Cupping from our fresh roasted batches
Well, it is our first real cold day here in Salida, and the first time that I have a chance to become a full-fledged “blogger”. It seems like you can do almost anything from the internet these days! I thought my first post would be a good time to let you all in on what I’m finding at the cupping table. For those of you that don’t know, cupping coffee is the way us roasters taste our coffee, while looking for certain characteristics such as depth, acidity, finish, body, etc…etc… One of the funniest things you can ever do in life is to listen to a bunch of coffee roasters talking about a coffee. Whereas most people may just mention how they like a coffee, you may here a roaster saying things like, “Wow, that Harar totally took me back to when I was picking blueberries with my Dad and one of his friends when I was five, I think we went for Dairy Queen right after we finished, so I might add a little cream to this when I drink it for real”. Sadly, I’m not joking…
Anyway, I roasted just this last Monday, and put the coffee’s to the test on Tuesday. While they are all tasty, high quality beans, some roasts just seem to stick out depending on the weather, week and my mental stability. Here are my top three suggested coffee’s from Mountain Phoenix this week:
1. Sumatra- it really just blew my head off on the cupping table. Wow! A chocolate rich cup transforms into a smooth low acid finish with hints of peppercorn spice. This coffee is sustainablly grown and Fair-Trade.
2. Ethiopia Yirgacheffee- This coffee has been a solid performer all year! Roasted light, to bring out the inherent properties, this coffee totally bursts with citrus, rosehip, tangerine peel and tons of acidity. I love this coffee!! Fair-Trade and sustainablly grown.
3. Mexican- The customer favorite, hands down. Earthy, mild with a clean finish, I just kept coming back to the Mexican and thinking to myself what a great coffee it is. This particular bean comes from a small family run farm dubbed “Rancho San Franciso” and is sustainably grown, although not currently Fair-Trade.
