We last covered where coffee is grown - as a quality decision a farmer must make. The farmer decides next, or in tandem, what kind of coffee plant(s) she will grow. The first step regards species, the second variety - or cultivar. These choices have long-term consequences regarding production and quality.

There are over 50 species of coffee plants, all originating in Africa, but only two are of commercial importance: Canephora, popularly called Robusta, as we will do here, and Arabica.

Robusta's world market share is growing and now represents about 40% of the world's coffee production, up from 30% a decade ago. This is partially due to the growth of new, more price conscious markets such as Russia, Eastern Europe and China but also to the lack of remunerative incentive to produce high quality coffee. Robusta coffee tastes, at best "neutral," as we say in the industry. Usually it tastes like a liquefied brown paper bag or worse. It is added to cheap and instant coffees. A high ratio is blended with cheap Arabicas in poorer parts of Europe, mainly the south, and in France, whose former tropical colonies, Indochina and Western Africa, are ideal Robusta-growing countries; the latter is the birthplace of Robusta. Traditionally the more Robusta is used in a blend the darker it is roasted to mask its harsh flavors. Robusta is also a component in many espresso blends where its high percentage of soluble solids adds body (besides lowering the price tag) and produces long-lasting crema (the fine emulsified foam on top of a properly made and served espresso), all at the cost of finesse. In the latter half of the XXth century the espresso roasting company Illy Café set a new espresso quality standard by blending strictly Arabica coffees.

Robusta thrives in low altitude, hot, humid climates and is disease resistant, unlike Arabica. Sometimes Arabica plants are grafted onto Robusta roots where wet-earth-loving nematodes can otherwise wreck havoc. Much less care is generally taken tending, harvesting and processing Robusta coffee than Arabica. In certain parts of Europe they are now steaming Robusta beans (before roasting) to soften its unpleasant flavors.

Robusta coffee fruits grow in globular clusters and its leaves are quite large and waxy. Robusta has nearly twice the caffeine concentration of the finer Arabica coffee. It also has more of the pigment brown and thus improves the look of "dishwater."

Arabica coffee requires the cooler temperatures of high tropical altitudes. While Arabica can taste as foul as the worst Robusta when not properly handled it is the necessary starting point for producing naturally sweet fine quality coffee. Costs to produce quality Arabica coffee, as we shall see, are dramatically higher than for Robusta. Next: the many variations of Arabica coffee.

We are rapidly filling up! Slides, tastings, espresso, tour and good vibrations! Join us by reserving a place - please call 866 GHH-JAVA.

New Crop coffees will be arriving at our facilities during the next five months. The first to do so is Daterra Farm. It is promising to be a great year: the coffees I am cupping from many places in the world are quite extraordinary .

New Daterra Special Reserve: The new crop Daterra Farm Special Reserve is in. It is a spectacular improvement over the past. This is still a wonderfully mellow coffee but with far more delicate clean fruit sweetness than in the past, giving a refined Beaujolais-like character to this coffee. It was harvested in late summer of 2007 from deep-rooted, low yield, very carefully hand-harvested Yellow Catuaii (pronounced Ka-too-ah-ee) and Mundo Novo varieties of Arabica. The owner of Daterra, Luis Pascoal, is a key coffee visionary in the quality coffee movement who never tires of tweaking everything he does one notch up every year for the quality of the coffee and for his social and environmental policies. He has done it again. Big notch, Luis! Daterra is Rainforest Alliance and Utz certified. As a special treat we are including this coffee as one of the three discounted coffees for the month of March (see below for the complete list). Regularly at $13.95 but now $11.95 (12 oz) for the month of March! Click here to order!

Panama La Esmeralda, North Italian roast, Monday, March 3: The coffee everyone in the coffee trade is still talking about a Central American coffee with a pure African heart! La Esmeralda has improved every year since its spectacular emergence in the 2004 Panama international coffee competition (it has won first prize hands down ever since). This coffee bursts with apricot-peach aroma and has the body to balance its brilliance. Call (866) GHH-JAVA or click here to order.

