Today's Cup of Coffee 1/30/2013

Today I tried a new coffee from a new roaster for me. BJava in the Indianapolis area offers many types of coffees. I recently purchased their Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee. This morning was my first chance to sample it. 

First of all you should know I am a big fan of Central American coffees. They generally have a flavor I really enjoy. Costa Rican and Nicaraguan are usually my favored regions. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I've ever had a Guatemalan coffee. 

I fired up the old coffee maker, and soon I was ready to try to new coffee. Central American coffees usually are a medium roast, as such, there is a flavor I've come to expect. Not quite smooth, but not quite rustic. I was really surprised at the smoothness of this coffee. Now, I will tell you I'm bad at the chocolate or carmel undertone kind of description, but in this case, I detected a hint of a carmal aftertaste. I liked it, and I enjoyed this coffee very much. 

BJava has their own roasting capabilities, and I know they offer cuppings. I am hopping to attend one of their cuppings at some point, and definitely plan to purchase more of their coffee.

http://www.bjavacoffee.com

Thumbs up!

Charlie

$11,000 Coffee....Really?

This morning I was reading this article....

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11822490/1/harrods-11000-coffee-is-it-worth-the-price.html

Harrods is selling a coffee fermented through a civet cat's digestive system for $11,000. I have had this coffee, and there is nothing about it that tastes like it is worth $11,000. Oh Harrods!

There are some wonderful coffees in this world which are in the $30-$50 per pound range. I dare say though that there are also wonderful coffees which costs under $20 a pound, and I am willing to bet that unless you have an amazing palette, you would not know the difference. So what should you be spending on coffee? Really that is up to you.

I am fine spending $12-$18 a bag for coffee. I have spent $4 a bag for coffee, and in that case, you get what you pay for. I say break it down into how many cups you will get out of the bag of coffee. If you get 25 cups of coffee out of a $18 a bag coffee, that will be under $1 a cup(compare to what you pay at Starbucks).

I have very few luxuries in this world, but I know I want good coffee. I just don't want $11,000 coffee.

Charlie

The Romance of Coffee

There are two beverages which elicit quite a bit of romance: wine and coffee. I can't think of other beverages which can cause people to wax poetic or philosophical. The story of the origins of coffee is even romanticized. An Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi stumbled upon his goats munching on coffee berries. Upon seeing how energized they became he too ate the berries, which later were developed into the coffee we now drink.

In addition to an exotic origin story set in Ethiopia, the history of coffee has been littered with stories of sea faring traders in far away lands, introduction to royalty and clergy, and claims of the Turks developing such a strong drink, that none other could equal(Turkish Coffee). Explorers would carry coffee on their journeys and introduce it to new societies. The past if filled with romantic notions of coffee.

The present has its share of coffee romantic moments. For generations a kindly coffee grower and his burro were shown in television ads bringing coffee to the people. Mrs. Olsen could be depended on to giver motherly advice over a cup of Folgers. Instant coffee brought neighbors together as a romantic couple. Every Christmas, coffee greets a family waking up to find their son has returned to the fold.

If you look at various coffee company websites, you see photos of exotic coffee lands or inviting shots of coffee and espresso drinks. When you go into a coffee house, many baristas dazzle you with latte art, which lends more romance to the cup you are about to drink.

When people describe coffees, you see words like: bright, warm, hints of chocolate, or cherry like flavor. Coffee even smells romantic. Go to a roaster and inhale. The first time I watched a roaster, I too fell under the spell of the coffee. It smelled like Heaven.

When people look at opening coffeehouses, their heads are full of romantic notions of a warm meeting place, a center where people come together to join in coffee. Home roasters want to duplicate the wonders of coffee they have experienced with their creations.

Yes, coffee is full of romance, and that's a good thing. Our wine drinking compadres may think they have the corner on the romance market, but coffee is there, and waiting to seduce you as well.

Charlie

The Elephant in the Room - Starbucks

There is a misperception about me I need to clear up. For years I have had people tell me how much I love Starbucks, and how it's my favorite coffee. I do talk about Starbucks a lot, and have been a stockholder in the company at various times. I am fond of Starbucks, but it is not my favorite coffee.

