep trying
Finally, some Tanzanian Peaberry on the horizon! TP+Yirga is my go-to blend, and I haven’t seen any Tanzanians for months. I’m gonna try not to hoard the stuff 🙂
Thanks Thompson. Excellent information about Caribbean coffees; I just wondered about that. I’ll be back in Puerto Rico in February. The Cafe Lareno and Mis Abuelos farms are near where I stay. I’ll revisit and see if they’ll sell me a few pounds of green directly, and, if so, see how they roast.
What is the outlook for Decaf Coffees. I would assume the “Decaffinator’s” are feeling the same impacts as the regular distributors. Isn’t most of SM’s decaf coffees processed in Mexico?
Fantastic question Bob, and yes, they are. We’ve had to book our tolls in advance by about 3-4 months right now, which is twice the normal turnaround. We pretty much have all our decafs processed at Swiss Water in Canada. It’s about as gentle a process on the coffee as decaffeination can be, which is good for the cup!
We have two really nice Swiss decafs that will be listed in the coming weeks from Costa Rica, and Ethiopia, and then hope to have our next coffees processed in March.
Hi Bob – no we don’t actually get any coffee processed in Mexico. Almost all if ours is processed by Swiss Water in Vancouver Canada. But we did get this nice lot from Colombia, that was EA type decaf … it was the same deal. We cupped the lots out as non-decaf, and then approved them to send on for decaffeination, just as we do with Swiss Water. I think its why we get good results from decaf. Historically people send the cheapest coffee they can for decaf. We actually send the same quality coffee we offer as non-decaf.
Love it. I have been dying to ask this question though: When are we going to see more Yemen Ismaili? That is my favorite, but you have not offered it in several years. Thanks.
Hey Frederick,
We honestly haven’t seen samples from Ismaili in a few years. I know it’s difficult to access due to the rugged terrain, but will have to ask our intermediary if there’s any way to see samples next harvest.
We just finished up selecting coffee for a full container of Yemeni coffee that should arrive stateside in early March. While there’s no Ismaili represented, there are a few that have some of that rustic-sweet/berry quality that I remember Ismaili having (it’s been sooooo long tho), in particular, the lots of Khulani and Mattari.
I’m excited for this year’s coffee, and we approved 6 lots in total – a new Sweet Maria’s record! Haha. But keep an eye out. It should be a nice, diverse set of coffees.
-Dan
Ismaili was something we sourced originally from one supplier (yemen mocha coffee trade) and then another (al hajj) but since then it hasn’t been available as a distinct regional coffee. It could be semantics because sometimes the coffees like Harazi are coming from adjacent areas like ismaili – i think there isn’t really a strict geographical zone when it comes to coffee, and it’s rather fluid. I do agree that, especially the original ismaili we sourced way back was unique though – very small dense bean. We still see it, and this coming harvest we have lots from some areas we haven’t offered before which are exciting. The preshipment samples we just approved cupped really well!
Love the library portion of your website and the upcoming beans list. Just stumbled upon it from your email letter.
Glad you found it!
I look forward to the Ethiopians. Looks like it might be a long wait??
We actually have quite a few lots queued up to add to the site over the next month. Some are coming in over the next couple weeks, and then its just the logistics to get them onto the site from there.
Thanks for your update on decafs in your replied to Bob on Jan 28th . You had a Sweet Maria’s Moka Kadir Blend decaf a while back. I’m wondering if you are going to offer that again. I saw the Sweet Maria’s Moka Kadir Blend (regular) come in in Jan.
Thanks for the list and for your coffee write-ups. I appreciate seeing and reading about the folks growing and processing the coffee beans.
I think a decaf of Mocha Java would be a great thing to get back in stock. One of my favorites! We will see if we can do that … thanks for the suggestion!
Kenya coffee’s seem to have disappeared! Any news/story about availability?
Hey there, we are all but out of Kenya from last year’s harvest. The good news is, we’ve already selected 2 full containers of fresh Kenyas from the current harvest and are crossing our fingers for an early arrival by March/April. You can look for those on the February Green Coffee outlook that goes up next week!
We did reserve a couple small Kenya lots to post in the next couple of weeks to try and bride the gap a little until new crop arrives.
-Dan
Thank you for this. Please, excuse my ignorance – what are the numbers in the tables? Is it quantity of bags and weight per bag?
I’m glad you asked and pointed out the missing headers! I’ll add those in shortly. But yes, the first number to the right of the coffee is the bag count, then bag size (“60kg” for example), then estimated arrival date/month.
Hope that helps!
Dan