August Rwanda trip now up for viewing

Please click here to see the photos of this great visit.

I was in Rwanda for only a week and a day and much of that time I was occupied with cupping that small country's best and quite extraordinary coffees at the Cup of Excellence competition. That brief time nevertheless left a lasting impression. I visited southern Rwanda, with gentle rolling hills where every square inch was dedicated to some kind of agricultural production from coffee and produce to eucalyptus trees, introduced by the Belgians decades ago in the age of colonialism, for paper, construction and firewood. With the conclusion of the Cup of Excellence and the giving of awards to the winners, presided over by President Paul Kagame himself, a first for the Cup of Excellence, I was driven to Lake Kivu on Rwanda's western border with Congo.

NyiragongoAs I travelled west the countryside became mountainous and volcanic; the earth blackened. Vegetation grew lush and the population density grew dramatically. A chain of volcanic cones appeared along with smoking Nyiragongo as we neared Lake Kivu, one of Africa's great lakes, over 1,000 square miles in area.

My hotel was a twenty minute walk to Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo where Tutsi rebels are nearby in a faceoff with Congolese government troops, accused of supporting large remnant of Hutu extremists who led the genocide and are now living in their land just beyond the reach of the Rwandan army. Once or twice a day large jets take off from Goma, so close you can clearly hear them, carrying the latest precious metal ore, coltan, from which tantalum is extracted for use in consumer electronics products such as cell phones and computers. Profits from export of coltan from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to European and American markets has been cited by some reports as helping to finance the present-day conflict in the Congo. The memory of the 1994 genocide is deeply woven into the fabric of Rwanda. One cannot drive far without passing a memorial to the hundreds of thousands of victims, claimed in a mere one hundred days.

A thirty minute boat ride south on Lake Kivu led to a large coffee washing station run by the cooperative Coopac; here many people were assembled. They greeted us with drums and extraordinary inspired dancing. We were told that while such greetings were traditional the one given for us had more than the usual improvisation and energy. We were blessed.

New 2008 Mamuto Scores a 96!

I have just heard that our new Mamuto 2008 crop scored a 96 at Coffee Review !

For Three years in a row Mamuto has scored:
96 (2006 crop)
97 (2007 crop)
96 (2008 crop)

No other coffee has achieved these scores over even two years at Coffee Review. The review itself is not out yet; we will post it with the next newsletter.

Farmer: Walter Paul and Muthoni Mathagu

Region: Kirinyaga
Altitude: 5,000 ft.
Rainfall: Low to moderate+
Soil: Volcanic loam
Arabica variety: 95% Bourbon Sl 28 and SL 34, 5% Ruiru 11
Size of Farm: 21 acres total; 13 acres of coffee
Roast: Full Flavor
Click here to purchase.

More on the new Ethiopian coffees

Reserve Web This coffee comes from the Sidamo region adjacent to Yirgacheffe and it rivals the finest coffees from that more famous region - at least this one does - easily. Ademe Bedane is a private washing station that purchases cherry from the surrounding farms which are all very small. They typically pay prices higher than often less well-run cooperatives and get better qualities. These coffees are very high grown from 5,000 to well over 6,000 feet in altitude. Rainfall is just enough. I believe this lot is superior to the Konga Cooperative coffee we have had the past year, having a deeper more apricot-peach centered flavor along with candied lemon.

The Full-Flavor roast is offered at an introductory price of $12.95 per 12 ounces for this month (regularly $14.95)
Click here to purchase.

· Region/Location: Sidama Region/Dara District/Bonko Farm area.
· Certification: Organic certified by BCS
· Altitude: 1.700-2.100 meter above sea level
· Variety: local varieties
· Soil: Red clay soil fertile
· Period of harvest:- Dec/Jan
· Production method: Washed Method
· Sun dried
· Amount of farmers: 300 farmers
· Average farm size : 0.75-1 Hectare
· Shade grown
· Annual rainfall: 1,100-1,200 mm

KONGA IS BACK! Special small lot of Konga from Yirgacheffe also available starting this Monday!

