At Coffee Supreme we’re always excited about coffee. However we are particularly thrilled to announce the arrival to our roastery of one of the most talked about coffees in the specialty world, Panamanian Esmeralda Special Geisha. This coffee will be available from Wednesday 14th December.

Hacienda La Esmeralda is located on the eastern side of Mt Baru, near Boquete in Western Panama. It produces premium grade coffee of which only a small proportion carries the name Esmeralda Special. This coffee consists of the famed Geisha varietal, a somewhat lost, low-yielding plant whose appearance belies the spectacular cups it produces.

Esmeralda Special can only be bought in an online auction and the unique flavour profile and small lot sizes create a huge demand, which in turn drives the auction prices to unheard of levels. It first hit the headlines in 2004 when it sold for a then record of US$21 per lb. Today the record stands at an impressive US$170 per lb. and will no doubt continue to climb in the future.

We hope you enjoy this rare treasure of the coffee world as much as we do. We are now taking pre-orders through our online store – click here for more

You may have noticed we have been labeling some of our coffees with some new terminology lately, such as Maragogype or Bourbon, for example. These names denote the botanical varietal of the coffee in question. I thought that it would be of interest to delve a little deeper into what varietals are, how they came to be, and what effect they can have on the flavour you experience in the cup.

First let me clear up exactly what a coffee “bean” is. Coffee is actually NOT a bean at all, but is in fact the seed of the cherries produced by the coffee tree. It seems to of picked up the term “bean” somewhere along the way due its similar appearance to various commonly consumed legumes.

Coffee belongs to the genus Coffea from the larger Rubiaceae family of plants. There are several species of coffee tree that produce cherries from which the seeds are extracted. The two most commonly cultivated types are Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora, more commonly known as Arabica and Robusta.

A southwestern region of Ethiopia, known as Kaffa, is widely considered the birthplace of the coffee we know, and where Arabica was fist discovered. It is thought that from there it travelled across the gulf of Aden, through the movement of slaves, to Yemen, where it is recorded as being cultivated from as early as the 15th century. Coffee didn’t make it out of Arabia until early in the 16th century when it was smuggled by the Sufi Baba Budan back to his native India. From there the Dutch took specimens back to the Netherlands and subsequently began the cultivation of coffee on the island of Java in Indonesia. By the mid 17th century Dutch controlled Java was the largest supplier of coffee to Europe and at the beginning of the 19th century they were the world’s second largest producer of coffee after Brazil. This wasn’t to last, with the arrival of coffee leaf rust, a fungal disease that thrived in the humid climate of Java, decimating the islands plantations. This lead to most of the Arabica there being replaced with its hardier cousin Robusta.
Coffee made it’s way to South America via a different route. In 1720 French naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu was on leave in Paris from his posting in Martinique. There he convinced the court to let him take a coffee specimen growing in the Botanical gardens, a gift to Louis XIV by the mayor of Amsterdam, back with him to Martinique. The voyage was fraught with difficulty with the specimen surviving storms, physical attacks, and drought, with De Clieu resorting to using his own water ration to keep his coffee plant alive. Once back in Martinique the tree was planted and quickly flourished in the tropical climate, thus revealing the potential of this new crop to the French court. They promptly set about repeating the success at Martinique in their other tropical colonies, most significantly on the island of Reunion, at the time known as Bourbon. As the coffee planted in Martinique and Reunion developed, its genetics mutated and spawned two distinct varietals of significant importance, Typica at Martinique and Bourbon at Reunion. These two varietals spawned from the seven seeds that Baba Budan smuggled out of Yemen have gone on to form the genetic base for nearly all the coffee grown around the world today. As the spread of Typica and Bourbon increased so did their genetic mutation, as they adapted to their new environments. Along with these natural mutations deliberate cross breeding was being undertaken with the aim of increasing the yield and decease resistance of the plants.

Today nearly all producing countries have distinct mutated varietals descended from Typica and Bourbon. An example of this is Pacas, a natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon that was discovered El Salvador. It shares the cup characteristics of Bourbon but it grows to a smaller size and it has be suggested that this is in response to the strong winds that blow into El Salvador off the Pacific ocean.
When other varietals are the result of the deliberate crossing of genetics they are better referred to as cultivars, as they have been cultivated for specific cup characteristics or disease resistant qualities. An example of this would be the Icatu cultivar developed in Brazil. Carrying both Robusta and Bourbon genes, it has the disease resistance qualities of the Robusta with the more desirable cup characteristics of Bourbon.

