Know Your Coffee

I found a 5 minute video that is a great overview of coffee beans. It covers origins, harvesting, Arabica beans, Robusta beans, wet processing, dry processing, blending, coffee strength, and caffeine.

Click here to open the video in a new window.

Aceh Gold

Sumatra

The flavor here is full with a Full-City roast - Highly chocolate, semi-sweet, and quite deep. The flavor lingers after the cup is gone suggesting a heavy body.

My lack of enjoyment of this cup is not because of the coffee but rather because I was not mentally prepared to fully experience it. I am learning, as I go, that I need to be ready to take some time to smell and taste the coffee that I make. Also, I think I need to drink some regular coffee for a while to find my baseline again.

I will post updates in the comments section as I try this bean again/

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 4.

Mogiana

Brazil

Nutty and Earthy! Here is a great example of what Nut and Earth taste like in coffee. There is a bit of a wine attribute on the finish of this flavor but it is slight enough to leave you asking if it is really there. The dominant flavor is that of Nut with a fine compliment of Earth tone that balances off the taste.

The aroma is strong with a sweetend earth flavor which is pleasing but not fascinating.

The overall experience is good because this Brazilian bean is the best example of Nut that I have had so far. The flavor does not beg me to drink more but at the same time I like it enough to suggest it to you and to pour myself another cup.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

Salimba

Zimbabwe

At city, to full-city, this is a very pleasing and surprising cup. You know that it is a good cup when you take a sip and say "wow" and you look for your wife to try it.

The coffee has a dominant floral quality that hits you with a definite floral sweetness right off. There is a nutty quality to this brew which is only slightly noticeable upon the finish.

The aroma did not stand out as one of distinction - smelled like coffee. I will comment later about how it tasted over ice.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 6.

Bugisu (100% Organic)

Uganda

I roasted this bean somewhere between city & full-city. The aroma was natural and the flavor was earthy and nutty. I liked this coffee, for the flavor was good and the balance was quite focused. However, there was nothing that screamed "drink me" as with say the Paupa New Guinea Peaberry. If you want a cup of regular Joe then this is the bean for you, however if it is uniqueness that you seek then you need not look here.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 2.

What Makes "Organic Coffee" Organic?

Earlier I wondered what constituted an organic coffee. So I did some poking around and this is what I found. This is an excerpt from the article from the Organic Trade Association.

What is organic coffee?
Organic coffee is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Third-party certification organizations verify that organic farmers abide by the law.

What does it mean to be certified organic?
In order for coffee to be certified and sold as organic in the United States, it must be produced in accordance with U.S. standards for organic production and certified by an agency accredited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. requirements for organic coffee production include farming without synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for three years and a sustainable crop rotation plan to prevent erosion, the depletion of soil nutrients, and control for pests.

CIAPEC (100% Organic)

Bolivia

The aroma of this Bolivian brew was very enjoyable. If you have ever smelled chocolate pudding on the stove-top while it was cooling (but only not so sweet) then you can begin to imagine the richness of this brew's aroma.

I roasted this bean to a full-City roast and the flavor is earthy and floral with a touch of fruity sweetness which blends this coffee together nicely for a balanced feel in the mouth and palette. I like this coffee and really expect it to perform well when served over ice but I do not think it unique enough to enter into a contest.

What makes coffee organic? I will have to do some investigation into this question. In my naivete I have visions of Juan Valdez walking leisurely around a mountain picking a bean here and a bean there from wild coffee bushes to deliver to me organically grown coffee. I will post when I learn about this.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 4.

Gichi Kiambu

Kenya

First a little background...

There are two different species of coffee bushes, aribica and robusta. Aribica requires more care and produces less beans per plant so it is more rare and more expensive. The robusta plants produce more beans, require less care, and so the beans are cheaper and more readily available.

This Gichi bean, from the Kiambu region of Kenya, is a bean from the arbica species of plant. It is known as the "Kenya AA" and is noted for its fruity attribute. It is known as the "peachy gichi" (get it? It ryhmes - cute huh?) but I have not noticed this. However, this cup is vibrantly bold as a City to Full-City roast. The Gichi's flavor was unexpected as it possessed a lot of flavor for such a light roast. I noticed a dominant earthy tone which was slightly sweet but just noticeably so. Its aroma is inspiringly different but it did not seem to have anything that could be pinpointed as a noticeable attribute.

This would be a good cup to use as a taster against other cups as it is distinctive enough to warrant its own viewing.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

Guayata Typica

Colombia

The aroma of this cup smells as a cup of coffee is expected to smell. It smells nostalgic of grandma's house when coffee was still made with a percolator and you awoke to the smell of coffee wafting through the house. There seems to be a lot of smell for such a lightly roasted bean.

