As I stirred in the kitchen this morning grinding our daily brew, darling little Chloe, our three year old, asked, “Dad, let me smell the coffee!”, as she insists in being involved in making Mama’s coffee whenever possible. The whir of the Virtuoso burr grinder filled the background as breaking sunlight filtered into the breakfast nook. “That smells good, Papa”, Chloe says, with a big smile. I am confident that this little live wire is going to be a coffee achiever – sooner than later.
The Technivorm brewer begins its gurgle and the rays of morning light catch the ochre red of the first drops of brew in the pot. “Freeze this frame” is all I can think, as a soft and sweet moment occurs. No worries, a little darling by my side and the realization that the ochre red color of those first drops of brew is so rich in texture that I am completely captivated. Wow, ochre red – the true color of the finest arabica species coffees.
Then comes the aroma. With notes of rich cacao and spice, I look over and see that darling Chloe is anticipating the ensuing cup as much as I am.
There is cause for much excitement. The looming brew is capturing all of our senses and has us spellbound. What is it? It’s one of our favorites, of course, and fresh from the farm. Guatemala Antigua Los Volcanes.
This Central American origin is just super, especially this time of year when the first bags have completed their reposo,or “resting”, phase and are arriving in port and in Minden to be expertly and skilfully brought to life by Alpen Sierra’s production team. The acidity is so lovely and bright that it wakes the senses for a full blast of syrupy-sweet and rich chocolaty flavor. This comes from the double washed processing that Guatemala practices, which results in accentuated and clean acidity in the cup. As the rich mouthfeel of this brew travels the palate, the finish becomes spicy and is long- lingering in the aftertaste.
As I cradle this reverent cup and am absorbed in this seemingly eternal moment of bliss, I am snapped back to the present by the wide, bright and
Darling Chloe
intensely blue eyes and anticipating gaze of my darling Chloe, wanting to have a smell and taste of Papa’s coffee. Oh girl, here we go already…
Well, yes, coffee can be bitter. Much like the tannins in wine and tea, the many acidic compounds in coffee can become overwhelming and undesirable in the cup for several reasons. Bitter is such an ambiguous term, though, when judged by an individual’s subjective taste perception. Bitter to one person may be brightness to another. How can bitterness in coffee be truly identified and controlled?
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) defines “bitterness” in coffee as “…a primary taste characterized by the solution of caffeine, quinine and certain alkaloids. This taste is considered desirable up to a certain level and is affected by the degree of roast and brewing process.”
DEGREE OF ROAST: We identify three distinct roast categories for coffee here at Alpen Sierra:
1. Medium: the lightest degree of development of the coffee bean where heat has penetrated the outer layer of the bean and developed it adequately to represent the truest character and terroir of the origin and cultivar of that particular coffee. The resulting flavor will be “dimensional”, meaning it can be tasted all over the palate.
2. Full-City: Truly the peak of flavor development of the coffee, which has all the benefits of medium roast, yet is enhanced by a slight degree of caramelization of sugars on the surface of the bean, adding richness to the cup.
3. Dark: Ranging from medium dark to full dark, this degree reflects full heat penetration of the core of the coffee bean, releasing starches and sugars, triggering volatile chemical reactions and resulting in diminished dimensionality and true representation of the coffee’s terroir, yet increased intensity in the cup.
The most probable degree of roast that would display true and undesirable bitterness is the dark roast. If a roaster’s internal temperature becomes too high during the roast, which happens later in the roast, and not tapered or limited, the coffee beans will become exothermic, meaning that the beans will have absorbed all the heat they can during roasting and then begin to add heat back into the environment. It is this exothermic reaction that will create a gaseous and nasty sharp finish in the coffee.
