This list of coffees is seriously out of date and I am going to endeavor to make it more current. Stay tuned. --June 2010
Additionally - I tried all these coffees, as a group, in 1999. Some of them are quite rare and I have no idea how to source most of them. Before you e-mail me, try Google first.
Haitian Bleu
Perhaps Haiti has finally learned how to grow the perfect bean against the adversity of politics and population. We can credit a U.S.-backed development project that has helped local planters rise above staggering poverty and a stagnant economy. To market Haitian coffee is elemental in a nations recovery from deforestation and the ravages of an early nineties embargo. With sensible and creative marketing, Haitian coffee is making a mark on the coffee markets of the world.
"A heavy and rich aroma came off the Melior pot in this anticipated brew. The aroma was reminiscent of canola blossom and it had a balanced acidity."
Guatemalan Huehuetenango
The bulk of Guatemalan coffees are grown on the gentle slopes in the central and southern regions. Huehuetenango coffee, however, come from a few choice plantations in the northwest highlands of Huehuetenango, west of Antigua. Guatemalan coffee is characteristically balanced in acidity, with a great big body to which all other Caribbean coffees are compared, a clean spiciness and an uncluttered bouquet. The clean and uncluttered banquet that is the big cup Huehuetenango is that one Central American coffee that is a setpoint for all others.
"A clean and organized bouquet swirls around a spicy cup. Medium and undistracting acidity descend into a smooth dark chocolate palate with a closing finish that suggests darkness and mystery."
Mexico Fino Rojas
The Fino Rojas Estate Coffee in the Oaxaca District, often referred to as Mexican Altura, delivers medium body, moderately bright acidity and a delicate citrus bouquet. Alturas and Oaxacan high-grown coffees are fine examples of the more delicate single origins grown in the northern reaches of this bountiful coffee region of Mexico.†
" A clean citrus-lemon fragrance circles around the French-press preparation. With medium-low acidity and an unusual maraschino cherry chocolate tinged body, this cup trails out gently to a dry and dark chocolate finish."
Nicaragua Selva Negra estate
The Selva Negra Estate has been producing classic shade-grown Arabic coffee since 1890. Relatives of the original German settlers are here today on the Selva Negra Mountain Resort to welcome you. The estate's proprietors are dedicated to maintaining harmony on major portions of the estate that contain rain forest canopy. Eddy Kuhl and Mausi Hayn, from the original German settlers, use organics and natural products wherever possible, the coffee silage, for instance, reduced for the production of methane gas for cooking and heating! The Kuhl's ensure close monitoring of all processes by being physically connected to the mill adjacent to their stately home.
"This coffees exciting hibiscus nose introduces an astringent Kenyan-like cup that is full-bodied. The perfume remains on the body of the coffee across the palate. The finish is praline-sugar and slightly nutty."
Panama Duran Estate
Smooth and mild, this exceptional Panamanian estate coffee has a consistent, even flavor and mid-range acidity that makes it the perfect breakfast coffee.
"The bouquet of Duran is alive with Orange Blossoms! Delicate, yet focused acidity introduced a simply delightful orange-chocolate palate. This classic old arabica was rich enough for the morning drinkers like me and spunky enough for the afternoon sippers."
Brazil Cerrado Estate
Grown on the Fazenda Vista Alegre Estate, this coffee is dry processed in the traditional ways of the best Brazilian estates. A process similar to that found in Yemen and Ethiopia, the red-ripe cherries are picked and dried with the fruit and pulp still attached to the coffee bean. The Cerrado region is well known for its coffee and it is considered to be the best that Brazil has to offer.†
"The aroma of Cerrado swirls about the cup, sweet, deep and very clean. The taste is of medium chocolate and orange with a light and unassuming acidity, its finish is orange-citrus at its most clear. The dry processing of this coffee imparted the softest gesture of earthiness at every turn within the cup, its aroma and its lingering conclusion."
Peru Villa Rica
The coffee of Peru is produced and marketed on a smaller scale than it is in the larger Colombia. Quality Arabica coffee is here and flourishes between 3,000 and 5500 feet in the central highlands. The two principal coffee towns of Villa Rica and La Merced are at the center of coffee activity for Peru. Villa Rica, where the majority of the quality coffee is grown, was founded in 1925 by a German settlers and German names are quite common here. Despite periodic political uncertainty, the coffee industry is growing to the benefit of the people of Peru.
