Sweet Maria’s Emailer Roundup – August, 2020

Our monthly digest from the Sweet Maria’s Email list, announcing new coffees, new content and new events!

August 2020 offerings are all listed here, for your reference. If you want to read about our arriving coffee, events, product and news, sign up for our emailer.


August 5, 2020

Aug. 5, 2020 Brazil & Panama Arrivals
Aug. 5, 2020 Brazil & Panama Arrivals

It’s your lucky day if you are a fan of the deeper, fruited and chocolate notes of dry processed coffees. We just added a dynamic duo to our offerings list.

Brazil Dry Process Sitio Sao JoseNutty hints of almond paste and peanut sauce, layered chocolate roast flavors like semi-sweet cocoa powder, fruited cacao and baking chocolate. Good for espresso.

Panama Dry Process Paso Ancho – A natural process coffee with a rustic hue, fruited flavors touch on naturally dried types like tamarid and unsulfered apricot, with an aroma that creates a fruit and foresty composite.

Flavor Graphs

If you have ever wondered how coffee scores are calculated and what our flavor graphs can tell you, set aside a few minutes and read our latest article.The graphs we use are visual tools used to communicate general cup qualities and flavors. On their own, they only explain part of what a certain coffee is all about and should be viewed in conjunction with our cupping notes.

Behmor arrival

Behmor roasters are back in stock with the same dark and handsome looks but with a new name and new features. First of all, the refresh rate is faster so you get more accurate feedback, you can use it with 120 or 220v and it BEEPS to notify you of the safety cutoff and 15 second warning! Say hello to the Behmor 2000AB Plus.


August 7, 2020

Aug. 7, 2020 - Latest Additions
Aug. 7, 2020 – Latest Additions

Guatemala Xinabajul La Libertad – Crowd pleasing, compact sweetness, roasted almond, bittersweet chocolate, hints or red raisin and lemon grass finish. Intense low tones when roasted dark with a hint of dried fruit.  Good for espresso.

Yemen Mokha Harasi – Full City roasts build out a bittersweet, rustic chocolate core that expands to include creamy Brazil nut, raw cacao, dried peach, cooked pumpkin, pepitas and rustic leathery notes. Good for espresso.

Rwanda Ngororero Matyazo – Matyazo is a big, balanced coffee, a very complete cup, ticking boxes for brightness, complexity and overall character. Brown sugar, raisin, nutmeg spice big body and so much more.

Behmor panel

Beep! Beep! Yup, the new improved Behmor roasters have landed but you don’t need to shell out a few hundred bucks for the new features if you already own a previous model. We now have upgrade panels that you can install in your Behmor 1600, 1600AB, Plus or AB Plus roaster. The best news is the new panels beep when the roaster enters the thoughtfully safe but previously silent Err7 stage.

Keep Your Behmor Clean

You shouldn’t need an excuse (like installing a shiny new control panel) to open up your Behmor and give it a good cleaning. Chasing out the chaff dust and caked on oil should be on your roasting schedule in order to keep your favorite drum roaster happy and healthy…but installing a new panel can be a good source of inspiration too. 


August 12, 2020

Aug. 12, 2020 - Latest Arrivals
Aug. 12, 2020 – Latest Arrivals

Costa Rica Dota El Conquistador – Low-toned coffee, big-bodied coffee with chocolate roast character emerging as milk and semi-sweet chocolates, dark cacao bar, and chocolate rice crispy treats. Good for espresso.

Nicaragua Acopio Suyatal – Light roasts are vibrant for Nicaragua, whereas middle roasts harness straight forward bittersweetness, brown sugar, hazelnut and walnut finishing. Good for espresso

Sweet Maria’s Liquid Amber Espresso Blend – A potent, pungent blend for espresso beverages. It’s ideal for milk drinks, as this intense bittersweet cuts through the steamed milk. Rustic sweetness, spice, savory notes, long aftertaste. Monsooned coffee and a small percentage of Robusta add crema and body.

Podcast

Ever make an “exquisite corpse” drawing when you were a kid? We just made an audio version for our latest podcast. In this episode, Tom, Ryan and Dan contributed responses to each other’s recordings about their personal coffee brewing habits and coffee consumption. They also touch on the current state of coffee culture weirdness.

Coffee too fresh?

Our recent Instagram post showed a close up of the amount of foam that forms on top of unrested coffee being brewed. Coffee expels gas when it’s fresh, so coffee that hasn’t been given the chance to rest will produce more bubbles when mixed with hot water. It’s better to rest coffee overnight before brewing but hey, sometimes, unrested coffee is better than no coffee at all.


August 15, 2020

August 15, 2020 - New Coffee Additions
August 15, 2020 – New Coffee Additions

Ethiopia Agaro Geta Bore – Geta Bore has unique, resiny-sweet aromatics, pine and amber resin, caramel, cinnamon bark and a yellow custard note. Dark roasts yield syrupy chocolate flavors. Good for espresso.

El Salvador Comasagua San Antonio – Almond and toffee, bittersweet chocolate, herbaceous hints. Lighter roasts offer an acidic impression, while darker roasts bring out low tones and incredibly thick body. Good for espresso.

Guatemala Chimaltenango Herber Chalí – Balanced at a broad range of roasts, chocolatey at City+ and beyond, with black plum and prune suggestions. Full City roasts bolster the low tones appreciably. Good for espresso.

Peru Oscar Segura Vasquez – Not sure if I like light or dark roasts more! The range of flavors across this roast spectrum include muscovado, molasses, apple, dark chocolate and red berry. Read the review to find out more.

Sumatra Gayo Bintang DiRahmah – Top notes vary with roast level. Herbal and earth-toned, bean-to-bar chocolate, hints of berry, sandalwood, basil, anise, pipe tobacco and an acidic impression uncharacteristic of Sumatra.