BREWING PROCESS: Properly roasted coffee is always going to be grind degree sensitive, i.e. the beans must be ground to the correct degree for the brewing application. If coffees are ground too fine for their respective brewing method, they will over-extract acidic compounds in the coffee and result in bitterness in the cup. Oftentimes I hear people say they like to grind their coffee on the fine side to get “more flavor” out of it. This will be true of under-roasted, or baked, coffees, which can be found quite prevalently in the marketplace, read “slow roasted coffee”. Coffees that have been developed to their full flavor potential will always be grind degree sensitive. If you are unsure as to the proper degree of grind, have your local coffee professional prepare a sample on a commercial coffee grinder and use that sample as a benchmark when grinding at home. Buy a burr grinder for accurate and consistently ground coffee and optimum quality brew!
Rule of thumb: the longer the contact time of coffee grounds to water during the brewing process, the coarser the coffee should be ground.
1. Espresso, being a rapid method of extraction (coffee brewing), with a contact time of thirty seconds, should be ground fine. Caution with the stove-top espresso makers – they require a medium degree of grind as the water boils up through the grounds and over-extracts flavor if too finely ground. Fine-ground coffee will also clog the stove top filter baskets.
2. Drip coffee, whether in a V-cone or flat bottom brew basket, should be a medium degree of grind as the contact / extraction time of water to coffee grounds is anywhere from three to five minutes.
3. French press, or press pot, brewing should be coarse medium, as the contact time, although recommended to be four minutes, ends up being longer, because the grounds are retained within the brew – pour the brew off immediately, if possible, to retain balanced flavor.
4. Lastly, coffee prepared in a percolator should be ground coarse for the contact time is quite long. We discourage percolator brewing because it boils coffee and re-brews the coffee through the coffee several times, which will result in bitter coffee,.
The optimum brewing temperatures for coffee range from 196 to 202 degrees Fahrenheit. Water boils at 212 degrees at sea level and that boiling temperature reduces one degree every five hundred feet of elevation gained above sea level. Brewing with boiling water can result in bitterness in the cup.
Should you still be experiencing bitterness in your cup and have addressed the two primary factors, check your brew pots, filter baskets and mugs for dark, oily residue build-up. All contact surfaces of coffee and water during brewing, including your favorite coffee mug, should be squeaky-clean and free of tar and oils. It is this build-up of residues, which oxidizes and rancidifies, that will spoil any and all water and coffee with a bitter taint. There are many products to assist with cleaning brewing equipment, carafes and mugs. Warm, soapy dish water and some good ol’ elbow grease is the easiest, cheapest and fastest. Otherwise, check out products like Puro-Caff and Tabz for overnight dissolving of oily build-up
In closing, many coffees from around the world are naturally high in “favorable” acidity and display a distinct metallic sensation on the palate. This taste characteristic is identified as “brightness” in the cup and is important to aficionados as a quality attribute, yet can also be confused with bitterness by those coffee drinkers with milder taste preferences. This positive characteristic is prevalent in many coffees from Africa and Central America, most notably, Ethiopia, Kenya, Costa Rica and Mexico, to name a few. If you find this brightness undesirable, select milder coffees from regions such as South America and Indonesia. To insure you are getting the best possible quality in the cup, seek coffees that are of the specialty arabica species, are expertly roasted, preferably in small batches, and that are fresh ground and freshly brewed. Enjoy!
Here I sit, trying to figure out what to drink this morning. Having just went through our stock to select the October Special of the Month, I was seeking new arrival green coffees from origin. One of my other criteria for selecting the special is to see what we have not offered in a while and that which is drinking very good right now.
Having been camping this past weekend with the family up at Saddlebag Lake, at the top of Tioga Pass just east of the Yosemite National Park entrance at 10,038 ft., I had planned on crisp morning temperatures. French Roast, the ever-darkest and intense blend, seemed an appropriate choice for the trip, especially since my eldest little one, Emma, and I would be fishing from the boat.
Indeed, it was a great choice. Rich, syrupy and long in the aftertaste, the French Roast, prepared Melitta-style pour-over drip, mingled well with the smoke of our campfire, the pinch of cold morning on our cheeks and the sweet, syrupy pancakes and eggs we enjoyed to fuel us up for the day ahead.
