Sweet Maria’s Emailer Roundup – May 2020

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

May 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.


May 1, 2020

May 1, 2020 - Latest Coffees
May 1, 2020 – Latest Coffees
Java Sunda Wet Hulled Garut – Bittersweetness balances woodsy cup characteristics of peat, leather, eucalyptus, and palo santo. Alerting fans of Sumatra, this coffee is just as herbal, earthy and complex

Flores Tangkul Village – Clean, balanced cup that finds parity with Central American coffee. Sugar in the raw, elements of baked goods, chocolate roast tones and pleasant acidity. Good espresso.

Guatemala Patzun Finca Santa Anita – A coffee that accentuates sweetness from front to back, robust flavors of honey and Dutch cocoa, dark berry hints, a winey accent note and apple-like vibrance. Good espresso.

Guatemala Antigua Carmona PulcalBrown sugar sweetness, apple-like acidity, dark chocolate, almond, indications of raisin and fig. Dominant bittersweet chocolate at Full City and beyond. Good espresso.

Costa Rica Don Mayo La Ladera Lot 2City+ roasts yield flavors of toffee-nut, molasses-drizzled almond, chocolate wafer cookie and a hint of golden raisin. A well-balanced coffee. Good for espresso.
Junction Coffee

As the effects of Covid-19 continue to challenge the way cafes do business, we’ll continue to spotlight our wholesale clients so you can help support them. Our latest feature is about Junction Coffee Tiny House in Bethany, OK.

LiveStream ReRun

Did you miss our Roast Levels live stream last week? We recorded it so you can catch up, watch again or just review.


May 8, 2020

May 8, 2020 - Latest Coffees
July 8, 2020 – Latest Coffees

Colombia Urraeños de Pavón – Lighter roasts bring into play floral honey sweetness, graham cracker, cane juice, red apple and crisp acidity that’s like fruit juice. Shows well in a variety of brew methods. Good for espresso.

Colombia Inzá Veredas Vecinas – Persistent sweetness in the brewed coffee, flavors of brown sugar and almond, raisin and dried date accent notes. Full City sees an increase in dark chocolate tones and body. Good espresso.

Papua New Guinea Baroida Estate – A bit two-dimensional at first, but opens up to tasty fruited suggestions after cooling off. Coconut palm sugar sweetness, notes of fig, prune, candied citrus peel, aromatic cedar and baking spice.

Brazil Pulp Natural Fazenda Santa Lucia – A Brazil with unrefined sweetness and nutty notes in the cup, walnut, light brown sugar and sweetened granola. Viscous body, bittersweet and a tamarind hint. Good espresso.

Rwanda Nyamasheke Karambi – City roasts won me over, elegant dry spice and herbal tea flavors, clean brown sugar sweetness, sweet citrus, white beer and accents of coriander, Curacao and five-spice powder.

Burundi Kabarore Commune Yandaro – City+ roasts draw out potent aromatics of whole clove, mace and all spice in the nose, caramel and molasses sweetness and a brisk flavor of black tea with lemon.Good for espresso.

Flores Ata Gae – Perhaps the first Flores to earn a “light and bright” flavor tag! Bright citrus-like acidity when roasted light, unrefined sugars soft chocolate roast flavors, herbal accents like cilantro and celery soda.


May 13, 2020

May 13, 2020 - Latest Coffee Additions
May 13, 2020 – Latest Coffee Additions
Ethiopia Organic Yirga Cheffe Kebele Foge – Our lightest City roast proved to be the most floral, bergamot and dried citrus peel, jasmine and honey suckle aroma, a light touch of honey and citrus-spritzed water.

Colombia Ibagué Rio Combeima – Raw sugar sweetness with molasses hints, notes of green apple, herbal hints, plum wine and moderate citrus-like acidic impression.
Duck Rabbit

Things have gotten complicated for cafes lately, which is why we are shining some light on our wholesale customer, Duck-Rabbit Coffee. In 2012 we were lucky enough to call the Duck-Rabbit owner, Cal Verga, a co-worker. In 2016, shortly after moving back to his hometown of Cleveland, OH, Duck-Rabbit Coffee was born. In the last few months, the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have not only halted growth, but have made it a challenge to make ends meet. Check out our latest cafe feature to learn more about how Cal and Duck-Rabbit are affected by all the recent changes.


