Sweet Maria’s is now “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... ...more Depot”
Okay, we are not changing our name. But for some reason we have a lot of 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... ...more offerings on our list. I am at a loss to explain it. There are people in the coffee trade who think peaberry is special for some intrinsic reason … there’s even a roaster in the Northwest who carries only peaberry regardless of 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... ...more or quality! I “blind cup” all our coffees against many other lots. I never know if it is a flatbean or peaberry, I only judge the cup flavors. So what’s the deal with all the PB? And what is a peaberry anyway? Peaberry is the rounded bean shape that forms when one of the 2 seeds in the coffee cherryOriginally coffee literature referred to the fruit of the tree as a "berry" but in time it became a cherry. It is of course neither. Nor is the... ...more fails to develop. The remaining bean forms the rounded shape of two flatbean “halves.” A peaberry is a mutation, not a defectIn coffee, a defect refers to specific preparation problems with the green coffee, or a flavor problem found in the cupping process. Bad seeds in the green coffee... ...more; it is a sound coffee seed that can reproduce, that roasts up without a problem, and can have a fine cup. Peaberry has some physical qualities that are different that flat beans (higher cell densityThe density of a coffee bean is often taken as a sign of quality, as a more dense bean will roast more with a better dynamic. The density... ...more) but do not necessarily taste different because of their shape. The only case that can be made for a real “Peaberry difference” that affects the cup is the way a peaberry tends to behave in the roast chamber. In a fluid bed roasterA fluid-bed roaster works by pushing hot air across coffee beans. Fluid-bed roasters are generally less expensive than comparable drum roasters, and they produce a bright flavor profile.:... ...more it will “roll” easier and rotate better in the hot air stream. In a drum or air roaster, it will transfer heat a little better from the exterior to interior of the bean due to the fact that peaberries usually have higher bean density. But these factors have a minor influence on the final cup results. The fact is, a particular coffee is either good or bad, and that is determined by the altitude where grown, the soil, the health of the plant, the selection of ripe cherryEither a flavor in the coffee, or referring to the fruit of the coffee tree, which somewhat resembles a red cherry.: Either a flavor in the coffee, or... ...more in harvesting, prompt 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... ...more, quality wet-processing and good dry-process preparationPreparation refers to the dry-milling steps of preparing coffee for export: hulling, grading, classifying, sorting.: Preparation refers to the dry-milling steps of preparing coffee for export: hulling, grading,... ...more, etc, etc. All these things play a large roll in cup quality. So why all the high quality coffee that happens to be peaberry? Well, I guess it’s due to the way the coffee market works. Sweet Maria’s buys small lots of special coffee, lots that have received the best care, the best preparation. We pay far more than market value for these lots. Sounds great for the coffee farmer right? Yes and no. Coffee farmers want to sell all their coffee at good prices. But on the average farm, if 1000 bags of cherry are picked, then the result is 500 bags of saleable coffee. Of those 500, 400 are going to have lower cup quality due to harvest factors (too early in the crop, lower farm altitudes, off-size or broken beans). So you pick 1000 bags of cherry and end up with 100 bags of specialty grade coffee. But what I want from a farm is extra attention, extra hand sortingPracticed around the world, with both wet processed and dry processed coffees, hand sorting is generally the final step in the preparation of specialty coffees. Whether on conveyor... ...more, special care above and beyond specialty grade. All farmers know about peaberry, they know it commands a slightly higher price. So they are already prepared to separate it in the screeningRunning coffee through a screen with holes of a fixed size to sort beans for size.: Running coffee through a screen with holes of a fixed size to... ...more process (when the coffee is shaken through metal screens that mechanically separate 17-18 screen from 15-16 from peaberry, etc.) and give the peaberry special care. Of those 1000 bags, the result is just 10 or 15 bags of peaberry … a perfect lot size for Sweet Maria’s! My cuppingCupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... ...more process begins and ends with the cup quality of a coffee. It is interesting to try to “explain” why a coffee is good afterwards, to posit that cultivarCultivar is a term used interchangeably with Varietal in the coffee trade to indicate plant material, although there are distinctions.: The naming of a cultivar should conform to... ...more, or a drier than normal season, or the shape of the seed might account for an exemplary cup. But I have been wrong enough in such conjectures to stay humble about these fanciful thoughts. I can’t prove them, but if we put cup quality first, I think the rest will fall into place. Don’t get hung up on peaberry vs. flat beanFlat bean simply means "normal" coffee beans with one flat side.: The normal coffee fruit has 2 seeds inside, facing each other on their flat side. A percentage... ...more too much, just enjoy the flavors! -Tom
A Rant About Electric Drip Brewers. Or, How “Hamilton Beach” Made a Liar Out of Me
