While some people in the specialty coffee industry still refer to the “classic Central America cup,” effectively lumping together the diverse coffee-producing countries of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica, it is more the trend now to make increasingly fine distinctions among these origins in terms of varieties, processing, and cup profiles specific to each. Single-origin
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Recognizing Coffees from Black-owned Coffee Companies
For new readers who may not be familiar with Coffee Review, we introduced the first-ever 100-point, wine-style coffee reviews to the specialty coffee industry in 1997. Our mission is to help consumers purchase superior quality coffees while recognizing and rewarding the farmers and roasters who produce these coffees. Since our founding, Coffee Review has reviewed coffees in an
Equipment Report: Five French Presses, Tested and Rated
For this survey of French presses, we selected a representative cross-section of widely available units from this popular brewer category. We tested one example for each of five key sub-categories: a classic model (Bodum Chambord), a budget-friendly option (Mr. Coffee Coffee Press), a high-tech addition to the market (KitchenAid Precision Press), a technically refined premium press (Espro Press),
Sumatra Gayo
Coffees from the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are valued for their complex fruit, earth and aromatic wood notes that result largely from unorthodox fruit removal and drying practices called “wet hulling.” This coffee is a particularly refined example of the type, produced in the Takengon highlands of Aceh Province above Lake Tawar by the Koptan Gayo Megah Berseri Company from
Holiday Gift Coffees: Blends and Beyond
This holiday season may mark the definitive return of the blend to the high-end specialty coffee scene after years of almost exclusive dedication to ever-more-refined single-origin offerings. The excitement and ingenuity of many of the holiday-themed blends we sampled this past month certainly suggest such a revival. The holiday blend, a long-standing staple of the specialty coffee business in the
Panama Geisha Holiday Blend
This coffee blend includes an auction lot of Esmeralda Gesha (also Geisha) from Hacienda La Esmeralda, the producer that first introduced the celebrated Gesha variety of Arabica to the world, and a lot of dried-in-the-fruit or “natural” Gesha from Los Lajones, another respected and award-winning Panama farm. With its generally elongated beans and distinctive floral and crisp, often chocolaty cup,
Honey and Natural Process Coffees, Central America 2014
Nine years ago I organized a panel for the Specialty Coffee Association of America called “Using Alternative Processing Methods to Create Product Differentiation: Perspectives and Opportunities.” Presented in Spanish and English, it attracted around five hundred coffee producers and roasters. The overall premise of the panel was simple: coffee is no longer a commodity beverage but a specialty
Panama Chiriqui Finca Santa Teresa Geisha
Produced from trees of the rare Ethiopia-derived botanical variety Gesha (also spelled Geisha). With its generally elongated beans and distinctive floral and crisp, often chocolaty cup, the Gesha variety continues to distinguish itself as one of the world’s most unique coffees. This Gesha was prepared by the honey method, meaning the skin was removed from the coffee fruit immediately after picking
Ethiopia Sidamo Bokasso Coop
Sidamo (also Sidama) is a coffee-growing region in southern Ethiopia that produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Sidamo coffees like this one processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying) typically express considerable aromatic complexity and intensity with a particular emphasis on floral notes. Like
Holiday Blends and Gift Coffees
This month’s reviews fall neatly into two categories: first, five exceptional holiday blends; second, an assortment of fine single-origin coffees offered only for the holidays that range from versions of familiar names to three holiday splurge coffees likely to satisfy money-is-no-object gift-giving and holiday impulsiveness. Starting with the holiday blends, the most striking finding of this
Sumatra Aceh Takengon
Coffees from the northern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are admired for their complex fruit, earth and aromatic wood notes that result largely from unorthodox fruit removal and drying practices called “wet hulling.” This coffee is a particularly refined example of the type. Compelling & Rich Coffee is uncompromisingly dedicated to offering only small lots of selectively
Kenya Nyeri Gatomboya Mill
From trees of the admired Kenya SL28 variety of Arabica. Compelling & Rich Coffee is uncompromisingly dedicated to offering only small lots of selectively sourced fine single-origin coffees freshly roasted. Visit www.compellingrich.com or call 818-835-5135 for more information.