It turns out that we have not offered French Roast as a special fo the month, either in conventional or sustainable versions, at Alpen Sierra since June, 2006. Coinciding with this is the freshness status of the blend’s ingredients. New crop arrivals of Guatemala Antigua, which we roast Full-City, and Colombia Popayan Supremo, medium roast, are brimming with high-note flavor and bright acidity, enhancing the bold intensity of this heavily carmelized blend. Check it out!
Other coffees now arriving extremely fresh, just out of “reposo” (or the “curing”) phase of processing include, Organic Peru, the new and exciting coffees of Rwanda and the ever-juicy Kenyans. Soon to arrive as fresh, new crop are the Indonesians, of which the first-arrival Sumatrans are always extra sweet and malty in their Alpen Sierra dark roast fashion.
Brew up a fresh pot of French, pull on the hoodie, grab the paper and enjoy the Autumn colors.
Here I sit in Denver International Airport, which harkens me back to my last visit here – a redirected, winter storm transfer from Dallas while trying to return home from my first trip to Colombia. Those are some sweet and fresh memories. Colombia, number two on the world volume production specialty list, really was a trip!
Can I get a good cuppa anywhere in an airport? SBC, another undercover version of SBUX, which both, with their bitter, over-roasted, mass produced brews – suck, is all that’s around. Looks like the local guys have been forced out by the big pockets. It’s really a shame for those of us who prefer GOOD COFFEE.
Invited by Willem Boot to serve as a cupper on a new appelation developement project in January ‘07, this trip promised to be special. Colombia coffees, although showing varied character, mostly through enhanced acidity from select production regions, such as Huila, are familiar and appealing to me for their mild, caramelly-sweetness, making them a very accessible and enjoyable cup any time of the day. Arriving in Medellin, the fashion capital of South America, we stayed the first night in a hotel, came together as a group and departed the next day for a mountain-road journey up to Antioquia.
Antioquia is a smallish coffee producing region located at 2000+ meters SW of Medellin. We were guests of the largest private coffee grower in Colombia, Don Ernesto Garces and his daughter, Christina, who operates their specialty division, Cafe Montes Y Colinas. Our escorts included several federal army and private armed guards, there with us to insure our safety should any unwelcome trouble arise (foreigners are still a hot kidnapping commodity for FARK, the right-wing rebels, who would rather force the cutlivation of Coca on local farmers, than see them do well by coffee).
As we traveled steep ascents and descents I came to realize first-hand why the Colombia pro cyclists are such strong climbers. These passes make Tahoe’s Kingsbury Grade and Ebbet’s Pass seem minor in gradient and length. Locals on the commute, whose only manner of transportation is the bicycle, would hang onto the rear of slower traveling trucks for miles-long, steep tows up these passes, letting go on top for a bomber ride down the other side.
We arrive on a clear and sunny Sunday afternoon in the provincial town of Concordia, where we are welcomed as esteemed guests and treated to a special coffee festival parade, complete with mules ladened with everything from building materials to coffee seedlings to green coffee bags, precisely balanced to keep the mules moving. (Load a mule lopsided and it will stand firm, going nowhere.) Local beauties adorn village floats brimming with Concordia’s numerous and profuse flower varieties.
Our team of cuppers consisted of eleven people from several countries: USA, the Netherlands, Panama, Austria and Colombia. Hotels were not an option in Concordia. In groups of three, we were led to different residences, where we were to be hosted by families of coffee professionals associated with the Garces family. Meals were prepared by a loving group of ladies and served in one of their humble homes, which was directly adjacent to, and used to be a section of, the town’s central church.
With Colombia’s coffee production and export being primarily controlled by the FRC, Federal Coffee Control, the program we were here to participate in was to assist the farmers with recognizing and rewarding quality production of “heirloom” varietals, which included caturra, catuai and bourbon and inspire those not currently focusing on higher-end production, which would allow a break-away from government-controlled cultivation of heavier, commercially familiar cultivars, cattimor, which are then mass-blended prior to export to provide Colombia’s well-known “richest coffee” in the world, never to be recognized for any “extraordinary” unique cup character.
