Imagine, if you will, that I start to run a coffee shop. Not one that sells cups of brewed coffee. One that sells packs of freshly roasted coffee beans, to be ground at home and turned into a cup of the very best.
Here’s the price label on a 250g bag of single-origin, know-the-farmer-personally, roasted-yesterday Guatemala.
“Price: £5.
For those who cannot afford £5, the price is £2.
Those who cannot afford £2 may pay £0.50.”
What a funny kind of shop I would be running.
Thanks to David for posting the executive summary of the Adam Smith Institute’s report on fair trade.
Which gives me a prompt to introduce the Cup of Excellence competition to those who haven’t met it.
The Sulotco has had 24 hours to rest now, so time to do a bit of cupping.
It’s easy to worry too much about doing cupping “properly”. At its heart, cupping offers a method of preparing and trying coffee that allows someone to explore the flavours and components of a particular bean as fully as possible. Cupping is about maximalism in coffee exploration.
I need to find an Indonesian coffee I like.
Indonesian coffee, to generalise, can handle a much darker roast than many other origins. The result is a caffeine-rich, dark-roasted, full-bodied coffee – nice to have from time to time for variety’s sake.
I’ve been meaning to post a link to this for a while. Steve Leighton has written an article on how the Fair Trade movement impacts coffee growers. It’s insightful, because he has a lot of inside knowledge when it comes to the coffee industry.
Sitting down to work with an americano in hand, made from beans grown on the Sitio Boa Sorte farm in Brazil. This coffee came number 33 in the Brazilian 2005 Cup of Excellence competition, and I have to say it is another great Steve Leighton find.
The sad news – it’s run out. Steve has no more. I buy green which means the beans keep for a year or so, so that I can keep drinking long after he has none left!
First taste of El Salvador coffee today.
El Salvador Finca La Fany Bourbon is a lovely surprise. More acidity than I expected, with flavours of lemon and peach. But as the cup cooled more buttery tones, even a little caramel. Creamy mouthfeel improved with cooling as well. This is a complex cup with plenty going on - highly recommended!
Well, mine has arrived, it's been roasted, and it's had 36 hours to rest.
The verdict... Very nice indeed - an absolutely magnificent Kenyan. Definitely the kind of Kenyan that has winey taste - and I think I slightly prefer the ones that are fruity. (The apricot burst in the Gethumbwini Peaberry was just stunning). But this is such a good winey Kenyan that I can't complain. Hints of nuts as well.
Definitely don't roast it too dark (end of 1st crack is just right IMHO). Or easier, buy it ready-roasted from Steve. Definitely not for espresso. But even more important - definitely not to miss out on.
I’m delighted to see that Steve Leighton, proprietor of HasBean coffee has finally managed to find a Kenyan good enough to stock. He drinks Kenyan at home, and basically will not buy one unless it has such a “wow” factor that he can’t get over how good it is.
Well, there have been no Kenyan coffees at HasBean for some time – nothing up to Steve’s standards. But at last we can buy Kenya Ragati from him. Sounds good, and I trust him – but I’ll still buy a 250g bag of green to see what I think for myself.
