GPC Blog

Not too long ago we switched from using Land o' Lakes milk to Burbach's Countryside Dairy (a family owned dairy in Hartington, Nebraska). It literally took one latte to convice us; Burbach's milk made our espresso taste sweeter and our lattes creamier. We couldn't believe the difference, but we're happy we found it. Come in and give it a try on one of these chilly fall days. (I recommend our 12 oz. latte straight up, and ask for it in a ceramic mug if you have a few minutes to sit and enjoy.)

-Jenna

p.s. If coffee isn't quite your style, our chai and homemade hot chocolate are absolutely incredible with this milk as well.

Some exciting samples arrived Monday, the 2008 dry-process Ethiopias from Ninety-Plus. We roasted and tasted three Beloya and three Aricha micro-lots. All were very special coffees, significantly better and distinctly different from the typical dry-processed Ethiopia.

Beloya and Aricha both come from the Yirgacheffe region, and are the result of extremely careful processing. Only the ripest cherries are picked (yes...you hear this about so many coffees, but this one means it!) and the cherries are constantly agitated during drying to prevent any flavor taints from creeping their way into the seeds.

Two lots really jumped out at us; one Aricha and one Beloya. The Aricha had an intensely floral aroma, pure citrus and berry fruit, and a nice supporting acidity. The Beloya had a very distinct blueberry note, with aromas of vanilla and flowers. Every micro-lot we tasted was completely free of any typical dry-process astringency or bagginess, which is extremely rare, and extremely exciting. These coffees have just about everything you want, and nothing you don't.

I absolutely loved these, and I can't wait to cup them in the following days. If they were this good less than twenty-four hours out of the roaster, we should be tasting some mind-blowing coffees later in the week. I'll follow up with more complete cupping notes once I've tasted these a few more times.

A few weeks ago, after tasting one of this year's Esmeralda lots, I commented that our focus is finding very good coffees at a very economical price point. The Aricha and Beloya don't quite fit into this philosophy. They are very expensive coffees, but just might be good enough to make me go back on what I said. These Ethiopias are good evidence that some expensive coffees are completely worth the cost.

-Jon

Our newest coffee, from Finca Matalapa in El Salvador, just arrived. We tasted the first sample batch today, and it has me excited already.

We put half of our green stock into air tight valve bags, which ensures that it will taste every bit as good in six months as it does right now. Green Coffee has a shelf life too, and the only way to extend it is by getting it out of burlap and into something air tight. Unfortunately, this gets ignored by far too many roasters.

If we know we won't move through an entire shipment of coffee within a few months, we bag it up into valves, and the results have been great so far. No more worrying about coffees tasting tired and lacking acidity after spending time in the warehouse.

It feels great to know that we'll have this excellent coffee available well into winter, a time when good Central American coffees are hard to find.

Cupping notes coming soon...

-Jon

After a 1.5 day stint without Trifecta Blend, we have it again.

Earlier in the month, a large order came in and cleaned us out of Harar (the main component in the blend). We scrambled to find another lot that offered the same qualities for espresso, and, luckily, we found one pretty quick. Harar is back now, and this lot looks like it might even be better.

The shots are tasting very sweet and clean, with the distinct fruitiness that reminds me of Amaretto. I think as we move through this green, the acidity will mellow a bit more, and we may end up with even better shots than we've had recently.

In my entire time with GPC, we've never had a straight shot blend that came remotely close to being as good as this one. I'm excited to have it, but already feeling disappointed that it won't be around indefinitely. Good Ethiopias are not easy to find much later in the year than this, and its impossible to tell what next year's crop will have to offer.

We've done about all we can do. We stocked up, and sealed some green in air tight valve bags. This should help keep it around a few extra months.

If you haven't tried it yet, come in on Friday (free double espressos all day). If you're usually a latte drinker, try it in a six ounce. You won't be disappointed.

Single-origin brewed coffee is typically what interests me; I usually don't get this excited about espresso, but this blend is truly something special.

-Jon

Some may have already noticed, but we've been giving away free espresso every Friday. No, not free lattes, or free additional shots; Just free double espressos in ceramic.