Maria and I went to Chicago for Christmas this year. I took two recent coffee arrivals along with me, two complexThe co-presence of many aroma and flavor attributes, with multiple layers. A general impression of a coffee, similar to judgments such as "balanced" or "structured" ...more coffees that I really wanted to brew and taste and share with family: 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... ...more TypicaA 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,... ...more from the Gatare washing stationIn Rwanda and some other East African countries, a wet mill is called a Washing Station.: In Rwanda and some other East African countries, a wet mill is... ...more, and the late-arriving 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... ...more Auction Lot known only as “#54.” Both these coffees have an interesting fruityIn some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes. We don't exactly see... ...more subtext to the cup. Rwanda has what the wine snobs call a “well-structured” flavor profileFlavor Profile implies a graphical impression of a particular coffee, whether it be an artistic portrait or data graph of the perception of flavor compounds. In the case... ...more (hinting at the Typica varietal), with some variation of black tea with slight floralFloral notes in coffee exemplify the connection between taste and smell. Describing the taste of a specific flower is near impossible...we always default to “it tastes like it... ...more and citric suggestions. It has that zestiness in the cup you get with really good, fresh Earl Grey tea. It needs to be roasted fairly light, easing it through 1st crackAn audible popping sound heard during roasting. In coffee, one refers to "first crack" and "second crack," which come from two different classes of chemical reactions.: An audible... ...more, finishing the roast before it nears 2nd crack, looking for the dark wrinkles in the surface to disappear and some smoothness to the surface color. On my Probat roaster it’s around 432 f, but the numbers change on various roasters, as you know. And then there was Lot 54, my precious Kenya that has such an unusual character to it. It lacks the high-toned acidityAcidity is a positive flavor attribute in coffee, also referred to as brightness or liveliness. It adds a brilliance to the cup, whereas low acid coffees can seem... ...more of Kenyas. It’s not one of those Nyeri region citric explosions, that biting pink grapefruit tartness. If it were wine, it would be Syrah, a fat, dark, fruitedIn some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes. We don't exactly see... ...more, deep cup. There’s plum and blackberryBlackberry flavor in coffee sometimes relates to slightly more developed roast levels.: Blackberry is found as a fragrance, aroma or flavor in some coffees. I find that it... ...more, a sweet cup at first that has a little tannicHaving the bitterness or astringency of Tannins. Tannins are plant polyphenols found across the flora kingdom. The term Tannins refers to the use of wood tannins from oak... ...more effect in the finishSimilar to aftertaste, but it refers to the impression as the coffee leaves the palate. Aftertaste is the sensations gathered after the coffee has left the mouth. We... ...more. I haven’t nailed down the roast on it yet, but it seems to fall apart a bit at Full City, just at 2nd crack. It’s another coffee that peaks in a window around 430 to 435 f, and has darker cup character that belies a lighter roast treatment.
Anyway, I gush with praise for these coffees to make this point: I really wanted to spend some time and taste these two beauties. So imagine my shock to brew a pot of Lot 54 and taste a flat, flabby, formless cup, devoid of character except an awfully dirty, bitterBitterness is one of 5 basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter and Umami (savory flavors). There are many types of bitterness, hence not one avenue to tracking down... ...more finish. I was in shock. What did I do wrong? Was the coffee misroasted? Did I mix it up with some bad sample someone had sent in? Was it too dark – if so, even a good coffee should be able to stand up to overroast better than this … did I get one bag that was a “dud?” Was there a mix-up in shipping the lot? Did I grossly misjudge this coffee? All these things went through my mind. After all, being a coffee buyer has a way of keeping you humble, since every time you think you really know what you are
doing, you get kicked in the rear. Customers don’t know about the lots I reject after I get so excited about them, lots I have to beg a broker to take back, coffee that fills the potholes in the street outside our warehouse. Yet all the while I was thinking about that coffee brewer at the inlaws. I had cleaned it thoroughly. I always do so, when nobody is looking. They make all these electric drip brewers in black plastic to hide the coffee scum that accumulates on them, that bitter awful stuff that permeates the plastic, that smells worse that gym socks when you take the time to smell it. Okay, so I cleaned the coffeemaker again, and brewed the Rwanda, made sure I ground it a bit finer to slow the drip rate, watched it do it’s thing, tasted it, spit it out. I dumped the pot in the sink. How could such a lovely coffee brew into such a vile beverage. Was it me? Were my expectations too great for these coffees? Was I experiencing jetlag and couldn’t taste right? What was really on my mind was this: how many people read my effusive reviews about these, and then brew it like this, in a Hamilton Beach coffeemaker (as this was, or the equivalent) and think “that guy is full of it! I mean, this is how the majority of people make their morning cup., right? I tell you this, Hamilton Beach (or the equivalent) is making I liar out of me in some kitchen, somewhere, every week. The point is this; home coffee roastingThe application of heat to green coffee seeds (beans) to create palatable material for brewing a great cup!: Coffee roasting is a chemical process induced by heat, by... ...more is pointless if it is going to be brewed in a $30 electric drip maker. It turns out the brewer was making coffee