Coffee is grown in the equatorial belt between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Only here do the necessary combination of conditions exist for coffee to flourish- temperature, rainfall, and altitude. Coffee especially thrives on the fertile slopes of the volcanic mountain ranges that straddle the equator and it is here that some of the world’s best coffees are produced. While varietal can play a large part in the final cup profile most of what gives coffee its unique flavors is a combination of contributing factors rather than just an individual one like genetics. Alongside the climatic conditions and altitude of when and where the coffee is grown, the care and attention that is tendered to the coffee while it is growing and once it has been harvested are major influences on what flavour is possible from any given coffee.
It is up to the roaster to realize this potential by roasting the coffee in a way that showcases the characteristics developed by genetics, terroir, and the farmer’s hand, without overshadowing them with the degree of roast or improper roast profiles.

Although the subject of varietals has been studied in depth for quite some time now, most research has taken place outside of the original cradle of coffee, Ethiopia. One of the more exciting aspects of the current boom in appreciation of specialty coffee is the light being shone back to the source of all Arabica coffees. It is coming to light that Ethiopia boasts over 10,000 naturally occurring varietals in it’s repertoire, all having developed over the centuries according to the specific microclimates in which they exist. There is still so much to discover about this plant that dominates our lives and this leaves us quite excited about the future of our industry.

We have stock of the Rocker Brights and Neutrals in Small and Medium but it is quite limited. So if you would like to place an order please contact us and we can get some out to you.

Ring us on 0800 937 627 or email Kelly at   kelly@coffeesupreme.co.nz

Formally known as Good One, our cafe and HQ in Auckland has received a few changes over the last few weeks. After closing the doors for just over a week, Coffee Supreme Douglas St re opened with a whole new offering. The focus has moved from cafe to coffee with a specific brew bar and retail space taking centre stage. Customers can now select from a range of brew options including espresso from the new Slayer sitting proud on the bench. As well as options when it comes to what to drink, we’ve been able to extend the retail coffee menu considerably. A stack of new coffees are available to take home, including two new Cup Of Excellence coffees. So there should always be something that will suit your tastes, and of course you can get all your supplies for brewing great coffee at home.

The space still boasts the same feel and visual appearance as the former Good One. A collection of second hand and new furniture, adornments and coffee paraphernalia  fill the room, and theres no question that if you are there you may end up drinking some coffee.

To say that Brazil is a country of contrasts is probably a bit of an understatement but it is the only way I have been able to convey my experiences there. With a land mass of 8,514,877 sq. km and a population of 203,429,773, coming from New Zealand to this place was always going to be eye opening. From people sleeping on the side of the road to the ever-rising skyline of Sao Paulo to the truly vast expanses of the coffee regions we visited, we certainly were provided with an experience, and this all in only one of the twenty-six states that make up this South American powerhouse.

Brazil is booming at the moment and the government seems committed to closing the poverty gap by using its new found prosperity to raise the living standards of the twenty-six percent of the population living below the poverty line. With three percent unemployment there is strong competition from other sectors for skilled labour and this represents a new issue in the cost of producing coffee. In the case of Carmo and FAF, where harvesting is all done by hand, even finding good coffee pickers is difficult. Labour laws in Brazil are sound and the workers that pick the coffee have housing and cost of living allowances based minimum wages. These are set to rise alongside the Brazilian economy, with the government committed to annual increases.

Our first stop on the tour of Minas Gerais State was Carmo Estate  Coffees; located in Carmo de Minas about 4 hours drive from Sao Paulo, or 3 1/2 if Beniho, our driver, is behind the wheel. Driving with little heed to speed limits and lane markings seemed to be a national passion for most Brazilians. Carmo de Minas is a micro region known for producing some of the best coffee in Brazil and this was abundantly evident from the coffees that we cupped with Jacques and the team there. They work with partner estates throughout the region to produce special blended lots and distinct micro lots. During our visit there we toured some of the farms and had a good look at the scale and scope of what they do. Due to the terrain and desire for premium quality, all of Carmo’s coffee is 100% hand-picked. Over the last 8 years this drive for quality has lead to a shift in the volumes of high quality coffee that have been produced and sold by Carmo. This year 75% of the production was classed as 80+ specialty-grade, compared to just 3% 8 years ago. This was also reflected in the some of the changes that Jacques has seen in the use of the land that his family runs, as they are also well known for their beef farming. On the walls of the family farmhouse awards for both coffee and cattle sit side by side and of the 600 ha they run only 20% is planted in coffee. That 20% represents 80% of the total income, however, with the beef making up the rest.

We cupped many of the new crop coffees and some of the micro lots they had selected for the first Carmo Estate auction; a new venture with the goal of presenting the best coffees of Carmo that year. Our visit to Carmo happened to coincide with a research project that is being carried out by a team from Lavras University. They are establishing a denomination of origin project for Carmo de Minas, identifying its unique coffees. The research cupping that we took part in was an intriguing insight in to what Brazil has to offer. Each table was mixture of varietals, elevations, micro climates, sunlight, and soil conditions. Each lot was lovingly hand picked and processed by the students carrying out the research and this meant that there were practically zero defects. There were some exciting coffees found during the 2 and half days of cupping that we got to take part in. My view and expectation of what Brazilian coffee tastes like was redefined here, with crisp lemon acidities, complex fruit profiles, and creamy mouthfeel abundant.

