Cupping

This wonderful micro-lot comes from the efforts of 20 small farmers in and around the mountain village of Santa Maria de Jesus. It features vibrant notes of cinnamon, dark cherry, and orange blossom.

The Guatemala Santa Maria De Jesus is sourced directly by Coffee Shrub and is only available through Coffee Roasters’ United.

The Santa Maria particularly shines on a Chemex. Watch our brewing guide for tips on how to achieve a full and sweet brew.

Get yours today!

So much of the coffee on the market these days is really a commodity product that has been standardized to provide consistency. Generally, this means the coffee isn’t too terribly bad nor too terribly great. It’s a generic, non-offensive caffeine delivery mechanism.

An origin trip changes all that. It brings you, the roaster, face to face with the person that is growing and processing your coffee beans. It means you and farmer have talked shop over a cup of coffee, toured the processing mill that he set up himself, and met the family he’s feeding with the profits. It’s the antithesis of generic, commodity coffee.

A few months ago I toured five small farms in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, driving for hours over the steep hillsides that are covered in lush, deep green vegetation. The tropical sun is very intense at the high altitude, but the temperature when I was there was only around 75 degrees, and the constant breeze made it very comfortable. The city of San Jose is nestled in a valley that is surrounded by extremely steep hills, which are continually buffeted by clouds rolling in from the Pacific Ocean before dissipating over the tops of the hills. It reminded me of San Francisco and the surrounding hills on the peninsula. There’s a mystical quality to the fog breaking up just above the tree branches.

Tarrazu’s unique topography and proximity to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans brings microclimates of surprising variety, producing fantastic, rare coffees. The rich volcanic soil, high altitude, and dry summers produce a coffee that is sought internationally for its clean profile and bright acidity. However, great Costa Rican coffee must be cultivated with great care to bring out the best flavors. It takes a lot of work and foresight to steward the coffee from sapling to export.

Read more…

Fresh from the roaster, I’m happy to introduce my new favorite coffee, Bolivia Organic Aprocafe. With creamy body, a bit of spice and nuts, and pleasant acidity to round it out, this coffee makes a truly enjoyable cup. We’ve brewed it in both the Technivorm and French Press and this Bolivian coffee is excellent in both methods.

Bolivia Aprocafe is the product of 41 small farmers’ collaboration to grow organic, delicious coffee. The farms that belong to the Aprocafe co-op average 3 to 11 acres in size. The farmers and their employees are fairly compensated for their hard work and dedication to quality. Their efforts to preserve the natural environment have earned Aprocafe Bird Friendly Certification from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

This is a limited edition coffee, so get it while you can.

Hello from Portland,

The near complete devastation in Haiti from the earthquake has prompted me to write this letter to you. As you may already know, we sometimes find really fantastic coffees and then choose a cause to support that is working to improve conditions in that coffee producing region. We look for vital, imminent causes, such as clean water, education and shelter for abandoned children, or environmental restoration. We prefer programs that are building sustainable communities and economies rather than just short-term handouts. We raise the price for the coffee a little bit beyond what we’d normally charge, then donate 100% of the proceeds back to the cause. We don’t make a cent on the venture. It’s our way of joining forces with our customers to donate to these very important efforts.

We’ve found a way to support Haitians as they work to build an economy that can survive without perpetual handouts. Here’s the story.

Read more…

Immediately apparent is the juicy, ripe fragrance of this coffee. Expect tropical fruit flavors – tangerine, star fruit, and lychee. We roast this delicately to bring out the innate sweetness of the bean. The acidity is juicy and bright, with a full, syrupy body. You’ll want to make this in a french press or a Technivorm brewer to fully develop the flavors.

Order yours today before it’s gone!

We just received some samples of green beans from Columbia, Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and El Salvador, and I can’t wait to get them in, roasted up, and out the door to all of you! These are all micro lot coffees. We’re buying between 1 and 4 bags of each (132 lbs per bag, sometimes 150). We’ll be releasing these coffees one at a time, and they will go quickly. Our last batch of Nicaraguan Miraflor sold out in 3 days. More info to come.

Also, we’ve found some excellent Swiss Water decaf coffees that will be available shortly. Check out a quick video of the decaffeinating process here.

Found this today – an app for your iPhone or iPod touch that is built around SCAA specs on cupping coffee. It’s called the iCupper Master Assistant. The look and feel needs a little help, but the functionality seems to be well planned and executed.

Check it out. If you’re using a Mac you might need to select iTunes as the software to open the link like I did. Or you can search for it in the app store, of course.

I’ll be posting some thoughts and ideas soon for doing a cupping at home. It’s a fun way to play around with coffee on a lazy Saturday morning.