I don't think you can talk coffee in this world, without talking about Starbucks. Starbucks is responsible for changing the way we look at coffee. Chariman/CEO Howard Schultz wanted to create an atmosphere that people would consider another home, office, or other central place in our lives. He has succeeded. Kudos to him. Even now I am at a Starbucks, and the place is packed with students, businessmen, and others having coffee, conducting business, studying, catching up with friends, etc..

Starbucks coffee is pretty good. If I were to give it a grade, I would say B-. No doubt this shocks some of my friends. A stronger grade would come with more consistency in the coffee they put out. I know Starbucks has worked hard to put out a consistent cup of coffee, but with thousands of Starbucks all over the world, that's tough to do. 

Some of their coffee<coughPikePlaceRoastcough> is horrible. Some is quite good. Their limited edition coffees like the Christmas or Thanksgiving Blends are very good. Their basic though....er.....not so much. 

Starbucks strives to make coffee relevant. They do this with espresso drinks. I wrote yesterday about how these exotic drinks have helped boost coffee to surpass soda as a drink of choice. Clearly they know how to market coffee.

They also know how to cultivate coffee. The trip I took to Costa Rica was a Starbucks endeavor, and I believe they do very well by the farmers and growers they work with around the world. Starbucks is THE coffee company known around the world.

The problem is they are trying to cater to the broadest audience possible. When you do that mediocrity seeps in. In the specialty field, you now see Stumptown in Portland and Intelligentsia in Chicago growing and expanding. So far they have been able to maintain a quality to their coffee which is outstanding. Their coffee doesn't taste mass produced. I am hoping as they enter new markets they work to keep their quality where it is. Starbucks can't do small batch roasting like the the smaller coffee companies, therefore I believe high quality is tougher for them. No doubt they would disagree, and I know they have tons of people who work on their quality.

So what coffee do I like? I have already mentioned Stumptown and Intelligentsia. I am also fond out Sterling Coffee Roasters of Portland, Stone Creek Coffee Roasters of Milwuakee, Metropolis in Chicago and Hubbard and Cravens in Indianapolis. I am always interested in discovering more coffees and I will.

Charlie

Coffee is the New Soda

Derek Thompson has written for "The Atlantic" about how soda consumption is on the way down, and coffee is on the way up in the last 10 years.

"Ten years ago, Americans drank enough soda every year to fill a small aquarium. Fifty-three gallons of the stuff per person. That's half a liter of Diet Coke on an average day. Compare that to our other favorite liquid-caffeine companion. For every cup of coffee we consumed in 2003, we drank two cups of soft drink. For $1 we spent on joe, we spent $4 on soda?

I think he is missing something in the article, and that is the rise of specialty coffee companies and the drinks they create. When you go to your local coffeehouse or Starbucks, all you have to do is listen to a typical order, "I'd like a triple grande soy sugar free caramel latte, with whipped cream." Never mind how wrong that drink sounds for the moment. That isn't a "Coke" being opened. That is someone heading to a local place and getting a variation of coffee. 

Starbucks can easily be linked to this, as every year they come up with a new coffee concoction. Whether iced or cold, Starbucks introduces younger generations to coffee via specialty drinks. It costs more than soda to be sure. We can argue if a drink like I listed is better for you. I weigh in on the side that it's probably not any better for you than Pepsi. 

Never the less, the advent of the innovative coffee drinks can be tied to the downward spiral of soda consumption. I wonder though, are these people also drinking a regular coffee, or are they just going for the exotic? My guess is they do both. I am betting they have coffee at home, and the specialty drink when they go out. 

My drink of choice is coffee, but when I have a special drink, it's usually a soy latte.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/01/graph-how-coffee-drank-sodas-milkshake/267318/

Charlie

Mixed Beans Coffee

Have you ever had mixed beans coffee? What? You don’t know what mixed beans coffee is? No, you aren’t missing a fancy coffee term. It’s one I made up in my mind a long time ago. This is when you are at the end of a bag of coffee, and you don’t have enough for that pot you want to make, so you open another coffee and mix it in the grinder with the left over beans. 