May 14, 2020

Green Coffee Sample Sets
May 14 2020 – Sample sets

Our Sample Sets are a great way to conveniently get a lot of the coffees you love. This week we introduced our Dry Processed Green Coffee Sample Set and our Organic Green Coffee Sample Set.

Sweet Maria’s Dry Processed Sample Set – Do you like rustic and mild chocolate notes? Dried fruit? Pie? Banana bread? Cooked sugar? Yes? Well, you will probably enjoy this delicious sample set. It contains 1lb bags of the following: Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Shakiso Hangadhi Burundi Dry Process Kayanza Nemba Ethiopia Dry Process Suke Quto Daannisa

Sweet Maria’s Organic Sample Set – If you are a fan of our certified organic coffees, you know that their availability can be scarce at times. This is not one of those times. We have plenty for you to choose from. It includes 1lb each of the following:


May 15, 2020

Latest Coffees - May 15, 2020
Latest Coffees – May 15, 2020
Peru El Diamante Don Elvis – The cup is balanced by turbinado-like, sugary sweet flavors, with fruit-forward top notes of dried apple, cantaloupe, papaya, and balsamic aroma.

Sumatra Kerinci Tujuh Cooperative – Lighter roasting brings out flavors of sorghum and rice syrups, caramel, barley tea, dark honey, a subtle berry hint and finishing flavors of pungent cocoa and burnt sesame seed. Good for espresso.

Kenya Nyeri Thuti Peaberry – Fruited aroma and dense, underlying sweetness. Flavor notes of red punch, raspberry, citrus elements like orange juice and pith-like rind. Look for blueberry amidst bittersweetness in dark roasts.

Timor Leste Dukurai Daurfusu – Spiced and herbal aroma, turbinado sweetness, hints of cinnamon, red bell pepper, lemon and bittering cacao nibs.

Brazil Dry Process Agricultores Lambari – Hefty body and rustic sweetness, notes of Brazil nut, hazelnut, semi-sweet chocolate, carob, sweet peanut sauce and a murky fruit accent. Good for espresso.

Guatemala Antigua Buena Vista Panameña Cultivar – Bodied and sweet like Bourbon with floral flavors of Gesha. Bittersweet, star jasmine, accents of lime and lemon balm, malty-sweet finish.
Paying it forward

If you have ordered from us recently and noticed your coffee took longer than usual to get to your door, it’s because we have seen a huge increase in orders since the beginning of the pandemic. The combination of cafes scaling back how they do business and folks having a little extra time at home has made home coffee roasting a very popular activity. So, business has been good for us and our amazing staff is working hard to keep up. Unfortunately, most other businesses aren’t as fortunate as we have been and there’s a lot of jobless folks in our surrounding communities doing what they can to get through these hard times. We thought paying it forward would be the right thing to do and have donated nearly $46K to the following charities.

Emeryville Community Action Program

Harrison House

Meals on Wheels of Alameda County

Alameda County Community Food Bank

Bay Area Community Services

Second Harvest


May 20, 2020

May 20, 2020 - Latest Coffee Arrivals
May 20, 2020 – Latest Coffee Arrivals
Sumatra Wet Process Gunung Tujuh – A unique, wet-process Sumatra, aromatics of pecan pie with an herbal overlay, notes of burned sugar, caramel, yellow custard, basil and citrus-like acidity.

Zambia Dry Process Luangwa Mafinga – Intense aroma of cardamom and Turkish blend, flavors of dried natural apricot and peach, bittersweet brownie, winey character and balancing bass tones.

Colombia Inzá Palomos del Sur – Herbal-sweet smells, caramelizing sugar sweetness, hints of berry, fresh tarragon leaf, cooked plantain, with low tones like cacao nibs and baking cocoa in darker roasts.