"The Peru Villa Ricas' squeaky clean aroma was followed up by an unusual but pleasing tobacco-chocolate cup. The medium-acidity made for a bright cup and the tobacco and chocolate notes wound their way into a slightly more grainy chocolate tinged finish."
Organic Mexican Coixtepec
We dove in checking out the Organic Mexican Coixtepec, first in a french-press then a glass drip carafe with our fresh baked almond biscotti.
"It had a bright and sparkling acidity with a butterscotch-sweet aftertaste."
Mezzana Estate Venezuela
Mezzana Estate Venezuela is an excellent example of a very light roasted coffee that can cause one to pre-judge it on its color. Much to my chagrin, a paper filter brewing came off thusly:
"I was instantly impressed by a Lemon acidic twang and a, very slightly, grassy midrange. The finish tapered away slowly to, what I called, a slight, but distinct anise flavor. Ryan called it 'licorice', but it was the same thing and I was pleased that we both spotted that feature."
Mavis Bank Jamaica Blue Mountain
Among the coffee greats of the planet Earth, most people recognize the name of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee almost immediately. The Blue Mountains, some 5000 feet above sea level, are government designated as Forest Reserve. All the forces of nature are in balance for the cultivation of coffee here. The Arabica coffee that is grown here is distinct and delicious in a way unequal to any other coffee region anywhere. First introduced into the island from Hispaniola in the early eighteenth century, Haitian farmers as refugees made their home in the Blue Mountains bringing with them the skills needed for successful coffee cultivation. In the 1920's Victor C. Munn bought five acres of land at Mavis Bank in the Blue Mountains. Upon setting up a pulpery, which could process the coffee brought in from the outlying districts, surrounding estates found it best to send their coffee to him for processing. Mavis Bank Central Factory, having been destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the fifties, and then modernized by Keble Munn, has been going strong for forty years. Since the early seventies only coffee processed by Mavis Bank Central Factory and three other processors can legally be termed Blue Mountain Coffee. One must be careful when finding their Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee! I received a bag of Mavis Bank 100% Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee and all I can say is that I was stunned by the sheer purity and clarity of the flavor.
Zaire Congo Kivu
On the border of Zaire and Rwanda is Lake Kivu. At almost 5000 feet above sea level is an coffee cultivation oasis like no other in these two often troubled countries. At their best, coffees from this region are similar to Kenyan coffees in their acidity and port-like wininess.The Kivu cup has a nice orange-blossom aroma that leads into a sparkle not unlike Kenyan AA at its best. This Port-Wine liquor body wound down to a very clean and undistracting finish.
Zambia Kapinga Estate
Approximately 2000 tonnes of green coffee are produced in Zambia annually. The Zambia Coffee Growers Association (ZCGA) can rightfully be proud of one spectacular example of coffee production: Kapinga! A very tightly knit organization of farmers keep up to date on the latest techniques and production values through effective communication across the growing region and written journals.The Kapinga cup blew me away with flavor! Imagine a licorice-lavender aroma and the scent of canola blossoms. It was that and more. Focused chocolate notes wound their way down to a gently acceptable chalky and cocoa finish. Bravo!
Ethiopian Sidamo
Ethiopia is the cradle of coffee's origin. Legend has it that a young Abyssinian shepherd noticed to his amazement that his goats danced and bounced from bush to stump after noshing the bright red berries from a tree. He too tried the berries and enjoyed their stimulating effect. Before long the shepherd and the goats discovered disco. One thousand years later, this shepherd found Sidamo to be lightly aromatic with an Orange-Pekoe nose. Traces of earthiness filled out a fully developed and winey cup.
Ethiopian Limu
The wet processed coffees of Central Ethiopia, tame in comparison to their wilder dry-processed and sundried berries to the south, display much sweetness, delicacy in the cup and moderately bright acidity. An almost sickly sweet honeysuckle aroma introduces a cup of medium-acidity and deep dark chocolate tones. Some wininess was present and trailed off into a light lemon citrus finish.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
Our journey through the great continent of Africa begins with what is, in my opinion, the wildest coffee the world has to offer. Cracking open the zipper-lock bag, one is greeted with an immediate earthy organiciness. What is thought to be one of the first coffee bearing regions of the world, we know right away that there are several hundred years of dark secrets eager to be unleashed by this, the most complex of beans. My melior pot reveals the hidden mystical treasures almost immediately to all the senses. Two coarsely ground scoops of the coffee are shoveled into the press pot. Several ounces of hot water are poured in to wet the grinds. A vague hissing is heard as carbon dioxide is released, enhancing the aromatic and fragrant experience. Closing my eyes and drawing great breaths through my nostrils, I can imagine the unyielding clays of the region and the sheer resistance to cultivation, the amalgam of unlikely elements and ingredients, the union of African Sun, Eastern Winds and a scarce water supply that would result in such a bean. Strangely, the nose is also greeted with a lavender, almost honeysuckle sweetness over top of everything else about this, the organiciest and skunkiest of beans. Across the palate one experiences an almost perfectly flat almost-chalky, semi-sweet dark chocolate mouthfeel. This is not your average coffee. In fact, I would only serve it to the initiated. As always, I let the coffee cool in the open air and then I appraise it again. This coffee is not suggested for ice coffee. If it is wild tasting hot, well, then, it is certainly way out there when cold.