An example of this happened this morning. We were at the end of the Tanzanian Peaberry, and in order to make a pot of coffee, I added Ethiopian coffee into the mix. Different roasts, different varietals. Sometimes what comes out tastes great. Other times, well let’s just say that’s when gas station coffee might be a good alternative. Today’s made a good pot of coffee. 

Do others do this, or do they just finish a bag, and start fresh with a new bag, especially if it is a different kind of coffee? I like to think of it as creating a new blend of coffee, which will only happen once, because you can’t really duplicate it. 

 For the more seasoned coffee expert, have I just made you faint? Or are you nodding your head in agreement because you do this as well. Maybe you make an art of it. In fact this could be how blends are made at the professional level, and I am just an at home coffee blender.

In any case, the mixed beans coffee can be very enjoyable. Today’s coffee had a deeper flavor than the Peaberry. No doubt the stronger roast of the Ethiopian took over. 
It made for a satisfying cup of coffee.

Charlie

Journey to Costa Rica

In 2008 I got a call form Starbucks saying I had won a contest. Huh? I did? I enter contests from time to time, so I don't always remember what I enter. I was told I had won a trip for one to Costa Rica. A trip for one? Isn't that usually for two? Not in this case.

Starbucks in partnership with Earthwatch Institute awarded all-expense paid trips to 10 people to go to the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica to "assist" with research they were doing with coffee growers in the region. I had to get approval for the trip from three sources: work, the doctor and Mark. The first two were the easy part. Go ahead and tell your spouse you're going on a trip to Costa Rica without them, and see how pleased they are. Mark did understand that this was a once in a lifetime trip, and he gave me his blessing. Off I went.

I met some amazing people on the trip. Winners were a combination of average coffee joes like me and Starbucks employees. Some of us weren't quite sure remembering entering this contest(we did).

If you haven't been to a coffee growing region, it is amazing.

You are in high elevations, very mountainous terrain, and lots of rain(at least during the time of year we were there).

Data Entry Afternoons

So what did we do? Every morning, we got up at around 5:00-5:30, had breakfast, then headed out to an area, and we counted coffee cherries, or we looked at the distance between plants, or we checked organic plants, or any number of things which involved us jotting down data. In the afternoon the rains came, and we were in the lab entering all our data. In short, we were free help for Earthwatch, but we didn't mind one bit.

The people of the community were warm and friendly. Every day a family brought us lunch or dinner. I don't think I have ever had so many black beans in my life. Their food and generosity were outstanding.

The people we met were always willing to talk to us about their lives. We were helping farmers who are part of a cooperative. The cooperative negotiates fair payments for the coffee grown. Monies paid are given to the families over the course of a year, so there is always a constant flow of revenue for the farmers. The cooperative also provides educational programs which help the farmers and their families. Health care programs are also provided to the farmers.

Roasting Time

The negotiated prices for the farmers will more often than not, be a better price for their coffee than if they negotiated on their own. Also, companies such as Starbucks, or other specialty roasters can work with these groups to develop higher quality coffee. Earthwatch helps with this, and helps them create more sustainable growing practices.

During the two weeks were were there, you see coffee from cherry to finished product. We visited the roasting plants. We got to participate in cuppings. We got to drink LOTS of coffee.

Cupping

Cuppings are fascinating, because there is a purpose to them, but looks ceremonial at the same time. The point of the cupping is to check the quality of the roasted coffee. It needs to smell, taste  and have the consistency you are striving for during the roasting process.

As I said we got to drink lots of coffee.....and it was GOOD! Safe to say that coffee from this part of the world is my favorite coffee. Admittedly, the taste includes the wonderful memories I have of that experience. That aside, Tarrazu coffee is some of the best coffee in the world....in my humble opinion.

An amazing experience furthered my love of coffee, and my fueled my desire to learn more.





Charlie