As a coffee destination, Seattle is a city with a big reputation. On the one hand, Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks, that behemoth of all coffee chains, but on the other, Seattle is also home to a sophisticated independent specialty cafe scene. Quite a dichotomy, some might say. But then Seattle is a city which comfortably embraces the creativity and inherent diversity that thinking ‘outside the square’ can bring — two of its most famous children, Jimmy Hendricks & Bill Gates are perhaps testament to that.

Surrounded by lush evergreen forest with the snowy peak of Mount Rainier in the distance, Seattle is a vibrant city in a magnificent setting. Located on Elliott Bay, Seattle was founded by white settlers in the mid 19th century and went on  to become a primary hub for fishing (think Chinook salmon) and logging with a large number of immigrants attracted to the area. By 1910, about one-third of Seattle’s foreign-born residents hailed from Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland.
They played a strong role in defining the young city’s identity — a legacy that can still be seen today.

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During its early days it endured many hardships including a major flood, which forced the city to be relocated from Alki Point to its present day location and the ‘Great Fire of 1889′ which caused the destruction of much of the city’s predominantly timber-built structures. But its people were resilient, accustomed to the hardships of a life of physical labour; they set about rebuilding the city under a new ordinance of brick and stone buildings to replace the timber structures. In the year following the fire, the city’s population actually grew with the influx of people helping with the reconstruction. Seattle was soon back in business but it wasn’t until the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 that Seattle found itself on the national map as a transport and commercial hub. Still somewhat a ‘boom or bust’ city, the blue collars have been largely replaced by white as Seattle has gone on to become one of America’s major economic, cultural and educational centres. Its hard physical labouring heritage bears little resemblance to its modern day industries, with such omnipotent names as Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon.com as well as, of course, Starbucks.

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Like it or loathe it, the great Starbucks has been instrumental in popularising coffee houses as a place to work, rest, meet and hang-out. That ethos is very much a part of the fabric of Seattle. Starbucks opened its first store in the bustling Pike Place Market precinct in 1971 as a wholesale supplier of freshly roasted coffee beans, leaf teas and equipment. It wasn’t until the 1980′s, after Howard Schultz had joined the company , that he returned from a buying trip to Italy with the idea to offer espresso to customers in a cafe-style setting but the idea was not fully supported by the founding owners of Starbucks. Frustrated but not discouraged, Schultz left Starbucks and started his own coffee shop, il Giornale, in 1985. When the original Starbucks management decided to focus on their mentors’  brand, Peets Tea & Coffee, they sold the Starbucks retail unit to Schultz for $3.8 million. Schultz moved quickly to rename Il Giornale with the Starbucks name, and  the rest is the stuff of stock market legend. But we didn’t come to Seattle to expound the history of Starbucks. We were on a quest to seek out the artisan roasters and specialty cafes for which Seattle is renowned but we had one major problem to overcome before we could head off, leaving our incredibly stylish digs at Hotel Andra [see panel below]!

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Eventually dragging ourselves away, it soon became evident that style is an element that pervades Seattle, largely, it would seem, as a result of its European settlers with elements of post-modern European design frequently appearing, for those who know what to look for. Perhaps it’s also this early European influence which has helped shape Seattle’s inherent coffee culture.  As we marched up Olive Way toward our first coffee destination, we hung a left instead of a right and found ourselves in Capitol Hill, on the corner of Denny and East Olive Way. Deciding to check our location, we popped into the cafe on the corner to ask directions. It was to be a serendipitous moment, as we entered Arabica Lounge and immediately felt the desire to stay awhile. Furnished with a casual array of Eames chairs, vintage lounges, carefully arranged Objets d′art and acoustic guitar tunes wafting on the air, it oozed modish repose. Eyeing off a sumptuous slice of chocolate cake, we took the plunge and ordered a coffee and to our delight, it was excellent. Serving the House Blend by Stumptown Coffee Roasters, it was well balanced and sweet with a floral aroma and delicious choc-nut flavours. It wasn’t until we’d had our second espresso that we decided we had better head off before we were completely bewitched and settled in for the day.

Back on course and this time, heading in the right direction, our next coffee stop was the iconic Bauhaus Books and Coffee on East Pine Street. Since it opened in 1993, it’s developed somewhat of a counter-culture following, with the retro faithful coming to immerse themselves in the atmosphere. With its quirky, shambolic decor and floor to ceiling bookshelves lined with a heady array of vintage texts, it’s a place to be yourself; to contemplate, to meet, to work uninterrupted, or of course to read (although these days it’s as likely to be on a computer as it is on paper). The coffee was by local artisan roaster Lighthouse Coffee and whilst not amazing, was very pleasant with notes of chocolate and berry. But it’s as a cafe destination that Bauhaus makes its mark — it’s uniquely individual and well worth a visit; you’ll probably find yourself walking out with one of their really cool t-shirts, just so you can show-off that you’ve been there!