Yemen Mocha Mattari
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, but its neighbor Yemen ,across the Red Sea was the first to grow coffee in a cooperative way. Yemen, on the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula, still uses the same growing methodology and harvesting practices used since the seventeenth century when Arabia pretty much had cornered the market on coffee. At altitudes between 3,000 and 7,000 feet above sea level, a 400 year old irrigation system manages the spotty rainfall water for the coffee bushes, which grow on the terraced slopes tucked into the mountainside. All Yemen's coffee, dry-processed, sits on the flat roofs of houses in the villages. Mocha , named after the port through which it was originally shipped has been blocked by a sand-bar since the early 1800s. Alas, the name stuck. Yemeni Coffee family names include the likes of Yafee and Harazi, but Mattari is considered to be the best. Yemen coffee is organically grown, for the most part, because there are no real pests. Grown in soil which is rejuvenated on an annual basis by the rainy season and the cyclic nature of the runoff silt, Yemen coffee is at the same time complicated in terms of body, fragrance and aroma but simple in terms of pre-harvest care. In preparation, I found the coffee to be too over the top for the French Press or Bodum cafe, hence the Melitta Drip Carafe was used to its fullest potential. For the record, the Melior Press that I used brought out a tad too much spiciness and sweet flora for my compromised taste buds to untangle. With an unbleached paper filter at work I found that it pulled away enough of the wild fatty lipids and oils to give me something to work with. Drip preparation really shone, I must say, and brought out the most delicate hibiscus notes with a heavy chocolate bottom end. Any organiciness that I observed was downright tame next to the Yirgacheffe. This was a downright fine cup of coffee, suitable for any event, any time of day.
Yemen Mocha Sanani Estate
Yemen Coffee, processed and marketed the same way for hundreds of years has long been considered one of the world's most delicious and complex. The dryness of the Sanani region's soil, like many other Yemeni growing areas, results in a very hard bean. Although irregular in color and shape and smallish in size, Mocha Sanani possesses a complex aromatic character somewhat understated compared to the Mattari, a quieter fragrant nose, an exceedingly clean taste when prepared in a drip carafe and overall, a very good, no great, cup of Java. I would rate this third of all the Africans that I sampled in terms of ease of drinkability without compromise or surprise.
Zambia Mpongwe AA
While the Yirgacheffe Coffee may have sprung from , what was my impression, the spiciest and most nutrient rich dung heaps of Eastern Africa, the Zambian entry was downright sedate, almost sleepy in comparison. Unground and in the bag, the beans had a pleasing air of Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Molasses. This, to me, and as a light-roast, had a amusingly jangling acidity and a very surprising sweet cocoa milkiness. Yes, milkiness, and I drink it black! As it cooled it took on a pleasant round tobacco aroma and I felt that it would make an awesome base for iced coffee drinks.
Kenya AA
South of Ethiopia, Kenya begin cultivating coffee late in the 19th century. Arriving with seedlings and a message, missionaries brought the first plants to Kenya, British and German colonialists following up enthusiastically with money, knowledge and real estate! Kenya, under devout government observation, oversees upwards of 2 million bags of coffee production, all wet-processed arabicas and graded with the now infamous letter system. Grown north and east of Nairobi on the plateaus surrounding Mount Kenya on Cooperatives numbering greater than 300,000, small farms cultivate coffee at altitudes between 4,900 and 6,800 feet. Our drip taste tests resulted in the following deductions: It was a very winey cup with light floral notes and a semi-sweet, almost bitter-sweet chocolate bottom that was quite invigorating or almost brisk. Kenya coffee could well be the most recognized coffee from Africa and it is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of those cash crops that keeps the country of Kenya economically healthy.