There is a dominant nutty flavor, in this cup, that finishes with a nice fruity and spicy note. The flavor is very good but I do not think it is anything more special than a cup of Maxwell House dark roast.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 2.

Kimel Peaberry

Papua New Guinea

This is a complete and unexpected surprise. I do not know if this is what I was to expect from a Peaberry (sort of like the hoppy flavor is expected of an IPA in the world of beers) but this almost tastes like something other than coffee. It is nothing if it is not a new experience.

The Kimel Peabery possesses a sort of spiciness which is a strong attribute in this coffee. One person describes this as the slight flavor of thyme which resonates as true with me. I also sense a fine buttery flavor and feel as well.

I roasted 2 oz. of this bean to a lighter City roast and ground it mediumly for a 12 cup pot. The brew was a perfect cinnamon brown with no hint of emerald around its edge. It had a unique aroma, from bean to brew, which should have tipped me off to what was in store but not many beans actually taste like they smell.

This Papau New Guinea (PNG) Kimel Peaberry is quite extraordinary and quite a pleasurable experience. I do believe that this is one of those coffees that can be used as a tool to aid in personal times of devotion and worship.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 9.

All Part of the Experience

I have become aware that I have made some mistakes that will necessitate that I re-roast and re-evaluate the coffees that I have already sampled. This affects the Flores Bajawa, Finca San Jose, Washed Bourbon, and Harar Horse coffees. which I will add addendums to as I re-sample the beans.

The mistakes?

First, I used to little ground in my pots of coffee. I used 1oz. of grounds to a 12 cup pot which is simply diluting the coffee too much to get the real essence of the bean. Second, I did not grind the beans enough. I need to sample a finely (Turkish) ground bean as this allows the flavor to be quickly extracted by the hot water of my coffee maker. A peculator or French press can use a more course ground simply because it has the luxury of time to adequately wash over the grounds. And lastly (at least for now) the first of the beans that I roasted was brewed with tap water where filtered water certainly enhances the flavor.

So, there are the three mistakes that I can and will remedy. I am informed that using a burr grinder (rather than my blade grinder) will enhance the flavor of my coffees as well but for the price of a burr grinder I will just have to suffer. Anyway, I will add an addendum to the posts that exist as soon as I get back to to them.

Mysore - Nugget (Extra Bold)

India

"WOW!" That was the very first thing my brain yelled when I first tasted the Mysore (pronounced 'mee,zore) Nugget. The flavor is very deep and rich with this bean but it may be because I roasted and brewed it differently than the others.

First, I roasted it to Full-City and it was just entering the Second Crack by the time that I took it off the flame, second, I ground the beans very fine (Turkish style) where all the others were not ground nearly so much, and third, I used 2 ounces of ground for a 12 cup pot rather than the 1 ounce that I usually use. The coffee this produced was a full bodied and flavored brew that is comparable to any of the large chains' brews.

As far as the attributes of the flavor is concerned I must admit that I could not make any of it out. The rich bold flavor overwhelmed my palette and did not allow me to notice the finer intricacies of the beans' flavor attributes. I was not disappointed by this as I was too busy thinking that I had struck gold. Who needs intricate flavors when the cup is begging for you to drink more? I am very happy with this coffee and I am looking forward to sharing it with guests.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 8.

Harar - Horse

Ethiopia

I chose this forth coffee simply because of the name "Horse". Whatever it means in the Ethiopian tongue I wanted to see if it tasted like dog food. ;)

This coffee has grown on me as I found it to not have any attribute that leaps out - This indicates that it is a very well balanced coffee. As I worked through a couple of cups I learned that it had a slight spiciness and fruitiness in the initial stage which quickly diminishes into a smoothness that becomes nondescript.

This was a City Roast which sported a wonderful aroma in the ground bean itself but I found the aroma of the brew to be lacking and almost raw in nature. Because of this I am going to try a Full-City Roast and see if the beginning stages of carbonization unlocks some hidden flavors and aroma.

This coffee, roasted City, grew on me. After about 4 cups I found that there was a lingering quality about it. The body did not seem anything special but now I am wondering if it was an attribute of the body that is lingering. This lingering certainly suggest a complexity that I have yet noticed in any of the other coffees. I am eagerly expecting to try this cup again.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

Child Slavery & Coffee

It would seem that child-labor is a big issue where coffee is concerned. So I spent some time researching the topic to try to get a handle on what exactly are the issues. And while I am certainly no expert I wanted to respond to a few of those issues. The specific article that I read is what I felt was a fairly balanced article on the subject. If you care to read it you will find it here: www.teaandcoffee.net.

