New Products

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.

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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.

And now, from the ceramic artisans two blocks away at Pigeon Toe, we present our first mug.

Get yours in storm blue or dove grey.

What’s that delicious food spread at the end of the video you ask? Why, that’s from the breakfast press release event that Google hosted at Clive Coffee.

I just got back from Pigeon Toe Ceramics, the local Portland hive of ceramic artisans (Lisa and Lola, represent) that we’ve commissioned for the first Clive Coffee mug. These mugs are a subtle juxtaposition of modern and rustic, clean yet memorable, Amsterdam meets Portland, 1920′s brought to 2010. We put a lot of thought into the curve of the handle, the weight of the edge, and the texture of the glaze. We’ll have coffee mugs and macchiato cups. Here’s a sneak peak. Should be ready for shipment next week.

And in other news, here’s the salvage walnut wood we’ve found for our upcoming showroom in SE Portland. More info to come, obviously. Until then, Happy Friday!

I just returned from the annual coffee convention sponsored by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). There was a lot to see, including the US Barista Championship and some amazing new commercial espresso machines from Slayer and La Marzocco. The 2009 World Barista Champion, Gwilym Davis, made me a perfect machiatto with Square Mile Coffee. It was amazing. Here are some highlights that relate to the home brewing enthusiast:

I met Gerard-Clement Smit, the inventor of the Technivorm. He’s elegant and funny, and obviously pleased to see his creation receive so much praise here in the US. He invited me to take a tour of the Technivorm factory, which I hope to do soon. A little later, I talked to another roaster from Portland who told me that he bought a Technivorm brewer from Europe in 1983. It’s still going strong. Further proof that these things are built to last. Smit’s design has barely changed from the original 1964 design, with the exception of thermal carafes introduced a few years ago. Why mess with something that is proven to last? With how much specialty coffee has changed in the last few years (even the last two to three years), it’s remarkable that this machine is still one of only two coffee makers that brews according to standards set out by the SCAA.

Double Technivorm should be here this fall! This unit, the Technivorm Moccamaster CDT-20, is basically two Technivorm CDT units put together.The European unit runs on 220, so both can brew simultaneously. The US unit will run on 110, so the units brew back to back. This coffee maker will be ideal for small offices looking for high quality coffee without a bulky commercial machine. More info to follow.

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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.

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We at Clive Coffee are always on the lookout for new equipment that delivers style and performance. We’ve just added the Ascaso Dream Espresso Machine to our lineup, since it fits those criteria perfectly.

These powerful little Spanish-made machines feature a sleek design and quality components. We always recommend using freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee for a good shot of espresso, but if you’re into pods the Dream can handle those too.

With a heavy brass boiler, brass grouphead, and chrome-plated brass portafilters, the Dream offers excellent temperature stability. It’s easy to use, too: just flip the toggle switches to engage the pump or turn on the steam wand. Dual thermometers for the grouphead and steam wand ensure that you’ve got the right temperature to make perfect drinks.

If you’re looking for sleek, retro styling and performance in your home espresso machine, the Ascaso Dream can’t be beat.

We just received a shipment of the new Hario V60 Glass Coffee Dripper. In Japanese, Hario means “the King of Glass,” and Hario has earned that reputation by manufacturing high-quality glassware since 1921.

The V60 Coffee Dripper features spiral ridges on the interior to give the coffee grounds more space to “bloom.” Since the glass is transparent, it’s easy to see what is going on during the brewing process. A large hole at the bottom allows you to control the speed of extraction better than coffee drippers with small holes.

If you’ve got a pour-over bar, the plastic base on the V60 is easily popped off so you can nest the bottom of the cone in the stand. If you don’t have a pour-over bar, the V60 rests stably on a mug so you can just brew a nice, quick cup for yourself.

We just got some really exciting news from Baratza! They’ve upgraded the already excellent Vario Coffee Grinder with a new display board. This new board has a “sleep” feature that turns off the lights and LED display to conserve electricity when it’s not in use. More importantly, this new board has enough memory to retain your grind settings, even after a power outage or the machine is unplugged.

No need for customers with the older model Vario to get jealous; the new display board is available separately as an easily installed upgrade. According to Baratza, the new board only takes 3 minutes to install with a Phillips screwdriver.

Look for the new and improved Baratza Vario and the Display Board upgrade on our site in March.

Not exciting enough for you? Baratza will be introducing their Virtuoso Preciso with 11-step micro-adjustment this summer.

Decaf drinkers rejoice! Clive has a great new coffee for you! The Swiss Water Decaf Ethiopian Sidamo offers a lemony aroma, with a lightly herbal, citric and floral flavor.

The Sidamo region in Southern Ethiopia produces some of the most beloved coffees available. Using both washed and natural (or dry) processing, Sidamo grows coffees that run the flavor gamut from bright citrus to deep red wine and berries.

We hope you enjoy this great decaffeinated coffee!