Leaving Carmo and São Lourenço, the small resort town where we had been staying, we headed off towards Mococa to meet with Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, better known as FAF. Traveling through the Brazilian countryside you become aware of how truly vast this country is. Rolling hills, steep mountains, and vast plains stretch on into the horizon in every direction. FAF is a small, family-run operation that partners with select farmers in the surrounding region to produce sustainably grown and quality-focused coffees. The time that we spent at FAF was an engaging experience. I learnt a lot from Marcos, Philipe, and the team about the various challenges faced in growing coffee in the quality model as opposed to the quantity model that accounts for the majority of Brazil’s exports. Trying to convince people that they weren’t crazy communists and that working collaboratively was really the only way that they were going to be able to compete with the “big guys” was a reoccurring theme for them. Protecting the environment and fostering wildlife habitat is key for FAF and their partner farms, with the protection of water sources and elimination of toxic chemicals from the production chain a requirement for anyone wanting to work with them. We spent much of the time at FAF in the cupping lab assessing many of the new crop coffees, discovering the various flavour profiles they produce, and discussing how this is achieved. FAF produces a number of different coffees, which are either singled out and sold as micro lots under the FAF label, or carefully blended to create larger lots and sold through the Bobolink brand. We have just fixed our very first container of Bobolink and are excited to start a new relationship with FAF. Not only is it a great coffee but also it comes from a group of people who share a similar vision of what coffee can and should be about.

The tail end of the trip was spent in Espírito Santo do Pinhal with Guto from Authentico coffees, a branch of the larger Sumatra Cafe Brasil group. We have bought the Moreninha Formosa coffee from them through our brokers, Zephyr, for a few years now. If what we had just seen at FAF comprises one end of the Brazilian coffee spectrum then Sumatra is at the other, with operations covering all aspects of the coffee business in Brazil i.e. large warehouses and milling facilities regularly exporting 40,000 bags per month, roasting and retailing coffee to supply the domestic market, 1500 ha of coffee under management and a peak employment of 500 people during the harvest period. Guto showed us around two of the farms they have in Minas -São Joãozinho and Fazenda São José da Pedra Grande- both of which are large-scale operations with a mix of mechanical and manual harvesting due to the varied terrain. We also visited one of their big processing facilities in Pocos de Caldias which was vast and had capacity to hold 500,000 bags of coffee. It was pretty much all computer-controlled with one guy overseeing the entire facility from a control room.

We stayed at Fazenda São Joãozinho, which was just down the road from the offices and is also where the boss lives. He was away on business while we were there as he is also the president of ABECAFE the Brazilian Association of Coffee Exporters. It was kind of surreal rattling around his multi-roomed mansion but also kind of fun to play millionaire.

The differences between what we had seen at FAF and the vastness of the Sumatra operation in a way recapitulates my experience in Brazil and leaves me with just a taste of things to come.

You may have noticed that we’ve been making a bit of a song and dance about our latest Cup of Excellence coffees from Nicaragua and El Salvador. Its simply because they are some of the very best coffees produced there this year.

So what exactly is this Cup of Excellence all about?

Well, lets start with what it is not about. It is not about coffee roasters and first crack espresso roasts. It is not about coffee makers with sig bevs and flash routines. These are just footnotes to what it is about.

So what’s it about then?

The Cup of Excellence is one of the most prestigious awards given out for exemplary coffees. They come from a rigorous competition that selects the very best coffee produced in a producing country for that particular year. The winning coffees are selected by a group of national and international cuppers and are assessed numerous times during the competition process. Only coffees that continually score high enough are permitted to move forward in the competition. The final winners are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence® and go on to be sold to the highest bidder during an Internet auction. As these auction lots are of limited quantities it means if and when we are able to secure them it is a rather exclusive offer.

So why are these coffees so much better and cost more than the other stuff that I buy?

Well, coffees of this quality are no fluke. These coffees are carefully picked when perfectly ripe, and processed to exacting standards. They exhibit well-developed body, pleasant aroma, and a lively sweetness that only extremely high quality specialty coffees contain. Each winning coffee has its own flavor signature from the terrain and climate where it grows and have all been hand reared in such a way as to enhance these unique flavours. In turn these unique characteristics are acknowledged by roasters from around the world through the prices they are prepared to pay for these coffees. These prices range from double the market price to 50 times as much and third party certifications, like Fairtrade, can’t hold a candle to it when it comes to rewarding the farmers for their hard work.

