Coffee Review: Counter Culture Farmhouse Organic

Counter Culture Coffee is one of those coffee companies you mention in the same breath with Intelligentsia and Stumptown. They are the companies who've been on the leading edge of specialty coffee for the last decade or two. Counter Culture is based in Durham, NC, and have been in business since 1995.

The company is known for several things: education, sustainability and good coffee.  Education is a priority for Counter Culture. They have training centers in various cities. The goal is the educate not just the coffee industry and lovers, but anyone who wants to learn more about coffee.

Counter Culture works with farmers and artisans who believe in sustainability. They encourage farming which will reduce harm to the planet. While there are various direct of fair trade programs out there. Counter Culture their own certification, which encourage sustainable growing practices.

Coffee, of course is the one thing they are most known for. They work with smaller estate farms and cooperatives to source the best possible coffee. This brings us to today's coffee.

Farmhouse Organic is an unusual coffee, well not the coffee itself, but the idea behind it. At various times of the year you will not have the same Farmhouse twice. They roast and package the most recently harvested coffee. So one season it may be a Guatemalan coffee, the next it could be from Indonesia.

In this case, I am drinking coffee from Finca Nueva Armenia, Guatemala. According to the package, the coffee was roasted within the last month. I purchased it at The Fresh Market. This morning, I made it in our French Press.

This is a medium roast coffee(on the lighter side, or so it looked). Counter Culture doesn't provide notes on this coffee, so I can't review that with you. Here is what I got from the coffee: The first taste has a sweetness to it I didn't expect. I get a chocolate from it. As I savor the flavor of the coffee, I also get some berry notes. You get a strong taste at first sip, but it mellows and it goes back.

This is a very nice coffee. I enjoyed it as my morning cup. The last few days I've had Eight O'Clock Coffee, and this, as you would hope, is a better, fresher cup of coffee. It does give a good comparison between fresh and not as fresh coffee. It's a smooth cup of coffee, and on our Cher scale of strength, this is a 6 out of 10. Imagine Cher singing her "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" number in a Bob Mackie creation, and you'll be humming along, but not really rocking.

My goal is to try the various versions of this coffee over the course of the next year to see what differences there. If you don't have Counter Culture in a grocery store near you, you can shop on their website....

www.counterculturecoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee On a Budget

Sometimes you can't get the $18 a bag coffee, and that's ok. You then need to decide what coffee you will get, and how to brew it. These days a good many of us think the K-Cup is the way to go. It's actually wasteful, expensive overall, and not fresh. Is that really a value? No.

First get some whole bean coffee. Today we are drinking Eight O'Clock Coffee. For the $4.99 I paid, it isn't bad. The key is I got it whole bean. The hope is this is much fresher coffee than the ground. Remember, once coffee is ground, it's getting stale at light speed.

Grind your coffee, and figure your brewing method. We use French Press most of the time, and feel that brings out a lot of great flavors, more so than automatic drip. Chemex would change the flavor considerably. If you have all three, try each one, and see the difference.

Again I go back to the bean. A good many of us get a canister of ground coffee. Your throwing money away by doing that. For less than $20 you can get a decent grinder, and grind the coffee yourself. Trust me, your coffee on a budget will taste much better if you do this.

Charlie

A Lover Not a Snob

A few weeks ago I was talking to someone referred to me as a "coffee snob." I try not take offense, but I do. I know coffee snobs. Those are the people who thumb their nose at coffee that somehow doesn't meet their standards of what good coffee is.  

In my mind a snob is not interested in passing on their knowledge in a relatable way. They try to show off what they know. At parties or gatherings I get asked a lot about coffee, but I make it clear I am a student of coffee, and don't know as much as I would like to. I'm always learning. 

One thing I've learned is what I like in a coffee and what I don't like. What I don't like....I don't buy. I will from time to time malign Dunkin Donuts Coffee, and I most likely won't buy coffee from White Castle, but I will try all kinds of coffee. The ones I love, I will buy and buy again. What I love...I share.