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Feeling like we could squeeze in one more cafe for the day we made our way over to Victrola Roastery & Cafe, one  block over on East Pike Street. As we approached, we were met by an impressive 1920′s converted warehouse, beautifully restored to house their roastery, training facility, cupping room and showcase cafe. The space inside was light and airy with expansive windows, exposed brick walls and a clear view into the roasting room. It epitomised the post-modernist philosophy of form and function with industrial elements influencing the design of the space. The post-modern theme is of course integral to the Victrola image, with the stylised 1920′s phonograph as their logo together with coffee blends such as Streamline Espresso, Empire Blend and their Deco Decaf. We were served the Stremline blend which had a luscious caramel aroma with juicy berry flavours ahead of toasted hazelnuts and dark chocolate with a smooth buttery mouth-feel. It was a fantastic way to end our coffee explorations for the day.

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We couldn’t help but feel we’d been on a stylish caffeine time-warp, with each of the cafes we visited capturing an aesthetic element of post-modern style and working it into their cafe space with incredible finesse.

As we went off in search of liquids of a different genre, we were to soon realise that coffee isn’t the only beverage that Seattle is passionate about with possibly more independent boutique beer brewers than any other city on the planet. If you’re short for time, you can head downtown to the Tap House Grill – what it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for in beer, with 160 beers on tap from all over the globe! Each with its own pull-handle, they line the long wall at the rear of the bar in an impressive display – order a selection of 6 sampler glasses to get into the spirit. For a more authentic Seattle ‘exbeerience’ we suggest you head to the little bar at the back of the Athenian Seafood Restaurant in the Pike Place Market. Famous for its ice-encrusted beer mugs, it’s a local haunt and  a great way to enjoy a seriously cold local brew.

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Next morning we awoke to a serious downpour with the forecast to be much the same for the remainder of the day, but that wasn’t about to dampen our spirits as we’d arranged an audience with royalty, coffee-royalty that is. David Schomer, world-renowned coffee luminary and another of Seattle’s eminent children, had invited us to meet with him for a coffee at Vivace Espresso Bar, his legendary East Broadway Ave cafe. As we entered, we were met by a busy congregation of coffee faithful, patiently awaiting their morning ritual served up from one of the three Synesso espresso machines on the counter. In fact, a chalk board sign above the counter implored you to look upon your coffee as a transcendent experience and savour it standing at the bar before its fragile flavours dissipate, such is the passion of the Master. The cafe itself is spacious with a very relaxed atmosphere. Its signature Italian style stand-up bar is tempered by plenty of small tables and chairs for those wishing to hang out a while. Dominating the space is a huge original artwork, ‘An Italian in Algiers’ by eclectic artist Kurt Wenner, which Schomer commissioned expressly for the cafe. David has contributed significantly to the pursuit of coffee perfection; for him, it’s an art-form in itself. He had just been cupping a new blend and we were fortunate enough to have David make us an espresso. The coffee was sweet and full -bodied with subtle floral notes and delicate berry flavours – a defining highlight of the trip, I wished I’d had the gumption to ask if he’d make us another!

With the threat of any further coffee destinations paling into insignificance we decided to put one more essential stop into our Seattle coffee quest, the famed Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Whilst not originally hailing from Seattle, it set up operations here in 2007, in addition to its Portland home base and has been accepted into the fold, for very good reason. Their cafe on 12 Ave is stunning with a Kees Van de Westen ‘Mirage‘ on the counter and a Poul Henningsen light shade hanging from the ceiling, it was clear we had entered a space dedicated, not only to coffee, but to coffee in style. As the rain continued to pour down outside, we were very happy to settle in and watch the rain drops cascade down the expansive windows as we sipped on yet another excellent coffee. Their house blend was a Latin American and East African blend with a nutty fragrance and smooth milk chocolate flavours; easy on the palate with a sweet finish.

Cafes are an integral part of life in Seattle with a true symbiosis between its people and its cafes. Cafes always provide a space to meet and talk but most notable in Seattle were the number of people purposefully seated alone, deeply engaged with their computer or working with papers strewn across a table top. There was no presumption, by either the cafe nor the people occupying its seats, of staying only for the time it took to consume food and drink. The cafe is considered an extension of the home or the office; a space for study, work, relaxation, even solitude amongst the buzz of others coming and going. And with that, the cafes shares in the sense of community, more than a business, it’s a way of life.

