I hope you enjoy

Kenya’s coffee auction system dates back to 1934. The auctions still take place at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and are widely considered to be most transparent distribution system for fine green coffees anywhere in the coffee world and inspired the model for the Cup of Excellence auctions.
 
Coffee growing was introduced in Kenya by the British around 1900. In the 1950, several extremely successful hybrids from Scott Laboratories were introduced and these have largely replaced the original French Bourbon stock which had been brought to Kenya from neighbouring Ethiopia. The most well-known are SL28 and SL34 and are Bourbon varieties and lend Kenya the distinctive big body and winy blackcurrant notes for which it is famed.
 
Following independence from the British in 1963, Kenya organised their coffee industry around a weekly government-run open auction system. This transparent system is establishing a pricing hierarchy based on quality with finer lots fetching higher prices. There is now increasing competition for the better-known estates and co-ops and particularly for the AA grade beans. The grades are simply a measure of bean size, not of defect tolerance. AA is screen 17/18; AB is screen 15/16 with a tolerance for 10% below screen 15.
 
Ahead of each auction, samples of each lot are distributed to the 50 or so licensed exporters – or ‘members’ – of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange where they are cupped and sent on also to their customers. In this way, Mercanta receives samples for cupping in our laboratory. We then instruct our exporter on our preferred lots. An agent then bids on behalf of the exporter at the auction to secure the necessary lots.
 
Since late 2006, some of the restrictions governing the compulsory auction platform have been relaxed. Farmers maintained that the auction system encourages the existence of a long chain of middlemen who eroded the farmers’ income. Supporters of the auction, however, claimed that the auction promoted a price discovery mechanism. The government has licensed 32 independent marketing agents who are now permitted to sell directly to foreign green coffee buyers and bypass the auction system and trade on the open market. Until then, all Kenyan coffee at the auction had been sold through three marketing agents who demanded a fee from the grower for their services. These new licensees were required to fulfill certain criteria before being awarded their license including storage standards, safety and a bank guarantee to ensure farmers are paid.
 
Today, in 2008, many of the small farmers have yet to find path to the international market though this situation is changing steadily. The auction system, however, continues to run in parallel and is open to all producers.
 
Finally, we should point out that when buying through the auction system, it can be difficult to gather detailed information on the precise provenance of the coffee. We have visited some of the estates that we know well, such as Gethumbwini, but it is not always possible to achieve complete traceability on all lots. Again, this situation is changing as the market in Kenya – both through the auction and the new licensed marketing agents – adapts to the needs and demands of the specialty coffee roaster and their customers.

So I’ve been asked for a while about twitter and who the people you should follow. 

So I made one full of friends and hero’s in the industry (in many cases both) but I think it makes up a great list. Of course I didn’t include my wonderful self (j/k) but you can still follow me @hasbean or http://www.twitter.com/hasbean

This is in no way a comprehensive list and I may re visit it once this is thrown out there. Also feel free to use the comments to make suggestions for the folks I’ve missed. If I have missed you I am very sorry, please still like me and comment with your twitter name and link below. A twitter directory if you will.

So in no particular order

James Hoffmann
@jimseven
http://twitter.com/Jimseven

King of the coffee bloggers of course is going to be on Twitter. The 2007 world barista champion is as articulate as they come and as charismatic and delightful to boot.

Has a new trick of being a bit of a shock jock on occasions, but I prefer the nice James who lives there most of the time. Has a great knack of making you re think something you thought you already knew, some times with great effect, others confirming you ideas, but always interesting.

Mark Prince
@coffeegeek
http://twitter.com/CoffeeGeek

The head geek of www.coffeegeek.com, Mark isn’t afraid of saying something controversial or shocking, and is always ready for a fight. But his insightful view of the coffee market in Canada and the US is fascinating and thought provoking. You should follow Mark, as I’ve warmed so much more since I’ve seen the personal side of him.

Mark is the godfather of the coffeeforum, and no one has done more for the specialty coffee industry across the world who doesn’t actually work in coffee. 

David Walsh
@otherblackstuff
http://twitter.com/otherblackstuff

Top home barista and now the Irish cupping champion, David was @dublinbarista mentor / coach at the World Barista championships in Atlanta where Colin finished 4th.

David is insightful, knowledgeable and quite often to the point. Not one of his 140 characters are wasted, and fools are not suffered. But an amazing guy just take a look at his blog www.theotherblackstuff.ie to see what I mean.

