Kenya AA
Ethiopian Harrar
Columbia Monserrate
Brazil Porta Rossa
Rosebud Espresso Blend
Swisswater Decaf Espresso Blend
I’ve been roasting for a week now and have had good and bad results which is to be expected. It will be a while before we can develop our very own signature blends for espresso, etc. so I’ll try some of the Rosebud from Atlas Coffee.More later.
When we were first serious about visiting a coffee farm while we were in Brazil, we decided to take a look at the SCAA website and search for the Brazil Cup of Excellence award winning farms. We found a few that we wanted to contact about visiting but it was difficult to follow up with our busy schedule. About a month later we sent some contact info to our friends Fernando and Rebeca to help us arrange a visit to a fazenda (farm). They were able to get in contact with a man from Carmo De Minas named Jaques Carneiro. He is the director of Carmo Coffees, a business group that is developing the logistics of promoting and exporting quality coffees form the entire region to the rest of the world. His family has had a fazenda in Carmo De Minas for over 100 years and he is the fifth generation in his family to be a coffee producer. He is also the vice president of the coffee association and cooperative that represents over 200 producers from a group of 25 or so small cities like Carmo in the surrounding area. Jaques is personally responsible for the growth of the specialty coffee market for his region – he is barely 30 years old. Needless to say he has a lot to say about coffee production, and we learned a lot, but he is also a very humble individual and his eagerness to learn and share was very refreshing. I didn’t realize it until we we’re already in Brazil but Jaques’farm was one of the places we saw on the Cup of Excellence site. They have more award winning coffees than any other region in Brazil.
We left Indaiatuba at about 5:30 a.m. with Fernando and Rebeca. They decided they would drive us to Carmo De Minas, about five hours away, and spend the day with us at the fazenda! We we’re very glad of course and it was awesome to share this part of the trip with them. The journey took us north from the state of Sao Paulo to the state of Minas Gerais in central Brazil. It was a good trip and the girls got a bit of rest on the way. Nearing Carmo the roads were in very band condition and we were uncertain that we were on the right track but we eventually made it to the small town of about 12,000 people. We met Jaques and talked briefly in his office about the state of the specialty coffee market in Carmo. We then hopped into his Fiat wagon and were off to the fazenda high above the city. We spent a few hours touring the coffee plantations and one of five processing stations for the area. A very special part of the trip was the original family home and small museum. Jaques’ aunt and uncle (pictured above with us) live there and are the caretakers of the estate. One frame held pictures of 8 generations of the women of the family. Other things included the awards and press that the region has received recently.After the estate we travelled into town to the cooperative for all of the local producers. They had a cupping set-up and ready for us to taste some different lots from various producers. This was completely new to Fernando and Rebeca and we had a fun time with it. We cupped five different lots from the cooperative. After we we’re finished with the cupping Jaques told us that two of the lots had been Cup Of Excellence award winners – one was first place in 2006! These both had an amazing sweetness with citrus and fruit notes above the round carmel base – very complex and delicious! Fernando learned what REAL coffee tastes like as opposed to the pre-ground vacuum-packed lower grade coffee typically brewed by Brazilian households. After the visit to the cooperative, we walked across the street where we met Jaques’ brother and saw the headquarters for his coffee roasting company called (appropriately) Unique. He says it is just a hobby for now while he focuses on coffee production. He and his brother have done an excellent job with the branding and marketing of Unique, now the battle is to educate retailers about specialty coffee. Education is an underlying theme with Carmo Coffees, educating the producers, processors,roasters, and retailers. Lots of work!
Finally we visited the processing plant for the cooperative that was constructed just recently. Jaques had stressed the importance of updated processing equipment to maintain a high standard of quality for the final product because the old warehouse and processing plant was too small and could not be updated to allow flexibility in processing. The cooperative wouldn’t change their processing routine and didn’t jump on board initially with the new warehouse idea but he built the plant anyway. After other producers saw the increase in quality for Jaques’ own farm, they eventually figured out that he was right. It’s a year later, and now all coffees from the cooperative are processed at the new plant. (This is just one example of how it took a year for everyone to realize that the kid was right. 
We eventually made it back to the Carmo Coffees office before traveling to Sao Lourenzo (6 km away) where we would stay for the next few days.
Just before leaving for our trip to Brazil (see next post) I recieved a swell little gift box from my buddy Dave at Espresso Parts. It contained an updated version of our logo stamp (used for that home grown cup branding thing) some brochures for Bikes To Rwanda, a much needed program to help rebuild the coffee producing industry there, and…. he sent me COFFEE! Award winning coffee to be exact. Nicaragua Las Termopolis, which was the Presidential Award recipient for the country! For more detailed info CLICK HERE.
OK it’s actually been her for over a week – but the latency of his post goes to show the nature of life as a business owner. The beautiful IR-3 arrived on Monday Feb. 4 having traveled by truck from Nebraska, and after a short layover in Seattle while the mountain passes were closed. The unit fits nicely in the roast hut, as I like to call it, and if you want to see it you can view the gallery I’ve posted. Currently we’re waiting on the custom (read expensive) chimney to arrive and as soon as it is in place and the city signs off, we’re gonna cook some beans!
