Well, it's been a while since our last update...a few coffees are late arriving, and one is early. First off, the Uganda Bugisu "A" Grade is in the building, and those of you who ordered early have had great things to report. A very unusual coffee; washed and sun-dried, with wine and fruit notes, but with a lingering pleasant, earthy finish - mild, but full-bodied at a medium roast. Uganda has historically been a big Robusta producer, with only about 15 percent of total production dedicated to Arabicas. Consider that over 500,000 small holder farmers and a total of 3.5 million individuals are involved in coffee production in Uganda - fully 30 percent of Uganda's export revenue is from coffee production. So what's the point? This coffee, like others on our little list, represents an incredible personal effort to cultivate, harvest and transport (usually by hand, or on a donkey's back), to become a tiny part of the lot of coffee from which your coffee is roasted and brewed! Whew. More defects per bag than those of European Preparation, but it's understandable, and the quality is still amazing. Here's the deal on the "A" Grade...the letter grade does not denote crop quality; it refers to the sieve, or screen size of the bean. "A" grade Bugisu must be 90 percent at or above 6.35mm, or a number 16 screen, and "AA" at 90 percent or above 6.74mm, or a 17 screen. The criteria does allow for a 10 percent defect rate, which includes beans that fall below the screen size. So, nice big beans, considering the certified organic cultivation and the arduous path to market. Remember, Bugisu is overall one of the finest coffees produced in Uganda. Try some!
The long-awaited Ethiopia Harrar is here as well! The early new crop is intense, with notes of blueberry - only the first harvest usually presents such intensity and flavor. Medium acidity, intense fruit and spices, with a heavy body. Let's contrast the Harrar, from the OCFCU, or Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, with the state of affairs in Uganda. Over 1,500,000 coffee farmers, and more than 15 million people in Ethiopia depend on coffee production for their livelihood - and only 23,000 are OCFCU member farmers, and just 7,107 of those are Fair Trade certified. Oromia's Harrar is forest or shade-grown under the producer's sustenance crop of bananas and citrus. Fair Trade, and by default, bird friendly. Our Harrar is certified organic by BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH. A Classic, from the Birthplace of Coffee!
We now have a new crop lot of the sublime Nicaragua 5 de Junio. We told you we'd have more! On that note, we are sold out of the Honduras Cosagual and Timor Maubesse. We are working on obtaining a Fair Trade Honduras and Timor Organic for later in the year.
Do a comparative roast of the Nicaragua Nueva Segovia and the 5 de Junio, or the Uganda Bugisu, Ethiopia Harrar and Sumatra Mandheling!
Roast for flavor, and have fun!
