Our monthly digest from the Sweet Maria’s Email list, announcing new coffees, new content and new events!
June 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.
June 1, 2020

Another great video. Some ambient scenes from the Kafa zone of Western 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..., a look at a couple nice coffee farms and cats getting along with buzzards.

As Montana prepares to enter Phase 2 of reopening the economy, cafes and restaurants are able to increase their capacity, while maintaining social distancing. One of those cafes is Big Creek Coffee Roasters in Hamilton, Montana. Big Creek is a Sweet Maria’s customer for over 15 years, and a Shrub customer since 2010.

Have a look at an overview of our coffee buying in Guatemala, replete with links to farm video-tours and roasting fundamentals articles for these super versatile coffees.
June 5, 2020

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.... Machín Rosemberg Martínez – Tastes like a coffee that underwent long fermentationFermentation in coffee processing traditionally referred to the stage in wet-processing of the coffee. We now understand that fermentation happens more broadly in nearly all processes, including honey..., flavors recall champagne and sugar cane wine, panelaPanela is the minimally processed sugar with floral and vanilla accents: Found in Colombia (and noted to be best in Pitalito and Pedregal), Panela is tan-colored cakes of... 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..., appleAn acid that adds to favorable perceptions of cup quality; malic acid often adds apple-like acidity, and perhaps other taste aspects recalling apples. Malic acid is yet another... cider, 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... and plum skin bittering. Ethiopia 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... Shakiso Korommii – Rides the edge between aromatic fruit and rusticA general characterization of pleasantly "natural" flavors, less sophisticated and less refined, but appealing. : What is Rustic? This is a general term we came up with... Dried... undertones, raspberry, berry-like 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..., dehydrated fruit, strawberry-rhubarb pie, earthyEarthy is a flavor term with some ambivalence, used positively in some cases, negatively in others.: Sumatra coffees can have a positive earthy flavor, sometimes described as "wet... cacao and sandalwood. Good for 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.... Colombia Caicedo Las Alegrías – Stewed fruit character against a rustic raw sugar backdrop, accents of canned plum, fresh basil, dark berry and bittersweetBittersweet is from the language of chocolate, and describes the co-presence of positive bittering compounds balanced by sweetness. It is directly related to caramelization, but has inputs from... roast flavors. 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... Dry Process 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... – A wild and 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... coffee with rustic sweetness, wine-like berry notes, cooked cherries, tamarind, orangeOrange aromatics and flavors are prized in coffee, whether they take the form of sweet orange flesh and pulp, or orange peel. Orange flavors or aromatics can range... creamsicle, a flavor of cranberry lambic beer. 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... San Francisco David Garcia – Unrefined sweetness of demerara and sugar-in-the-raw, a baked appleApple-like flavors in coffee can take on many different forms. The more common ones we use relate to malic acid brightness, which can recall different apple types: green... flavor that straddles a sweet/winey edge, cocoa-dusted walnut, dark grape and chocolateA general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of chocolate. But what type? Usually described with more specifics.: Chocolate is a broad, general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of... torte. 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... AcehThe northernmost district in SumatraL Aceh District is north of North Sumatra and produces some very classic Sumatra coffees. The center of coffee in Aceh is Lake Tawar... Bebesen Auliya – “Classic” Aceh coffee character albeit cleaner than most. Earth tones, peat moss, light fruit and sweet with molasses, a ribbon of dark cocoa and baking spice 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.... 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,... Don Oscar Limones – Sweet to bittering characteristics respond to roast development, toasted sugar, moderate acidity, chocolate roast flavors, reverberant bass notes, carbonized sugar aftertasteAftertaste refers to lingering residual sensations in the mouth after coffee has swallowed. It might be distinguished from "finish" which is the final sensations of the coffee while.... Chocolatey espresso. |

We talked with our export partners in 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... to assess thttps://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/guatemala-a-post-harvest-update-from-origin/he effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on post-harvest production and 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,... for the upcoming harvest season.

