It is always an exciting moment when you are able to meet with the creator of something you love.  Last Thursday presented us with just such an opportunity.  Lucia Ortiz, from Finca Las Mercedes, flew up to Topeka, Kansas to share her story with PT’s customers and to support PT’s Barista Competition Competitor Robin Seitz, who is using her coffee in the competition.  We had a wonderful morning where customers were able to meet Lucia and listen to her intriguing story.

Lucia Ortiz’s family, like many in El Salvador, was steeped in the traditions of the coffee industry.  This heritage, along with a desire to set an example for her children, led Lucia to jump at the chance to take over her in-laws’ coffee farm.  Her leadership, marketing skills and attention to detail has helped the farm become an exemplary farm within the specialty coffee industry in El Salvador.  Her secret (don’t tell anyone) is that she yells at, and occasionally coddles, the trees.  Well, whatever she does, we want her to keep doing it.  Her El Pepinal 1 is a true eye-opener.  It has the distinct aroma of coriander seed and black currant. In the cup, it combines slight floral notes with a bright spiciness. Its effervescent acidity sparkles with notes of peach.  Try El Pepinal 1 from Finca Las Mercedes here!

You can also read Topeka’s Food+Flicks coverage of the visit here!

Join us this Thursday, October 29th at our Barrington Village shop for casual coffee with Lucia Ortiz from Finca Las Mercedes in El Salvador.  She will be available to meet and chat between 8:00 and 10:00 am.  Come to enjoy her spectacular coffee, El Pepinal 1, and great conversation.  We are brewing up her coffee all week, so if you cannot make it on Thursday, stop by another time for a cup or two!

Finca Las Mercedes - El Pepinal 1 won 1st place in the 2006 El Salvador Cup of Excellence with a record-breaking score of 94.  Our relationship with the producers of El Pepinal 1, the Oritz family, began in 2008.  From their history with the Cup of Excellence, we knew they had great coffee, but it was not until we tasted it for ourselves that we realized how fortunate we were to roast and sell this spectacular coffee.  El Pepinal 1 is a very complex coffee. It has the distinct aroma of coriander seed and black currant. In the cup, it combines slight floral notes with a bright spiciness. Its effervescent acidity sparkles with notes of peach.  You can purchase Lucia’s coffee at our Barrington Village Store or online here!

PTs Coffee Roasting Co. and the Gombe Coffee Project, along with travels to Burundi and El Salvador, are featured in the Fall 2009 TKBiz Magazine. Click through the pages and check out the “postcards from coffees origin.”

If you were not able to make it to last Thursday’s Gombe Coffee Project Video Launch Party, Channel 49 News is here to the rescue!  You can check out Ben Bauman’s coverage of the Party on their website here, and you can view the full Gombe Coffee Project Video in our Media Room here.  And you can always support these hardworking farmers by purchasing their coffee here!

You are invited to join PT’s Coffee Roasting Co and Gizmo Pictures to celebrate The Gombe Coffee Project Video release!  Gizmo Picture’s David Kitchner traveled with PT’s Jeff Taylor on a coffee sourcing trip to Tanzania, documenting the lives and work of these hardworking farmers.  That night will be the first viewing of this incredible documentary!  Join us at 6:00 pm on Thursday, October 15th at the Blind Tiger Brewery for great food, coffee and discounted Java Porter!

During the peak of new harvest arrivals, it is difficult to choose between so many great new coffees.  We have heard the questions time and time again…  “Which coffee from Los Planes should I try?  Which Panamanian coffee should I try first?  How can I choose?”  To help alleviate this conundrum, we are creating a new Celebration of Harvest Box that will highlight our new harvests and help you choose.  Each of these boxes includes one 12oz bag of two of our new harvests.  This week’s Celebration of Harvest offering hails from the Salvador coffee harvest.

Celebration of Harvest Box - Finca Los Planes

You no longer have to choose between the two wonderful coffees from our Direct Trade partner at Finca Los Planes!  The Finca Los Planes Celebration of Harvest Box gives you the chance to try both coffees, one right after the other or you can have the chance to give them both as the ultimate coffee gift.  In this box we include one 12 oz bag of Finca Los Planes Pacamara variety and one 12 oz bag of Finca Los Planes Lote la Lagunita. Purchase the Finca Los Planes Celebration of Harvest Box here!