Colombia La Esperanza, First Place Cup of Excellence winner, North Italian roast, Monday, March 10: Complex soft tropical fruit salad with banana, guava, and honeyed passion fruit, creamed nuts and luscious body, compliments of heirloom variety Arabicas and deep shade. Every time I drink this coffee I am discovering new flavor notes! Call (866) GHH-JAVA or click here to order.

The first on our list is the wonderful , brand new crop -

Daterra Special Reserve, Cerrado, Brazil

New crop! The best it has ever been! A discovery even for Daterra fans...

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click hereto purchase and for full description.

 

El Descanso, Huila, Colombia

Ripe, elegant and velvety, the cup is medium-bod ied, suggesting honeyed citrus, plum, and pomegranate mingling with soft streaks of aromatic ripe pear, wintergreen, vanilla rounded with chocolate truffle. Colombia has a huge number of terroirs. El Descanso embodies the characteristics found in the state of Huila.

On Sale Now $14.95, regularly $16.95 Click here to purchase and for full description.

 

Kangocho Cooperative, Nyeri, Kenya

Sumptuous creamy mouthfeel and sweet b lueberry notes, melding harmoniously with the classic grand Kenya riot of blackberry and black currant flavors from one of the great Kenya small farm coffee cooperatives ( a Coffee Connection favorite!).

On Sale Now $13.95, Regularly $15.95 Click here to purchase and for full description.

Daterra, Brazil, Calabria style espresso:

I am in love with this espresso which we have just developed - liquid deep dark sweet voluptuous chocolate acce nted with marzipan, caramel and cherry - and with very little bitterness. This coffee is excellent for French Press as well!

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click here to order.

 

Daterra, Brazil, North Italian style espresso:

Our classic lighter roast espresso. Elegant, creamed-honey textured, sweet coffee with milk chocolate and a fine marzipan-vanilla aroma.

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click here to order.

We last covered where coffee is grown - as a quality decision a farmer must make. The farmer decides next, or in tandem, what kind of coffee plant(s) she will grow. The first step regards species, the second variety - or cultivar. These choices have long-term consequences regarding production and quality.

There are over 50 species of coffee plants, all originating in Africa, but only two are of commercial importance: Canephora, popularly called Robusta, as we will do here, and Arabica.

Robusta's world market share is growing and now represents about 40% of the world's coffee production, up from 30% a decade ago. This is partially due to the growth of new, more price conscious markets such as Russia, Eastern Europe and China but also to the lack of remunerative incentive to produce high quality coffee. Robusta coffee tastes, at best "neutral," as we say in the industry. Usually it tastes like a liquefied brown paper bag or worse. It is added to cheap and instant coffees. A high ratio is blended with cheap Arabicas in poorer parts of Europe, mainly the south, and in France, whose former tropical colonies, Indochina and Western Africa, are ideal Robusta-growing countries; the latter is the birthplace of Robusta. Traditionally the more Robusta is used in a blend the darker it is roasted to mask its harsh flavors. Robusta is also a component in many espresso blends where its high percentage of soluble solids adds body (besides lowering the price tag) and produces long-lasting crema (the fine emulsified foam on top of a properly made and served espresso), all at the cost of finesse. In the latter half of the XXth century the espresso roasting company Illy Café set a new espresso quality standard by blending strictly Arabica coffees.

Robusta thrives in low altitude, hot, humid climates and is disease resistant, unlike Arabica. Sometimes Arabica plants are grafted onto Robusta roots where wet-earth-loving nematodes can otherwise wreck havoc. Much less care is generally taken tending, harvesting and processing Robusta coffee than Arabica. In certain parts of Europe they are now steaming Robusta beans (before roasting) to soften its unpleasant flavors.

Robusta coffee fruits grow in globular clusters and its leaves are quite large and waxy. Robusta has nearly twice the caffeine concentration of the finer Arabica coffee. It also has more of the pigment brown and thus improves the look of "dishwater."