Last weekend, Hurricane Amanda wreaked havoc on 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..., causing massive flooding across the country and loss of life. The coffee season is winding down and work is underway to uncover roadways in order to move coffee from the rural areas to the ports, where some of the worst damage was encountered.
July 9, 2020

- As we monitor our shipments closely, it’s clear that our next Ethiopian arrivals will be from cooperatives in the West. Look for fresh coffee by the 1st week of July (hopefully sooner!) from familiar co-ops like Nano Challa and Biftu Gudina, as well as several that are new to us this year.
- We have had a great response to our 20% Off Guatemala Overstock sale. Note that it is on 6 selected lots, chosen because they were larger lots and wouldn’t run out of stock mid-sale. Don’t miss out on your chance to pick up some of these delicious overstock coffees at a very low price.
- Our African coffees have been shipping on time from port. The only delay has been with a shortage of containers to load into.
- It seems so far that Covid 19 control measures in Ethiopia have been effective with relatively few cases.
- The Prismo AeropressA portable coffee brewer that makes a unique dense brew, somewhat similar to an Americano.: The Aeropress looks like a giant syringe: coffee grounds are in the bottom,... attachment from Fellow Products has been selling quickly, perhaps because the concentrate it makes is so good for iced coffee, and it’s getting HOT out ? .
- Our 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.... lab has been a bit slow recently, as all selections for new cropRefers to fresh shipments of green coffee within the first month or two of the earliest arrivals ... not quite the same as Current Crop, which means the... Centrals and African coffees have been made and we await final Preshipment Samples (PSS) and the first arrivals.
June 12, 2020

Ethiopia Dry Process Bashasha Aba Nura – Aba Nura is bodied with mild acidity, dried fruit, unrefined sweetness, chocolate-malted grains, discernible notes of 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... and dried blueberryBlueberry flavors in coffee take different forms. Dried blueberry was something we first encountered in natural Harar coffee from Ethiopia. It seemed to be most potent in fresh... fading to a cocoa powder 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.... El Salvador 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.... Matalapa Lote Cumbrita – Approachable cup, pecan shortbread aroma, layered raw sugar and nuttyNutty is a broad flavor term, reminiscent of nuts ... but what kind exactly?: Nutty is a broad flavor term, reminiscent of nuts. It is tied intrinsically to... roast tones, a twist of spice powder and opaque, bittersweet cocoa when roasted dark. City+City+ roast is an ideal roast level that occurs roughly between 425 and 435 degrees Fahrenheit in many coffee roasters with a responsive bean probe where First Crack... to Vienna. Good for espresso. 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,... 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... Matari – Rustic appeal, freeze-dried fruit, earth and spice notes, leatheryAromas or flavors reminiscent of leather, a very rustic quality and not necessarily a defect.: This descriptor is somewhat reminiscent of the leather, and is sometimes distinguished as..., cocoa powder, squash, sandalwood oil, 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... root..as 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" as they come! Good for espresso. Staff Picks Sample Set – Need a little help choosing 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,...? Try a recommendation from our staff! Our team members are taking turns promoting their personal favorites from our green coffee list – this set comes from our merchandise manager, Ryan. |

- Our merchandise manager, Ryan is back at it with another Sweet Maria’s staff picks sample set. See what coffees she chose this time around.
- We just started carrying this cool new mug from Japan. It has a capacity of 250 cc, or just over 8 fluid ounces. It fits the Aeropress as well as the Prismo attachment, but it’s very snug with the latter. The pattern is from a traditional kimono and the glazes are classic cobalt blue with a brown accent on the handle.

June 17, 2020

Tune in to Facebook Live on Thursday, June 18th for another informative live stream where we will cover all things related to 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... and home brewing. Ask us anything you want! General topics? That’s up to you. We’ll answer your questions in the live chat but are looking for suggestions for topics. Email questions to [email protected] before 6/18. The video will be posted after the live stream is over so you can watch at your own convenience. Thursday, June 18th 1pm PDT Facebook Live |

- Ever wonder how caffeineAn alkaloidal compound that has a physiological effect on humans, and a bittering taste. It is found throughout the coffee plant but is more concentrated in the seed... is taken out of decaf coffee? Is it actually addictive? A diuretic? Check out our classic library article where we explore caffeine’s role in health and ecology. There’s some photos of actual extracted caffeine in there as well. Hopefully they don’t make you too queasy.
- The way a coffee smells plays a huge part in how much we enjoy it…but how about vinyl records? Doesn’t as better smelling record sound better? Hmmm… well, find out as Dan and Tom sniff a few record sleeves around the cupping lab.
- Check out ourtravelogue and insights from Tom’s 2019 trip to 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. Timor Leste produces great coffee, especially if you enjoy the subtle herbalA flavor descriptor in coffee reminiscent of herbs, usually meaning aromatic, savory, leafy dried herbs. Usually, more specific descriptions are given, whether is is a floral herb, or... and spice notes common in Indonesian coffees but the 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... itself still faces a lot of challenges