Zimbabwe Code 053
With my nose buried in the open bag I detected Caramel and a certain clean mossiness underneath. Upon brewing, the praline nutiness came through loud and clear. There was a broad spectrum of nutty flavors and aromas there that I could not quite put my finger on.
Ethiopia Harrar
Grown and often harvested wild on the mountain plateaus of Ethiopia, this chocolate tinged and often highly winey coffee rarely fails to placate the palate. This particular sample, less rough and dry and more like a box of old dark chocolates, came across light on body and aroma and very easy going on the tongue, front to back. Of the four coffees in this cupping I found this to be the least jarring on the senses with a nice moderate acidity and pleasantness as it cooled.
Pride of Kilimanjaro Coop Tanzania
Without any of the earthy qualities and organiciness of the sister coffees to the north, this Tanzanian Cooperative offering comes across more like a good Colombian Arabica in its understatedness. I found it to be moderately brisk without being too engaging on the palate, yet it hung on my tastebuds quite nicely. It had depth without any cloying wininess and, I feel, it would make a good all around breakfast and after dinner coffee.
Vista Allegre Brazil
Clocking in at an even slightly more elongated roast than the Hawaiian, the Allegre satisfied the review crew with a fuller, sweeter and more complete coffee experience.
"Again, the lemon-citrus bite made a casual appearance but was more overshadowed by the increased complexity and the vaguest hint of a fleeting organic or earthy overtone."
Yauco Selecto Qui Que Puerto Rico
Another evening, another adventure. In an attempt to put the Caribbean Jewel, Puerto Rico, back on the map of fine coffees, Yauco Selecto has quite single-handedly kicked it up a notch with this surpassing single-estate. Thirty-three hundred feet above sea level, in the Yauco mountains exists the best of environments for coffee growing in Puerto Rico. Yauco Selecto is cultivated in the San Pedro and Santa Ana "Haciendas". Yauco Selecto Qui Que, for us, was one eye opening experience and quick re-education.
Our immediate impressions were of the even tempered and sharply focused flavors of good Kona Coffee. It was without any distracting flora qualities or organiciness of any kind. It had a lingering sweetness and a subtle body and mouthfeel. Its oiliness out of the French Press tasting reminded me of some of the Blue Mountain Jamaican samples that I had tried a few years before at the 'Granville Island Roastery'."
Yauco Selecto Madre 19
Madre 19 is the largest bean offered in the YS family." It had a sweetness that bordered on honey and a caramel creaminess that was downright startling from the get go. After two batches in a drip thermal carafe we agreed that this was the most luxurious YS experience to be had.
Yauco Selecto A.Fuente Estate
From the family that brought the world award winning premium cigars, comes the matchless quality of a classic estate arabica coffee. Since the late 18 century, Yauco Selecto has been considered the first choice in fine coffees in the playgrounds of the rich and famous.
"There are few Caribbean offerings more creamy smooth, more full bodied, and more precise in their temper and timbre than this one. I discovered nutty caramel and praline notes in the head end of the cup and a full port finish that rang of dark chocolate and byng cherries.
Kahle Farms, Volcan Azul ("Blue Volcano")Costa Rica
From the slopes of the Volcano Poas in Costa Rica, comes a quality arabica coffee:"
With a slightly longer roast than the YS Qui Que, this full-bodied and well-balanced coffee treated us to a smooth and lasting sweetness with a satisfying cocoa finish. "
Kahle Farms, Loro Verde, Peaberry Costa Rica
"This partial organic, spring water washed coffee pleased our technicians with a pointed sweetness and nutty caramel taste." Full-bodied and with a surprisingly long sweet finish, it demonstrated, once again, that Costa Rica has become one amazing coffee producer. This small, Central American, oasis has never failed to please my team of coffee fanatics or me.
Asia
Timor Organic
To quote David Letourneau, "The advantage East Timor has is that it's clean," an inspector from the United States-based Organic Crop Improvement Association, is to understand an important factor in the cultivation of coffee here. "This is one of the only places I know on the planet that has not been polluted by chemical fertilizers and pesticides." Let us take this thought a step further. Indonesia annexed turbulent East Timor in 1976, and ever since, the two have blended about as well as oil and water. The unsettling consequences may send human-rights advocates, like myself, into rage, but they offer the, organic-coffee business some good financial news for the 6000 plus coffee farmers there. There is more: The U.S. Agency for International Development, now funds a $3-million program to assist coffee farmers. In the Ermera, Liquica and Ainaro districts, field experts guide farmers to agricultural success, passing on the sensible traditions of composting, erosion control and planting density.