Given only two days to explore Seattle’s cafe offerings, we were feeling cheated as we returned downtown to grab a bite to eat before packing our bags in readiness for our departure. There was so much more to see, do and experience and we hadn’t nearly scraped the surface of the city’s coffee offerings. But we did feel that, in our short time, we’d experienced the essence of Seattle’s coffee culture. There was only one solution, we’d have to come back — it’s a city where you don’t have to go in search of a good coffee, it finds you and yes, it’s served with defining style.
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Writer and Photographer stayed at Hotel Andra

Stylish, urban and sophisticated, Hotel Andra’s design celebrates the strong elements of the Northwest – water, woods and stone – along with a Scandinavian design influence. Entering the hotel’s living room, guests are greeted by distressed plank floors with hand-knotted wool rugs, warm walls, and rich brown woods. Relax in style in one of the hot orange Arne Jacobsen ‘Swan’ chairs or let the cares of the day melt away as you sit by the magnificent fireplace, made of local split-grain granite, with floor to ceiling golden maple bookcases on either side.

The 119 guestrooms and suites are decorated in warm tones set-off with striking alpaca wool headboards, and warm minimalist dark wood furniture.  The bathrooms are Icelandic blue with FACE Stockholm bath products to complete the indulgence.
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Hotel Andra
2000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle  WA 98121
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Actors, and artists, writers and publishers, dancers and designers are just some of the seething mass of humanity that makes up the Biggest Apple… New York City.  Some are born and bred there but most come with a dream: success, a bright and beautiful future and creative expression found nowhere else on the planet. They work, they study, they play… and they do it en masse in the midst of their beloved city.  New Yorkers are out and about.  They’re creative, they’re gregarious and they engage.

Life is lived on the streets, in the bars, at the parks or just about anywhere that’s open for business.  New York’s cafes provide a space integral to the city’s inhabitants. With so many of today’s people working from laptops or freelancing, the city’s cafes are not only a social space, but have metamorphosed into portable offices and meeting rooms, embracing the idea with Wifi, networking events and offering free publicity to their customers’ burgeoning small businesses. Cafes themselves are occupying an important place in today’s community as our social framework moves into uncharted territory. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than on an island that was purchased only a few hundred years ago for just twenty dollars.

As a city, New York divides itself into neighbourhoods, microcosms of a greater whole where the locals appear like members of a tribe, each with their own unspoken rules of dress, attitude and lifestyle. Wander through a neighbourhood and you’ll soon get a feel for its culture.  Spend time in the cafes and you’ll pick up the local nuances as you watch the lives of the locals unfold. Visit the same cafe more than twice and you’ll become a local, greeted when you enter, your particular quirky coffee request already on its way with nods and smiles from the tribe as they break from their laptops, books or friends just long enough to say “Hi, how’r ya doin?” and make you feel you’ve come to the right place… you’re at home.

By far the best introduction to the Big Apple is to wander through Greenwich Village. Over the past 100 years it has attracted a colourful mix of New York’s finest. First the Italian immigrants came, then the century’s early artists and writers arrived, creating the area’s bohemian feel, followed by birth of the Gay movement, traced all the way back to the 40s, their equal rights fight culminating here with the Stonewall Riots of 1969. The Swinging 60s also brought artists such as Jack Kerouac and Allan Ginsberg who made the area their home and workspace.

The locals almost never call it Greenwich Village, preferring to divide their territory into two distinct sections. The “West Village” is a tree-lined, meandering collection of quiet upscale streets bordered by Houston, the Hudson River and 6^th Ave. It bears no resemblance to the grid patterns of the rest of the city thanks to its own history as a set of horse paths for the wealthy. Here you’ll find small boutiques, quaint restaurants and the bars and cafes where the local literati come to work and play. Way too expensive for today’s hopefuls, the quarter has gentrified into a bohemian-chic enclave, but is still a must for those on the cafe trail.