Celebration of Harvest Box - Cup of Excellence

With so many spectacular accolades attached to our coffees, such as Finca Kilimanjaro and Finca Las Mercedes’ 1st  Place Cup of Excellence finishes, it can be hard to choose which award winning coffee to purchase.  Therefore, we have bundled two 1st Place Cup of Excellence Award winners for the Cup of Excellence Celebration of Harvest Box.  You will enjoy one 12 oz bag of Finca Las Mercedes’ El Pepinal 1 and one 12 oz bag of Finca Kilimanjaro’s spectacular Kenyan variety coffee.  This is one coffee box that will be too good to give away; so buy two so you can give one to your closest friend!  Purchase the Cup of Excellence Celebration of Harvest Box here!

Beautiful Beloya Box

The naturally processed Ethiopian Beloyas have made a name for themselves in the world of specialty coffee, and you  can now purchase both selections, Beloya Selection 8 and Beloya Selection 1, in one beautiful box.   Both of these coffees are the quintessential representation of naturally processed Ethiopian Yergacheffes.  Selection 8 bursts with strawberry and blueberry goodness, and Selection 1 has a sweet lemony goodness with a hint of blueberry.  Purchase this beautiful Beloya package here!

We have a little confession to make. When we are searching for great coffee at origin, we don’t always just fly to the country, get off the airplane and follow our super-sensitive noses up the mountainside to the best coffee farm in the country. Don’t tell anyone, but oftentimes we have help. One of our best guides in sourcing great coffee is the Cup of Excellence program. If you are not familiar with this program, here is its story.

The Cup of Excellence began in 1999 out of a desire to help reward coffee farmers for producing exceptional coffees. A group of industry professionals decided that one of the best ways to do this was to hold a national competition that would bring in coffee cuppers from across the world to find the best coffees in that particular country. After the competition, the winning coffees would be sold to roasters all over the world at an Internet auction.

After holding the first couple of competitions in Brazil, the coffee world started to catch on to the fact that this competition was doing an incredible amount of good for everyone involved. It was helping impoverished coffee farmers receive a sustainable price for their coffee. It was helping roasters connect with farmers who truly cared about producing exceptional coffee. And it was helping consumers realize the huge potential of this small bean. Now the Cup of Excellence program has been running for 10 years and has spread to 9 different coffee producing countries.

This week we are celebrating the launch of two new 1st Place Cup of Excellence Award Winners from El Salvador. The first of these coffees is El Pepinal 1, a mircrolot from Finca Las Mercedes in El Salvador.

Finca Las Mercedes won 1^st place in the 2006 El Salvador Cup of Excellence with a record-breaking score of 94. Our relationship with the producers of El Pepinal 1, the Oritz family, began back in 2008. From their history with the Cup of Excellence, we knew they had great coffee, but it was not until we tasted it for ourselves that we realized how fortunate we were to roast and sell this spectacular coffee. Finca Las Mercedes is a very complex coffee. It has the distinct aroma of coriander seed and black currant. In the cup, it combines slight floral notes with a bright spiciness. Its effervescent acidity sparkles with notes of peach.

In addition to producing great coffee, Finca Las Mercedes has everything else that we look for in a Direct Trade farm. Obviously, the quality of their coffee is outstanding. They go to great lengths to insure that their coffee is as pure and clean as possible by processing the coffee on their farm. Their dedication to sustainable practices, both environmental and social, aligns well with our own commitment to sustainability. They do this by continually giving back to their community, constructing and supplying a school, providing food for a nursing home and supporting the local soccer team. PT’s Coffee has pitched in with their efforts to help the community by providing medicines for a local clinic and soccer balls for the local team.