at 180 degrees. I am told some of them brew at 185 off the shelf, new! Coffee needs to be brewed at 195 to 205, with about 202 as an optimal temperature for me. That explains the dullness in the cup. Tap water kills coffee flavorThe overall impression in the mouth, including the origin character as well as tastes that come from the roast.: This is the overall impression in the mouth, including... ...more in most locales (but I was using good spring water, which is ideal). But the bitterness, the bad aromaAroma refers to sensations perceived by the olfactory bulb and conveyed to the brain; whether through the nose or "retro-nasally": The aromatics of a coffee greatly influence its... ...more … all that was due to foul old coffee scum,. Even with repeated cleanings I could hold the plastic drip basket to my nose and still smell it. And this brewer had some sort of built-in water filter that was probably ruining my nice bottled water anyway. They are not all evil: We use the TechnivormThe Technivorm is a Dutch-made electric drip brewer for the home that is known for it's good design, and good results. You can find them for sale on... ...more drip brewer every day for the staff here, and it makes very fine coffee. We use the “hold back the water” technique described on our Technivorm tip sheet, and the results are awesome. But anything, anything, is better than a cheap, dirty, low-temperature brewer. If you think you too may be a victim of Hamilton Beach (or the equivalent), brew the same coffee by pouring water just off boiling temperature, meaning 200 f, through a paper filter held in a clean filter holder. Brewing should take at least 3 minutes, preferably 4. Does it taste brighter, cleaner, less bitter? Or brew it in a clean French pressA simple coffee brewer also called a Press Pot: grounds and hot water are added to a carafe, allowed to sit for several minutes, and then a filter... ...more. Use good tasting spring water. Is it better? I’ll bet it is … -Tom
Sweet Maria’s Coffee
1115 21st Street, Oakland CA 94607
web: www.sweetmarias.com
email: [email protected]
Sweet Maria’s Green CoffeeGreen coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... ...more Offering List
January 1, 2006 – check the web page for the latest list
Central American 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
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,... ...more Dota Tarrazu -Coopedota $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Costa Rica La Candelilla “Miel” $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
Costa Rica La Minita Tarrazu $6.80 $12.92 $30.26 $108.80
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... ...more Acatenango Cooperative $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Guatemala 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... ...more Coban -El Tirol $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Guatemala Huehuetenango -La Maravilla $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
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.... ...more Cup of ExcellenceThe Cup of Excellence is a competition held yearly in many coffee-producing countries, designed to highlight the very best coffees from each origin.: The Cup of Excellence (COE)... ...more -El Mirador $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
Honduras Cup of Exc -Nueve Posas $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
Honduras Fabio Caballero $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
MexicoMexican coffee originates from South-central to Southern regions of the country. For that reason, coffees from Coatepec and Veracruz are much different from Oaxacan Plumas, which are in... ...more Organic Oaxaca -Finca El Olivo $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
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... ...more Cup of Exc -La Esperanza $6.80 $12.92 $29.58 $104.72
Nicaragua Cup of Excellence -La Pinauete $6.40 $12.16 $27.84 $98.56
Nicaragua PacamaraAs the name implies, Pacamara is a large bean cultivar, a cross between Pacas and Maragogype with unique flavor properties. This variant originated in El Salvador in 1958,... ...more Peaberry $6.10 $11.59 $26.54 $93.94
PanamaPanama coffee ranges from medium quality lower altitude farms to those at 1600 - 1800 meters centered in the area of Boquete in the Chirqui district near the... ...more Carmen 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... ...more $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
South American 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
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... ...more FazendaFazenda is the Portuguese word for farm, hence it is the term used in Brazil. Fazenda is not a coffee-specific term. ...more Brauna Peaberry $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Brazil Fazenda Ipanema “Dulce” $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Brazil FTOFTO is shorthand for a coffee that is certified as both Fair Trade and Organic. ...more – Poco Fundo $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
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.... ...more Narino -Caracol del Abuelo $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Colombia Cauca FNCThe FNC is the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia, the coffee association of Colombia. They fund CENICAFE research institute, which has an extensive cultivar collection. ...more ExcelsoA Colombian coffee grade referring to screen size of 15-16. In the traditional bulk Arabica business, Excelso is a step below the large bean Supremo grade, which indicates... ...more $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Colombia Huila – Los Idolos de Bellavista $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Colombia Huila – Oparapa Micro-regionWe use this term to denote a coffee-producing sub-region within a larger coffee area - Micro-Region is more specific coffee-producing zone. For example, if the Country for a... ...more $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