In the last year I have shared my love for coffees from I Have a Bean, Bee Coffee Roasters, Stone Creek, Just Coffee, Hubbard and Cravens, my guys at JJ Coffee Roasters, my good friend Kris, and many more. The point is I want people to know there is more to coffee than Folgers or Maxwell House, and it is soooo good. 

That isn't a snob, that's a coffee lover.

Charlie

Starbucks and Education

This week Starbucks made news when it announced a educational tuition plan for their employees. Much has been discussed about what Starbucks will pay and what their employees may have to pay. I'm not going to debate the merits of the program, because I don't know enough about it, nor do most of the pundits on both sides of politics aisle.

I do want to talk about about the thought behind it. In an era of layoffs, cutbacks and obscene profits because of those actions, I applaud Starbucks for what appears to be an investment in their people. According to Starbucks employees who take advantage of this are not obligated to stay with the company. This makes it even sweeter to me. I imagine though, a good many people will stay with the company, especially if they see this benefit for what it is - an investment in them.

I wish most companies had programs like this. I also wish more employees would take advantage of such programs. Education is expensive, and I think whatever help a person can get towards that education is a valuable resource.

It's easy to fault Starbucks for many things, but what they do better than most large companies is put their money where their mouth is. They work with coffee cooperatives in coffee growing regions to support schools, clinics, and other vital programs the communities need. They have made an effort to work with American companies, employing Americans to make ceramic ware to sell in their stores. They are good neighbors in their communities and work with area non-profits.

This educational program is a good step. While I wish there more educational choices for the employees to use, I think there is a lot of value in getting into a school(online or brick and mortar) and bettering yourself and your chances for better work opportunities.

I raise my coffee mug to Starbucks!

Charlie

Coffee Review: Stone Creek Coffee Costa Rica 2014

As regular readers know, I have a love of Costa Rican coffee. I've spent time in the Terrazu region, and been on several of the farms down there. So I'm always happy to try a new coffee from the region. Stone Creek Coffee is offering Costa Rica 2014 as a seasonal coffee. This coffee was a featured coffee at the 2014 U.S. Barista Competition. Impressive, but how does it taste?

Stone Creek says this coffee has notes of fig, almond and peach. To be honest, that didn't sound promising to me. Other than Fig Newtons, I'm not a fig guy. No worries, the fig taste in this is slight. The nuttiness comes through more with this coffee than you would expect from a Costa Rican coffee. I normally get nutty flavors in Indonesian coffees. So this surprised me.

This is a darker coffee for a medium, which gives it a richer taste and flavor. This is a very different coffee from the Bolivian coffee we tried earlier in the week. The barista at the cafe told us this would work great in the French Press, and she was correct. This is a terrific French Press coffee. This coffee is a job well done by the roasters.

This is also a coffee that smacks you around a little, if you need the wake up call. On our Cher scale of strength, I would give this an 8. This is like the argument between Cher and Olympia Dukakis' characters in Moonstruck, after Cher comes home from a night with Nicolas Cage.

By now you know that I think the world of the coffees Stone Creek produces. Chicago gets a lot of ink the coffee press about being a coffee location in the Midwest, but let's not ignore their neighbors to the north. Milwaukee is on the coffee map, and Stone Creek is helping putting it there.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Coffee Review: Stone Creek Coffee's Bolivia Cima Del Jaguar

Last weekend we visited the Stone Creek Coffee Roasting Facility, and as I noted earlier, loved it. We wanted to bring some coffee home that we hadn't tried. Two jumped out at us. One was a Costa Rican coffee, and the other is the one I would like to talk about today - Bolivia Cima Del Jaguar.

The Bolivia is a light roasted coffee. Typically I'm not a light roast drinker. I find some lighter roasts don't have enough flavor for me. Because Stone Creek has had a great run of excellent coffees, I thought I would put that run to the test with this coffee.

First some background on the coffee. From Stone Creek:

"This coffee comes from a farm named Cima del Jaguar (SEE•ma del HA•gwar), in the highest region of Caranavi. The farm is approximately 1700-1900m above sea level. As you can infer from the name, this region is also known for the wild jaguars that live there. Braulio Luoque Yana owns, runs, and lives on Cima with his wife (Aida) and three children. (Braulio, Aida, and Braulio’s brother Eulogio are all coffee farmers)."

