Can Aussies Grow Coffees?
I have cupped Australian coffees for several years now, and consistently rejected them. They just seemed like over-priced, low-grown novelty items … and the fact they are from industrialized (mechanically-harvested) farms did not add to their charm. I was familiar with the Skybury farm, but had never heard of Mountain Top 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 in the Southern region of New South Wales. The green sample didn’t speak of immanent cup quality. It was graded as XF, Extra Fancy, pretentiously adopting the Hawaiian grading system. It certainly didn’t look like it – I spotted a broken bean and some odd, waxy, spotted-looking seeds. But I have learned not to judge 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 too sternly (to be an “eye-cupper”), rather just to make note of green defects and judge coffee by the cup quality. That’s where I received my first surprise. The 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 was so sweet, mildly 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, clean. And all those qualities transferred into the cup flavors perfectly, an almost transparent clarity in the sweetnessSweetness is an important positive quality in fine coffees, and is one of five basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Savory (Umami). In coffee, sweetness is a highly... ...more, light bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all... ...more. Overall it is not a powerhouse coffee, but a delicate, simple and delicious cup. Later I learned that this coffee has great 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 potential; it was the coffee used by the winning entrant in the World Barista Championship this year! So I am off to roast a tad darker, to a Full City +, and find out what a Mountain Top espresso is all about.
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 Coffees En Route
They are not on our offer list yet, but quite a few Auction Lot coffees are coming from Central America. The auctions have already taken place at this writing and Sweet Maria’s was bidding early and often. Since I was on the jury for the 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... ...more and 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 Excellence (CoE) competitions, I had an early chance to evaluate these coffees. If you are not familiar with these auctions, there is just one held for each country, and they involve a long, laborious process.
Most national competitions start with 400 or more farms competing, sometimes as many as 600-800! It is free for the farms to enter their samples and compete. The National Jury has the daunting task of 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 for defects, and removing average coffees. They spend several weeks at the task, and prepare a set of 60-80 potentially “excellent” coffees for the International Jury. The later is comprised of folks in the coffee trade from all corners of the world, and we come in for one week to cup and re-cup the coffees in a three-round elimination process, which results in around 30 top coffees being offered several weeks later in the internet auction. So that is 30 coffees pared down from 400+!
We competed for 3 lots in the El Salvador CoE; one is a very high grownHigh Grown, or HG, is a coffee designation that can mean different things in different countries. : High Grown, or HG, is the highest quality Mexican coffee designation... ...more 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,... ...more ArabicaArabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the taxonomic species name of the genus responsible for around 75% of the worlds commercial coffee crop.: Arabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the... ...more coffee from the San Jose Estate owned by Mauricio Ruffatti. The two others are the 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 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, a cross between the PacasA mutation of Bourbon cultivar that appeared in El Salvador in 1949: Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon cultivar that appeared in El Salvador in 1949. It... ...more and “giant bean” MaragogypeMaragogype is a mutation of Typica coffee and was discovered in Brazil. The Maragogype is a large plant with big leaves, low production and very large fruits (and... ...more” varietals. These are coffees with very extreme cup character, and when they are grown at good altitude and processed with care, can be fantastic. One of these is a Pacamara 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 (!) grown at 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.... ...more Montecarlos Tablon, a volcanic cone with active thermal vents in the area. The other is La Montanita from the farm of Antonio Rene Aguilar.
We went after 2 lots in the Best of 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 competition, including the number one coffee that had a very unique cup profile, partly due to the Ethiopian cultivar seedstock. In the end, the competition for this coffee was fierce, driving it to a record high for any coffee sold in an auction, ever! We compromised and formed an alliance with a group of roasters who all wanted the 7 bag lot, and each of us will get one bag of this exquisite coffee, called Jaramillo from Finca Esmeralda in the Boquete region. On the second place coffee, we bid in concert with Stumptown Coffee of Portland for the coffee called Leru, a bright and balanced cup that will be sold at a price much less extreme than the Jaramillo. These Best of Panama coffees are going to arrive within 2 weeks, whereas the Salvadorian coffees will take longer.