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Grounded was my first stop, hidden away in an odd street sporting low-rise apartments, warehouses and even a public car park, I couldn’t miss it with its big round sign, park bench outside and the delicious aroma of freshly ground beans.  Inside was an oasis, a former carriage-house filled with light, thanks to a huge central skylight. The peeling cement floor, exposed airconditioning and bare walls gave a definite no-frills downtown vibe. Add potted palms, grungy sofas and a huge communal coffee table and you’ve got a cosily scruffy feel that the locals love. Laptop workers gravitate to the rear tables where it’s quiet and an in-house library creates community amongst the locals who donate their used books. Grounded was created by a brother and sister act, two cafe regulars from Cincinnati, who felt that New York was lacking in decent coffeehouses. They decided to open a neighbourhood place that would offer both good coffee and a friendly space to loiter in.  Everything is organic, from the food to the daily milk supply, to their coffee beans which come from Portland Roasting Company in Oregon, an environmentally conscious micro-roaster using organic and often “shade-grown, farm friendly” specialty beans. Their espresso has a slightly sweet ‘berry’ finish, making it a delicious tipple.

“The Village” proper is further east, bounded by Houston and 6^th Ave and ending around Broadway before it blends into the East Village. This is a more touristy area with rows of blues bars, Irish bars and student bars interspersed with NYU digs, cheap restaurants and Korean food-marts. The only place here worth visiting is Cafe Reggio, which opened on MacDougal Street in 1927 and has operated in the same spot continuously ever since. The oldest of the original Italian coffeehouses of the area, it’s the only one still standing and was a favourite with Kerouac. Even today, it maintains its classic Italian edge with wrought-iron tables and chairs, a selection of cakes and pastries to die for, and those tiny, Italian espressos rarely found outside Italy… and Australia!

Moving across Broadway, you’ll enter the East Village, famous for its anarchic, grungy vibe. Bordered by 3^rd Ave, 14^th St and Houston and stretching across to the alphabet avenues, today, it’s a thriving, multi-cultural village of hip, inexpensive eateries, boutiques and, of course, cafes. But it wasn’t always so. Back in the 60’s the likes of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground cut their teeth playing around the anti-establishment East Village bars. The 70’s brought the punk rock counterculture, still visible in the iconic Trash’n Vaudeville vintage clothing store, and the 80’s saw local galleries supporting graffiti artists like Keith Haring and Jeff Koons. Grunge and punk is still apparent, and although the area is now a tamer place, with tourists outnumbering the anarchists, it still seethes around the clock like the human bazaar that it is.

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The best cafe near the heart of the East Village is Mudspot, a long, thin, orange space on East 9^th St, between 2^nd and 1^st Avenues. It’s likely your barista will be covered in an artwork of tattoos, the odd piercing or five and topped off with a head of honey blonde dreadlocks.  Get used to sipping your latte to the sounds of the latest grunge rock but if that’s a tad too much, keep going through to the tiny outdoor garden at the back where the music isn’t quite so intense. Anti-establishment is alive and well here and proud to uphold the tradition. The coffee’s pretty good too.

Wandering east along 9^th St through Alphabet City brings you to a more laid back residential neighbourhood complete with community garden centres proudly displaying their urban sculptures and tiny independent boutiques, forced away from the melee by its exorbitant rents. This is where coffee aficionados come to savour the famous elixir of the 9^th St Espresso Bar. Voted best espresso outside of Seattle, this nondescript little bar has a big reputation and is widely considered to be the first real espresso cafe of the new wave to take off in New York. The philosophy is to do coffee very well and to that end other offerings have been pared back until, at my visit, there was almost no food at all.  But the coffee is good… it’s what they do.

The owner of 9^th St Espresso got his influence from childhood visits to the Hungarian Pastry Shop on the Upper West Side. Sitting on Amsterdam Ave at 110^th St since 1961, this charming cafe appears at the same time derelict, antiquated and intriguingly irresistible. Its interior is dark, cavernous and hot.  On a summer’s day there’s no air conditioning, just a few floor fans but this seems to only add to the atmosphere.  The place is busy but still manages to feel intimate and the clientele clearly represents the local neighbourhood: students on laptops, older students writing longhand or huddled over thick texts; a few elderly European-looking ladies, the odd intellectual perusing the New York Times and of course a few foreigners who’ve heard that it’s not to be missed. The coffee is abundant and pretty good using quality Columbia beans for the espressos, but you really go there for the amazing array of pastries. Strudels in all shapes and flavours, including the true Hungarian Sour Cherry Strudel, come fresh every morning. It’s a family business with two daughters working on the floor so no chance it will be closing down anytime soon, although their sometimes gruff approach did remind me of utilitarian Eastern Europe, pre-Perestroika.