Bolivian coffee is not well known. To this point, the only Bolivian coffee I think I've had has been from Trader Joe's. I liked that coffee well enough, but would this be steps above that? This is a different coffee. Stone Creek says it's flavors are Date, Cacao Nibs, White Grape and Cranberry. Sounds like an interesting flavor combination. 

I took a deep inhale when I opened the bag. What a terrific aroma! It was as if someone had roasted fruit on the grill, and not too grilled, but just right. 

On the first sip I get a strong Date essence. It's a surprisingly rich taste I didn't expect. The longer taste of the coffee brings out more of the fruity nature of it. This is a Summer coffee to be sure. The fruity nature of the coffee just tastes like Summer. 

This is a decently strong coffee. No, it won't slap your face and wake you up. It's another coffee I've had where it slowly builds to wake you up. If you want a slow wake up morning, this is the coffee for you. On our Cher Scale, this is 5. This is Cher trying to rally the girls to save the club in Burlesque. 

Stone Creek has done a terrific job with this coffee. They have searched an area not known to be quality coffee, and found a gem. This coffee was a second place in a recent Cup of Excellence competition. Kudos to them for getting their hands on it and sharing it with the rest of us.

www.stonecreekcoffee.com

Charlie

Stone Creek Coffee Roasters Tour

As usual readers of this blog know, I discovered Stone Creek Coffee Roasters at CoffeeCon in Chicago, and have loved every coffee I've had from them.  This weekend we were in Wisconsin for a family gathering. Nothing ends a terrific weekend, like a quick stop in Milwaukee to tour the roasting facility/kitchen/headquarters for Stone Creek Coffee.

Mark and I got to join the tour, as they take you through a brief history of coffee, and the building which houses Stone Creek. In the past the building has been a Boston Store, Palmolive Soap fixtures and an antique store.

After the history lesson, we were taken downstairs to where the green beans are stored. Each of these bags contains about 160 lbs of green coffee beans. What I didn't know was how fragile coffee beans can be. These bags are designed to maintain the purity and flavor of the coffee. If it weren't for the protective bags, let's say the coffee was near gasoline, it is possible fumes could get into the coffee and alter the taste of the coffee.

The beans don't have to travel far to the roaster, it's upstairs. The Dietrich Roaster they use is an incredible piece of machinery to behold.


Of course this is where the magic happens.....what's so cool, is that you can smell it happening, and it's what I imagine Heaven smells like....well...Coffee Heaven.

Our next stop was the cupping and class rooms. This is where coffees are cupped, either coffees Stone Creek roasts, or other coffees that want to become Stone Creek coffees.  Our guide was kind enough to make espressos for anyone who cared for one. Duh...of course we wanted one. Mark and I both tasted notes of caramel. Quite yummy.


This marked the end of the tour, but not the end of our visit. We explored the cafe, and had to try something. We both chose a Boston Latte. This is one heck of a terrific drink. We also sampled some pastries. Might I suggest their scones!

We did shop...and boy did we shop. We got two very different coffees. One is a Bollivia Cima Del Jaguar, which is one of their Lab Series coffees. The second is Costa Rica Seasonal 2014. We will be drinking these coffees during this week, and I will be reviewing them.

I encourage folks to visit Stone Creek, take the tour and try their coffees. I think you will be very pleased you did. Mark and I had a wonderful time at Stone Creek, and our love affair with this company continues. Hmmmm.....I wonder if they do weddings at Stone Creek???

Charlie

Dark Roast or Cigarettes?

This morning we had the last of the Just Coffee Ugandan Pride. We needed another cup of coffee and breakfast. We had Einstein's Bagels and their dark roast coffee.

When you get coffee at a place that doesn't have coffee in the name, I think it's safe to assume the coffee is not that great. Einstein's likes to promote their coffee as "Darn good coffee." Their specialty is a Hazelnut, which smells great, and that's it. I got us the dark roast.