We won 2 lots in the Nicaragua CoE, the number eight coffee and the number fourteen coffee. You can’t place too much importance on the particular ranking; these are all exceptional coffees and in fact the #14 sold for more than the #8. The later is a Jinotega coffee from Finca El Regreso owned by Bernabe Garcia. I loved this cup because of its understated sweetness – not the most acidic or unusual coffee in the top 10, but in my mind the most 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 and seductive. The number 14 coffee is one of many winning farms that came from the Prodecoop mill, a name you will recognize if you have bought 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 Nicaragua coffees from Sweet Maria’s for the past few years. This lot is from the Madriz area, and is Organic and Fair TradeFair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability.: Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach... ...more certified. In a sense this is ironic, because these competitions and the subsequent auctions directly benefit the farmer to the amount of 90% of the auction proceeds: it is a very efficient system without much overhead or administrative costs and nets the farmer much higher prices than Organic and/ or Fair Trade certification.
(Not be forgotten is the Honduran CoE which is yet to happen at this writing. Expect to see our name in the bidding there too.)
The New Hearthware i-Roast
The I-Roast has quickly become our most popular roaster, and rightly so; it roasts twice the amount as the previous model, and features a user-controllable 3 stage heating “program.” While some of the control functions (especially the onboard thermometer readings) leave something to be desired, this is a breakthrough roaster. It roasts evenly, and allows you to ramp up heat applied to the coffee early in
the roast to improve the balanceSuggests a harmony and proportion of qualities, and implies mildness since no one quality dominates.: Balance is both an obvious and slippery taste term. It implies a harmony... ...more and body of the cup and reduce astringency (even professional air roasters don’t do this). I think the frustrating aspects of i-Roast ownership are really worth it in the end, and I now use it for all my sample roasting (which averages 8-10 batches a day!)
–Tom
Sweet Maria’s Coffee
1455 64th Street, Emeryville CA 94608
web: www.sweetmarias.com
email: [email protected]
Sweet Maria’s Green Coffee Offering List on July 1, 2004.
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 -Conquistador $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Costa Rica Tres Rios -La Magnolia $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Costa Rica La Minita Tarrazu $6.80 $12.92 $30.26 $108.80
Costa Rica Tarrazu 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 -SM Select $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
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 “La Flor Del Café” Antigua $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Guatemala Antigua -Los Pastores $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
Guatemala Fraijanes -Palo Alto Azul $4.55 $8.65 $19.79 $70.07
Guatemala Huehuetenango -Huixoc 6468 $4.55 $8.65 $19.79 $70.07
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 Organic Marcala SHG $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
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 Oaxaca “Pluma Hidalgo” $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
Mexico Org/FT Oaxaca Pluma $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Nicaragua Matagalapa Maragogype $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Nicaragua Organic/FT Segovia $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Panama -Hartmann Estate “Songbird” $4.75 $9.03 $20.66 $73.15
Panama Boquete -Lerida Estate $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
South American 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
BoliviaBolivia has always been a coffee origin with great potential, the potential to have a unique Specialty coffee offering with unique cup character.: There's no better way to... ...more Organic Cenaproc Co-op $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Bolivia Fair Trade “de Montana” $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
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 Cup of Excellence Laranja-Cravo $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
Brazil FazendaFazenda is the Portuguese word for farm, hence it is the term used in Brazil. Fazenda is not a coffee-specific term. ...more Ipanema “Dulce” $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Brazil Matas de Minas -Fazenda Brauna $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Brazil Sul de Minas – Carmo Estate $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
Brazil Organic/FT Poco Fundo $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Colombian Huila “Mercedes Supremo” $4.20 $7.98 $18.27 $64.68
Colombian Narino del Abuelo $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Colombian Huila – La Florencia $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Colombian Popayan SupremoA Colombian coffee grade referring to screen size of 17-18 screen. In the traditional bulk Arabica business, Supremo was the top grade Colombia, with Excelso one step below... ...more “Caucano” $4.65 $8.84 $20.23 $71.61
EcuadorEcuador has everything it takes to grow great coffee. Positioned between Colombia and Peru, the interior mountain ranges have plenty of altitude, weather patterns, and ideal soil for... ...more EScafe Co-op $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