"Surprising, if not comforting, is the reality in the brewing and tasting. This is a very down to earth coffee without extreme nuance or irritating distraction."
Papua New Guinea Estate
This is my favorite coffee. I describe accordingly:
"Depth of flavor. Aroma thick enough to cut. A mouthfeel that is a meal in itself. organic and Earth in perfect harmony. " Although coffee has only been produced commercially in New Guinea since the fifties, it has certainly carved out a niche in the jungle for those that enjoy complexity. As wet processed coffees go, you will experience Earthiness and clarity in one cup, unlike the arching wildness of Yemeni or Ethiopian coffees. As much as it possesses an infinite variety of subtle earthy nuances, this coffee has an acidic ring to it that will, most definitely, put your mouth in gear any time of the day.
Sumatra Mandheling
It is often difficult to describe coffee nuances to the average person without resorting to metaphor or gastrobabble. Now, after saying that, listen up: If the average Arabica blend is a Honda Civic, then Mandheling is a Cadillac when it comes to flavor! This coffee, when fresh, has body that is bullet proof, flavor as deep as an Olympic-sized pool, aroma that passes through brick walls and a finish that takes you into the next day. Go ahead. Add milk and sugar, like it will matter! Taken black, as all my coffees are served, I consider this to be one of my favorite brews, perhaps even in the top three.
Aged Sumatra Mandheling Pawani
As if Mandheling was not complicated enough, this estate offering kicks it up a notch by warehousing their wet and dry processed green. Although not the storm-force ten wildness of Monsooned Malabar, the Pawani Estate succeeds in pushing all of your coffee taste bud buttons at the same time. I got dark flavors to the depth of near creosote across my palate. If there is a highway to coffee heaven, it is paved with Pawani. This is not for everyone, but would be good for late afternoon and early evening dessert parties.
Sumatra Gayo Mountain
As is the case with the PNG Estate coffees, the Sumatra and Indonesians often share a bloodline that is directly connected to Jamaica Blue Mountain." Even with the sample that we were provided, as a stodgy Viennese Roast, there were no shortage of pleasant surprises. Where I was expecting earthy tones, I was treated to clarity of body and taste and a very subtle spiciness. There was no distracting sweetness or syrupiness, but just clean taste across the palate with some dark chocolate, walnut and clove tinges." This could have been a mug of Kona coffee if I was going at this blindfolded. The acidity of this coffee is razor sharp without the slightest gesture of bitterness and the finish is smooth and long lasting. For the record, there is not one coffee on this page that exhibits the slightest example of unexpected or unexplained bitterness.
Celebes (Sulawesi) Kalossi
Sulawesi coffee is, for me, the luxury line of coffee from one of the small Indonesian pearl islets. Where SM Coffee might go a little to far for some taste buds, verging perhaps on syrupy, Kalossi possesses the best of SM's qualities in moderation and smoothness. To contrast further, SM is wet-dry processed, where Kalossi is carefully washed, hence the cleaner, more focused flavor.
India Monsoon Malabar
Monsoon Malabar is a unique coffee grown at 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level. It is a significantly larger arabica bean named for the region and its rainy season which contributes to the beans' higher moisture content. To create a "monsooned" crop, the green coffee is warehoused in an open structure protected from rain while moist tropical air blows through the storage area. In a 2 to 3 month period, the beans absorb moisture, losing a degree of natural acidity and at roast time, a richer yet mellower beverage results.
"In full aromatic bloom, the Malabar brew greets its drinker arms open wide. A low toned acidity traverses the palate and makes way for an intriguing mustiness. This mug of java was, for me, a memory of old magazines and attics in the distant corners of my childhood mind. I was moved in a way that was more reminiscent of a country drive or the chance meeting of an old acquaintance. Yet, this was a coffee. The beverage, whose midrange was one of earthy, gritty and dusty organiciness slipped away, washed away, into a pleasant and bathed Demerara warmth."
India Mysore Nuggets
The Malibar Coast: the Arabian Ocean: the West facing slopes of Indiaís Ghat Mountains: these things supply ideal coffee growing conditions to the region centered in Karnakata (formerly Mysore). A mineral-rich volcanic soil, suitable altitudes, good rainfall and temperature variations make for the winning team that coffee needs here. Shade growth and one-thousand meter altitude means longer growing periods and slow ripening. The coffee cherry, as a result, is richer in taste and higher in sugar content.