15% off
We ended up overbuying a few coffees and now you benefit because we are dropping prices by 15%. Discount applied at checkout. Burundi Kabarore Commune Yandaro  Sumatra Kerinci Tujuh Cooperative  Rwanda Rusizi Nyakarenzo  Rwanda Nyamasheke SWP Decaf  Burundi Monge Murambi Hill 
Burundi in a Behmor
Dan roasted Burundi Kabarore Commune Yandaro with his Behmor. Check out his latest blog post and find out how it tasted as pour over and iced coffee.

August 19, 2020

Aug. 19, 2020 - Latest Coffees
Aug. 19, 2020 – Latest Coffees

Check out this pair of syrupy, fruited East African coffee from Burundi and Uganda. Were you hoping for a re-stock of Kenyas? Give us a few days. We should have a some new ones on the site this weekend.

Burundi Dry Process Gaterama Agahore – Intense dry process flavors, fruit jams, dried berry, blackberry reduction, pancake syrup, wine/balsamic type fruit notes, earth-tones (like “Harar”) and immense body.

Uganda Organic Kapchorwa Kabeywa – Weighty mouthfeel, mild-to-moderate acidity, sweetness of burnt sugars and molasses, dried fruits like banana, red berry and plum, and layers of rich cocoa flavors when roasted dark.

From the library
  • You want resources? We got resources. Take a look at these coffee PDFs we put together. Cup quality, agronomy and overall coffee science!
  • Tom put together a few degree of roast” sets using small plastic display cases. Do this yourself at home for a great reference tool or at least an awesome conversation starter.

August 21, 2020

Aug.21, 2020 - Latest Coffees
Aug.21, 2020 – Latest Coffees
Your patience paid off. You hung in there as we added coffee to our list as fast as we could. Now you get to reward yourself with a new Ethiopia DP, a pair of Kenyas and much more.
Ethiopia Dry Process Kebele Keramo – Light roasts bring out big fruited flavors like strawberry, cranberry juice, berry wine, honeydew melon, and a bright berry aspect that casts an acidic impression on the cup.

Ethiopia Bensa Asefa Qonqana – A crowd pleasing cup: big body, mild acidity, and lasting bittersweetness. Full City finds a nice interplay between layered sugars, creamy nut notes and bittersweet roast tones. Good for espresso and blending.

Kenya Nyeri Kamoini AB – Corn syrup and cane juice, citrus hints of nectarine and grapefruit, and a hoppy finishing note like Belgian ale. Middle roasts are bittersweet with dark berry note.

Kenya Murang’a Gatuya AA – In so many ways this AA Gatuya has what we consider “classic” Kenya cup characteristics: black currant, raw sugar sweetness, orange peel and citric acidity. A bright brew.

Rwanda Nyamasheke Nyakabingo – Baking spice notes are the star of the show, clove and spiced Darjeeling tea show intensity, honey sweetness, hints of hibiscus flower and dried berry, lemon-like brightness and orange rind. Good for espresso.

Nicaragua Buenos Aires Los Pinos – A crowd pleasing cup: big body, mild acidity, and lasting bittersweetness. Full City finds a nice interplay between layered sugars, creamy nut notes and bittersweet roast tones. Good for espresso and blending.

Espresso Workshop #47 A Taste of Honey – Like the Herb Albert song, this Workshop blend is perhaps more memorable than you bargained for! Brown sugar and chocolate roast flavors, brassy lemon high notes, with hints of blueberry, dark cranberry, fig jam and grape-flavored licorice. Espresso!

August 26, 2020

Green Coffee Sample Set
Green Coffee Sample Set

We over-purchased a few high quality coffees so you benefit from some great price drops. What’s better than a few awesome discounted coffees? A few awesome discounted coffees all in one place. Say hello to the Sweet Maria’s Sale Coffee Sample Set

Guatemala Gesha
  • Lucky you. We had a little extra Guatemala Acatenango Gesha Lot 3 so we were able to make it available again on the site. As you probably know, Gesha coffee is known for it’s unique floral, tea-like qualities. So if you are into very delicate flavors, like jasmine, lemon and perfume-like aromas, Geshas are worth the price.
Peru Flashback

Unearth a time capsule from 2006. Check out Tom’s photo gallery and thoughts from his trip to Peruvian coffee farms.


August 28, 2020

Aug. 28, 2020 - Latest Coffees
Aug. 28, 2020 – Latest Coffees
Ethiopia Dry Process Hamasho Village – A broad palette of fruit flavors, red raspberry, blueberry, mango, vibrant lemon, peach puree and strawberry Starburst. Incredibly complex dry process and clean considering the process type.

Ethiopia Bensa Kebele Mirado – A thread of honey sweetness throughout, floral like raw honey whipped with the comb, honey-sweetened black tea, creamy caramels, bright citrus notes, lemon-like acidic impression.

Kenya Nyeri Kiruga AA – Sweetness falls between white and light brown sugars, notes of sweet lemon, rice candies, hop florals and lemon-like acidity that really pops. Dark roasts suit Kiruga too, balanced bittersweets and blueberry.

Panama Honey Process Paso Ancho – Big-bodied, mild acidity, honey-like sweetness with top notes of roasted barley tea, sesame seed/sugar confection and golden raisin. Good for espresso.
Origin Updates
Ethiopia’s 2020 coffee exports are in steep decline, August numbers cut by half compared to 2019. Some of this is harvest related, but high prices at the ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) are a major contributing factor.

Brazil managed to avoid potential crop damage with a looming cold front that never quite materialized last week.

Colombian harvest numbers have remained high despite the pandemic and it is expected that they will export 14 million bags for the fourth consecutive year.    

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