Colombia Urrao Valle de Penderisco – Hints of berry-infused chocolate mark raw sugar suggestions, the cooling cup expands to flavor notes of plum wine, Dutch cocoa powder with moderate, tannic acidity.

Brazil Dry Process Sítio Cocho Velho – A mild Brazil cup with soft nutty sweetness and spiced flecks in the aroma, subtle accents of butter toffee, nut brittle, roasted peanut and sesame seed. Good for espresso.
Sample Sets

Our organic and dry processed sample sets have been very popular. Get your hands on one before they run out.

Baratza Burr Holder Replacement
Baratza grinders rarely need maintenance but if they do, Baratza’s website has replacement parts. In our latest video, Dan shows you how to replace the burr holder.

May 22, 2020

Chocolate Bitterness
We use the word “chocolate” very liberally when describing some of the coffees we sell and understand that this can complicate things a bit since it brings a lot to the table in terms of flavors and variety. Check out our latest blog post (part 1 of 3) where we break down the term “chocolate” as a coffee descriptor.
Coffee Boogie Podcast

The Coffee Boogie is a great podcast that explores the culture behind specialty coffee. Sweet Maria’s is featured in the latest episode so check it out and listen to the rest of their episodes too.

Coffee Origins

The coffee we sell comes from many origins around the world and each one produces unique coffee. Climate, economy and processing methods have so much to do with why it all tastes so different. Learn more about all the countries we export from in our library.


May 27, 2020

Updates
  • With the Pandemic and uncertainty for the small coffee retailers and roasters, the ones who buy the better coffees, farmers might be better off with a smaller harvest this season. That’s not the case in Burundi, where the government has also made the odd move to nationalize some of the coffee sector.
  • The Colombian Peso (“COP”) has slumped to record lows, which has meant an uncharacteristically high price floor for coffee. It’s unclear if prices will continue to trend in this direction. But for the coming harvest, we’re already seeing farmers choose to sell coffee for high cash minimums, rather than wait for future cash premiums that come with selling to the Specialty market.
  • A group in Russia merged the SCA coffee flavor<flavor wheel and the World Coffee Research flavor dictionary together, creating an amazing, interactive coffee flavor reference chart that includes the recipe to create your own reference samples! Click on your favorite flavors/aromas around and enjoy!
  • Ethiopia has managed their Covid-19 response well, but not so much their new coffee price control regimen. They set prices for different classes of coffee so high, for both average commercial coffees and finer coffees, that business was choked to a trickle. This happened just as the pandemic hit in early March, and roasters and importers faced an unknown future. Many contracts were canceled.
  • We expect to launch new crop Guatemalas in a few weeks as they are just landing now. Expect a sale on our current crop Guatemalas which are cupping really well!
  • Delter is a coffee press, an Aeropress clone in a sense. We decided not to stock it, but it does make larger batches possible. It’s a bit tricky to assemble correctly I found.
Prismo

New product! The Prismo AeroPress attachment offers multiple brew applications: full immersion, cold brew, hot/iced tea, “espresso-style” – the Prismo can do it all.

Cups!

Dogs and Cats and Birds…oh my. New cups with 360° of canines, felines and aves from Japan and around the world.


May 29, 2020

The Guatemala Sale
New crop Guatemalas are still about a month away. In order to make room, we’re dropping prices on 6 stellar lots from our current stock. Take advantage of great Guatemalas from our Proyecto Xinabajul programin Huehuetenango and Patzun all marked down 20% (discount applied at checkout). We’ve cupped all of these coffees over the past few weeks and all are tasting great. Most perform well as drip brew and espresso too!

Get all our on-sale Guatemalas with one click. →   Guatemala Sale Sample Set.

If you are stepping it up and buying larger quantities these days, check out our wholesale company, Coffee Shrub for 15% off of the same coffees but in 50, 101 and 152lb bags
Correction. A new link

Oops! We goofed and forgot to put a link in our last emailer. Let’s try this again. A group in Russia merged the SCA coffee flavor wheel and the World Coffee Research flavor dictionary together, creating an amazing, interactive coffee flavor reference chart that includes the recipe to create your own reference samples! Click on your favorite flavors/aromas around and enjoy!


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