6/4/2008

Cup of Excellence- El Salvador

We had the privilege of cupping six of the Cup of Excellence winners.  Cup of Excellence is a program that was started nine years ago that helps small quality driven farms get higher prices for their wonderful coffees.  These coffees get judged by a panel of national and international cuppers and then the winning coffees will be auctioned online.

          We tasted Lots #3, #6, #11, #12, #18, & #19.  Before we had started, I was under the impression that they were all going to have similar tastes and profiles.  Once we got into them it was another story.  They were all different from one another.  There definitely weren’t two of the same on the table.  There were a few the got my interest, but only one that really got me excited and that was Lot #11.  Lot #11 just had something about it that stood out over the others. 

Cupping Notes:  Lot #11- I picked up a lot of fresh cut grass, lemon, and sea air.  It had a wonderful acidity of some high citrus notes of lemon and orange, with a great body to back it up with.  It has a very clean finish with some floral notes and a nice velvety mouth feel.

We did purchase this coffee and it will be available later this summer.  If you would like to read more information about the Cup of Excellence program, please visit their website

www.cupofexcellence.org

 

4/17/2008

Bill McAlpin, owner of Hacienda LaMinita, set out on a journey to create the world’s finest coffee from Costa Rica and he succeeded.  LaMinita, which translates to small gold mine, has a very strong reputation in the industry of being one of the best coffees you can find throughout the world.  They work extremely hard year round to keep up with the care and love that is needed by the coffee.  Bill has also worked really hard at achieving a farm with there own eco system. 

I must explain that I see the farm as a single living organism.  A dynamic “body economic” that depends internally upon the constant healthy interaction of earth, water, air, people, plants, animals, and even the insects and microbes.  This organism that we call La Minita must remain as self reliant as possible. 

                                                                                               -Bill McApin

Cupping Notes:  This coffee has one of my best scores on any coffee out there.  The dry fragrance is very delightful with some notes of cocoa, vanilla, and some hints of lemon.  It’s a medium bodied coffee with a good level of acidity.  It has a great velvety texture going across your palate with a dry finish.  The flavor of the coffee is very sweet and chocolaty.  It’s by far one of the most perfectly balanced coffees, if there is such a thing.

Check out or pictures from our trips to the La Minita Estate

 

4/7/2008

If you’re a Colombian Mesa de los Santos fan then you will love the coffee I cupped this week. The coffee is Organic Colombian Don Telmo Bourbon, which is from the Bucaramanga region.  It shows you a different taste profile of a different type of coffee coming from the same farm as the Mesa.  It is certified organic and shade grown.  This is a bourbon coffee that is amazing until the last drop.  For more information about the farm, please visit there website:  www.cafemesadelossantos.com

Cupping Notes:  The dry fragrance was very intense with a lot of cocoa, cinnamon, and some spice.  You could really pick up the cinnamon and spice when the grounds were wet.  This coffee has a medium body and a great balance from start to finish.  The taste profile of it was very sweet in the beginning with some hints of chocolate and a little nutty.  It reminded me of eating cinnamon toast crunch.

 

3/4/2008

This week I had the famous Brazilian Sunshine from the Daterra Estate sitting at an altitude of about 3,800 feet.  This coffee is Certified Shade Grown by the Rainforest Alliance.  I have been cupping this coffee all weekend long and I would have to say that it’s the best Brazilian coffee I have ever tasted.  It’s been really difficult for Boston Stoker to find a good Brazilian coffee.

Cupping Notes:  From the moment the coffee hit the grinder I could pick up a nutty fragrance.  The acidity was phenomenal with a touch of fruitiness.  It’s got a light body with a crisp clean finish.  There’s a bright beginning with a nutty finish of hazelnuts and almonds.  This coffee will get sweeter as it cools to room temperature. 

 

2/25/08

Today, I cupped an Ethiopian coffee from the Sidamo region.  This coffee is certified Organic and certified Fair Trade.  It reminded me of a cleaner version of a good Ethiopian Harrar.  If anyone knows me, Harrar is one of my favorite coffees in the world.

Cupping Notes:  I picked up a lot of berries in the fragrance, mostly blueberries and raspberries.  The aroma had some chocolate and jasmine notes.  The acidity was good with a little brightness in the beginning of the cup.  It is a medium bodied coffee with a very clean finish.

 

2/18/08

Wow, what a treat!  Today we had a peaberry from Papua New Guinea, which came from the Purosa Estate.  This coffee would make a great cup of coffee to have with a slice of some cheesecake.  It’s a perfect desert coffee!

Cupping Notes:  On the dry fragrance I picked up some vanilla, some earth tones, and maybe even a little berry.  It was a very bright cup in the beginning with a very tangy winey flavor and finished with some cocoa and a little dry.  Compared to our South Pacific Blue, which is another coffee from this estate, it’s a little sweeter.  The roast on this peaberry is at a full city roast (light). 

 

2/11/08

This week we have a Nicaraguan coffee from the Selva Negra Estate on the cupping table.  Selva Negra coffee is grown in the Isabelia Sierra region.  A large percentage of the Estate is located in the Selva Negra Forest.  The type of soil this coffee grows in is clay and is grown at an altitude of about 4,000 feet above sea level.

Cupping Notes:  This is a light roast (full city) coffee.  It has a full body, great acidity, some milk chocolate notes, citrus notes (Lemon), and a clean finish.  Overall, this coffee is very well balanced.