"For me, this was a sought after bean. The nuggets are called thusly from the size #19 screen that is used to filter out these big gems. The aroma was of deep graham cracker. I was greeted by a sustained puckery acidity that had lemon elements. The overall body was thick and the finish was syrupy sweet."
The pacific
Maui Kaanapali Hawaii
Put a Hawaiian Coffee in my cup and I automatically expect a Kona-Kailua experience. Once again, the personal failing of prejudgment kicks in. Alas I am here to learn. With only a slightly longer roasting period than the Mezzana, the Kaanapali comes across with a acidity and sparkle that is more like its Caribbean cousins than its Kona brethren.
It had a balanced sweet aftertaste that stayed with me and closed with a wonderful Praline or Butterscotch finish. Maui Kaanapali Red
Imagine unstoppable and unerring smoothness. Think of the combination of graham wafer crossed with the semi-sweetness of caramel. With a slowly descending sweet aftertaste in the form of a light brown sugar finish, the Red is the reward a coffee drinker like myself looks forward to. This bean is almost flawless in the areas of body, acidity and aroma and to these taste buds come across as slightly more interesting than the average Big Island Kona.
Maui Kaanapali Moka
I was startled by the tiny beans in my latest sample of the Kaanapali family. In terms of physical size, you could drop three of these into one Sumatra Mandheling Pawani Estate bean. Nonetheless, I was not let down after brew time. The welcome and delicate and crystal clear experience that is the Maui Kaanapali cup is one to cherish. It is, in fact, the perfect balance of the natural caramel sweetness, perfectly round mouth feel, medium light in the body with no distractions or earthy tones. The Moka and the Red go head to head, and, in fact, there are few discerning features between the two. Kauai Estate Reserve Hawaii
This 4,000 acre estate, the largest in Hawaii, produces a high quality arabica bean. The 1997 Kauai Reserve is this years set aside estate label, harvested from selected areas of the plantation.
Kauai's signature cup, we found it to have all the balance of a Hawaiian Kona but with a slight edginess that may have been present as a result of an aging green bean. This I found to be a good quality. As suspected, there was sweetness aplenty, a very focused body with few, if any, distractions on the palate. Moloka'i Estate and Pure Kona Coffee
Kona Hawaii: The gentle slopes of the Hualalai and Mauna Loa Mountains. Rich volcanic soil. Cool afternoon cloud cover. Growing in the perfect environment, Kona coffee has a distinct advantage over other coffee growing regions. Timing is everything . Coffee trees typically bloom after Kona's dry winters and are ready to be picked in the fall. The North and South districts of Kona are the only regions of the Big Island that can truly be called "Kona Coffee" Coffee cherries, hand picked, pulped, dried and hulled are sorted into the following grades: Peaberry, extra fancy, fancy, No.1 and prime. Kona Coffee is sun dried as a rule and roasted according to an assortment of variables. If anything, my Kona coffee experience varied from my Jamaica Blue Mountain in only the slightest and most pleasant ways.
The Pure Kona was, in fact, slightly more grainy and cocoa tinged than the flawless JBM Samples. I must stress that there certainly is nothing wrong with that! I thank Ka 'Io Farms and Junglesque Coffees for the wonderful Kona Coffee.
About the taste panel and the tools
The coffeecrew.com taste crew, consisting of Colin, Michael, Wayne, Albert and Judy, taste and profile a wide range of single estate coffees from all points on the globe. In 1999, for example, I was personally sent over 100 pounds of coffee for the single purpose of taste profiling.
On a day to day basis, the group enjoy fresh coffee brewed in a Newco OCS-8 thermal carafe semi-commercial brewer. We grind all of our coffees in the lab with a Solis Maestro Coffee grinder, the one grinder we consider to be the most valuable for the home coffee lover, whether espresso, cappuccino or drip coffee is the final destination.
Our reviews and observations are listed here for the benefit of the newcomer to the coffee scene as well as the veteran of great coffee adventure. Our Java safari is a life long one. Read the profiles and feel free to comment on anything that you see in the guestbook. We will soon be adding more to the database. If you have an exceptional single estate or varietal coffee that has been left out and you wish to send us a sample of green(unroasted) coffee, by all means contact us at:
We are also available for radio and print interviews to discuss any aspect of the coffee business, labor and environmental issues and so on. Drop us a line. †