The second coffee for this week’s celebration is a rock star in the world of specialty coffee. In 2003, Finca Kilimanjaro astounded the judges at the first El Salvador Cup of Excellence with its complex sweetness and exquisite aftertaste and mouthfeel. Aida Batlle, the producer of Finca Kilimanjaro, is growing a Kenyan variety in the volcanic highlands of El Salvador that is an absolute pleasure to drink.

Finca Kilimanjaro’s quality is a testament to the hard work and attention to detail of Aida Batlle and her workers. On visits to Finca Kilimanjaro, it is clear that she is intimately involved in every aspect of coffee production. She is not one cut corners or to skimp on quality. She also recognizes that imperative to producing quality coffee is paying her workers a sustainable wage. In fact, she pays her workers almost twice the normal wage.

Because of all of this hard work, this coffee knocks your socks off! Its aroma has exquisite floral and fruity notes that balance very well with its supple sweetness. It has a lingering aftertaste that is so clean and so smooth that it leaves you with a sense of wonder. We have a very limited supply of this great coffee, so buy a bag before it runs out! This coffee is in our Passport lineup, so be sure to check on the next roast date before ordering!

In addition to Finca Kilimanjaro, we will also receive a very small lot of Peaberry from Aida named Aida’s Grand Reserve. She sorts out only the best Peaberry from her three coffee farms to create this exquisite coffee. We will launch this coffee closer to the holiday season, so be sure to be on the lookout for it before it sells out!

I’ve always been a fan of “underdog” stories. You know, the stories where there’s no chance of someone succeeding and yet, despite all odds, they do. That is the story of Finca Los Planes and several other farms in the small region of Chaletenango, El Salvador.

The Chaletenango region of El Salvador is a very small producer in the world of coffee. As a matter of fact, this region is a very small producer of coffee in El Salvador. For years the entire coffee harvest in this tiny region, located near the Honduras border, was simply sold as commodity coffee.  No one even tasted the coffee they produced.

All that changed in 2006 when Finca Los Planes, owned by Sergio Ticas, received 2nd place in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence. Coming from Chalentenango, Sergio was not supposed to produce a remarkable coffee. And yet, here stood Sergio at the Awards Ceremony collecting his plaque for 2nd place. This award, and his remarkable coffee, has helped catapult this “no name” region of El Salvador into a star in the coffee-growing world.

We purchased his coffee in the Cup of Excellence auction, a Pacamara Variety coffee, and later that year I traveled to El Salvador to meet Sergio and his family and visit his farm.  On that visit, I met a man who has a passion for the land, the people he works with and the coffee he produces!  We developed a quick friendship that has become stronger each year. We’ve carried Finca Los Planes as a Direct Trade coffee for several years now, and each year we have worked with Sergio to bring you new and different coffees from his farm, along with the normal favorites.

The first coffee we bought was the Pacamara variety of coffee that won 2nd place in the 2006 Cup of Excellence.  Throughout the years, it has maintained its beautiful, sweet citrus flavor, and it seems to get better year after year.  After running out a couple of weeks ago, you can now purchase the new crop of this incredible coffee!  You can purchase it here!

The next year, we introduced a little spin on the Pacamara variety, a carefully sorted Peaberry coffee we christened Reserva del Mandador.  It was a specially processed, hand-sorted Peaberry that was a mixture of Pacamara and Bourbon Peaberry.  We will be launching the new crop of this spectacular coffee very soon, just in time for the Holiday season.

And this last year, we convinced Sergio to go even further in his pursuit of the perfect cup.  We had him sort out his Pacamara Peaberry from his Bourbon Peaberry.  The Bourbon Peaberry we introduced as Peaberry de La Lagunita. It is a remarkable Peaberry that is full bodied, juicy and sweet.  We still have a little bit of this extraordinary coffee, and at its current price, it is literally a steal!  Buy Peaberry de La Lagunita here!

The Pacamara Peaberry we are offering as Peaberry de Pacamara.  It is an elegant cup, with rounded notes of citrus and a beautifully full body.  Do not miss out on trying these two Peaberries side-by-side!  In fact, in the next couple of months, we are going to start offering a limited time Celebration of Harvest Box that will contain all three Peaberry Coffees from Finca Los Planes- Peaberry de Pacamara, Peaberry de La Lagunita and Reserva del Mandador.  It will be the perfect gift for the holidays! Purchase Peaberry de Pacamara here, and watch out for the forthcoming Celebration of Harvest Box!