It’s iced coffee/cold brew season and there’s more than one way to brew it. Adjusting your coffee to water ratio can make a nice a nice concentrate that you can pour over ice. Concentrate can be taken to another level with an Aeropress and Prismo attachment and to the level of manual espresso with the Flair machines. The Bruer is made for cold brew. It takes a while to make a batch but it’s worth the wait. |

June 19, 2020

The very popular Moka Kadir is back in stock and we just added this great decaf that barely tasted like a decaf. Check out he 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... 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... Ngororero! It has great 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... along with fruit notes and bit of sparkle. |
El Salvador Finca Matalapa 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... – Light roasts have a correspondingly light body, easily boosted with development, raw sugar, bittersweet, mild acidity, malted grain and chocolate 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... accents. Ethiopia Kafa Farmers SWPSWP means Swiss Water Process is a patented water filtration decaf method, not a chemical solvent method. The plant is in Vancouver, Canada. Decaf – This Ethiopia hardly tastes like decaf. Moderate body, flavors of caramelized fruit, brown sugarBrown sugar is a type of sweetness found in coffee ...a sweetness characterized by a hint of molasses, yet quite refined as well. Since Brown sugar of the..., dark chcolate malt, spiced hints and citrus rind. Rwanda Honey Process Ngororero – Sweet malted flavors, Dutch cocoa and hints of dried stone fruits. Body and roast tone with brightnessA euphemistic term we use often to describe acidity in coffee. A bright coffee has more high, acidic notes. : A euphemistic term to describe acidity in coffee.... that provides a bit of sparkle but not sharp. Delicious brewed coffeeBrewed Coffee refers to all coffee preparations produced by adding non-pressurized water to coffee grounds. Contrasted with espresso coffee, which is produced under pressure, brewed coffee is primarily....Good for espresso. Sweet Maria’s Moka Kadir Blend – Rich chocolate flavors come through in layers, with rustic sweetness, fruited notes of natural dried stone fruit, and finishing hints are leathery, herbal, fruited, and of course bittersweet. CreamyCreamy is a mouthfeel description indicating thickness and soft, rounded texture. See also buttery. mouthfeelHow a coffee feels in the mouth or its apparent texture, a tactile sensation : A major component in the flavor profile of a coffee, it is a... and works well for milk drinks. Good espresso. Colombia Urrao Fray David Moreno – Berry-toned and fruit-forward for a washed coffee. Flavor notes of pancake syrup, raw brown sugar, cooked berry and a tart/sweetness that reminds me of pomegranate balsamic reduction. |

We had to cancel an upcoming trip to Colombia but things are still looking up as the range of samples we just received from Inzá, Caicedo and Urrao is encouraging.

Rwanda recently received much-needed rain that will help some of the areas that are still growing coffee. About 30% of Rwandan stations have stopped buying for the season and those that remain open are receiving reduced volumes as the end of the harvest approaches. 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... forcasts large yields of coffee over the coming weeks and expects local labor to be sufficient in most areas, however mechanical harvesters are used wherever possible to speed up the process. Peruvian co-ops and producer orgs are distributing food and technical assistance to their members, reducing the need to travel into towns. This support is aimed to promote loyalty within members as competition to purchase parchmentGreen coffee still in its outer shell, before dry-milling, is called Parchment coffee (pergamino). In the wet process, coffee is peeled, fermented, washed and then ready for drying... coffee remains steady. |
June 24, 2020

Our recent Instagram post about using UV light to grade and check green coffee for defects was popular so we thought we would keep the conversation going. This coffee came from Dure Dako, a new Ethiopian cooperative we are excited about. But something happened, either at the dry millA facility that accepts dried coffee cherry and mechanically separates the coffee bean from the dried fruit and parchment layer. The facility can be highly mechanized, as in..., or perhaps in transit. What you see in the post below is the sample viewed under UV aka black light. We test samples when they arrive in Oakland with UV for moisture level and water activity. This lot measured 13.6%. In our experience, Ethiopian coffees have low moisture content, around 10% or even 9.5%. Also, a 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... coffee should not show this much luminescence under UV. In the end, we trust cupping and it had a basic profile with a taste of cardboard and astringency in the finish. Sadly it was rejected and we continue to look for other lots from the co-op to take its place.


As Covid continues to spread in Addis and the number of recorded cases is increasing in Ethiopia, we have heard reports from a coffee trader that some traders are in fear of higher than usual amounts of green coffee being stuck at ports. This is due to cancelled shipments that were supposed to go to coffee consuming destinations. He said that there have been reports of this season’s Ethiopian crop being of lesser quality which he is skeptical of.

