Company Spotlight: Just Coffee Cooperative

About a year ago I was introduced to Just Coffee Cooperative, based in Madison, WI. To be honest, I don't know how I stumbled upon them, but once I saw the "Runner's High" coffee, I knew it was a combination of the two things I love: running and coffee. I ordered some, and fell in love with their coffee. Just who is Just Coffee Cooperative though?

Originally Just Coffee was started out of a concern for the farmers in Chiapas, Mexico. At a time when coffee prices were extremely low, the folks at Just Coffee thought they would introduce the coffee to others, in hopes area roasters would roast and sell the farmers coffees. Seems that was a more difficult process than originally thought, and the members of the cooperative realized they would have to be the ones to roast and sell the coffee.

One thing Just Coffee strives NOT to be is the typical business. Bicycle delivery, appearing at farmers markets, protests, etc. are not the standard operating procedures. The one thing Just Coffee is most proud of is their transparency when it comes to the coffee they sell.

You can trace everything about the coffee you purchase from them. You will learn where the coffee comes from, the price paid for the coffee by Just Coffee, balance sheet for the cooperative. Pretty much anything you want to know about the coffee and the company, Just Coffee shares with its customers.  Coffee can be a mysterious business when it comes to providing information on prices paid to farmers. Trust me the farmers are not millionaires. I know as I read about the coffee I purchased, it gave me a deeper appreciation for what the coffee farmer has to go through just to make a living for his family.

The best news though, is the coffee is terrific. It would be one thing if this was just another socially conscious coffee, but it's REALLY great coffee. So the reluctant coffee roasters have learned their craft well, and are producing a product that the farmers they deal with would be proud of.

Get to know Just Coffee Cooperative - http://justcoffee.coop

Charlie

So What's Your Major? Coffee

This week the coffee world has been buzzing about news from the University of California Davis(UC Davis), that they have created a Coffee Center. No, I don't mean a really big cafe at the student union. I mean a research center where you will be able to learn more about coffee.

http://ffhi.ucdavis.edu/initiatives/coffee-center/coffee

According to UC Davis:

The UC Davis Coffee Center brings scientific inquiry to the quality, health and sustainability of coffee. Our goals are to increase value at every step of the coffee pipeline, to ensure safety and quality of the global coffee trade, and educate the next generation of coffee scientists.

The center will be open to students and the coffee industry.  The university also listed several topics they hope to address with this center:

Coffee genetics Natural fermentation of coffee berries Analytics of coffee composition, structure, and function Sensory aspects of coffee Coffee as potential prebiotic

Metabolic aspects of coffee consumption Coffee engineering: optimizing processing, value, and sustainability Education for undergraduates, graduate students, and industry Social and cultural life of coffee

I'm hoping degree programs will follow. After all who wouldn't want a coffee degree?

Charlie

The Ground Up

Last year I wrote a piece on the Second Chance Coffee Company, known for their I Have a Bean Coffee. In addition to the wonderful coffee they roast, Second Chance provides opportunities to felons out of precision to gain skills and get jobs they need. Without such opportunities, the likelihood of their returning to prison is pretty significant.

Now there is work on a documentary about this company, their mission, and their coffee. The filmmakers need help seeing the project through. I'm contributing, and I hope you will too.


http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-ground-up

Charlie

Review: Larry's Beans 3 Moon Peru

The other day I was at the local EarthFare(which is an all organic version of Whole Foods). I saw a coffee which caught my eye - Larry's Beans. I hadn't heard of them, and I looked through the bags to see what might appeal to me. I came upon 3 Moon Peru. As I always do in stores, I look on the package for a best by date. This gives me an indication of the freshness of the coffee. I still had a year, which was the longest of coffee I looked over.

Larry's Beans is the kind of company I like. They are only interested in products which don't harm the planet. So they use only organic, or shade grown coffees from around the world. They are all about being good stewards to the planet.

http://www.larrysbeans.com/business-practices/our-story

I was excited to try the coffee. It comes from the Cajamarca region of Peru, which is a chief growing area in that country. According to their notes, this coffee offers a combination of chocolate and vanilla flavors, with a hint of spicy "earthiness." I will agree for the most part. The vanilla was not apparent to me. It's a medium roast coffee, which I like. They explain they roasted it just prior to second crack.

How strong was it for a morning coffee? On our Cher scale, it was a 6. This isn't a love tap of a coffee, but it isn't slapping the crap out of Nicolas Cage. Imagine Cher shaking Bob Hoskins in "Mermaids" and you have an idea how strong this coffee is.

In the end I liked this coffee, but I felt it had more promise. Maybe if I drank it sooner after roasting? Maybe if they pulled just after second crack? I found I wanted to love it, but in the end I just liked it.

I'll get more from Larry's Beans, because I have a sense they have a coffee, I will love.

Charlie

The Coffee Community

One of the things which strikes me as I continue my coffee journey, is the sense of community within the coffee world. I have found this in running, and I think it's true in coffee, when people share a passion, there tends to be a strong bond. As I meet roasters, baristas, coffee lovers, I am struck by the friendliness they have, and the eagerness they have to share their coffees and their love of coffee.