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Back downtown to Grammercy Park finds a quaint, neighbourhood cafe in the basement at 71 Irving Place. Simply named 71 Irving, it’s busy and buzzing. The clientele are New Yorkers, no tourists here, and they’re the local 20 and 30-somethings: hip, professional and very social. Reflecting the neighbourhood, it’s a place where friends meet to catch up, compare contracts (lot’s of actors here), do lunch and enjoy both great coffee and great food. The style is colonial American with slat-board walls, atmospheric lamps and even a fireplace giving a cosy but elegant feel. Along one wall there’s a staircase leading up…. to the ceiling. It was featured in the classic movie, The Seven Year Itch, with Marilyn Monroe, who exclaims “Where do they go? No place? A stairway to nowhere… that’s elegant.”

The owners, not happy with the coffee they found in New York, bought a farm upstate and now provide their own beans, Irving Farm, not only to their cafe but to such gourmet institutions as Wholefoods, Dean & Deluca, Gourmet Garage and Petrossian.

Venturing out of Manhattan I headed for Brooklyn, lured by the promise of a unique and exquisite cafe out in Park Slope; 30mins later and still on the subway, I knew I was in Brooklyn and was seriously questioning the likelihood of there being anything unique and exquisite this far from the epicentre. At Grand Army Plaza, I escaped the subway system and was instantly mesmerized by the most perfect brownstone houses I have ever seen. Unique to the USA, this architectural style is reminiscent of a bygone era of stately urban homes exuding elegance and style. Encouraged, I persevered and eventually disappeared through a pair of non-descript doors. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

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The Tea Lounge is a massive warehouse space complete with the ubiquitous chipped concrete floors and open-face brick walls, with exposed air-conditioning pipes disguised under a thin coat of blue paint. Similar to a loft living space, areas are marked out by the furniture arrangement. Communal picnic tables in a well-lit area are for those working in groups and a Moroccan-style sofa extending the length of one wall caters for those working in solitude.  The centre armchairs, sofas and coffee tables are arranged to create living rooms, conversation corners and desks where people can settle in and feel at home. The decor is op-shop grunge meets student digs, with the occasional shot of Baroque opulence.  A row of Indonesian rattan fans high on the ceiling sway back and forth, gracefully synchronized though not moving fast enough to create any breeze. They only add to the eccentric mish-mash that makes Tea Lounge so irrestistible. The coffee is seriously good and the chalkboard menu of delights leaves one almost unable to choose. I went for the Shot Chocolate, which as you can imagine, is a shot of espresso dumped into a seriously indulgent hot chocolate, and then topped it off with a homemade Strawberry Shortcake.  Tea Lounge offers an array of sweet things, all made locally and delivered each morning to their loyal tribe.

Further along the bar, I noticed a chalkboard offering of wines and a tiny dinner menu. One need never leave… just wander further down the bar from breakfast to lunch and then onto dinner. How perfect – a tea lounge for all occasions!

New York has always marched to the beat of a more exotic drum than the rest of the US.  Finally embracing the onslaught of Seattle-inspired espresso bars, its ’take’ on these remains unique and edgy, just like the city itself. As I sank into my plush, emerald Louis armchair and sipped my Shot Choc I couldn’t help but think the world was all the better for it…

My love affair with eating chillies is something that has developed over a number of years; I simply can’t resist the sensation of a good hot chilli! I love exploring the various levels of heat and the subtle unique flavours that individual chillies have such as the ‘Guajillo’, which has a red berry flavour and the’ Ancho’ with its smokey dried fruit notes. This fascination for chillies has evolved into a deep appreciation for Mexican cuisine. I have also come to value that there is more to the country than tequila and tacos, Mexico also grows some pretty good coffee too.

Mexico’s coffee history dates back to the late 1700’s with the introduction of coffee to the Antilles by the French however, it really didn’t take off until late into the 19th century. Mexico sits in at number 7 in the top 10 coffee producing nations and the second largest behind Colombia in Central America. The concentration of coffee production is in the southern regions of Mexico growing Arabica varieties such as Catuai, Caturra, Bourbon and Typica. In the low lying plantations they are commonly producing relatively average blend filler coffees’, but as the plantations start to climb the mountains the quality really starts to appear. A lot of the production efforts in Mexico are focused on organic certification and Fair trade in order to boost their position in the market. Mexican coffees take a lot of cupping to find the really good ones so be sure to look out for coffee coming out of regions like Oaxaca, Coatepec and Chiapas as well as its grading – HG (high grown) or Altura means it’s the highest grown coffee to come out of Mexico.