How to describe this coffee? First of all they serve it way too hot. WAY too hot. It's about 10 minutes before you can really drink it. Until then it's baby sips, worrying your tongue will burn. The taste, once you can drink it always takes me back to the 1980s when I briefly smoked Dunhills. Yes, I went through the don't I look cool smoking at the gay clubs. I didn't. This coffee tastes like I took a pretty big drag of a cigarette, then swallowed coffee, all at the same time. Sounds tasty right?

Sometimes beggars can't be choosers, but I almost would rather have had Dunkin Donuts' coffee this morning.

Charlie

How Much is Too Much?

For the last couple of months, the coffee world has been talking about the possible higher prices of coffee, and how various happenings may affect smaller specialty roasters. Coffee rust in Central and South America, as well as drought in Brazil is threatening our pocketbooks. Companies like Starbucks most likely won't be raising prices, because they are able to lock in prices for a period. Smaller roasters are more vulnerable to higher prices, and will have to hike the price for their coffee. The question is....how much is too much for a cup of coffee.

Let me clarify. I'm not talking about espresso drinks, which are already in the $5 arena. I mean a cuppa joe. At the average coffee house, I pay $2-2.50 range. Some places offer a pour over for $3(same size cup as the drip). At what point is that visit too expensive for you?

What about buying beans for home? Currently I draw the line at $18 for a bag of coffee - especially if it isn't a pound.  Just Coffee's Ugandan Pride was $11. Stone Creek is in the $13-$15 range. Intelligentsia is around $20, sometimes more. As much as I love Intelligentsia, they are priced out of range for me. While I understand I am still paying less per cup than if I go buy a cup of coffee, or a K-Cup, I look at what I think is affordable for a weekly purchase.

If coffee gets t o $4 a cup, I may have to find a new drink, because that's a tough price for me to say, that is worth getting everyday.

What is too much for you?

Charlie

Coffee Review: Ugandan Pride

This week the blog has shone the spotlight on Just Coffee Cooperative and their Ugandan Pride coffee.

As you know sales of this coffee will go towards fighting the brutal anti-gay laws in Uganda. This coffee and effort have received a lot of press and attention, and deservedly so. The only thing which hasn't been mentioned is, "How's the coffee?" You can have the best cause in the world behind your coffee, but if the product isn't good, it isn't going to go any further than a supporting good cause. Some coffee with a cause are pretty horrible. Would Just Coffee be one of those?

Come on, this is Just Coffee Cooperative.

Let's start with the basics. Ugandan Pride is a medium roast coffee. According to them, this is "Earthy and assertive with notes of Blueberry and Lemon. It's an organic, shade grown, fair trade coffee. When I interviewed Co- Founder Matt Earley, he mentioned this would be great for the French Press. Well that's our favored way to brew coffee, so that's what I did this morning.

Like a good many African coffees, I get a floral tea-like essence from it. The blueberry taste is very present, in fact I would say it's the strongest flavor you get in this coffee. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have a blueberry flavoring to it. It's a bright fruitiness which gives you the idea of blueberry.
The lemon flavor felt more like a supplemental taste, it gave the coffee a bit of a tang.

I get a bit nervous about coffee when it's described as Earthy, but this doesn't have an intense Earthy quality. I'm not overly fond of those coffees. As I said, this is a brighter coffee, full of life and body. This is a nice morning coffee, perfect for a slower wake-up morning, or if you're going to have a brunch(it is a gay supportive coffee, and we gays DO like our brunch), this would be a great one to serve to your guests.

How strong is this coffee? As I said this is a slow wake up morning coffee. On our Cher scale of strength(how appropriate for a gay supportive coffee), this is a 7, as in Cher in Burlesque.

The question posed earlier was "Is this more cause than coffee?" I'm happy to say it's a terrific coffee which is supporting a terrific cause. Get this coffee and you will not only enjoy it, but you will be helping many LGBT people in Uganda who are suffering under brutal inhumane laws.

www.justcoffee.coop

Charlie

Ugandan Pride: Matt Earley Interview

Late last year Uganda passed what has been called the "Anti-Homosexual Act." Originally this legislation called for LGBT people to receive the death sentence for being who they are. Family and friends were also at risk for jail time just for supporting or knowing their loved ones who are gay. A worldwide outcry against these human rights violations got the bill "watered down" to where there is jail time, but no death penalty.