Colin Harmon
@dublinbarista
http://twitter.com/Dublinbarista

OK, OK disclaimer that Colin is my friend, but even if he wasn’t he would still make this list. Colin came from no where to 4th in the 2009 world barista championships, and since then has been very loud and has certainly arrived. My co host on Tamper Tantrum he has spent the past 6 months since winning the Irish Barista championships touring the world growing his knowledge, Most people follow him just to know where he is in the world at any one time. Now he has the shop I hope he continues to use both accounts

Ben Helfen
@Benexhale
http://twitter.com/benexhale

Ben is a Barista trainer in Atlanta at the world famous Octane. Winner if the 2008 Millrock Latte Art Competition, and all round VERY nice man. Ben virtually arranged the after show parties single handily in SCAA and WBC Atlanta 2009, and made the experience very special for many people.

Ben’s twitters are also a great insight to the man, but also insightful to the world of coffee, if Ben doesn’t know them they are not worth knowing. We can even let him off for being an Arsenal fan.

Mike White
@mike_White
http://twitter.com/mike_White

Mike White of Gimmie coffee New york (NYC regional manager). Mikes been a prolific blogger for a number of years, and is again in the middle of the coffee world, some of the best Re Tweets in the business. Very US based but a great way to keep up with whats going on over the pond, also one of the best ever Barista Magazine front covers

Emilly Oak
@em_oak
http://twitter.com/Em_Oak

My favorite Aussie, Emily is head green buyer for AIR (Australian Independent Roasters) is Sydney. Emily is also a board member for the World Barista Championship committee, and instrumental on getting the word out about the competition either with live streaming or making sure everyone knows whats happening at competition.

Emily also has her finger on the pulse of the Ausie scene, a must addition to your twitter list.

Gwilym Davies
@Prufrockcoffee
http://twitter.com/prufrockcoffee

the current world barista chap is not a regular poster, but a must follow as he is not only the current WBC champ but the nicest guy in coffee. Also one of the most colourful and complicated people in coffee a must follow 

Tim Varney
@tcvarney
http://twitter.com/tcvarney

An exiled Ausie who lived in London now lives in Norway. If that can not bring you some story’s and a little confusion then I don’t know what will. Tim is the roaster for Tim Wendlebow coffee in Oslo. A talented roaster, an opinionated and charismatic guy, and just very very interesting.

Nick Cho
@nickcho
http://twitter.com/NickCho

I guess another disclaimer that I’m one of nick Cho’s biggest fans here would be a good start.

Scraping in, not because of his quality posts, but because a late entry to the twitter world. His irresistible charm and insight means he is in.

His style from his famous podcasts ( http://www.portafilter.net ) and his sometimes brash opinionated style may turn some off, but some how the lovable Nick comes across in his tweets.

I love keeping up to date with the story and the random shock jock post. Long live the Cho!!!!

I love doing these posts, I’m worried I’m running out of ones to do. If there is one you would like me to do in particular please let me know through the normal channels.

Varietal: Caturra
Related to: Red Bourbon
Origin: Brazil
Grows best at: 800meters or above
Type: Mutant (bourbon)
Prevalent in: Brazil /Costa Rica /Colombia
Predominant Colour: Red
Fruit size: Normal
Leaf Characteristics: Wide Like Bourbon stumpy
Botany: Mutant

Special Notes:

Originating in Brazil but not found so much there now, this is a mutant from the popular Bourbon varietal. Like Bourbon it shares many of its negative aspects, its not very pest resistant and can be difficult to grow. Its one big plus is its higher yield than Bourbon (over 200kg per hector).

Its other bonus is that it can be used as a high density planting areas, as much as 10,000 plants per hector (normally around 6,000 though) and as little as 1mtr apart.

Its also a dwarf varietal so is easier for picking etc.

Typical cup characteristics are low body, bright, with a typically sweet profile.

Links: mutation of Bourbon links to Vili Sarchi and Pacas

Examples: Nicaragua Los Altos,Colombia La Manuela 2009-2010 Crop,Guatemala Finca Vista Hermosa SHB Huehuetenango Michicoy Micro Lot,Bolivia Machacamarca BV Maria and Mario Andrade 2009

The first part of the process to produce any blend takes place in the mind and on paper. Before any coffee is tasted or anything is brewed, it is crucial to have some aims and objectives for the coffee. These can be diverse aspirations or simply seeking specific flavours within the blend. There is also the basic question of what proportion of acidity, sweetness and body is required. Next, with these answers in mind, it’s time for me to think about the Has Bean coffee inventory, and this is where I feel we have an advantage over many. We taste and cup lots of coffees, and have numerous beans available to us at any given time. I like to think we always have all the bases covered in terms of options and diversity.

