Rwanda Rulindo Cup Of Excellence SOLD OUT!

The Cup of Excellence is the most esteemed award given out for top coffees. These awards come from a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in that country for that particular year. These winning coffees are chosen by a select group of national and international cuppers and are cupped at least five different times during the competition process. Only coffees that continuously score high enough are allowed to move forward in the competition. The final winners are awarded the prestigious Cup of Excellence® and sold to the highest bidder during an internet auction.

Coffees of this exemplary quality are very rare. These coffees are perfectly ripe, carefully picked with 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 earth where it grows and all have been handcrafted in such a way as to enhance these unique characteristics. 

for more reading, check out the surprisingly interesting Cup Of Excellence website

Variety: Arabica
Processing System: Dry
Lot Size: 34 boxes
Pounds: 2,121.09 (962.11 kgs)    

for reference: we often get shipments of green coffee totaling 4 times that amount twice a month.  We are lucky to have this offering, and hope you have a chance to enjoy it!

International Jury Score: 87.16
Farm: SACOF Rulindo
Farmer: Ndacyayisenga Beatrice
Rank: 8
City: Rulindo
Region: Northern
Country: Rwanda
Farm Size: Not Available
Coffee growing area: Not Available
Altitude: 1794 masl
Certification: None

Tasting notes:

AROMA/FLAVOR: Intense fragrance, tobacco, spices, dark chocolate, black tea, caramelized apple, grapefruit
ACIDITY: Citric, lemon, orange, pineapple, white grape
OTHER: Lemon in aftertaste, brown sugar on finish, rounded, syrupy mouthfeel, creamy

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What is Agtron?

Instagramming an Agtron was strangely satisfying

You may have noticed descriptions of roasted coffee including a set of numbers labeled "Agtron."  What is Agtron?  Simply put, the Agtron is a tool used to give the degree of which coffee is roasted a standard measurement.  Coffee goes into the box and it displays a number.  It's a spectrophotometer; it bounces light off of the coffee samples, reads what gets reflected back, and returns a number.

The numbers given are from a scale of 0 to 100.  0 being the absolute dark and 100 is the absolute lightest.  These numbers are commonly used in the specialty coffee industry to label coffee's roast degrees.  It's more accurate than saying "Vienna Roast" or "Fully City +" and provides roasters a common method of observation and evaluation.  If two numbers are listed, the first is generally a reading of the whole bean sample and the second will be the ground sample reading.  Typically if one number is provided, it refers to the ground reading.  Roasters can use the two numbers to gauge how the roast affected the bean.  For example, if the whole bean number is significantly darker than the ground number, then the internal segment of the bean may not have absorbed as much roast heat as a sample that has numbers closer together.  However, it is important to note that the numbers will not indicate "good" or "bad" coffee.  They simply reflect the roast process on the green coffee.  If we are labeling a coffee as "Vienna roast" it will have an Agtron range of  30 to 40, depending on the bean.  "French" will typically be 25 to 30.  Our "Full City" will usually read 50 to 60.

We provide our coffee descriptions with their Agtron readings for the same reason we list the altitude it was grown:  to give you all of the available information.  Right now, Agtron numbers, the gourmet scale, and SCAA color tiles are more relevant to the industry's interests than they are to the consumer.  We think taste is the most important thing for all involved.  We try to get the best possible taste from each bean and use the Agtron to stay consistant.

Kenya PB Karie SOLD OUT!

Kenya PB Karie

Kenya, Mathira West District, Kirimukuyu division, Karie location
Karie wet mill, Rutuma FCS cooperative Society

Varietal: SL 28, SL34 and 10% of Ruiru 11
Altitude: 1600 -1700 masl
ProcMethod: Fully washed and sundried


additional notes:

No. of Producers: 836 Members
Average Farm Size: 1.0 acres - 300 trees per farm

that's 836 different farmers/farms in the co-op with an average of 300 trees per farm; the end result in one bag is a pretty sweet sample of what coffee tastes like from that specific part of Mount Kenya

processing method:

"Timely and selective hand picking is carried out in Karie wet mill. Cherry is delivered to the wet mill the same day it is picked.  Cherry sorting is carried out at the wet mill prior to the pulping. Red ripe cheries are separated from underipes, overipes and foreign matter. Processing utilizes clean river water (wet processing) that is recirculated before disposal into seepage pits. Sun drying is done before delivery of the coffee to the dry mill for secondary processing."   -Cafe Imports

historical background:

"Rutuma FCS has 7 wet mills: Ruthagati, Ngandu, Kianjogu, Karie, Marua, Githima and Ndurutu. The coop is located at Mathira division-Mathira West District. Geographically it lies on the slopes of Mt.Kenya.The society was registered under the cooperative societies act on the 10th January 1951.Formerly, these 7 wet mills belonged to the former Giant Mathira FCS but after the split they formed Rutuma FCS."  -Cafe Imports

over 60 years of growing and producing coffee is represented in this coffee. 

tasting notes: 

sweet, key lime, grapefruit, raisin

Agtron:

53-65
 
roaster notes:

we thought it might be best to lay off the heat and stretch this one out a bit;  hoping to preserve all of the sweetness and fruit flavors previously profiled.  key lime pie is not something we have ever tasted in coffee before and we hope to bring that experience to you.

 
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cupping

cupped some sample roasts today: varietals that we are sort of auditioning for spots in our offering lineup.  highlights were a nice Rwandan with a zesty mix of plum and lime sensations and a delicate Costa Rican offering which balanced sweet butterscotch and caramel with a mild fruitiness.  we'll let you know if we pick any of those up, and also how the rest of our million bags of sample green taste. 

sample roasting

sample roasting a few new varietals today- got a Burundi and a Rwanda. 90 grams a batch on our Probat PRE 1 electric roaster. we'll let you know how it went in a couple days.

El Salvador Teopan Pacamara Blend SOLD OUT!

Name: Teopan pacamara blend
Producer: Felix Ernesto Canizalez Portillo

Origin: El Salvador

Region: Planes de la Laguna, Santa Ana, Santa Ana

Farm: Teopan

Varietal: Bourbon and pacamara

Altitude: 1500 masl

Proc. Method: Fully washed and sundried

Roaster: Tommy Goetz

Agtron: 58/62

Tasting notes: Sweet, cedar, citrus, pineapple

Roaster's notes: We started the roasting of  this coffee at a little higher temperature then slowed the process down. This really accentuated the citrus notes. Also sensed a slight taste of butter.

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