As you may have noticed, Finca Los Planes produces two different varieties of coffee. The Pacamara variety coffee that won 2nd place in 2006, and now, in its first release, the Bourbon variety called Lote La Lagunita.  This coffee was entered into the 2009 Cup of Excellence and finished in 30th place, a very admirable finish in a country that is now producing some of the best coffees in the world.  Lote La Lagunita is a wonderfully clean coffee, with nice depth and sweet notes of nectarines.  You can try this beautiful coffee for the first time here!

We consider Finca Los Planes a part of our PTs Family, and we hope you enjoy the many different coffees we share with you from this remarkable farm.

- Jeff Taylor

Gombe Coffee Project: Kanyovu Coop 2009

We were still hours from our destination, Kigoma, Tanzania, when we told our Rwandan driver, Saidi, to keep the Land Rover in the “ruts of the road.”

It appeared to be the safest place to ride. The “road” was really more of a trail left by Chinese contractors creating a new modern highway through the heart of Tanzania. But that dream of a road is three to five years from being finished. There are no caution signs in this part of the world. No orange cones to mark the way or flagmen to tell you which direction to travel that is the safest. This was nothing more than a rain soaked trail of orange clay that was often as slick as an oil spill on a glass plate. Unless we stayed in the ruts of the road, it was nearly impossible to stay on the road.

Moments later the unstoppable Land Rover, in 4-wheel drive, veered from the rut we had hoped to guide us and came  to an abrupt halt in the ditch to the left side of the road. We were stuck; no, we buried the front left side of the vehicle.

When in the middle of Africa, American style tow-trucks are not really an option. We were still hours from our destination, and our vehicle was buried so deep, I didn’t think we had any chance of unearthing it in a short period of time. This was officially the first time in two weeks of traveling through Africa I had a moment of trepidation. It didn’t look good.

A month earlier I was told the story of a group of Europeans who were traveling along this same road.  They hey were robbed of everything, including their clothes, and left naked with nothing but their pride. This was the worst case scenario that was coming to my mind. Hopeless in Tanzania; a long way from Kansas! But since I knew the worst case scenario, it was time to try and improve upon that scenario. We needed to dig out and quick!

Fortunately, a mini-van loaded with locals behind us had come prepared with shovels for just such an occasion. Apparently, this was not the first time this has happened. Our new friends quickly offered up assistance and nearly an hour and $20 later, we were back in our rut and safely on our way.

That $20 bill is close to a months wages in Tanzania but it was worth every penny to us. Kigoma and a warm bed awaited after a 14-hour drive that was easily the longest 4-wheel drive adventure I’ve taken to date. Sleep never came so easily as it did that night. Day one in Tanzania was under our belts and day two would be filled with beautiful coffee trees and new friends. Surely nothing so eventful would happen again.

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Mubanga Primary Society

As the sun rose over the sleepy town of Kigoma, the rains from the previous day seemed miles away. My friend and colleague Sara Morrocchi, of Sustainable Harvest Kigoma, met me at the hotel ready to lead the way.

Morrocchi, a young Italian woman, is Sustainable Harvest’s Tanzania Office director. She has a master’s degree in Peacekeeping from Universities in Italy and the U.K. and somehow found her way into the African coffee industry. She’s fluent in four languages, including Spanish and Swahili which comes in handy every day in Tanzania. Many locals speak English, but in the more rural parts, English is rarely spoken and Swahili is the standard language.

Her leadership and respect is apparent as she is able to quickly befriend almost everyone she meets. As we get closer to our destination, neighbor children shout her name as we pass by - “Sara, Sara” - the children scream as they run towards the vehicle. It’s very charming even though Sara seems slightly embarrassed by the whole event.