To create a blend it is necessary think of individual beans, how they might compliment each other and what they can bring to the blend, primarily in terms of taste, but also in respect of mouthfeel, viscosity, aroma and complexity of flavours. Putting a complex, busy coffee in a blend alongside a wallflower of a bean may not be good, though two complex coffees can also just end up as a car crash of flavours.

I like to use no more than four beans in a blend, with a heavy learn towards having just two or three. Any more in the mix can make it too complicated and reduce the chances of actually achieving what is being sought for the blend.

It is important to think about the ‘glue’ that will hold the coffees in the blend together. We have a range of key coffees that I like to use as this ‘glue’, with some of my favourites being Guatemala El Bosque, Bolivia Machacarmarca, Brazil Cachoeira, El Salvador La Fany and Nicaragua Limoncillo.

I utilise these coffees for a number of reasons, the first, but not necessarily the most important, being availability. If a main component coffee is in very short supply it leads to constant chopping and changing of the blend recipe. I like consistency in a blend and I know lots of baristas appreciate this too.

Secondly, these coffees hold up very well and remain extremely consistent over a whole season. So even when they are moving towards becoming ‘past crop’, the stage when they are not actually yet the previous crop but the transition period when the new season crop starts to arrive, all of those mentioned remain tasty and as consistent as a fresh crop. When these coffees arrive at Has Bean, we can rely on the certainty that the exporters and farmers have given them adequate resting time in order that they are calm and ready to drink straight away. It may surprise you that this isn’t always the case with every coffee that arrives, with some having to be rested longer before they can be used.

It happens that these key coffees are also amongst some of my all time favourites. Each would make it into my top ten coffees. This leads us nicely into the third reason that these coffees are often found in Has Bean Blends. They are balanced, they have sweetness, they have acidity, and they have body. They are also all incredibly tasty. This is why they act as glue to hold the other components of the blend together. They act as a bridge across the spectrum of flavours present in the blend.

The blender also needs to find the personality of the coffee. This comes from the original brief, the pen and paper stage. A shortlist is drawn up of coffees that will work together and bring the desired components to the cup.

Another thing must be considered that will dictate the shortlist; the machine that the coffee will be brewed upon. The same coffee produced on diverse machines can often, though not always, vary greatly in flavour. Therefore, a blend for a Hydra Synesso in a commercial setting, for instance, will be very different to another intended for a Baby Gaggia in the home.

Temperature stability, or the lack of it, from machines is often not considered. The skills of the barista are also frequently forgotten at the blending stage, but these factors are crucial if the blend is to be tasty just about every time it is poured. For example, I rarely use (or would at least not do so without a warning) a high acidity coffee in a blend intended for home users, as many machines in this sector struggle to produce a constant temperature and acidic coffees made on them often present sour or metallic like mouthfeel. At the other end of the scale, I find a coffee with a big body will give a more forgiving base to build a blend upon.

There are many of these broad brush rules because, as we all know, one size does not fit all. Having said that, they can often be broken with good effect, it’s just worth keeping them in mind whilst blending.

So let’s go through the formation of a blend to explain the theory. I’ll use the brand new Espresso Blend that we have just launched as the case study.

Brief:

So the brief for this one was of course to be tasty, and to be very forgiving with temperatures, extraction time and extraction pressures. This would be used on many diverse machines in numerous homes by some people who are not professional baristas. Sweetness is a major player, chocolate caramel with a tight but not overt acidity, a healthy body, and it should cut through milk.

The Selection for the cupping table was broken into three things that I was looking for as components; body, acidity and sweetness, plus something to tie them all together.

Sweetness:

Bolivian Machacarmarca: Sweet, balanced, tight controlled acidity, spice body.
Brazil Rancho: Thick mouthfeel of caramel, chocolate, slightest hint of acidity, vanilla.

Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Canario: Elegant, clean, sweet, mellow, creamy, dark chocolate.

Body:

Sumatra Raja Batak: Heavy body, syrupy flavour, spicy, tones of dark chocolate.

Sumatra Wahana Natural: Herby, black pepper, over-ripe apples, big body.

El Salvador Los Amates: Sweet, great mouthfeel, lovely espresso, spicy, blackberry, dark chocolate.

Acidity:

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe: Mushroom, earthy, jasmine, light and bright.

Ethiopia Zege: Clean, transparent, lemons, floral, jasmine.

Nicaraguan Limoncillo: Toffee apple, sweet, caramel, green apple, body.

Glue/Multi-talented coffee:

El Salvador La Ilusion: Balance, fruit salad, winey, rich, sweet aftertaste.

El Salvador La Fany: Sweet, caramel, creamy, great mouthfeel, great espresso.