I’m a big fan of much of the coffee that comes out of the Soconusco region in the southern state of Chiapas that boarders Guatemala (I do like Guatemalan coffee so that’s probably why I favour anything that is coming from this region) however, the coffee is becoming harder to find. In October 2005 the region got slammed hard by Hurricane Stan which damaged many of the crops that where close to harvest and recent reports are now suggesting that this years crop will be the worst yield in 20 years due to bad weather and severe labour shortages.

Whenever I get a washed high grown coffee in from the Americas I always have a tendency to roast them on the light side so you really get to experience the delicate fruit notes and brightness that sets them apart from one another

The dry fragrance has an intoxicating toffee note, with a hint of red apple. Wet aroma is hazelnut and honey-vanilla. The cup has a mild and delicate acidity of peach and apricot and I find a little sugar cane sweetness at the end. The body is smooth but a little thin and quick off the palate which makes it perfect for a single origin espresso. Amazing in syphons and pour over units as these make the stone fruit notes come to life. I would not dare attempt blending this coffee as it is far too delicate and would get lost, but I suggest you just grab a block of 85% cocoa chocolate and sip on a double ristretto.

The Coffee
Location: Chiapas, Mexico
Altitude: 1500 meters +
Plant type: Typica, Caturra

Cup Profile
Fragrance/Aroma: Hazelnut, honey and vanilla
Flavour: Stone fruits
Aftertaste: Sweet and short
Acidity: Mild
Body: Smooth and thin

By Paul Golding

The first visit to a favourite origin is always something of a personal epiphany. Kenya was one such visit for me, when I went with a small industry group to Nairobi in February this year to catch the end of the harvest season. Getting out into the countryside to see the crop and meet the people who produce it can really help shed some light on a coffee’s unique flavour and character.

Our guide on this adventure was Justin Archer of Sangana Commodities, one of the larger exporters in Kenya. He would be hosting us over 2 days, showing us everything from the farms and mills to the auction room and huge shipping warehouses from which the beans are dispatched around the world. I had also heard about a very interesting training project Justin had set up among the small farmer co-ops, and was keen to learn what it was all about….

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Leaving Nairobi to the north, the transition into coffee country is startlingly quick. Arabica trees appeared on the sides of the road within 40 minutes of leaving our meeting place in the CBD. We were soon passing farms ranging in size from one hectare to the occasional large estate of several hundred hectares.

Kenya does boast some huge estates, like the giant Socfinaf and Thika properties, but the majority of the coffee comes from small holders, family operations who produce anything from a few bags to a few tons each year. These small operators often join with neighbours to form co-operative groups, pooling their money and resources to build a washing station they can all share at harvest time. Our first stop was one such station, owned by the Ritho Co-Op, members of Justin’s farmer training project. The president of the co-op showed us around the rustic mill and explained the techniques they used. While the station had the usual array of equipment found in most similar sites around the world, the Kenyans have adopted a twist on the normal method of washing coffee. After pulping the cherries with a disc pulper, the coffee is “dry fermented” (meaning piled wet but not submerged) for 15-20 hours, then rinsed off before undergoing a second period, this time immersed in water for a further 12-24 hours.

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We speculated that this process could be a key factor in delivering the citrusy and blackberry flavours typical of Kenya. Their future outlook is optimistic, with improvement work planned for the next 8 months which will culminate in UTZ certification [see Crema Summer 2010 issue] and hopefully Fairtrade the following year. Much of the work will involve upgrades to the equipment and drying tables, documenting procedures, and upgrades to the water management and waste management of the station, to better protect the local environment. Assisting with the work is Sustainable Management Services (SMS), the sister company of Sangana, whose mission is to represent member farmers and deliver agricultural training programs. The aim of SMS is to help small holders form stable co-op groups and provide training and equipment to help increase crop yields and quality, with a corresponding rise in earnings at sale time. Farmers are organized into a group of 50, who then nominate one member to be the “promoter farmer”. These individuals must be willing to use their farms as open training centres for the rest of the group. The promoter farmer receives advanced agricultural training and a useful kit of tools from the SMS Ag Science staff, which they first implement on their farm, then roll out to the rest of the group.  Promoter farmers work on a volunteer basis for their community, but reap the benefits of the advanced training and improvement to their own business. We visited the farm of David Makina, set in the lush hills around Handege. David was proud to show us the results of his training and hard work. His farm is on a steeply sloping hillside which supports some 500 healthy-looking bourbon Arabica trees. As we walked through the crop, already showing plenty of new fruit ripening towards the July crop, he pointed out the recent improvements. Since the open hillside had no shade tree protection, the land has been terraced to hold nutrients and avoid erosion. Each tree was pruned carefully to about two metres tall for easier harvesting and also pruned into 3 sections of growth. One section would be cut back to the stump every two years, so the tree would always have a high producing mature part, and fresh growth coming through.

