New Green Decafs - Burundi Feature

Burundi farmers near the Buhorwa washing station

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Sept. 27, 2012 - BURUNDI DECAF

Smart roasters know -- great decaf green coffees are fresh decaf green coffees. Be sure to get yours by contacting Artisan Coffee Imports or other importers we know are offering fully transparent decaf coffee: Crop to Cup, Caravela and Invalsa Coffee, for example.

Available now through Artisan Coffee are decaf Colombia (AA) and  decaf Burundi. Both offer great taste and exceptional transparency. And knowledge about a decaf coffee's origins (all the way to the cooperative level) is exceptionally difficult to find.

Unloading Burundi coffee at Continental in NJ

The Burundi decaf coffee is from the Buhorwa washing station, which includes cooperatives like Bukeye. It landed in the U.S.(NJ) in April (imported by Crop to Cup) and was decaffeinated on July 4 (truly! Independence Day in the US, but not in Canada where it was decaffeinated!)

In the cup:
Aroma is chocolatey with raisins.  Flavor hits you full on with the nuttiness and toasted bread taste, with a bit of sweet berry jam thrown in. Acidity is acceptable for a decaf -- won't blow you away. (At least it's there for NOW, because it's fresh. Don't wait 6 months, or even 2 months to buy this folks.) What I like best -- no metallic aftertaste.

Decaf Process:
Decaffeination was done at Qusac near Montreal, Quebec. This eco-friendly decaffeination process offers the DFE (Designed For the Environment) process, which uses solvents in the most sustainable ways possible.

photo credit this blog entry: Crop To Cup

San Francisco Roaster/Cafe Tour

Ted Stachura - Equator Coffee

June 14-19, 2012
Had the opportunity to visit and taste some great roasters while in San Francisco, June 14 - 19. Started off at Equator Coffee in beautiful San Marin county. They have just brought on a wonderful decaf Colombian from Los Cauchos cooperative in the state of Huila, Colombia. (Buy the roasted coffee here.) We happen to know the green coffee was sourced by Artisan Coffee Imports.  Equator is offering another single origin decaf with transparency -- decaf Bolivia San Ignacio Organic. TWO decaf coffees with direct trade transparency from one roaster. Talk about being on the cutting edge! (Intelligentsia, Stumptown, you're lagging.)

Eileen Hassi - Ritual Coffee - Valencia St.

In downtown San Francisco proper, it was a pure delight to tour some of the city's finest cafes on a warm, sunnny (not drop of rain in sight!) Saturday. First stop, Ritual, in the Mission District. Enjoyed the ambiance from the first step in the door. First rate baristas helped me with my order and it was fun to see Eileen Hassi and some of her dedicated and long-term staff at work installing the latest and greatest custom-designed and fabricated pour-over bar. (See photo inset and more in our Flicker photostream). Like Equator, their decaf espresso is from Colombia's state of Huila. Possibly a different lot than Equator's, but still the Los Cauchos cooperative.

Next, Sightglass Cafe. This is a very new cafe bristling with excitement, I thought. The double-loft, cavernous space has the roaster positioned prominently and centrally -- even in front of the espresso bar as you walk in! Ordered an iced coffee here, as the temperatures were in the high 80's and possibly 90 inside the store (no air-conditioning).  The barista had a bit of trouble tracking down the origin of the decaf espresso, but eventually discovered it was a blend of two coffees from Colombia. One from Huila and the other from Tolima. Visit or call Artisan Coffee Imports to learn more about the sourcing of these direct trade coffees from Colombia. In order to complete the sauna effect, I sat on the 2nd floor mezzanine where it was almost 100 degrees and I got to stare straight at the taxidermy owl that watches over the place (and is the namesake for the "Owl's Howl" espresso.)

Last stop was Four Barrel Coffee, Mission District again. Again -- no air conditioning, so another iced coffee for me. This time the Bolivian was on tap! Amazing -- among four top roasters in San Francisco, only two origins were to be found among the decafs -- the Colombian - Los Cauchos cooperative (Sightglass, Equator, Ritual) and the Bolivian San Ignacio cooperative (Four Barrel, Equator).

Four Barrel's unique bar features a REAL turntable and racks of LPs.

Great chatting with the Four Barrel roaster,Ryan, about trouble-shooting my roast profile for sample roasting decafs.

Decaf Ethiopian on the Cupping Table

Cupping class participants.

May 11, 2012 - Day 2 of the Michigan Coffee Conference
On Day 2 of the Michigan Coffee Conference I assisted the instructors of the cupping class, Allen Leibowitz, Zingerman's Coffee, and Sally Rivera, Cafe Imports. They had lined up 7 fine coffees for the the classes that day. We labeled each with the origin: 2 Colombian, 1 Nicaragua, 1 Sumatra, 1 Ethiopia, 1 Kenya and 1 Brazil. But there was still an element of blind cupping -- "there are 2 surprises on the table" they hinted.

Turns out the Ethiopia was a decaf and one of the Colombians was a $24/lb (green) geisha grown in Colombia. Unfortunately, the decaf Ethiopia distinguished itself in the cup has "going flat" very quickly, disappointing after it's bright fragrance and initially satisfying flavor of nuts and berries. The geisha went off the charts in the other direction. It was off the charts in juicy berries and apples, mixed with chocolate and nutty toast with a bold, rich body and finish. All in all the coffees were a great way to teach cuppers about the unique qualities of different origins and at the same time, see how cupping really highlights the best and worst of any coffee.