The Trifecta Blend is just so good right now, we'd hate for it to go unnoticed.

-Jon

For those who are unfamiliar, Hacienda La Esmeralda has been producing one of the world's most praised coffees for years. The unique Gesha variety of Coffea Arabica is grown there, and is largely responsible for the coffee's uniquely floral/ fruity aroma. The coffees of Hacienda La Esmeralda consistently fetch some of the highest premiums ever paid at auction for coffee.

We won't be stocking this coffee, but we did get some for tasting and comparison purposes. This lot was much less expensive than the top auction lot, which fetched over $100/pound green at auction, but was still a very expensive coffee. One roaster is selling batch 10 for about $50/pound (roasted).

Overall, this is a very nice lot, but perhaps less impressive than we had hoped it would be. The aroma is about what you would expect from one of the more affordable batches; sweetly fruity and floral, but not incredibly intense. The Gesha aroma always reminds us of Fruit Loops.

Interestingly, we liked this coffee best in a french press. Something seemed a bit lacking when we cupped it.

I roasted the sample batch very light, to about 428 degrees (most of our light roasts get dropped right around 430-435), and even at that level I felt it should have been lighter. This is a very delicate coffee, and the unique flavors and aromas are best enjoyed without too much "roastiness" to cover them up. I'll try the next sample a good 2-4 degrees lighter.

Tasting a coffee like Esmeralda is a good exercise for putting value in perspective. We've stocked several coffees recently that retailed for less than $15/pound that score at least 2 or 3 points higher on a 100 point scale. Esmeralda is unique, and delicious, but certainly not for everyone.

Its pretty easy to find an excellent coffee that you can retail for fifty bucks a pound. Its much more difficult (and rewarding) to find an excellent coffee that you can let go for $14.45. For now, at least, I think we'll stick with the latter.

-Jon

Our Sumatra Blue Batak Peaberry gets a nice review in the current CoffeeGeek podcast, right around 40-45 minutes:

http://cdn3.libsyn.com/coffeegeek/cgpodcast064.mp3?nvb=20080812132623&nv...

Imbibe magazine is also featuring this coffee as their drink of the week:

http://imbibemagazine.blogspot.com/2008/08/drink-of-week.html

If you haven't had a chance to try this one yet, now is the time. It won't be around a whole lot longer.

-Jon

We cup every week day between 8 and 10am. If you'd like to join us, just give us a call around 8am to get a more specific time (605-362-9955). We'll ready an extra spoon.

-Jon

We actually cup on a counter, but I prefer the way "cupping table" sounds...

Anyways, we have an offering sheet full of excellent selections right now, but a few in particular have really caught my attention lately:

Rwanda Bufcafe Co-op AA Bourbon:

I've been impressed with this coffee since we brought it in, but its really grown on me this week. It might not be as obviously unique as some of our others, but with subtle notes of oak, black currant, and juicy acidity, its really good stuff. The dry grounds have a deep, chocolaty aroma, and the cup is full bodied and very sweet. We'll only have this one in stock for a about another month, and I'm really going to miss it once its gone.

Also, this coffee performs very well with a paper filter.

Kenya Karani AA

With intense aroma, citrusy acidity, and an interesting Juniper note, this Kenya lives up to the high expectations we have for this origin. We've been so fortunate to have this, the Ruera, and the Wango auction lots all within this last year. I just wish all origins could achieve such a consistent level of excellence.

Sumatra Blue Batak

As Paul has recently mentioned, this is one killer Sumatra. Don't expect Mandheling, and brace yourself for something incredibly unique and distinctive. Notes of tobacco, cedar, and dark rum with an explosive aroma. The response for this coffee has been incredible.

We also cupped an excellent El Salvador sample a day or two ago, from Finca Matalapa. Look for this coffee in September. More notes on this one to come.

-Jon

Our Sumatra Blue Batak PB is going over even better than we expected. We're having a hard time keeping it in stock! If you want a funky coffee unlike anything you've ever had it's definitely worth a try.