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David has also eliminated the need for chemical fertilizer by producing a special compost, a mix of manure, vegetable scraps and plants selected for their nutrient content. Four kilos of this compost per tree during the year – together with the other improvements – is sufficient to boost his production from 5kg of cherry per tree to an astonishing 15kg, giving him a very respectable income at harvest time! Further down the road, we dropped in to the farm of Daniel Sharia, another promoter farmer, who has also adopted many of these measures.

Daniel’s is a shade farm located on a steep terraced slope leading down to a river. He has chosen shade grown coffee for the longer development time of the cherries, which he says produces a deeper and more intense flavour, returning better prices at sale time.  While shade cropping has many benefits, a major risk in Kenya is the greater exposure to CBD, or coffee berry disease. This is a fungal infection resulting from persistent moisture on the fruit while ripening. As the older variety of SL 28 bourbon plants are more susceptible to CBD, farmers are replacing the older trees with the newer resistant hybrid Ruiru 11. On Daniel’s farm this involves grafting the Ruiru plant onto existing rootstock, allowing him a shade plant with natural resistance to the disease, avoiding reliance on chemical fungicide.  Much of Kenya’s crop is now produced by Ruiru 11 for this reason.

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From the farms we headed to the auction rooms, where much of Kenya’s coffee is sold.  Farmers in Kenya have the option of selling direct to an exporter, or through the auction, allowing market forces to dictate price. This year most were choosing the auctions, where prices are very high due to high world demand and the relative scarcity of quality Kenyan coffee. Held each Thursday, the auction is a quiet place, but the pace is fast, with 2-3 lots sold per minute as the traders bid to fill their requirements. Samples of all the lots available have been roasted, cupped and judged the previous week by the various export houses, who may handle over 300 different offerings in this way.

The traders rely completely on these judgments when bidding for the coffee, so the cupper’s talents are very important. Individual offerings of up to 6 tons may be sold as microlots under the estate or co-op name if the quality is superior, generally the large AA or AB screened beans. In addition, traders will be on the lookout for lots the cuppers recommend for blending, to be sold under a trade name chose by the exporter. This is a painstaking process necessary to produce large volumes of high quality green coffee, maintaining a consistent taste profile for roasters to use in their own blends from year to year.  We participated in this process at Sangana’s cupping lab, working our way down the long row of cups with their chief taster Simon, assigning judgments to each lot.  We also tasted a range of the finished blends and microlots available for sale, excited to be selecting our own exclusive coffees for the coming year.   We went on to visit several more exporters during our 2 weeks in country, but remained very impressed by Sangana’s people, commitment to quality and great efforts in the farmer training programs.

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The news for Australian roasters is both good and bad – the quality of Kenyan coffee still looks excellent, and will remain so through the efforts of Kenyan farmers working with people like Justin and his team.  Farmers are receiving excellent prices due to the high demand for their product, and some are gaining at least temporary wealth selling their land to property developers.  On the minus side, Kenyan specialty coffee may become quite scarce in Australia and very expensive during the year; most of the top lots had already been bought up by Europe and North America when we arrived. Get in early or miss out! For me the trip was highly rewarding-to see first hand the complex work behind the scenes, and to understand the process which leads to bags of green beans arriving in our roastery.

For a coffee geek, it’s a priceless experience-can’t wait to write about the next one.

by Rob Stewart

I have often wondered what would happen to the world if Brazil stopped producing coffee – perhaps a catastrophic melt down! The price for coffee per kilo would go up, making a cup of coffee cost more than a cocktail at a night club, sounding the death knell of the majority of cafes and coffee companies.  Shift workers, parents, students, productivity, and Italy would all come to a grinding halt. It would affect our economy and our way of life, leaving everyone with one giant headache.

The reality is that Brazil produces 30% the world’s coffee and the only country that comes close is Vietnam, producing about 14% [much of it robusta].  Brazil has been producing coffee that has formed the foundation of coffee brands throughout world. A typical Brazilian coffee doesn’t tend to have many predominate flavour notes that dominate the palate like Central American coffees do, instead they produce fantastic  crema, body and add sweetness, which are all characteristics used when building the base of an espresso blend.

