I was reminded recently of how everything and everyone is connected.
I was in a meeting with a prospective customer that is looking to buy a new espresso machine. For various reasons we decided that something from La Marzocco would be a great fit for his new coffee shop. I told him that I would do some research and get back to him with some detailed information. Since he was looking for something unique, I decided to email the La Marzocco sales rep for some ideas. As I was sending the email I thought his name looked familiar. My parents knew a family with the same last name when I was a little kid living in Southern California. Not thinking much of it I sent the email off and checked it off of my to-do list for the day. About 10 minutes later my phone rang. It was the La Marzocco sales rep asking if I was “that” Emily Bryant! He said that he hadn’t seen me since I was about 10 years old but he very fondly remembered me and my parents. We chatted for a while about the old days and finally got back to business about 20 minutes later.
What a small world!
Posted in: Coffee, Coffee Equipment, Fun Facts.
Feb 23rd, 2010
by jessica.
I recently arrived home from a two week holiday in Western Australia, it was wonderful to say the least and I had the opportunity to experience things I had only dreamt about. A completely eye opening — and very important aspect– was the coffee culture of Australia, so different from what we are accustomed to in the states.
The Australian caffeine buzz stems from the Italians who created a wave of coffee culture throughout the 6 states…and 2 territories. Most coffee is brewed in a percolator and home drip coffee brewers are almost unheard of. Every restaurant, cafe, or convenience store serves espresso and the menu is quite a bit different than what we are accustomed to in the U.S.
First off, at breakfast the first morning, I simply asked for just black coffee (little hassle first thing in the morning … just need some caffeine). The waitress gave me a look as if I had asked for something extremely out of the ordinary. I quickly learned how to order a coffee.
Typical Menu
Long Black = xx shot americano
Flat White = approximately 10 oz. latte with about an inch of foam
Short Mac = xx shot espresso with just a few ounces steamed milk
Tall Mac = a “topped up” short mac, meaning they add a few more ounces of steamed milk
And of course, the most popular way to have your coffee is straight espresso. Flavors are sometimes offered (only vanilla, hazelnut…) but not very popular.
This photo is from a small cafe in Fremantle, owned by a hilarious Italian couple, short mac on the right, tall mac on the left.
Among the hundreds of wineries we did come across a coffee roaster in Margaret River (about 176 miles south of Perth). Yahava Coffee Works imports beans from around the world as well as from a farm in Byron Bay, NSW. Yahava is owned by great people with baristas who serve up a great coffee, followed up with a lot of friendly humor.
After an amazing trip, it’s back to reality for me…
Posted in: Coffee.
Feb 19th, 2010
by Kathleen.
In just over a month, our second annual Walk for Water will commence at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland. We hope you will be joining us as we gather walkers to take a picturesque path around the Willamette in a 3.1-mile route that approximates the plight of people around the world who suffer from a lack of access to potable water. It’s simple! Sign up on our website and pledge $20 or more to walk. If walking isn’t your cup of tea, then donate to the cause or sponsor a friend or neighbor.
Last year’s fundraising helped Water for All build wells in Kenya. See the photos below, where Mark Stell, PRC managing partner helped cut the ceremonial ribbon.
Posted in: Coffee.
Feb 17th, 2010
by Justin.
I have been back from my amazing trip to Costa Rica for three weeks and I am overdue in sharing some of my experiences.
After Mark, Chris and I landed and made it through immigration at the San Jose airport we met our driver, Favio, and headed straight up into the hills to tour La Minita coffee estate. With impressive views of sprawling San Jose stretching below us, our van climbed up the hills of the Terrazu region and arrived at a guest house owned by La Minita. We were greeted by Scott, sales rep for La Minita, and some surprise guests: Stephanie and Bob of Batdorf and Bronson coffee roasters, along with a couple of their customers! B&B buy their Costa Rican coffee from La Minita and have had a long relationship with the estate. It was fun to see familiar industry faces and share some Imperial cerveza overlooking the steep slopes of coffee plantings.
La Minita guesthouse
After a brief look around their guest houses, we walked around the immediate area and I was able to taste my first ripe coffee cherry! It was different than I had imagined, but still an incredible experience. I think I speak for a lot of coffee industry folks when I say that it is a highly anticipated experience. The skin of the cherry tasted surprisingly vegetal, almost like a bell pepper. The only sweet part is the small amount of mucilage, and the beans were firmer than I expected. I know folks at work were hoping I could freeze a few cherries to smuggle back home to them, but my fear of foreign prison restrained me.
The next part of our La Minita tour involved a bouncy ride down to the bottom of the valley in the back of a truck. We arrived at the coffee mill just before dinner and got to relax with some more cerveza and the wafting scent of the ferment waste (smells a little like dirty diapers, I’m just sayin). This did not deter us from enjoying a delicious meal of fresh tortillas, beans, rice, grilled beef, and (La Minita staff member) Johnny’s famous chicken.
Johnny at the grill
Our delicious dinner
After we ate we got a closer look at the mill.
At this point of harvest, the trees are stripped of all beans and much of the coffee is used for local consumption. The earlier pickings are all fully ripe cherries that are more valuable for export and fetch a higher price. The trucks that have been collecting beans from drop spots all over the estate bring their loads to the mill and begin their journey through processing. The skins are removed, the beans held in fermentation tanks to help remove the mucilage, rinsed, and then dried, leaving the parchment-covered beans for storage. La Minita (and La Hilda estate as I will describe later) uses coffee wood from pruning and coffee parchment to power the mill and dryers. With the exception of peak operating times they are able to power the entire mill!
After a whirlwind day, we headed back to our hotel in San Jose for a good night’s sleep.
Stay tuned for more…
Posted in: Coffee, Company Happenings, Costa Rica, Growers, Travel.