The Bialetti Kitty moka potMoka Pot stovetop brewers produce a dense concentrated cup that's something between espresso and Turkish coffee. Coffee is placed into a filter between the lower chamber (that you... is the most recent addition to our line of brewers. Does it brew espresso? Not really. But if you like a strong, dense, concentrated cup of coffee, the Kitty will be a good addition to you coffee brewer cabinet. We like the heavy duty construction, and you will too when you think about how much pressure is building up inside as it heats up on your stove top. Oh yeah, it works with induction stove tops too.
June 26, 2020

Guatemala Proyecto Xinabajul Chalum – Sturdy sweetness, walnut note, cheap chocolate, a dried apple note underscores malic-type, acidic impression. Chocolate flavors are more substantial at Full City. Good for espresso. Guatemala Cuilco Finca El Regalito – Elegant at City roastCity roast is what we define as the earliest palatable stage that the roast process can be stopped and result in good quality coffee. City roast occurs roughly... level, an undercurrent of muscovadoA type of unrefined brown sugar with a strong molasses flavor, although it is not made by combining molasses with white sugar.: Also known as "Barbados sugar" or... sugar sweetness accented by tangyAn adjective modifying a flavor descriptor, describing a sharp effect; tangy citrus, tangy bittersweet flavor, tangy green apple. lemonLemon notes, as well as other related citrusy flavors or acidities, are prized in coffee. These usually express themselves as a bright accent in the cup, or aromatic..., black tea, dried currant, honey and shining acidity. Hallmarks of a competition-level Guatemalan coffee. |

- Nostalgia makes the best popcorn popper for home roasting and we finally have it back in stock. It roasts coffee right out of the box and surprisingly stands up to all the rigors of home roasting (even back to back roasts). It comes with a free green coffee sample set.
- We just started carrying the Kitty moka pot from Bialetti. We are big fans of the heavy duty stainless steel build and although it doesn’t brew true espresso, it creates a unique cup that’s very concentrated and bodied.
- BehmorA popular electric drum roaster designed for home use, with variable batch sizes (from 1/4 pound to 1 pound) and a smoke-reduction system. It has been modified and... coffee roasters should be back in stock soon. We are looking to have them in our warehouse in the next two weeks. Thanks for your patience. They are great machines so we are eager to start sending them to your doorsteps.

RETRO WEB PAGE ALERT. The following link is only intended for those interested in photos of awesome photos of homemade coffee roasters from the late 90’s and early 2000’s
June 30, 2020

Roasting decaf can be tricky. Decaf green coffee is considerably darker than non-decaf. This means it’s hard to tell by sight what roast stage it’s at while it’s roasting. First crackFirst crack in one of two distinct heat-induced pyrolytic reactions in coffee. It is distinguished by a cracking or popping sound in the coffee, and occurs between 390... can be quieter too. Sometimes you can’t hear it at all. If you are roasting dark, past Full City, the beans will take on a blackened, matte appearance that can make any experienced home roaster question if they should have stopped the roast a few minutes ago. So, how do you roast decaf? It’s not easy, but time, smell and experience will definitely help. Check out our recent IG post where we showed the difference between two Ethiopias roasted to the same level. One decaf, one non-decaf. There’s quite a difference.


Last month, Sweet Maria’s team member Ryan shared a list of her favorite coffees and we offered it as a Green Coffee Sample Set. Since then two more caught her attention. Colombia Urrao Fray David Moreno – Berry-toned and fruit-forward for a washed coffee. Flavor notes of pancake syrup, raw brown sugar, cooked berry and a tart/sweetness that reminds me of pomegranate balsamic reduction. Guatemala Cuilco Finca El Regalito – Elegant at City roast level, an undercurrent of muscovado sugar sweetness accented by tangy lemon, black tea, dried currant, honey and shining acidity. Hallmarks of a competition-level Guatemalan coffee. |

The Fresh Roast SR800 is back in stock and it’s a great upgrade for anyone familiar with electric popcorn popper roasting. it allows your senses access to the sights, sounds and smells of the roast process but it’s a step up since it collects chaffChaff is paper-like skin that comes off the coffee in the roasting process. Chaff from roasting is part of the innermost skin (the silverskin) of the coffee fruit..., gives you heat/fan control and roasts more than 2x the amount. All this with a footprint about the size of a small blender.