Coffee is not native to Brazil, the first seeds were smuggled there back in 1727 from French Guiana and since then the industry has ebbed and flowed, enduring devastating frosts and drought to dominating the world’s consumption.  Brazil’s growing regions include Sāo Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paranā and Mogiana.

There is a pocket in the Minas Gerais region called Cerrado which is where you will find a company called Daterra: currently producing some of the most exciting coffees you are ever likely to come across. Daterra epitomises what a modern coffee plantation should be: innovative, experimental, sustainable and inspiring. They possess certifications such as Rainforest Alliance and UTZ and are also leaders in organic farming, environmental preservation and social standards for their workers and their community.  But the ace up Daterra’s sleeve is when it comes to quality assurance. Daterra has developed the Penta® system; an elaborate series of technological procedures that follow the coffee from seed to shipping that eliminates defects and ensure that only the best beans make the cut.

Daterra has two locations in Brazil, the Cerrado and the other in the Mogiana region and they have been growing coffee there since the early 80’s. They grow a number of varieties such as Mundo Novo, Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Red and Yellow Icatu and produce single origins, reserves (being the best of each crop), experimental varieties and Collections which are blends of the various varieties they grow.

The Sweet Collection from the Bourbon cultivar is, I believe, the finest examples of their range. When I first cupped this coffee I was hit by an intense rock candy and mandarin aroma, followed by the sweetness of caramel and honey. The body of the Sweet Collection is well pronounced without being overbearing and the acidy is delicate with a spicy twist. I find this coffee works well across all brewing methods and but in practice the plunger is best, as it accentuates the rock candy notes. Milk based drinks will highlight the sweetness and bring out a vanilla flavour and it’s definitely a coffee you can happily sit and drink a few cups of. I prefer any Brazilian coffee roasted on the lighter side as they have a tendency, if roasted too dark, to leave an ashy aftertaste and this is no exception; try peppering it with a little Kenya or any of the Central Americans – particularly a Costa Rican – to make the cup really come to life, or just enjoy it as a single origin!

The Coffee

Location: Brazil, Cerrado region
Estate: Daterra
Plant Type: Arabica Bourbon
Process: pulped natural

Cup Profile

Fragrance/Aroma: rock candy, mandarin
Flavour: caramel and honey
Aftertaste: clean and subtle
Acidity: low and spicey
Body: medium, persistent

The London-based International Coffee Organisation estimates that global coffee production in 2008/09 will reach about 131 million 60kg bags, up from a previous estimate of 128 million, according to Reuters Business News.

The revised estimate comes as Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry’s crop supply department, Conab, raised its estimate for Brazil’s 2008/09 coffee crop to 45.85 million bags, up from 45.5 million projected in May. The ICO estimates the 2007/08 global coffee crop unchanged at 118.2 million bags.

World coffee consumption was seen climbing to around 128 million bags this year if current growth rates continue, up from 124.7 million in 2007. The report didn’t give details on the expected implications for future coffee prices.

The story goes on to explain that Uganda is Africa’s second biggest coffee producer after Ethiopia and has become a major player in robusta coffee production after political unrest in former top grower Ivory Coast slashed output.

“The outlook is bleak. If the average global temperatures rise by two degrees or more, then most of Uganda is likely to cease to be suitable for coffee..this may happen in 40 years or perhaps as little as 30,” the report said.

The report, “Turning up the heat, Climate Change and Poverty in Uganda,” said effects of global warming like increasing temperatures, more intense rains and storms, had led to erratic rainfall patterns in Uganda.

Coffee output in 2007/08 (Oct-Sept) is seen at 2.85 million bags, up from 2.7 million the year before.

“According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, only patches of land on the periphery will still be able to grow coffee…In the meantime, coffee farmers are going to have to adapt to rising temperatures,” the report said.

Across much of Uganda, the climate is bimodal, meaning that there are two rainy seasons — the first from March to June and the second from October/November to December/January.

Rainfall during the rainy seasons has become unreliable, it said, adding that reduced rain during the March to June season was causing drought, reductions in crop yields and plant varieties.

The late season rainfall was coming in more intense and destructive downpours, bringing floods, landslides and soil erosion, it said.

“But, farmers have continued to invest in Uganda’s Robusta coffee and export earnings have continued to increase. This has helped protect losses from climatic problems,” said Philip Gitao, head of the East African Fine Coffees Association.

Farmers have also adopted good husbandry practices such as using more hardy coffee plants, added Gitao, who was quoted in the Oxfam report.

(Source: Reuters Kampala July 18th, 2008)