Morrocchi is charged with assisting the Kanyovu Coffee Cooperative.  She represents nearly 5,000 Tanzanian farmers who work in one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. She is helping them improve coffee quality, decrease pressures on the landscape and achieve a profit for their harvest, creating a sustainable income for the Cooperatives members.

This project started a couple of years ago when members of the coop sought assistance for improving their coffee .  Farmers were not receiving a sustainable price for their coffee. The price the farmers were receiving was directly tied to the quality of the coffee they produced. Unfortunately, they had little knowledge of proper coffee farming techniques and a lack of water complicated the task even more. With the help of Sustainable Harvest and a group of coffee roasters from the United States(including PTs Coffee Roasting Co.) , training is being implemented and quality is improving.

The Kanyovu Coop is an umbrella organization that represents 10 smaller primary societies in the Kigoma region. The washing station that I was visiting, Mubanga Primary Society, is next on the list for upgrades in water conserving processing equipment that simplifies the process for farmers and reduces the loss of this precious natural resource. This area is one of the most remote and impoverished regions in Tanzania. However, it possesses all the essential elements needed for quality coffee: high altitude, fertile soils and heirloom varietals called Bourbon.

Until the new equipment arrives later this summer, the washing station is still processing coffee with a hand operated de-pulper and using the traditional method to ferment the coffee. (see Video) With technical assistance provided by Sara and her staff, quality has improved enough to garner a higher price, and this higher price has already improved living standards of the people in this region.

I arrived just before noon and waited as the producers began to arrive with the day’s harvest. In order to receive a higher price for their coffee, a lot has been required of the coffee producers. They can no longer simply strip the trees of all fruit; selective harvesting and proper sorting techniques are a must. Sustainable Harvest is holding a ripe cherry competition this season where the farmer with the most ripe coffee cherries will collect an additional sum of money.

Producers weigh their harvest using a hanging scale that checks total weight of the coffee. Then the coffee cherry must  be sorted to select only the ripest of red fruit. Under-ripe or over-ripe cherries are not permitted and are rejected if not sorted properly. This system is not perfect, but the coop is a work in progress. And progress is being made on a daily basis.

Specialty Coffee of the nature we purchase requires attention be paid to every detail of the harvest. We don’t purchase coffees where corners are cut, mills are left dirty or selective harvesting is not employed. This may seem harsh, but it is the nature of the specialty coffee industry. One cherry that has mold can ruin an entire day’s harvest for every member of the cooperative.

Since I visited on the first day of harvest, there was indeed a lot of unripe cherry that was harvested. Sara and her staff have their work cut out for them, but they are up for the task and have indeed shown great progress in other regions.

………….

Jeff

Jason Johnson, a PT’s Coffee’s employee, was visiting Hacienda La Esmeralda during the auction.  Here is his first hand account:

I got up this morning at 6 am with nervous anticipation.  Daniel was picking me up around 7 and then we were going to the farm to watch the auction.  This year’s crop production was down because it was hit by some high winds, but there was also a new part of the farm that was producing enough to be sold as a separate lot for the first time, so there was a lot of excitement around that.

We got to the house and had a quick breakfast, then it was short walk to the office.  The auction began at 8:30 a.m., and it was obvious that there was not going to be a repeat of last year’s marathon.  People knew there wasn’t a lot of the Geisha, so no need to mess around.  As we watched the screen Daniel told me how the auction worked.  The Geisha was separated into 7 batches and those batches had various lots of 300 pounds, for a total of 47 lots or 14,100 pounds.  As we watched the prices go up across the board, Daniel Peterson was very excited.  In the next room all of the workers were talking excitedly in Spanish, and Rachel Peterson continued to message Daniel with things like “everything is above 20, unbelievable!!” The whole auction lasted for only a couple hours, but it must have seemed like years to the buyers.  The low coffee received an incredible $24 a pound and the high was $117.50.  After it was done, the family got together for lunch.  Monday the staff had asked if there was going to be a bonus this year, the answer at lunch was… “Yes!”

While you wait in eager anticipation of the new crop of Esmeralda Special, be sure to try out the current crop while it is still available!  You can purchase a bag here!

- Jason Johnson