We have successfully completed another buying trip in Nicaragua and this year we have done something a little different.   We are still working with Erwin Miersch and his family who have farms in both Jinotega and Matagalpa, but for the first time we aren’t focusing on just a single lot of coffee.  Instead we wanted to taste coffees and approach this up coming year with a variety of Estates, processes and varietals.  This is going to be a fun & exciting year filled with selection.

It is always rewarding when you visit a farm you have a relationship with and notice improvements in their processing.  This year the Miersch family has been very busy re-doing all of their wet mills (which are located on every farm, 7 in total) with custom made de-pulping machines.  These machines are very similar to the “Colombian” style de-pulpers which use 1/40^th the amount of water of traditional wet milling equipment.  This is obviously great, but the best part about them to me is the ability to customize the amount of mucilage you leave on the beans when doing Honey Prep (yellow or red), also known as Pulped Naturals.

As soon as we saw the honey coffee drying in the sun at the Don Esteban dry mill in Matagalpa you could see the difference.   Thick mucilage was on the beans, which gave a red look to them (Red Honey prep).   We have purchased this coffee in the past, and chose to again this year.  The sugars found in this type of mucilage create a sweet full body which you will notice when tasting this coffee.

The other big change I noticed was an improvement in the dry-mill.  A new addition of a color scanner which aids in removing any beans that are damaged or off colored.  This is used together with a screening system, an Oliver density sorter as well as hand sorting tables.

After 4 days in Nicaragua we are coming away with stronger relationships as well as 4 new lots of coffee we will be offering you.  This June we will have a:

1. 100% Caturra Honey Prep from Los Placeres
2. Fully washed Caturra from Mama Mina Estate
3. Fully washed Red Pacamara from Limoncillo Estate
4. Full Natural Java also from Limoncillo Estate.

I guarantee you this are going to knock your socks off!  To view more photos of this trip, click here.

We are going to be tasting 13 different varieties of African’s from 5 different countries:

• 4 x Ethiopians
• 4 x Tanazanias
• 3 x Burundis
• 1 x Rwanda
• 1 x Kenya

I hope that many of you can make it as we are sure to discover some amazing flavors.  Our office is located at:

4021 – 9th Street SE in Calgary.

If you have not come out to one of our last cupping sessions this is a great way to learn about the distinctions amoung different coffee regions. You don’t have to be an expert to join us, just an interest in learning about some great coffee!

Here are the coffees we will be cupping on Feb 10th at 1:30

Guatemalan Montecristo, Single Estate, Rainforest Alliance, Direct Trade

• Cupping Score: 88.5
• Varietal: 100% Bourbon
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried

Nicaraguan Finca Limoncillo, Single Estate, Direct Trade

• Cupping Score: 88.00
• Varietal: 25% Bourbon, 20% Caturra, 15% Java
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried

Panama Hacienda la Esmeralda – Diamond Mountain, Single Estate, RFA

• Cupping Score: 89.50
• Varietal: A blend of Typica, Bourbon and Catuai
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried

Colombian Tolima Tierra, Direct Trade

• Cupping Score: 89.0
• Varietal: 70% Caturra & 30 % Colombia
• Processing: European Prep – Fully Washed / Sun Dried

Bolivian Caranavi Villa Oriente, Organic Fair Trade

• Cupping Score: 86.00
• Varieties: Typica (80%), Catuai (both red and yellow) and 20 % Caturra
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried

Brazil Sete Cachoeiras, Single Estate, Rainforest Alliance, Direct Trade

• Cupping Score: 87.00
• Varietal: Blend of Mundo Novo, Acaia & Catuai
• Processing: Passa / Natural

Sumatra Tabu Jamu

• Cupping Score: 88.00
• Processing: Full Natural – Double Pick
• Harvest Season: Late December – End of March

• Cupping Score: 87.00
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried
• Harvest Season: Early February – Late May

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Idido Misty Valley, Organic

• Cupping Score: 91.00
• Varietal: Heirloom and Longberry
• Processing: Full Natural, double picked and polished

Kenya Wamuguma, Ritho Coop

• Cupping Score 91.0
• Varietal: SL28 / SL 34
• Processing: Fully Washed / Sun Dried

We look forward to seeing you here on Feb 10th at 1:30. If you have any questions please give Kevin a call at Fratello 403 287 4586

For more information on any of these coffees please visit:

http://www.fratellocoffee.com/products-page/

The auction for these coffees will be on January 19^th.   26 lots of coffee were awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence award this year; however, Fratello Coffee will only be focusing on the top 10 coffees. 