Yesterday I "met" The People's Roast via Twitter.

http://www.thepeoplesroast.com/

Now, what introduced us was a giveaway they are offering. What it did for me was introduce me to a new roaster, so I explored their website. Their mission is pretty clear. They not only sell coffee, but they help you learn how to roast their coffee. Whoever the person was I Tweeting with, was very kind to share their how to videos on roasting coffee.

As I watched the video, I could feel the passion for coffee coming through. Never underestimate the power of a popcorn coffee roasting video.

My friends at JJ Coffee Roasters, I met at CoffeeCon last year. They are just a couple of guys who love what they do, and want to share it. The best part is I get to catch up again with them at CoffeeCon in April.

BJ and Andy at Bee Coffee Roasters are another duo I have met in the last year, who just blow me away with their knowledge, and their willingness to share that with their customers. They want their customers to know that the coffee they are ordering is more than that drink you dunk a donut in.

I've read coffee blogs from all over, and the common theme is we all love coffee, and we all want to share that love with each other and beyond.

Don't be mistaken, there is still a competition out there for the coffee dollar. All these people want to succeed at selling coffee. It's just they view things more out of the box. They form associations, learn from each other, share their knowledge. Bottom line though is the coffee community knows as they share their knowledge and bond with the public, their businesses will succeed.

Charlie

Review: Once in a Blue Moon

There is the old saying, "Once in blue moon." That typically means something as rare as a blue moon appearing is going on. In the coffee world, once in a blue moon, is when you find a coffee that tastes like joy in a cup. Blue moon for this review is referring to Hubbard and Cravens Bali Blue Moon Organic.

In the past, the only Indonesian coffee I have had has been Sumatra. I'll be frank, I'm not a fan of most Sumatran coffees. There is an earthiness that bothers my stomach. It just doesn't appeal to my senses either. Hubbard and Cravens, after an issue I recently had there, was very kind to give me some coffee. It was recommended that I try the Bali Blue Moon Organic. I was a bit leery based on my feelings for Sumatra, but I thought why not. One of the best coffee decisions I have made.

I made some on the French Press for Mark and me yesterday. As I opened the bag, I smelled a sweeter smell, but not sugary sweet. It was a floral sweet, combined with a vanilla like aroma. Once I ground the coffee, the aroma was even stronger.

My first taste was without anything. No earthiness. I got a vanilla like, but not like an opened bottle of vanilla. It was a faint taste. There was no earthy quality to it like the Sumatras. This is a smooth coffee, full of body. For the second cup, I added the usual Splenda and Soy Creamer. Still tasted what I did before, and felt the soy actually enhanced what I experienced.

Mark and I both smiled as we drank this. I think it's a good sign when the people drinking the coffee are smiling about it. Right? We agreed this is one amazing coffee.

Now on our Cher scale of strength, this is not a strong coffee from a taste standpoint. It's a mellow one. Imainge Cher's character in Mask, giving her son, played my Eric Stolz a motherly hug. I felt a hug with this coffee. It's a 4.5 on the strength scale(1-10).  Yup...I love this coffee. I give it high marks. I expect to see this one on my year end list of best coffees for 2014.

Well done Hubbard and Cravens. This coffee is a Bali High!

Charlie

Coffee Memory: The Roaster

If you haven’t been to a coffee drying area or roasting facility, you need to do this once in your life. It’s one of those experiences which your senses will thank you for. There is nothing spectacular looking about any of these facilities(usually).

When I was in Costa Rica in 2008, we went to a local coffee cooperative, and outside the coffee beans were drying in the sun. What struck me first was the visual sensation. All these beans laid flat, looking green. I hadn’t really experienced coffee in this form. Typically I had seen it as dark beans, or what was poured into my cup. This was visually fascinating to me, and I took it all in.

The second part was the aroma of the place. The smell came from inside where the coffee was being roasted. When you walking into a roasting facility, you are hit immediately with a strong coffee smell.  It almost knocks you out, because it’s so strong. Now, not only could we see the dark colored beans I was used to, but the smell of warm coffee permeated everywhere. I wanted a cup of coffee right then and there.

When you watch coffee being roasted, you are seeing the roaster take care to make sure he isn’t over or under roasting the coffee. He/she is keeping an eye on the color, listening for first crack, and constantly checking the coffee in the roaster. It’s like watching an artist create a painting or sculpture. Again, what a great scene for the eyes.

Finally, we got to sample some of the coffee. Later we would go through a cupping, but in this instance, we were given a cup of coffee. With everything I experienced, I had a greater appreciation for what was in the cup. I took my time, smelled the coffee, and then took some gentle sips, so I could get a full sense of the flavor. I must have done something wrong, because I wanted seconds….and thirds. J

Some roasters offer customers an opportunity to tour roasting facilities. I highly suggest doing this. Once you do, you will never drink a cup of coffee the same way.

Charlie