We paid extra for this small specially prepared lot from the Fair Trade certified Konga Cooperative. The coffee is organic as well. The Konga Cooperative has 1683 farmers of which 133 are female heads of family. The average size of a farm is 1.25 acres on which coffee and various foods for the local market are grown. Yirgacheffe is amazingly lush with vegetation. The coffee is grown at over 6,000 feet in altitude. This Konga also has that lush full-bodied apricot core with exceptionally pronounced clarity and sweetness.
Full Flavor roast. Limited availability.
$16.95 per 12 ounces
Click here to purchase.

Thanksgiving Holiday Schedule

UPS will not be making any deliveries on Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day) and Friday, November 28 (the day after Thanksgiving). With this in mind, the George Howell Coffee Company has designated both Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28 as Holidays for our employees.

We will resume our normal ordering and delivery schedule on Monday December 1, 2008.

Please consult our shipping map for standard UPS ground shipping times to plan accordingly.

Upcoming Limited Edition Roasts

La Esmeralda, Boquette, Panama

La Esmeralda is like few other coffees grown in the Americas. If ever Reserve Webthere was proof that the variety of Arabica can have an effect on coffee flavor, this is it. Here is Ken Davids' review of our coffee: "Blind Assessment: Richly and sweetly bright aroma with aromatic wood, peach-toned fruit and cocoa notes. In the cup quietly acidy, elegantly crisply sweet, deeply floral, with distinct peach-toned fruit and hints of cocoaish chocolate that carry into a long, flavor-glistening finish. Who should drink it: Balanced, complete; authoritative yet aromatically lavish." Click here to read more and to purchase.
$22.95 per 8 ounces.
Click here to order or call (866) GHH-JAVA.

2008 El Salvador Cup of Excellence winner La Lainez

La Lainez is a forty acre farm at 5,000 feet elevation. It produces a little over 7000 lbs of coffee per year, not much when commodity prices are a little over a dollar per pound. It is the first time this farm competes in the Cup of Excellence, in search of recognition. This coffee really struck me as having a particularly sweet acidity, with finely layered caramelized apple, ripe raspberry and light citrus flavors and a clean, sweetly lingering aftertaste. Very elegant!
$23.95 for 8 ounces.

Click here to order.

2008 El Salvador Cup of Excellence winner Matalapa

We have been proud to present Matalapa as a regular offering now for over two years. We offered it as a Vienna Roast. This Cup of Excellence Matalapa lot is very small and was prepared for the competition. There is a growing consensus in our specialty ranks that El Salvador may be producing the sweetest coffee in Central America. The Matalapa is an excellent example. Its acidity is refined and distinct but not pronounced. The flavors are creamy almond butter with a touch of caramel, orange and sweet lime. Those who really like Daterra Reserve should try this coffee; it is a perfect bridge from Brazil to the fruitier Central American coffees. Also, we are roasting it Full Flavor, so this is your chance to taste a beautifully milled classic El Salvador Bourbon variety coffee.

Click here to order or call (866) GHH-JAVA

Roasting every Monday -

Ndiara Estate, Kirinyaga, Kenya

Ndiara is another powerful coffee from Kirinyaga, an equal, in my opinion, to Mamuto. If ever there was a coffee that should be called jammy, this is it! (La Esperanza is the Colombian version of this!) It presents massive body with a berry fruit-basket of flavors. If you have not tried it you should.
Ndiara is an eight acre farm in the Kirinyaga district on the southern slope of Mt. Kenya at 5,500 feet. It is named after a pre-historic site nearby. Mr. Daniel Waruri Muriuki started it in 1979 when he acquired the land and planted 6,000 Bourbon SL-28 and SL-34 coffee trees; he later added an additional 500 trees.
$20.95 for 12 ounces

Click here to order.

La Esperanza, Huila, Colombia

La Esperanza, is a jammy ripe dark plum saturated coffee, layered with tropical fruits and streaks of honeyed raw sugar cane. It is among the finest of any Colombian I have had, an exemplary coffee revealing a peak expression of Colombian terroir.
$21.95 for 12 ounces.

Click here to order

Please note:
When ordering our Limited Edition Coffees, orders must be placed by 8:00 am Eastern time on the day they are scheduled to be roasted. Thanks!