As an openly gay man I am outraged that this is allowed to go on. I know Russia got a lot of boycott press around the Olympics for their horrendous laws, but little has been put out there about the plight of Ugandan gays and lesbians. Over a month ago I called for a boycott on Ugandan coffee, to make a point that this law needs to be repealed.

Just Coffee Cooperative, out of Madison, WI did me one better, they have created and are now selling Ugandan Pride coffee. Proceeds from sales of this coffee will go towards the fight against these laws. Just Coffee is known for two things: good coffee and supporting causes. Whether they are supporting farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, or women and children economically affected by the coffee rust epidemic, Co-Founder Matt Earley and his crew are there. I had the opportunity to interview Just Coffee's Matt Earley this week.

Charlie: You have just announced "Ugandan Pride" coffee which raises awareness about and contributes towards the fight against brutal anti-gay laws in Uganda, specifically the so-called “Anti-Homoseuality Bill”, which can mean long prison sentences for LGBT people, their families and friends. How did the idea for this develop?

Matt: A few months ago we received a call from a cafe customer that one of their regulars had told them that it was not right for them to serve Ugandan coffee because of the passage of the "Anti-Homosexuality Act" in Uganda. As the roaster of the coffee, this hit us particularly hard ​because we have a history of being very outspoken and active around Human Rights issues. Our IT guy had recently seen a documentary about the lead up to the passage of the bill and the activists working to overturn it. We decided that we should contribute to their efforts and that we could use this Ugandan coffee as a vehicle to start the discussion here in the US as well as to raise funds for those fighting the law.

Charlie: 10% of sales of Ugandan Pride goes to the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law(CSCHRCL). What made you decide to work with them and what are they doing to fight these laws?

Matt: The CSCHRCL is a group that works on the legal/legislative level to overturn the law as well as supporting outreach work "on the ground" in communities. We liked the fact that they are working to build a more tolerant society on different levels and that they are very established during a time of serious instability within the LGBT community. ​

Charlie:  While supporting the LGBT community is becoming more commonplace, have you encountered any pushback for supporting taking this stand?

Matt: Not a lot of push back so far. We have lost a couple of customers, but we understood that that might happen. We are an activist company and we believe that instead of standing outside of politics or hiding what we believe, it is important to take positions and support our beliefs with our business. Part of our mission stresses transparency in business practices and to trying to help build a more democratic business model. In order to do that we have to be vocal about our beliefs and use our business to support the issues that are important to us.

Charlie: As a gay man, I am with you on this fight for equality and human rights, but as a coffee lover I want to know about the coffee. Tell us about the roasting profile of Ugandan Pride Coffee.

​Matt: Yes! It is a medium-roasted coffee with a mild acidity and a medium body. The coffee has notes of caramel and cherry rounded out with a subtle lemony finish. It is best in French Press and nice as an espresso.

Charlie: Best in French Press? Perfect, that is our favorite brewing method. On his reality show “Dangerous Grounds”, La Colombe’s Todd Charmichel devoted an episode to Ugandan coffee, talking about how difficult it is to find good coffee there. Talk a bit about the farmers you work with and was it difficult to find good coffee there?

Matt: We have worked with a cooperative in Uganda for quite some time and we have been very happy with their overall coffee quality. This coffee is a different one than we have been selling and we feel pretty fortunate to have it-- we think it is very tasty. The entire region-- DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda-- are making huge strides in their production and processing practices and their coffees are starting to score really well in general. Rwanda in particular has really elevated its game and the rest of the region-- especially in the farming cooperatives-- are taking note and learning how to improve their practices. It takes time, but it is happening.

Just Coffee is well known for their transparency. You can trace every bag of coffee back to its origin, the process it went through and the prices paid to the farmers. Because of the sensitive nature of this issue in Uganda, the farmers who are providing this coffee won't be identified, as supporters of the anti-gay laws could retaliate against them. 

Thanks to Earley and the rest of the cooperative standing with the LGBT community. I also appreciate his time for this interview. 

www.justcoffee.coop

Next: Ugandan Pride Review

Charlie

Is It Coffee Yet? Part Three

We have journeyed from seed to processing to milling. There are just a few more steps until we have our cup of coffee. First we have to get the coffee out of the country and to us.