Guatemala El Bosque: Milk chocolate, grape, apple, cherry, spice.

From the table the coffees that stood out and I thought would tie well together were:

Sweetness – I decided that I would go for the Bolivian Machacarmarca for the sweetness, with its balance and tight controlled acidity, spice, smooth controlled and big body.

Acidity – I didn’t what high acidity as the body (as you will see) wasn’t going to be the normal big body one might expect, so the need for something bright was not so necessary. I decided to go for El Salvador La Ilusion, an all-rounder that brings many of the components into one. This holds everything together in the blend. An expensive choice, but one I felt would bring so much to this blend and give it a real backbone.

Body – For the body, I decided that the component we had so far were enough so I would reach for something to tie the other two together. I decided on Guatemala El Bosque with its milk chocolate sweetness and grape, apple, cherry, acidity with a spicy body in the background.

Now what came from the final outcome was a second consideration that I had not to that point thought much about (though it should be included in the stages of espresso blending); the final cost of the blend. With our current blend at £3.30 and the average price of the three chosen coffees at over £6, the cost would make it not possible for retail.

So, in order to bring down the price, I decided to remove the El Salvador La Ilusion and swap it with the Nicaraguan Limoncillo. They share many common properties with an elegant controlled acidity, sweetness, body and are equally delicious. I felt we were not lowering the quality, just adjusting affordability for the real coffee world. Maybe one day I’ll offer the original blend as a special one-off for people to try side by side with the amended version. I also felt that it would aid the body too.

I then took this blend as equal thirds mixed and tried it as an espresso. This was the first time it was tasted as an espresso.

Although I could tell there was a delicious blend coming together, it was not quite ready and the balance needed to be addressed. The ratio of thirds rarely works but I find it’s the best place to start tasting espresso. The initial espresso was a bit too bright and a little low on sweetness (which was crazy with the three sweet coffees it contained), so a tweak of the mix was necessary.

Version two consisted of 40% Bolivian Machacarmarca, 40 % Nicaraguan Limoncillo and 20% Guatemalan El Bosque. The sweetness was bigger, the body bigger, and the acidity more controlled.

The next stage of testing was to try the prospective blend in milk, pulled long, pulled short, ristretto, macchiato, etc. It passed all those tests with flying colours and a new blend was born!

So there you have it. That is how the latest incarnation of our Espresso Blend was devised. However, the method is not set in stone. There is not a set of hard and fast rules and often blends can be born out of experiments going well, surprises, or even mistakes that prove delicious.

I hope you found this little insight into blending at Has Bean interesting. As always, I welcome your questions and comments.

Varietal: Bourbon

Related to: Heirloom

Origin: Bourbon Island

Grows best at: 800meters or above

Type: Heirloom

Prevalent in: All over the coffee growing world

Predominant Colour: Red yellow and orange but mainly red

Fruit size: Normal rounded

Leaf Characteristics: Wide Like and short

Botany: Heirloom

Special Notes:

Originating maybe on the Bourbon island or maybe Ethiopia, this varietal finds its way in to many sub varietals. At risk of pest and disease, and yield wise is decidedly average, but the cup profile tends to be anything but.

There is some evidence that the yellow bourbon gives a higher yield compared to its red and orange derivatives, although red it the most prevalent.

With very close links to SL28 and Typica and Cattura, bourbon because of its low yield in the right environment tends to produce a very high quality cup (there is evidence that the lower the yield the higher the quality as the plant can use its energy more efficiently). I don’t think it is a coincidence that my top three coffees of all time have been from the bourbon varietal.

Typical cup characteristics are low body, balanced, with a typically sweet profile that tends to lend it self well to espresso based coffees.

Links: SL 28, Typica, Cattura

Examples: Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Bourbon,El Salvador Finca La Fany Bourbon, Rwanda Murambi Bourbon, El Salvador La Ilusion Bourbon

Varietal:Geisha (or gesha)

Origin:Ethiopia

Grows Best at:post 1500 masl

Type:Heirloom

Prevalent in:Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Panama

Predominant Colour:Red

Fruit size:Standard

Leaf Characteristics:Elongated thin and long

Plant Characteristics: Tall thin, elongated leaves

Geisha is a controversial varietal when found in central america that is for sure. Extremely rare at the moment although expect to see lots in the coming years. Made famous around five years ago by panama Hasienda La Esmerelda. and the best of panama competition.

Little known it was originally introduced to central america in Costa Rica (1953 est) not Panama as many think. Originally from a south western Ethiopian town of Gesha its an heirloom varietal, that is low yeilding, thin and spindly branches open to strong winds, and pest friendly as they come (although resistant to coffee rust). The leaves are very long and thin too and grows very tall (if not a little gangly).