Technivorm Brewers - Back In stock!

KBT741 Thermal Brewers available now!

Technivorm Logo We are pleased to announce that we have a limited supply of Technivorm thermal carafe brewers, Model KBT741, back in stock!

The KBT741 is now selling at $265.00, Technivorm's minimum advertised price ("MAP"). Technivorm requires us to sell at this MAP price.Reserve Web

With your purchase, we will include:
A 12 oz. bag of Terroir Coffee (Roaster's Choice),
A box of Filtropa #4 Filters (100 Count)
and Free Shipping. (Via UPS ground. Domestic shipments only.)
Click here to purchase.

We expect the Technivorm glass carafe brewers, Model KB741, to be back in stock right around Thanksgiving! Watch for an announcement as soon as they arrive!

Introducing the GHH Select line of Coffees!

A Special Introduction!

We often receive calls from Boston area café and restaurants goers, who GHCC Sorrento have tasted some of George Howell's custom coffees that have been created for many of Boston's greatest Cafes, Bistros and Restaurants. Many of these are blends of both Terroir and GHH Select coffees resulting from collaborative efforts between George and many of Boston's renowned Chefs.

We are making some of these coffees available, as an experiment, to gauge interest since we receive so many calls and requests. We hope you find the time to try some of these extraordinary values and superlative coffees.

Regularly $11.95 per 12 ounces! Click here to order.

More Sale Coffees for November

New Crop!
Orange Bourbon El Molino, Santa Ana,
El Salvador

El Molino Orange BourbonSoft creamy textured clementine notes with milk chocolate. George plans a more extensive write up on this extraordinary coffee, the farm and the farmers in next weeks NewsLetter.

Introductory special - $11.95
Regularly $13.95
Click here to order

Rated 93 Points in the Coffee Review!
Daterra Calabria Espresso

Calabria is the darkest roast in our espresso series. This is a blend of ArabicaReserve Web cultivars from the Daterra Farm roasted to produce a thick velvety crema and extra body. The cup is drenched with notes of deep bittersweet chocolate without trace of harshness. The aftertaste is sweet and prolonged.

93 Points 2008 Rated 93 Points in the Coffee Review! Click here to read the complete review!

To see all of our current offerings rated in the Coffee Review, please click here.

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

Got MoJo? SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER

Single-User Version INTRODUCTORY OFFER $639
for a Limited Time (Regular Price: $995)

For Those In Search of the Ultimate Cup™

Specialty Coffee enthusiasts and professionals share a commitment to excellence and a desire to serve truly great coffee the world over. The accepted standard for brewing both in Europe and the US is the Gold Cup Standard, as promoted by the SCAE and the SCAA. If your café or restaurant is not serving coffee brewed to the Gold Cup standard, it is safe to say your coffee is not nearly as good as it could be.

The Gold Cup Standard

As cafes strive to improve the quality of their coffees, restaurants are beginning to follow suit. They have learned that when their coffee quality matches their food quality, it pays off in a big way. Since the last thing a customer tastes in the dining experience is the coffee, it is critical to ensure that it's a perfect complement to the whole meal. Until now, however, it has been difficult and impractical to apply and maintain the Gold Cup standard in practice.

Got MoJo?

Finally, a practical working solution for accurately applying Gold Cup standards is here. The comprehensive software application, ExtractMoJo™ is simple to use, has an intuitive user interface and is bundled with the world's first Coffee Refractometer for quick and accurate measurement of coffee % TDS (total dissolved solids).

ExtractMoJo™ features the GHCC Universal Brewing Control Chart™ which plots the targeted brew formula dynamically and in real time within Gold Cup quality standards. The software application computes the brew formula portions to suit any required units of measure, metric or English-including mixed units, volume and weight, in any combination, and at the user's selected strength preference.

In combination with the new digital hand-held refractometer manufactured by ATAGO, the ExtractMoJo™ solution measures the percentage of total dissolved solids (% TDS) and plots the actual results, providing immediate and accurate feedback for calibrating brewing equipment to attain the intended extraction and strength. Refractometer is available separately for $339.

For more information, and to read the full press release, click here.