Michigan Coffee Conference in Ann Arbor

May 10 and 11, 2012

Cupping lab instructors: Allen Leibowitz and Sally Rivera

"Altogether it was an amazing opportunity for education and networking," said Andy Rottier, of Rowster Coffee in Grand Rapids, who was one of the attendees at the 2nd Michigan Coffee Conference in Ann Arbor, MI. The conference was organized by Coffee Express of Plymouth, MI, and a host of other sponsors. Over 60 professionals gathered from around the state for training, certifications, presentations and a whole lot of fun! It all took place at Pierpont Commons on the University of Michigan campus with attendees registering from all around the state. The day and a half event started on a Thursday afternoon with a sequence of lectures on topics such as marketing tips from Whole Foods Marketing Manager, Bridget Isaia, Chicago, the impact Fair Trade has on the economy and livelihood of coffee growers, presented by Chisara Ehiemere, to insights on the finest teas from Howard Davis, Harney and Sons Teas, New York. 

The group then gathered for a catered dinner in the Duderstadt Center with music from a live jazz band, and then everyone moved to the 3rd annual Motown Throwdown, sponsored by DaVinci (Kerry). Each contestant had to create a signature drink including one of DaVinci's syrups.  

The all day program Friday, May 11th, included cupping and espresso classes, along with drip brewing presentations. Cupping instructors were Sally Rivera, Sales Manager at Cafe Imports and Allen Leibowitz, partner at Zingerman's Coffee Company (who also serves on the SCAA's Instructional Development Committee and is on the executive board of the Roasters Guild). Trevor Corlett, Madcap Coffee, ran the espresso and latte art workshops. He also presided over a BGA certification exam.  Trevor sits on the board of the Barista Guild.  Jim Saborio, Comet Coffee, weighed in on what influences hand-poured drip, and Dean Anderson of Curtis explained what goes into auto-drip equipment.

 

West Coast Cafes -- Stumptown's Decaf

Cupping @ Stumptown during SCAA

April 19, 2012
It was drizzling rain as I scooted out the door of the trolley-like train that had brought me into downtown Portland from the convention center this Friday morning. "Very appropriate," I thought, as I wound my way on the outskirts of Chinatown to third street. "I'm finally in Portland, OR, going to Stumptown's cafe and it's a perfect Portland rainy morning."

Inside the non-pretentious building the atmosphere was warm, welcoming and spacious. With high ceilings, and a long coffee bar, the cafe had the feeling of a large atrium. Near the back, the staff had set up a great selection of bourbons from 3 different continents for cupping. As I got started, other guests arrived for the cupping. A couple that had just opened a cafe near San Diego, and veteran roaster from Colorado who had been on the road for 8 weeks or so. Portland was just his latest stop.

The Stumptown staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. When I talked with the head trainer about decaf coffees, he generously pulled one of their bags off the shelf and gave it to me. "Cup it at home," he suggested.

Single Origin Decaf Cupping

Sunday, April 22

Cuppers at the "labeled" table

The Single Origin Decaf Cupping hosted by my company, Artisan Coffee Imports, took place Sunday morning in a traditional conference room. (No tents or other adventures in a park!)  We had lower than expected attendance -- could it be that the very warm and clear night (after days of rain) kept most attendees out much later than originally planned? Very, very likely, I think!

Cupping the "blind" table

Nate Palmer - BJ's Coffee

Anyhow as the Germans say, the event was "klein aber fein" -- in other words small but high quality with about 8 guest cuppers. We cupped Bolivian, Ethiopian, Colombian and Sumatran coffees -- both the regular and the decaf. One table had the coffees labeled, the other was blind. I was surprised how difficult it was for me to pick out which was which on the blind table (I think I got < 50%). One of the Q-Grader cuppers who came said he was surprised by how little difference there was between the regular and the decaf versions of each offering.

Ethiopian Cupping Caravan in Portland

Willem Boot at the Ethiopian Cupping Caravan

Fri. and Sat., April 20 and 21
I've always been a fan of the innovative projects Boot Coffee pulls together. So this year I just volunteered my time to help with whatever they were doing -- this worked great. It gave me an up-close and behind-the-scenes view of Boot's very innovative Ethiopian Cupping Caravan. A few years ago this was innovative just for its format of bringing together N. American roasters directly with Ethiopian producers with SCAA certified cupping.

THIS year, Boot the Ethiopian trip took place in Feb. 2012 (click here for a great video). The best 30-40 coffees were selected by the cuppers and brought to Portland for many more cuppers to enjoy. To maintain some of the atmosphere and character of the caravan, the cuppings were held outdoors under a tent! So I was helping to set up all the gear that is used in Ethiopia (Coleman stoves, folding tables set with grinders, and stacks and stacks of glasses packed in cardboard.)

Pedi-cabs brought participants

Set-up time with Daniel Humphries

Cupping in the Park - totally Portland!

Participants in the cupping were brought to Holladay Park by Pedi-cab (taxis on bicycles) and Willem Boot or Daniel Humphries would introduce the event and the coffees. 3 cuppings on Friday and 5 cuppings on Saturday were held, each with 16- 20 participants.