What we’ll be cupping is:

Lot #1  Fazenda Ouro Verde

• Pupled Natural Catua
• Region: Chapada Diamantina
• Cupping Score: 91.08

Lot #2  Fazenda Sant’Ana

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon/Acaia
• Region: Sul de Minas
• Cupping Score: 90.83

Lot #3  Fazenda Recreio

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
• Region: Mogiana – Vale da Grama
• Cupping Score: 89.42

Lot #4  Fazenda Monte Verde

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
• Region: Sul de Minas
• Cupping Score: 89.15

Lot #5  Chacara Sao Judas Tadeu

• Pulped Natural Catuai
• Region: Chapada Diamantina
• Cupping Score: 88.88

Lot #6  Fazenda Rainha

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
• Region: Mogiana – Vale da Grama
• Cupping Score: 87.90

Lot #7  Fazenda Passagem Funda

• Pulped Natural Catuai
• Region: Chapada Diamantina
• Cupping Score: 87.77

Lot #8  Fazenda Santa Ines

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
• Region: Sul de Minas
• Cupping Score: 87.63

Lot #9  Fazenda Santa Helena II

• Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon
• Region: Sul de Minas
• Cupping Score: 87.38

Lot #10  Fazenda Corrego Seco

• Pulped Natural Catuai
• Region: Chapada Diamantina
• Cupping Score: 86.65

For more information on these and the other 16 winning estates, please visit:

http://www.cupofexcellence.org/CountryPrograms/Brazil/2009Program/WinningFarms/tabid/651/Default.aspx

Sumatrans are typically known for their Earthy flavor profiles and often described as woody, dirty and inconsistent in their roasting profile.  Our goal is to bring you a coffee which still offers these classic cup characteristics, at the same time as bringing something much cleaner, sweeter and syrupy to the table. 

What we’ll be tasting is:

• Sumatra Permata – Organic Fair Trade
• Sumatra Sidikalang Tabu Jamu – Natural, double pick
• 5 x Sumatra Mandheling Grade 1
• Indonesian Flores Grade 1 Organic “Green Dragon”
• Indonesian Flores Bajawa Ngura Organic
• Indonesian Java Sagulins
• Sumatra Sidikalang Estate – Fully Washed
• Sumatra Aceh Tengah Organic
• Sumatra Takengon, Aceh – Pulped Natural
• Bali Kintimani Organic – Natural
• Sulawesi Toraja Sapan Minanga

We hope that you can make it to this event.  This will be a fun and casual atmosphere to taste some of the nicest coffees available from these regions.

We will be doing an exploration of 6-10 different Indonesian and Sumatran selections first week of December.  Stay tuned for the actual date/time which we will announce next week.

Here are a couple photos from the event.

We are going to be hosting a free cupping for the public, of 7 very rare and special Ethiopian coffees.  What we will be cupping is:

1. Ethiopian Beloya Micro Lot#12, Full Natural
2. Ethiopian Beloya Micro Lot#10, Full Natural
3. Ethiopian Aricha Micro Lot#26, Full Natural
4. Ethiopian Aricha Micro Lot#14, Full Natural
5. Ethiopian Idido Misty Valley, Organic, Full Natural
6. Ethiopian Sidamo, Organic Fairtrade, Fully Washed
7. Ethiopian Amaro Gayo, Organic, Full Natural

This is going to be very casual.  We want to share with you some of the most sought after Ethiopians every processed, all on one table for you to enjoy. 

We are located at:

4021 – 9th Street SE

Tel – 403-265-2112.

It is hard to describe coffee cupping in a 3-4 min video, but I think that Lisa from Shaw Magazine did a great job putting this video together.

To view this video click: Shaw Magazine

If you would like to talk more about coffee cupping, and if you and your friends would like to potentially do a coffee cupping evening please contact Russ by putting a response on this post.

Russ

Daterra’s Sweet Blue gave us sweet chocolate and syrupy orange aromas compliment a thick mouth feel and clean finish.  Balanced flavors of dark chocolate fudge and mild almonds.  Cupping Score: 90.

Daterra is a coffee grower and exporter best known for its innovative research, its respect for the environment, social responsibility and its high quality coffee.  Daterra is by no means a small coffee producer; however, they are very well known for the quality of coffee they produce.  This is evident when looking at a few of their awards:

1. Cup of Excellence finalist in 2001;
2. Best coffee from Brazil on the cupping for Quality by Rainforest Alliance in 2005 and 2008;
3. Espresso Blend used by World Barista Champion Troels Poulsen in 2005;
4. Espresso Blend used by World Barista Champion Klaus Thomsen in 2006;
5. Sustainable farm model by Illy Cafè in 2008
6. Four out of the six WBC finalists used Daterra coffee in their blends in 2008.
7. Daterra has a “Penta Pack®” packaging system (vacuum packaging) patented internationally.  This was used to ship Brazil’s Cup of Excellence winner lots in 2006 and 2008.