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/Fair Trade Ccochapampa $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
African- Arabian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Ethiopian Ghimbi Lot 5025 $4.20 $7.98 $18.27 $64.68
Ethiopian Harar -Lot 6979 “Horse” $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe -Lot 7449 $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
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 AA Auction Lot 633-Karugwa $5.70 $10.83 $24.80 $87.78
Kenya Auction Lot 624-Kora Peaberry $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Kenya AA Auction Lot 499-Mweiga $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
Kenya Auction Lot -Tegu Peaberry $5.90 $11.21 $25.67 $90.86
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 Masaka “Seven Lakes” $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
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 AA Songea Flatbean $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
UgandaWhile Arabica was introduced at the beginning of the 1900's, Robusta coffee is indigenous to the country, and has been a part of Ugandan life for centuries. The... ...more AA Bugisu $4.30 $8.17 $18.71 $66.22
Uganda Organic Bugisu – Sipi Falls $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
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 Ismaili (Hirazi) $7.80 $14.82 $36.27 $124.80
Yemen Mokha Mattari $7.10 $13.49 $33.02 $113.60
ZimbabweZimbabwe, formerly known as lower Rhodesia until independence in 1980, has produced great coffee since production was introduced in the 1960s. Like Zambian coffees, these coffees are often... ...more AA Salimba Estate $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
Indonesian- Indian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian Monsooned Malabar Coehlo’s Gold $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Indian Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold $4.20 $7.98 $18.27 $64.68
Indian Pearl Mountain Peaberry $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
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 – Kimel $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
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 $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Aged 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 Lintong $5.80 $11.02 $25.23 $89.32
Sumatra Iskandar Triple-Pick $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
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 ’04 – Lot 6854 $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
Sumatra Organic Gr. 1 GayoGayo 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... ...more Mountain $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
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 Organic/FT Maubesse $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Islands- Blends -Etc. 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
AustraliaAustralian coffee bears resemblance in the cup to the soft "Island Coffee" flavor profile. Coffee cultivation began in Australia in 1880 and continued through 1926, but was found... ...more Mountain Top Estate XF $8.10 $15.55 $37.67 5 lb limit
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 -Honaunau Peaberry $15.40 $29.57 $71.61 5 lb limit
JamaicaJamaica coffee can be excellent mild, lush coffee... sometimes. Like Kona and Puerto Rican coffee, it is soft, mild, clean and well balanced when it is good.: Ah... ...more Blue Mountain – Mavis Bank $19.40 $37.25 $90.21 5 lb limit
Puerto RicoPuerto Rican coffee has the typical"island profile". These coffees, which include Jamaica and Kona, have a soft cup, not acidic, balanced, and mild. : I have tried other... ...more Yauco Selecto AA $9.70 $18.62 $45.11 $161.02
SM’s Moka Kadir Blend $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
SM’s Espresso 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 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
African Highland WP Decaf Blend $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Brazil Prima Qualita WP Decaf $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
Colombian 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 Medellin WP Decaf $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
Colombian Huila Natural Decaf $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Costa Rican El Sol WP Decaf $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe WP Decaf $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Guatemala Huehuetenango WP Decaf $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
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 $5.70 $10.83 $24.80 $87.78
Kenya AA WP Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Mexican Esmeralda Natural Decaf $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
Mexican Organic/Fair Trade WP Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Nicaragua Jalapa SHG WP Decaf $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Panama WP Decaf -Panamaria Estate $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Sulawesi Toraja WP Decaf $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Sumatra WP Decaf $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Premium Robustas 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian Organic Washed 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 $4.20 $7.98 $18.27 $64.68
Uganda 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 -Esco Farms 18+ $4.00 $7.60 $17.40 $61.60
Ugh! (The Coffee) $0.70 1 lb limit