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... ...more Organic Norte $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
African- Arabian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
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... ...more Dry-Process Ghimbi $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Ethiopia FTO Harar -Oromia Coop $5.05 $9.60 $21.97 $77.77
Ethiopia Wet-Processed Sidamo $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (MAO) $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Kenya AA Auction Lot 293 -Gicherori $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Kenya Auction Lot #54 Peaberry $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Kenya Auction Lot 622 Peaberry $5.80 $11.02 $25.23 $89.32
Rwanda Gatare Grade A $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
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,... ...more 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... ...more Sana’ani $6.40 $12.16 $29.76 $102.40
Indonesian- Indian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian Monsooned Malabar “Elephant” $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
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... ...more Private Estate – Type: Prince $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Java Government Estate – Djampit $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
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... ...more – Arokara AA $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Papua New Guinea -Kimel Plantation $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
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... ...more Toraja Grade One $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
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... ...more Blue Batak Peaberry $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
Sumatra Iskandar Triple-Pick $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
Sumatra Lintong Dry-Process $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
Sumatra TimTimHibrido de Timor abbreviated HdT is the interspecies hybrid of C. Arabica and C. Canephora (Robusta) that was found in Timor Leste in the 1940s. This was presumed... ...more Blangili Long Bean $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Sumatra Volkopi Supergrade $5.80 $11.02 $25.23 $89.32
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... ...more FTO Gr. 1 Maubesse $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Islands- Blends -Etc. 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
HawaiiThe Kona district on the big island of Hawaii produces the best coffee from this state - clean, sweet and mild. : Ah, Hawaii... what a nice place.... ...more KonaKona coffee comes from farms along the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii: Kona coffee comes from farms along the Kona Coast on the Big Island... ...more – Kowali Farm $16.60 $31.87 $77.19 5 lb limit
SM’s Moka Kadir Blend $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
SM’s EspressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... ...more Monkey Blend $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
SM’s Classic Italian Espresso Blend $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
SM’s Decaf Espresso Blend $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
SM’s Liquid Amber Espresso Blend $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
SM’s French RoastSugars are heavily caramelized (read as burned) and are degraded; the woody bean structure is carbonizing, the seed continues to expand and loose mass, the body of the... ...more Blend $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
SM’s Puro Scuro Blend $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
SM’s Roasted French ChicoryChicory was a popular coffee substitute and economizer for 2 centuries, back when coffee was more prized, and pure coffee was a luxury. : Chicory was a popular... ...more $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Decafs 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Brazil Mogiana WP Decaf $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
Colombian WP Decaf $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
Costa Rica SHB WP Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Ethiopian WP Decaf (Sidamo) $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
Guatemala Huehuetenango WP Decaf $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
Indonesian Organic SWPSWP means Swiss Water Process is a patented water filtration decaf method, not a chemical solvent method. The plant is in Vancouver, Canada. ...more Komodo Blend $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Kenya AA WP Decaf LOW -More Coming $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Nicaragua Matagalpa WP Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Sulawesi Toraja WP Decaf $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Sumatra MandhelingA trade name used for wet-hulled Sumatra coffees. It is an area and a culture group as well (spelled Mandailing often) but there is not as much coffee... ...more WP Decaf $5.70 $10.83 $24.80 $87.78
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... ...more Peaberry WP Decaf $5.70 $10.83 $24.80 $87.78
Premium Robustas 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian RobustaAteng is a common name for Catimor coffees widely planted in Sumatra and other Indonesia isles.: Ateng, with several subtypes, is a common name for Catimor coffees widely... ...more and RobustaRobusta usually refers to Coffea Robusta, responsible for roughly 25% of the world's commercial coffee. Taxonomy of Robusta is debated: some sources use “Robusta” to refer to any... ...more Peaberry coming in January
We have about 10 new lots arriving in the early part of January!