6) Exporting - The coffee is now put into bags, and in some cases plastic lined containers, and shipped. Most of us know these beans as green beans. Millions of pounds of coffee are shipped like this every year.

7) Cupping - If there is quality control for coffee, this is it. A "cupper" first looks at the overall visual quality of the beans. Next they roasted, ground and brewed. At this point the cupper smells the coffee, checking the aroma after grind and brew. Is it as it should be?

The coffee rests for a few minutes, then one more sniff, and then what looks and sounds like a very slurppy sip with a spoon. The coffee is distributed evenly on the tongue, so the cupped gets a full taste and idea of the coffee, then spits it out. This process is designed to check for any flaws in the coffee, figure how the blend of beans is working, and to make sure the roast was done properly.

8) Roasting - This is what coffee roasters, both professionally and the amateur do with the coffee next. The green beans are placed in various kinds of roasters and the beans are roasted to the desired point. This is not done in the origin country usually, because you want to get fresh coffee to the consumer as quickly as possible. Remember the life of fresh coffee is short.

9) Grinding - There are various grinds to a coffee. One thing to note, the finer the grind, the faster you need to drink the coffee for full taste. This is why espresso is such a fine grind. The coarser the grind, the slower you can appreciate the full flavor of the coffee(french press).

10) Brewing - Automatic drip, French Press, Chemex, Single Cup, there are so many methods to brew the coffee, but everyone has their favored way(s) to do it. This is where all the efforts of the farmer, and everyone else who worked with the beans comes to its finale. Now you have your cup of coffee.

11) Drink It! Enjoy It! Savor It!

Charlie

Just Coffee's Ugandan Pride

For the last month you have seen me post #BoycottUgandanCoffee in response to the horrible anti-gay legislation in Uganda, which has many LGBT people and their friends and families in fear for their lives. Just Coffee out of Madison, WI has found a brilliant way to fight back.

Starting today they are selling Ugandan Pride coffee. The coffee is from Ugandan small-scale farmers. This effort is designed to raise awareness of the brutal laws in Uganda, and raise money to fight towards a repeal of the laws. 10% of the revenue from Ugandan Pride will go directly to the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law(CSCHRCL) in Uganda.

While I support an overall boycott of Ugandan coffee, I do support this effort, and I encourage you all to buy a bag and support this fight. Just Coffee Cooperative roasts some excellent coffee, and I can't wait until I try mine.

For more information go to.....

www.justcoffee.coop


Charlie

Is It Coffee Yet? Part Two

This is the second part of a series of how coffee becomes coffee. The first part looked at coffee from seed to processing the cherries. Today we continue.....

4) Drying the Beans - Assuming the beans have been through the wet method of processing, the beans must be dried to get them to that 11% moisture level. Once at that level they can be stored. Because wet processed beans still have parchment on them, the beans are typically laid out in the sun.  This is done on floors or drying tables and are turned regularly. Of course there could also be a machine drying process used. Once they are dry, the beans are bagged and ready for export.

5) Milling the Beans - Before the coffee beans can be exported there is a multi-step process to get them ready.
 
   a) Hulling - This is when the last of the parchment is removed from wet processed beans. For the
   dry processed coffee this involves removing all of the dried husk.

   b) Polishing - This optional process which removes any silver skin which may be on the bean. As I
   said this is an optional process, but polished beans are typically preferred to unpolished, as they are
   seen as a superior bean.

   c) Grading and Sorting - This is the last hurdle coffee jumps before it's exported. The beans are
   weighed and sorted by size. The beans are reviewed for color and any other imperfections. Bean
   size is represented on a scale of 10-20. That number represents the size of a round hole's diameter
   in terms of 1/64's of an inch. The heavier and lighter beans are separated.
 
   Also during this process defective beans are removed. If beans are oddly colored, sized, or
  otherwise viewed as defective - out they go. This can be done by machine or hand.

Next in the series - exporting and the final steps to sipping the coffee.

Charlie