Can grow and many altitudes, but anecdotal evidence shows this only shines at real big elevation (post 1500 masl) lower altitude coffee tends to be of poorer quality than those from higher up.

Although esteemed in coffee circles the fact its a geisha is no guarantee of quality although when it is right it has potential to be amazing.

Special Notes:An example of this can be found in the Costa Rica La Candelilla Tarrazú 100% Geisha El Quemado lot

Varietal:Rasuna

Related to:Catimor and tipica

Origin:Indonesia

Grows Best at:1100-1300 masl

Type:Hybred

Prevalent in:Indonesia

Predominant Colour:Red

Fruit size:Standard

Leaf Characteristics:Elongated Leaves

Plant Characteristics: Medium tall tree, small elongated leaves

The Rasuna variety derives from the cross of Catimor and Tipica varietal’s.

This is a new variety being planted in Sumatra around the Takengon area.
In Sumatra there has been a push towards Catimor for its high yeilds, but it been noted to have a short production life of around 10 years, after this time has passed, yields get dramatically lower over a short
period.

Another varietal used has been Typica, but this is a low yielded variety in Sumatra but has a much longer production life compared to Catimor before its yiled drops off.

So the obvious solution was to combine the two which they did and here it is, Rasuna

Special Notes:An example of this can be found in the Sidikalang we offer this year.

Links:Catimor and Tipica

Varietal: Icatu

Related to: C.arabica and c. canephora

Origin: Brazil

Grows best at: 800ft and higher

Type: Hybred

Prevalent in: Brazil

Predominant Colour: Red and Yellow

Fruit size: Large

Leaf Characteristic’s: No noticeable traits

Plant Characteristic’s: Tall plant

Special Notes:

Only when I started to dig into this varietal did I find how widespread it is. With DNA in Iapar 59 and others, this relatively young varietal came to the forefront in 1985 in Brazil (again), but was officially released in 1993.

There are lots of sub varietals around icatu, most of them just sub variations. These hybrids are the result of repeated backcrossing of arabica with robusta hybrids to arabica cultivars with Mundo Novo and Caturra, and is by far the most complicated of the varietals I’ve looked at so far.

It has a strong resistance to leaf rust, and rootknot neratodes.
A relatively young varietal its true potential as a specialty coffee has yet to be accessed but its pest resistance and it success in brazil’s COE competition (our Brazil Rancho Sao Benedito from the 2008 competition a great example) show positive signs. In the cup too

Typical characteristics: Low acidity, medium to full body, sweet dark chocolate taste with a hint of citric aroma.

Links: Mundo Novo

I’m so enjoying putting these together its very cool indeed.

Varietal: Typica (also known as Criolla, Sumatra, Blawan Pasumah and Blue Mountain)

Related to: n/a

Origin: Central America

Grows best at: Higher Altitudes

Type: n/a

Prevalent in: Central America

Predominant Colour: Red

Fruit size: Large elongated cherries

Leaf Characteristics: Small elongated leaves

Botany: Natural Hybred

Special Notes:

My search for information on Criolla brought me to typica. Typica is grown throughout Central America Jamaica and some Indonesian islands. The plant has large elongated cherries, with the tree producing thin leaves that are long in appearance.

It grows best in sandy soils and mixed reports of its hardiness to pest and disease. Its yield is quite low. The famous Jamaican blue mountain is from the typical varietal.

Criolla (the Bolivian Machacamarca and the Café David) is another name for typica. Basically Typica is also known as Criollo in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. This variety was introduced 100 years ago in the Piura Andes of Peru, because of its like of high altitudes. My experience of Typica and altitude has given some great results

Coffee that are typical on has bean, Bolivian Machacamarca, Bolivian Café David, Jamaica Blue mountain, El Salvador La Ilusion, some fairly acclaimed coffee.

Varietal: Maracatu (also known as Maracaturra)
Related to: Maragogype & Caturra
Origin: Brazil
Grows best at: 800metres or higher
Type: Highbred
Prevalent in: Brazil
Predominant Colour: Red
Fruit size: Large
Leaf Charicteristics: Large Leaf

Special Notes:

Also known as Maracaturra this is a mutant of of Maragogype and Caturra. Very distinctive large leaves large fruit and flowers. Found in Central America predominantly (exclusively in my experience) El Salvador, Nicaragua, Brazil and Mexico being some.
Typical taste profile is bright acidity which is very complex, which is bright fruity, and well developed.

Links:Maragogype, Cattura, Pacamaras