Arabica coffee requires the cooler temperatures of high tropical altitudes. While Arabica can taste as foul as the worst Robusta when not properly handled it is the necessary starting point for producing naturally sweet fine quality coffee. Costs to produce quality Arabica coffee, as we shall see, are dramatically higher than for Robusta. Next: the many variations of Arabica coffee.

We are rapidly filling up! Slides, tastings, espresso, tour and good vibrations! Join us by reserving a place - please call 866 GHH-JAVA.

New Crop coffees will be arriving at our facilities during the next five months. The first to do so is Daterra Farm. It is promising to be a great year: the coffees I am cupping from many places in the world are quite extraordinary .

New Daterra Special Reserve: The new crop Daterra Farm Special Reserve is in. It is a spectacular improvement over the past. This is still a wonderfully mellow coffee but with far more delicate clean fruit sweetness than in the past, giving a refined Beaujolais-like character to this coffee. It was harvested in late summer of 2007 from deep-rooted, low yield, very carefully hand-harvested Yellow Catuaii (pronounced Ka-too-ah-ee) and Mundo Novo varieties of Arabica. The owner of Daterra, Luis Pascoal, is a key coffee visionary in the quality coffee movement who never tires of tweaking everything he does one notch up every year for the quality of the coffee and for his social and environmental policies. He has done it again. Big notch, Luis! Daterra is Rainforest Alliance and Utz certified. As a special treat we are including this coffee as one of the three discounted coffees for the month of March (see below for the complete list). Regularly at $13.95 but now $11.95 (12 oz) for the month of March! Click here to order!

Panama La Esmeralda, North Italian roast, Monday, March 3: The coffee everyone in the coffee trade is still talking about a Central American coffee with a pure African heart! La Esmeralda has improved every year since its spectacular emergence in the 2004 Panama international coffee competition (it has won first prize hands down ever since). This coffee bursts with apricot-peach aroma and has the body to balance its brilliance. Call (866) GHH-JAVA or click here to order.

Colombia La Esperanza, First Place Cup of Excellence winner, North Italian roast, Monday, March 10: Complex soft tropical fruit salad with banana, guava, and honeyed passion fruit, creamed nuts and luscious body, compliments of heirloom variety Arabicas and deep shade. Every time I drink this coffee I am discovering new flavor notes! Call (866) GHH-JAVA or click here to order.

The first on our list is the wonderful , brand new crop -

Daterra Special Reserve, Cerrado, Brazil

New crop! The best it has ever been! A discovery even for Daterra fans...

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click hereto purchase and for full description.

 

El Descanso, Huila, Colombia

Ripe, elegant and velvety, the cup is medium-bod ied, suggesting honeyed citrus, plum, and pomegranate mingling with soft streaks of aromatic ripe pear, wintergreen, vanilla rounded with chocolate truffle. Colombia has a huge number of terroirs. El Descanso embodies the characteristics found in the state of Huila.

On Sale Now $14.95, regularly $16.95 Click here to purchase and for full description.

 

Kangocho Cooperative, Nyeri, Kenya

Sumptuous creamy mouthfeel and sweet b lueberry notes, melding harmoniously with the classic grand Kenya riot of blackberry and black currant flavors from one of the great Kenya small farm coffee cooperatives ( a Coffee Connection favorite!).

On Sale Now $13.95, Regularly $15.95 Click here to purchase and for full description.

Daterra, Brazil, Calabria style espresso:

I am in love with this espresso which we have just developed - liquid deep dark sweet voluptuous chocolate acce nted with marzipan, caramel and cherry - and with very little bitterness. This coffee is excellent for French Press as well!

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click here to order.

 

Daterra, Brazil, North Italian style espresso:

Our classic lighter roast espresso. Elegant, creamed-honey textured, sweet coffee with milk chocolate and a fine marzipan-vanilla aroma.

On Sale Now $11.95, regularly $13.95 Click here to order.