The next five days consisted of blind cupping sessions held in a local schoolroom – with a view (see photo) – experiencing coffees with such extraordinary forward flavor characteristics such as red fruit, passion fruit, high-tone-lemony citrus, cacao, Jasmine flower, and coffee blossom.
Nights consisted of cultural events, indigenous and traditional dances, music performances by local youth orchestra and singing by the local youth choir. Don Ernesto would invite us to his “office” inside a local market, where our glasses were never empty of local lager beer or the region’s locally-produced drink.
Several afternoons trips were made to different parts of the region to experience the farms, their residents and delicious and bountiful local meals. In addition to mules as the choice for spedition, horses are definitely a local passion. The Paso Fino Colombiano, a gaited and beautiful horse, were in great numbers and offered quite a spectacle for us gringos.
As I sip my favorite Colombian coffee I am taken back to those sweet and special days we spent in Concordia. Thank goodness for Colombians!
A question I am always asked, “what is your favorite coffee?”. My answer is always the same: “It depends on the time of the year and growing seasons”.
It is April and we are starting to see new crop arrivals of Central American coffees. Many of our prime origins have completed their “reposo” phases and are coming into port. I must say that my favorite coffee right now is the new-arrival Certified Organic Mexico Chiapas.
Produced by the UDEPOM cooperative, this coffee is sweet, sweet, sweet. It is bright with delicate acidity and a rich honey character. The full-city roast Alpen Sierra has finished it with leaves a long-lingering, clean and sweet aftertaste. This is definitely a coffee I recommend everyone try very soon. It is soooo good that it will be gone fast.
Second and third crop arrivals will begin to flatten. Buy your Mexican coffee by the end of June to experience that traditional honey-like sweetness in the cup!
Warm, sunny weather and a rich cup of Alpen Sierra French Roast are a great way to start a beautiful Tahoe day. Sitting very early by the tele watching the Tour de France, which has just entered the Pyrenees and looks still to be anyone’s race, gets the heartrate up and motivation moving to get in the saddle and enjoy one of the many rides available to us.
Two weeks ago was the Death Ride – Tour of the California Alps, which Alpen Sierra was a continuing sponsor of. Another maximum field of riders were out and smokin’ the route in record time. Riders from the likes of Webcor were already on Carson Pass at 11 am. The temperatures were warm, but the assembly of 3,000 + cyclists pushed each other on to make the two, three, four and five pass crossings. Good on you all who made the day.
Grab a fresh arrival cup of Organic Guatemala Las Lagunas and get out onto the Tahoe Rim Trail with your mountain bikes. It is the best this time of year. Mr. Toad’s, Armstrong Pass and Star Lake are in prime form and the air is crystal clear. Please RESPECT the hikers, environment and other riders, with hikers and equestrians – either direction, up and down, and cyclists coming downhill having the right-of-way. Stay on the trails and keep the tires rolling to avoid skidding and unnecessary erosion.
The smoke is long gone, the ash has settled and we are all good here in Lake Tahoe following the Angora fire, which ravaged our South Shore community the last week of June, 2007. Ravaged yes, but defeated – NO. Like most natural disasters, this fire has brought out the best in people. The morale and monetary support has been wonderful.
Many friends and neighbors have lost their homes and most, if not all of their personal belongings. Positive attitudes have become the foundation of rebuilding of homes.
Beside the local scarring the “Lake of the Sky” is warming her waters and pleasing her guests. Cool breezes stir white puffy clouds about and escort cascading waters as they fall toward the golden sandy shores. Please come visit us! Take a hike, ride a bike, find a quiet spot to follow the sun’s rays as they penetrate the emerald depths of Tahoe. Support LOCAL businesses. Dine at an independent cafe, shop at one of our local sporting goods stores and truly experience Lake Tahoe flavor.
Thank you to all of you who have sent your concerns and donations. Further donations for the Angora fire victims can be made directly to US Bank “Angora Fire Fund”. For more information please visit: http://www.marketwire.com/2.0/release.do?id=746801