Guest espresso? I wish. Unfortunately this meager helping of Hairbender was just enought for my morning cappuccino and a dialed ristretto. After all the mucking around I’ve only got a third of the stuff left.The verdict: incredibly sweet and tangy, notes of caramel and fruit, nice body.
Two days ago our very first fully trained barista – Milo – dropped by the shop to say hello. After leaving us to go to school in Seattle he eventually landed a job for Stumptown’s new operation in their wholesale warehouse. Today, I was in Seattle recording some drum tracks for the new album by local fave Michael Carlos at a studio on Capitol Hill and guess what lay just a stone’s throw away? STUMPTOWN’S NEW SEATTLE CAFE! That’s what. Could this be mere coincidence? A simple happenstance of criss-crossing interests? I think not. That beautifully poured double ristretto of Haribender was destined for my lips – as was the uber-fresh brown bagged bean I now possess. Can’t wait to squash some sweet Stumptown espresso into my portafilter tomorrow morning!
This past week Emily and I made the trek to Sandpoint, a beautiful berg nestled against the shores of Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho. Often used as a base camp for conquests of nearby Schweitzer ski hill The quaint resort town is the home of Deidrich Coffee Roasters, manufacturers of some of the most advanced roasting equipment available. We were there for a two day seminar in preparation for becoming bona fide COFFEE ROASTERS!! That’s right, Caffè Mela will be roasting our own coffee in the very near future! In the seminar we learned a ton about coffee origins, cultivation and processing, as well as the various ways farmers get their coffee to market. This portion of was led by Chris Davidson of Atlas Coffee. After a nice into (for most) to cupping, Stephen Dietrich himself talked for the rest of the day about roaster technology, roast profiling, managing the roasting process, and his general roasting philosophy. Day two consisted of a factory tour and an extensive roast profile development segment capped by four hours of roasting! My wife and I were able to roast three batches of Columbia (see photo) and thanks to Michael, Dietrich’s General Manager (and roasting coach) we were able to achieve an excellent profile right off the bat! Now let’s see how long it takes me to duplicate such a profile on my own!
We’ll soon be roasting on an IR-3 like this one.
Currently we are constructing a small building out behind our shop to house the IR-3 model roaster and it respective catalytic oxidizer. The price of the exhaust ducting made placing the set-up inside cost-prohibitive, hence our sweet-smelling outhouse! We purchased a carefully used unit form Jon Ferguson of Cultiva Coffee in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’ll have more about the status of our roastery soon.
Been back a few days from Seattle where Emily (my wife) and I and two of our baristas caught the last day of Coffee Fest. One of the largest coffee trade shows every year, CF is attended by thousands of coffee junkies and business folk alike. We started the day by watching Billy Wilson of Albina Press in Portland compete in the final round of the Northwest Regional Barista Championship, a performance that would earn him the title for the second year in a row. After the doors opened we headed right for the Visions Espresso booth to introduce our baristas to my former employer. It was great to see Dawn and chat with Klif, Christy, and Celeste. The booth looked great with a brand spankin new LM GS3 and a GB5 hot so I had to tinker for a bit. (Celeste roasted for Hines Public Market for a long while before the Vashon Coffee gig.) After that Emily and i set out to see if there was any espresso that could match the Artisano we’ve been devouring from Vashon.
We made a few stops to see some familiar faces and eventually dropped by Zoka for a taste, then to 49th Parrallel for a delicious double. Right next door we tasted some of the best milk alternative made from hemp of all things! Should be getting a sample from them soon. After that we dropped by the Batdorf & Bronson booth for a shot of their outstanding Omar’s organic blend. (I don’t think there is a blend out there with quite as much fruit and berry sweetness! Like Candy!!) From there we cruised over to the Espresso Parts booth where I finally obtained that Espresso Craft tamper I’ve wanted since SCAA 2005! After that we eventually made it all the way through the show floor – and were sufficiently stimulated for the long journey back home. (Not of course without a stop at Racha Thai cuisine on Queen Anne.) I don’t know if you need to know this but a two and a half hour car ride after consuming multiple straight shots of espresso is not a two and a half hour car ride.
One of the best regional bluegrass acts stopped on their way through to play a one night engagement at the shop. Check out the clip for something a little different. Prairie Flyer features Jim Faddis on lead vox and guitar, Andre Vachon on mando/dobro and vox, Jason Stewart on banjo and vox, Dave Hackwith on bass, and Steve Blanchard on guitar.
We all had a hootin good time with our first bluegrass act. The entire night was recorded but this was the only tune that I have video for (from my Canon digital camera no less!) We look forward to having them back when they are in our neck of the woods!
This is a shot of the immaculate set-up for our very first public coffee cupping. Origins cupped included East Timor, Ethiopians Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar, Costa Rica (home-roasted by mi Mama), Brazil, and others. The only problem with this fine and dandy public cupping is that there was no public who chose to participate! The event was part of a line-up of events for the downtown Cancer Awareness weekend ( which the public was unfortunately unaware of). It worked out that no one but my Mother, our baristi, and I took tastes of the glorious grounds because since it was the first time that I had ever prepared a cupping, we all had to wait a while for everything to be ready. Next time perhaps we’ll have better attendance and some other folks will have an extra-caffeinated late morning!