"Recent census statistics show that populations in Latin American countries, contrary to those in the U.S. and Europe, are increasingly younger, ranging from 38-52% of inhabitants under the age of 18"

This was the first statement that caught my attention. Is this comparison between Latin American countries and the United States meant to inform us of how bad the Latin American countries have it or of how good America has it? It is possible that neither were the intention as we needed a base from which to demonstrate the Latin American statistical data. However, my first reaction to the comparison was "That is horrible! Those poor children."

"Accurate statistics on the prevalence of child labor in coffee are scarce, though anecdotal evidence indicates that the occurrence is widespread in coffee producing countries around the world."

I am not trying to discredit the plight of child laborers but I am an automatic cynic to everything and so I naturally wonder what the heck "anecdotal evidence" means? So I did what every intelligent ignorant person does when they don't know something - they go to Wikipedia. Here's what Wiki had to say;

"The expression anecdotal evidence has two quite distinct meanings.

(1) Evidence in the form of an anecdote or hearsay is called anecdotal if there is doubt about its veracity: the evidence itself is considered untrustworthy or untrue.

(2) Evidence which may itself be true and verifiable is used to deduce a conclusion which does not follow from it, usually by generalising from an insufficient amount of evidence. For example "my grandfather smoked like a chimney and died healthy in a car crash at the age of 99" does not disprove the proposition that "smoking markedly increases the probability of cancer and heart disease at a relatively early age". In this case the evidence may itself be true, but does not warrant the conclusion.

In both cases the conclusion is unreliable; it might happen not to be untrue, but it doesn't follow from the "evidence".

So what I take from this is that concerns about child labor is, at best, an unsubstantiated problem in the world coffee market. Am I saying that the problem does not exist? Not at all, but rather that the problem that exists may (or may not) be what we Americans suppose that it is. And further the article states:

"Among the products that children help to harvest are cocoa, coffee, coconuts, cotton, fruit and vegetables, jasmine, palm oil, rubber, sisal, sugar cane, tea, tobacco, and vanilla."

So now it seems that the unsubstantiated claim that children labor has tainted the world coffee market is equally unsubstantiated in the harvest of many of the world's commodity agricultural markets. Huh! I have never been asked about the child labor used to produce my Q-Tips nor my car tires or morning sugar-cereal. However, now that I am roasting my own coffee beans people decide to ask about the ethical decision to do so "because green coffee beans use child labor you know."

The article continues too define the various problems and how proposed solutions may or may not have the desires affect on riffing the world of child labor abuses. When I was in a Global Market Business class the discussion was on Nike's use of foreign manufacturing plants which used children to make its shoes. The solution was to boycott Nike products until it ceased employing these plants. As I thought about this solution I thought about the children in Thailand where many children (both girls and boys) are sold by their parents into the sex trade so that the family can survive. I wondered how many children would rather work in a manufacturing plant rather than be sold as prostitutes. As I thought about the Nike plant closing up shop because we Americans were appalled at the inhumanity of child labor in the making of our shoes I suggested as much and I was chastised that my thoughts were preposterously ignorant of the facts. Hmmm, maybe they are, but I wonder if my boycotting the company because of my offended American sensibilities is the proper approach.

"Most child welfare advocates agree that the proper place for a child is in the schoolroom, not the workplace."

As my wife and I discussed the issue of child labor probably being used to pick the beans that I am buying, we decided that boycotting would probably not be the appropriate approach for change. We agreed that children should be allowed to go to school if they have the opportunity but we understand that most children do not - even if I were to not buy the coffee, the cotton, the rubber, the cocoa, the sugar, or anything from Walmart. Boycotting did not seem to be the most expedient solution so we have decided that we are doing the best that we can do for four children already. We sponsor four children through Compassion International from around the world to go to school. Is this going to change the fact of child labor abuses? Certainly not for everyone but for the four children that we send money to every month I am sure that it helps.

Is there a better solution than just sponsoring the children's education? There may be but I am unaware of it. The article confesses as much:

"Child labor is a complex issue primarily rooted in poverty. A “one size fits all” solution developed in a vacuum in order to avert a potential public relations scandal will not put an end to child labor."

So in the end am I just rationalizing my purchasing of the coffee beans that have not been "Fair Trade" certified? It is possible (like you, I am very good at rationalizing and justifying the things that I desire) but as for now my conscience is clear. If it were certain that my boycotting of certain coffees would put an end to the poverty that demands the use of children in the picking of that coffee - I would. Then I would boycott the makers of my Q-Tips, my sugars providers, my tire company, and the like as well.

