Close

Use your votes now !

People, may I have your attention. YOUR COFFEE ROASTER NEEDS YOU! I’ll explain some more.

Some kind soul has put us forward for local hero of the year from UKTV’s UK Food channel. Now were not much for awards, yes there nice but this one really wet my appetite. It’s an award for people doing good things with food. For me the most interesting part is to try and get coffee thought about as a culinary item, and inform people it doesn’t have to taste nasty and bitter or drowned in milk but can taste and be a perfect accompaniment for great food.

So if you’ve been impressed with what we do there are two steps for you to follow. I’m happy if you just do number 1 but number two would be great as well. We will be so grateful if you take the time to do it.

Step 1

Go to the link here and click the vote now button. You will have to register, but this is a seriously big company and I can’t imagine they will be spammers. Vote and let us tell the world of how good speciality coffee.

Step 2

Leave a review. Tell everyone what you like about us, and why. Tell anything you like but the more of these we have the more chance we have of going through to the heats.

Step 3

Get all of your friend’s colleagues relative’s family members to vote too. We need your votes. Tell the world to vote for us………..please

Shock Stop the press

Ok, I’m going to say something deeply unpopular in current coffee circles, and really out of trend, but I don’t care, as its what I think. Espresso is not the be all and end all in the world of coffee. See I’ve done it. I’ll try and explain why I think this to give you a little in sight in to my murky mind.

Espresso is a brew preparation method that gives an intense, immediate view of a coffee or blend of coffees that is quick and uncomplicated. I find assessing an espresso fairly easy in comparison to evaluating any other brew method. Its there and its in your face. It’s a lazy way and uninspiring way to drink coffee for compared to filter. I also find it incredibly elitist (something I’m not a fan of). You need a fantastic grinder, top-notch machine, bottomless pockets and endless time chasing the perfect shot (which is never achievable). The preparation method takes over what is ultimately important, and that is to enjoy a cup of coffee for what it is, a beverage.

Reading a lot of other peoples opinions on the internet, and talking with influential people in the world of coffee, I’m starting to get ticked off that people are confusing coffee with espresso. One is the product one is a brewing method and need to be thought of in two separate ways. Coffee is bigger and more important than any thing else in this thing called coffee.

I sit here drinking a cup of Colombian grandma coffee fresh from my aerobie. I’ve just looked down at the mug and its empty. I’ve been so busy ranting that I didn’t realise I was drinking it, I didn’t rate it for its intrinsic quality’s or think this is a 7 balance, but you know I REALLY enjoyed it (I think, it could be a mixture of the coffee and ranting : )).

I think we are in danger (as an industry) of losing sight of what its all about, every where you look there is a barista competition and new machines and grinders, and people asking is this an espresso bean how would it work in a blend. I am getting the feeling that espresso is taking over the world. I know that a lot of the readers here will go “hell I just buy coffee”, but I also know there are some people who read this who influence coffee, and the direction its going in.

Now I’m not turning my back on espresso for ever and throwing away my espresso machine (in fact the opposite, I have an order in for a new espresso machines so I can sit at home with my spazio two group and enjoy espresso more at home). I’m also working on a new blend at the moment for the site, which is going to blow you all away. I have also agreed to work (read agreed as ripped his hand off) with the current UKBC on his competition blend for next year’s competition. But what I’m trying to say is enjoy coffee be it espresso, filter french press or a cheap jug that you let the grinds sink to the bottom. Don’t lose sight of it’s a drink to be sometimes evaluated, worked on, developed but ultimately enjoyed. This weekend turn of the espresso machine for one day and dust off the filter machine or the french press, and try something different and don’t evaluate it drink it and enjoy.

Fame at last

A good friend of mine, Blanco asked me if I’d mind answering a few questions for him for an interview for his blog. I am not sure why he thought it would be interesting to anyone but he is a friend so I obliged. It can be found here . I really enjoyed doing it, thanks Aaron, questions that made me think a little twas good.

More cup of excellence

Another week another cup of excellence auction. Would you believe me if I said there are only 7 of these a year. The past few weeks we have had four all on top of each other. This is the last of four and boy was it exiting. The longest I can remember an auction going on for and the highest spread of costs. Forget number one every one of the twenty-five farmers received over a lb straight I their pocket. I love it when this happens it great news all round. Take alook hereWe were lucky enough to be involved with lot 12 Viviano grown by Gutierrez Vasquez, Viviano. The interesting part is we are in shares with this with some Russian friends from Roster, so available here and in Moscow 

New coffees added today from the Colombian cup of excellence first auction this year. We did a post a few weeks ago CLICK HERE what we have all started refering to as granny coffee. I also was part of the jury for this one HERE

Bertha has had her farm for more than 50 years. She is a successful coffee producer and also a leader in her community. She has been a member of the Committee of coffee growers of the municipality of San Gil for many years. Her farm is a model for other producers, it is the place for training or educational meetings. She has planned the renewing process of the coffee trees gradually.

The farm is entirely technified. There is a great variety of shade trees. There is no contamination and they take good care of the environment. The farm is Rainforest Alliance certified as well, so she protects the source of fresh water properly for the welfare of the community.

The wet milling process is done under the ecological system, using the desmucilaginador. The fermentation takes less than 12 hours and the drying process is done in patios and in silos.

In the cup this coffee blew me away. As an international jury member for this competition I was lucky enough to cup it a number of times before the auction, and each time I got a really creamy cup full of butter, and fruit like sweetness, like biting into a blood orange but without the acidity.

I also got to meet this fantastic lady the day of the presentation of the awards. Very smartly dressed she looked just like my Grandma on a Sunday before church. So from now on this will be known as Grandma’s coffee. Oh yes and not the only company to bring a lot from this auction to the UK, as always we believe good coffee should be rewarded with a good price for the farmer, and we are never afraid to pay what others see as a high price in these auctions. We think it’s a bargain.

Guatemalan cup of excellence

I phoned a friend today, and he asked what I was doing, I had 25 samples from the Guatemalan cup of excellence to taste, what are you doing I ask? I’m sitting in my garden enjoying the warn weather. I’d still rather do what I’m doing the coffee’s are HUGE, and its going to be a very interesting auction. There are no less than 5 coffee’s I’d be very happy to have in the catalogue (oh go on I’d love any of the 25 but I really like 5 of them.)I was pleased when I saw Guatemala come back on board with the cup of excellence, after this cupping I’m ecstatic.

Can Jim come out to Play?

I managed to escape the roastery this afternoon, to play with jimseven (James Hoffman) at La Spaziale UK’s HQ. The Reason, a chance to play with a new commercial espressos machine which the heads can be set at different temperatures. Not that useful for most settings but as a machine to work on blends I think it has many applications in the coffee roastery.The ability to run side by side shots at different brew temps has obvious advantages when developing a blend, and working out its temperature tolerance.

Although not what I expected and all it could have been, a fantastic tool that I hope I will be taking delivery of one very soon :).

Big thank you to Steve and James for their hospitality.