So why do we think it is so important and worth making all this noise about?

The Cup of Excellence helps to build international relationships in many forms. It creates a situation where cooperation is the key to success, where appreciation is the mantra, and where friendships and lasting partnerships are built. It is one of the few programs to place its main focus on individual empowerment, training, and education with no consideration of gender or economic status. The Cup of Excellence program builds the bridge between the high quality farmer, the high quality roaster, and eventually the consumer who finds coffees they truly love and knows that the farmer has been well compensated. Having had the opportunity to judge in a number of Cup of Excellence competitions I am an avid supporter of farmers who love growing some of the worlds best coffee. It’s not a commodity to these people. Its something that they have invested a considerable amount of hard work into over the years. If they can use the competition to promote their coffee and get paid well to do so, it’s a triple win for me.

Farmer = Win – Recognition and just reward for the skill and work they put into their coffee.

Supreme = Win – Getting to roast and cup excellence

Consumer = Win – Unparalleled drinking experience

Hit up the Cup of Excellence website for further information.

Fraser Lovell

]]> http://blog.coffeesupreme.com/2011/10/18/so-whats-this-cup-of-excellence/feed/ 0 http://blog.coffeesupreme.com/2011/10/04/cup-of-excellence-2011-nicaragua-10-el-salvador-18/ http://blog.coffeesupreme.com/2011/10/04/cup-of-excellence-2011-nicaragua-10-el-salvador-18/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:27:18 +0000 Fras Def http://blog.coffeesupreme.com/?p=2894 Fresh off the plane from this years competitions we have Finca Santa Gema representing Nicaragua if you have had a chance to try our La Florencia Maragogype then this may be to your liking and representing El Salvador we have Finca La Nuvea I was judging there earlier in the year.

The Maragogype grown by Mario Urbina at Finca Santa Gema located in Mozonte, Nueva Segovia offers well balanced fruit profiles with a super clean juicy sweet cup.

Photo from Nicaragua Cup of Excellence 2009

Here is a little from Mario on his farm and win:

Santa Gema is a farm surrounded by native trees and we keep protected areas for wildlife. It is a family farm and the coffee is handled very well, we take care of the workers and also maintain records of all work on the farm. It is located in an area with a height of 1400 meters above sea level.

I have a 13 years of ownership, the total farm area is 60 acres, 25 acres of coffee, 15 acres harvested production of 300 to 350 quintals (35000 kgs)

What’s your secret for winning the competition?
1 – The first secret is good quality coffee
2 – Picked and handled well
3 – Picked and washed on time.
4 – Wet Milled and bagged on time.

How do you feel to be a winner?
Thank God I feel good and proud to represent the coffee sector at the Region of Nueva Segovia.

El Salvador Cup of Excellence 2011

While the Bourbon grown at Finca La Nuvea located in Santa Ana, Apaneca-Ilamatepec by Rafael Duch Martinez is a transparently clean and articulate expression of this varietal.

A few mystical words from Rafael

This farm was baptized as La Nueva by Rafael Duch Martínez in 2003, because when he bought it he felt it like his new born baby. He treats the land and his coffee plants as a garden, believing in the mystic leaves, flowers and fruit. His philosophy on coffee growing is very similar to his life “humbleness, generosity and tolerance” with the farm, it´s workers and everything surrounding him. Coffee runs through his veins, as he is a 3rd generation grower, he oversees all the work done in the farms as he considers them his legacy.

Here are the notes of notes:

2011 Nicaragua COE #10

Finca Santa Gema

Aroma: Mango, Banana, Brown sugar caramel and Chocolate
Flavour: Ladyfinger Banana, Pear, Peach, chocolate caramel.
Acidity: Crisp Citrus
Body: Thick and creamy
Finish: Red grape and sweet apple

2011 El Salvador COE #18

Finca La Nuvea

Aroma: Jasmine, Grape, Cedar, Caramel
Flavour: Caramel, Stone fruits, Chocolate, plums and grapes
Acidity: Clean Citrus acidity
Body: Creamy smooth Body
Finish: lingering honey comb

Available from Customs, Woodward Street, Good One and through the online store

www.coffeesupremeshop.com

The first being a combination of coffee of the day and the Fresh Pot. Each day we will select and bag one of our single origins which becomes our coffee of the day. To accompany the coffee of the day is the fresh Pot self serve takeaway station. Filled with coffee from the v60 filter you can chuck your coins in the tin and pump yourself a fresh cup of coffee, all without taking your headphones off.

The second addition is some new outdoor seating. 12 custom Good One stools surround the boxes outside providing double the amount of seating there previously.

There are a few more changes in the mix so we will keep you posted.