How I Rate Coffees - From 1 to 10

I suppose that I should explain the rating system that I have developed for the coffees that I sample.

What I do is very simple. From 1 to 10 I break the numbers down into three parts: 1-4, 5, & 6-10. 1-4 is a rating that I have no interest to purchase again 1 being something that makes me gag and 4 at the tolerable/decent level. 5 is the breaking point that shows that I thought the coffee was good enough to purchase again but necessarily right now. 6-10 are the levels of true love. If I rate something a 6 that would indicate the infatuation of a budding relationship and if I ever rate something a 10 it would indicate an all out love affair.

Well, there you have it. My rating system might not be very sophisticated but it is certainly functional.

Washed Bourbon

Rwanda

I highly anticipated this third coffee roast as the green beans smelled very pleasant (vs. the Flora Bajawa & Finca San Jose). The brewed cup had an earthy, almost sweet saw-dusty scent which was pleasing and beckoning.

The flavor's first initial nuance is a fruity note that suggests a bitterness that never actually materializes while the buttery attribute stands out as it finishes. Although it boasts a nutty tone I did not notice it as much as in the other two coffees and it seemed the more enjoyable for it.

This brew has a hearty body which allows the flavor to finish long and it is packed in a bright amber-brown color that hints emerald green at the edge.

From 1 to 10 I rate this coffee a 5.

The Necessity of Filtered Water

I spent a weekend at my in-laws and I finally bought a coffee maker for their home. For 10 years I have been going to the local McDonalds for my morning coffee whenever I spend the weekend. So me and my brother-in-law have been enjoying brewing our own pots of Maxwell House. Since I have been roasting my own coffee beans, Maxwell House has been anathema to me but since I was at the in-laws it would have to do.

I made the first pot and it was pretty blah and when I made the second I used more grounds and it was stronger but still not very tasty. However, my brother-in-law made a third pot and he used the filtered water from the Brita pitcher. I have to admit that it was actually quite flavorful. I have never used filtered water to make coffee before and now I am convinced that it is a necessity. I have read that distilled water is not good for making coffee but rather that filtered water was the suggested method. Of course, I am too lazy to wait for water to drip though the filter and so I have never used the suggested method. But from now on I will wait.

So, if you enjoy good tasting coffee it is a necessity to use filtered water, for filtered water makes even Maxwell House taste good.

Coffee Roasting Spectrum

As I talk about "roasting styles" I thought it might be helpful if I explained them a bit.
The image to the right shows all coffee beans begin as raw green beans. Coffee in this state can be shelved in a dark closet for up to two years before it begins to stale. In this raw state the coffee bean is the most stable.
Although the spectrum that a coffee bean will roast through is much more extensive than the chart to the right shows I feel this chart is simple enough for me as I roast by hand. If I had a computer controlled roasting apparatus I would be able to be more exacting but then where would the fun be? Once roasting has taken place the coffee bean destabilizes and the intrinsic flavor begin to degrade.
So the first stage of roasting produces a roast called City. This is a very light roast that will taste more like the raw bean portraying the intrinsic qualities given it by the environment in which it was grown. Although I prefer darker roasts I do like to experience each new bean at this stage in order to taste it as God made it.
The second stage of roasting produces what is called a Full-City roast. Sometime at this point begins what is called the "First Crack" where the moisture in the beans begin to expand the bean and escape. This is a very good roasting point for most beans as the sugars in the bean have just began to caramelize and the intrinsic flavor of the beans is still present but with a less than raw or grassy taste.
Once the "First Crack" has been accomplished a "Second Crack" occurs as the sugars in the beans begin to carbonize. This level of roasting produces the aroma and flavors of the most popular coffee roasts from Starbucks, Caribou, and now even McDonalds. At this level these mass producers do not need to worry about which type of bean they use because all intrinsic flavors have been roasted out of the beans and replaced with the burned taste. During this "Second Crack" the coffee beans pass through what is called the French and Espresso roasts respectively.
After the completion of the "Second Crack" their is nothing left to roast but the ashes. I have roasted beans (by accident) to this point and my wife said that it tasted like "camp fire in a cup". I had to agree.
Well these are the major categories that I use when I roast coffee. My standard roast is a Full-City roast, it takes all of 7-9 minutes on the fire and then another 4 hours to cool and cure.
Coffee tasting has as much to offer the enthusiast as does wine tasting so if you like to experience God's creation, and the world in which we live, get a bit of fresh roasted coffee and enjoy it for all of its wonderful glory.