The Sweet Blue is a Micro Lot from Daterra which produces only 5300 – 7950 lbs of coffee per year.  Sweet Blue is the Mundo Novo varietal.  Their processing methods on this coffee is a pulped natural at the wet mill, 100% sun dried and followed with their Penta System for both packaging and quality control (See bottom of this post for more information on that).

Daterra’s plantations are located at an average altitude of 3,800 ft (1,150 m) under a stable temperature of around 25ºC, which constitutes the perfect environment for Arabica Coffee production.  The plantations are divided into 215 mini- farms and further subdivided into 2.816 blocks called “quadras”, each of which is planted with a specific coffee variety.  

The company’s most valuable assets, its employees and the community are especially cared for. This is evident through all the environmental and social responsibility, which the group has been preserving over its 100 years of history and has always been a priority with their family business.

Environmental & Social Responsibility

Daterra is committed to protecting the planet and its inhabitants. Its international certifications are the recognition of its responsible approach to coffee growing.  Daterra’s sustainable practices focus on:

1. Optimizing the water-use in coffee processing;
2. Treating and recycling the used water;
3. Producing and using organic fertilizer (Bio-Mass);
4. Preserving native forests, wildlife and waterfalls;
5. Educating local communities about the importance of ecology.
6. 50% of its lands have been designated as Natural Preservation Areas.

Daterra is aware that its activities may cause ecological impacts. Therefore, it is committed to developing sustainable practices in order to put economic objectives side by side with preservation, following these principles:

1. Continuous improvement of its environmental performance, seeking for friendlier farming techniques and pollution prevention.
2. Total compliance with current legislation and other requirements.
3. Promotion of sustainable coffee production through responsible agricultural activities on the natural resources and agrochemicals usage.
4. Promotion of education and ecological awareness among its employees to bolster environmental responsibility.
5. Open communication with workers, local community, law entities, customers and suppliers to foster environmental knowledge.

It is the human factor that makes Daterra one of a kind. The company seeks to improve its employee’s life quality, to hone their talents and to promote the welfare of their families. Daterra’s workforce is of course free from child labor.

Profit sharing, health care, transportation, and child day care are some examples of how Daterra applies its philosophy.

Patented Penta System and Penta Pack

Density selection – a triple system of clean airbeds uses gravity and floatation equipment to further select beans, which had been previously sorted out by size. The output is a green bean that will deliver an even roast. The Advanced Color Sorting uses exclusively Penta® designed trichromatic technology. These electronic machines finally sort out the beans by reflectance and fluorescence, guaranteeing premium coffee.

Penta Pack -  Penta Pack® is an outstanding package for excellent green coffees. The Penta Pack® is composed of a carton box with two foiled bags inside. The content of the bag goes through vacuum and inert gases insertion. Each bag weighs 26 pounds and the total box weight is 53.25 pounds.

Flavor description: Intense tropical fruits, blueberry and strawberry in both the aromas and long lingering flavors.  Thick syrupy body and full of character, yet notably clean and bright through out. 

Grade: 1

Region: Idido, Gedeo Zone Yirgacheffe

Processing: Natural / Dry-Processed

Crop: February 2009

Varietal: Heirloom and Longberry

Cupping Score: 91

Ethiopia, the birth place of coffee has 5 growing regions, each producing very distinct characteristics from the other.  In the south of Ethiopia is a district called Yirgacheffe which is just north of the Kenyan border.  Yirgacheffe is currently producing the most exotic flavor profiles in this country and possible the world.  

When sourcing an Ethiopian coffee, we look for something different, something unique that would jump from the cupping table.  Typically we look for a Natural, or Dry Processed coffee.   Natural Processed coffee involves drying the entire coffee cherry in the sun.  This process is very difficult to do, and when done improperly, it is easy to create overly earthy, moldy and/or fermented flavors.  To establish a clean cup/flavor in a Natural coffee is a goal for all; however, accomplished by few.

The Idido Misty Valley has been produced in a micro-region near the town of Idido called the Gedio Zone.  Our supplier owns a mill in the region located at approximately 1,940 m (5,800 feet) above sea level.  He sources coffee from small holder “organic garden coffee farms” in the surrounding areas, located between 1,850 and 2,100 meters above sea level.   This high elevation gives this coffee the ability to mature very slowly in order to develop the special flavor profile found in the cup. 

Aside from the ideal growing conditions, the biggest difference between the Idido Misty Valley and other typical “fancy” Ethiopian coffee’s is the drying and sorting processes.  Only the ripest red cherries are selected from the micro-lot farms and brought immediately to the dry mill.  These cherries are then spread in a thin layer on elevated drying beds to ensure uniformed drying.  Once dry, all of the coffee is hulled, double picked (hand sorted twice) and polished giving the green an amazingly uniform look which is very unusual for an Ethiopian coffee, or any naturally processed coffee.

This is not your typical Ethiopian coffee!  Expect an experience.