GPC Blog

BATAK!

Jon — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:53:10 -0500

Our Sumatra Blue Batak Peaberry was extremely popular when we carried it earlier this year, so we've been getting lots of questions about when we expect more. Well...we found some.

The new crop just came in, and it is fantastic. We cupped our first sample this morning, and I was just floored. It has tons of pineapple and sweet bell pepper, with all of the incredible complexity I remember from our last lot. The aroma immediately reminded me why we loved this coffee so much.

I think this new crop is even better than the last, and, luckily, we were able to find a much larger quantity this time, so it should be around for awhile.

Look for the first production batches later next week.

-Jon

November News

Jon — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:18:26 -0500

Coffea is Coming…

Construction has finally begun on our new roasterie and retail outlet. We have many exciting plans in the works; an all new menu, a cupping and clover bar, and some very special coffees. Coffea Roasterie is everything we’ve always wished that a coffee shop could be, and we have been anxiously awaiting this opportunity for years. We’ll be opening in March of 2009, and we can’t wait to share our new ideas with all of the customers we’ve worked with over the years.

For more information, visit CoffeaRoasterie.com.

‘Tis the Season…

For Ethiopia Beloya! We’ll be roasting the first production batches of this phenomenal coffee later this month. For anyone who hasn’t heard us gushing about it already, the Beloya Microlot 9 is essentially the best dry-processed coffee we have ever encountered, from Ethiopia or elsewhere.

Beloya comes from Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe region, where the dry process has been utilized for many years. Traditionally, the best cherries (fully ripe and free of damage) have almost always been reserved for the wet process. The ones that dont make the cut undergo inexpensive dry processing; they are placed on the ground and dried whole, usually with a relative lack of care and attention. The finished product usually has a fruity flavor profile, spoiled by aggressive earthiness and under-ripe vegetal notes.

The Beloya coffees are an entirely different story. Only intact, fully ripe cherries are selected by taking precise sugar measurements prior to harvest. They are dried according to a strict moisture content profile above the ground on raised beds, and turned almost constantly to prevent spoilage or uneven drying. It is some of the most carefully implemented dry processing ever executed, and the resulting coffee is one of the best ever produced.

Beloya coffees exceptionally sweet and distinctly fruity, with notes of berry, vanilla, and citrus. We tasted several micro selections from this year’s harvest, all of which were very good. Lot #9, however, was by far the best, and completely blew us away with it’s intense blueberry aroma, creamy body, and delicious sweetness. Only nine bags of this coffee were produced, and we were lucky enough to secure one.

The Beloya Selection 9 will be the first coffee we sell under our new label, Coffea Roasterie. It just arrived yesterday, and we should have the first production batch ready for purchase tomorrow.

Cupping This Saturday

There are still spaces available for our next cupping. It will be held at Queen City Bakery on Saturday, November 15th at 1pm. With the recent arrival of the Beloya, I'm sure it will be a good one. Give us a call if you'd like to get signed up.

The Perfect Gift for the Coffee Lover

Our sampler boxes are the perfect gift for the coffee lover on your list. Choose one of our hand selected variety packs, or create your own custom mix of fresh roasted coffee, premium hot chocolate, and loose leaf tea.

El Salvador

Jon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:31 -0400

Our El Salvador Finca Matalapa has finally found its way onto the bean menu. This is one of the best Central American coffees we've seen all year.

Also, the special-prep Sidamo has been a big hit already. It seems this coffee was made for the clover.

-Jon

Coffea is coming...

Paul — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:19:56 -0400

Construction has finally begun on our new retail outlet and rosterie. Here's an article recently published in the Argus Leader to fill you in. Also, be sure to check out www.CoffeaRoasterie.com for more information.

The construction of a small retail mall is under way on South Louise Avenue in front of the ClubHouse Hotel and Suites.

The 4,400-square-foot building is being developed by Regency Hotel Management and will have two tenants. The building should be done by the end of January.

The owners of Great Plains Coffee Roasting Co. in The Empire Mall are moving into one of the spaces with their new cafe concept - Coffea - which will be a roastery and espresso bar. The mall location will close once the cafe opens around March. It will have seating for about 50 people.

Besides having all the traditional cafe drinks such as tea, coffee and hot chocolate, the owners are whipping up their own creations using fresh spices and other natural flavoring.

"We're trying to take a culinary approach ... to try to really create some really unique and natural drinks that complement the flavors of espresso," said Jenna Aukerman, who owns the business with Jon Brudvig and Paul Brough.

Aukerman said they hope to have something for everyone. That will include some light food items such as pastries and hummus or cheese trays, though the menu hasn't been set.

Great Plains has been in the mall since 1992. Auckerman and her partners took over more than a year ago. They decided to move the cafe to provide more space for customers to relax, Aukerman said.

"The impetus for us moving out was to create a space where people can get the best coffee and sit down ... and be able to get away from it all," she said.

Next Month's Cupping

Jon — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:46:33 -0400

Thank you to everyone who came to our public cupping on Saturday. I hope you all had a great time. We certainly did.

Our next cupping will be held at Queen City Bakery on November 15th at 1pm. We're expecting the arrival of some very exciting coffees before then, so I'm sure it will be a good one. Give us a call if you'd like to get signed up.

-Jon

605.362.9955

A Few More New Ones

Jon — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:11:57 -0400

The new Sumatra, our triple pick Lintong, is now for sale in the shop. This is a great example of a Classic Sumatra; lots of peaty earthiness, some mild fruit, and a welcomed vegetal note that reads as bell pepper. This is certainly an earthy cup, but not overly so for a Sumatra. We've really been enjoying it so far.

Last week we cupped an extremely fruity special prep Ethiopia Sidamo, and we'll be introducing it soon. We've been joking that this lot is the "poor-man's Beloya." With lots of winy blackberry fruit and full bodied sweetness, this is a good example of a dry-process coffee that creeps right up to the line of over-ferment, but doesn't quite cross it. This isn't an immaculately clean cup like the Beloya; it still has traces of the under-ripe and defect notes common to most dry-processed Ethiopians, but I think most of you will be more than pleased when you get your first whiff of the berry-toned fruit. The cup is very sweet, and a great introduction to dry-processed Ethiopians. At less than $15/pound, it will be a huge value. Look for it in October.

Around the same time, we'll also be bringing in an Ethiopia from the entirely different end of the flavor spectrum; a wonderful washed Yirgacheffe. This is one of the best Yirgs I can remember tasting, with a wonderful jasmine-like floral aroma, and a sweet pleasant cup reminiscent of apricot. As hard as I look, I can't find anything not to like about this cup.

Washed Yirgacheffes bear little resemblance to their dry-processed siblings, but its a profile I've really been appreciating lately. Light bodied and very clean, they drink easily. The terpenic aroma is the best part. It reminds me of an aromatic white wine. If the special prep Sidamo is a ripe, fruity Shiraz, this washed Yirgacheffe must be a delicate Riesling.

-Jon

A Few New Ones

Jon — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:41:58 -0400

Changes are coming to the bean menu...

Sometime next week we'll be introducing a new Colombia, Los Naranjos de San Agustin, which will replace the Mujeres de Guayata. This coffee comes from the Huila region, and is a nice change of pace from the Mujeres. The cup profile is in a very different part of the Colombia spectrum, with sweet fruity flavors accented by caramel notes and bright acidity. It contrasts strongly with the floral honey-like Guayata.

Cultivars seem to account for a large portion of the difference here. The Mujeres de Guayata is a 100% Typica, which in our experience tends to offer a nutty and sweet cup with delicate honey notes and lighter body in a Colombian coffee.

The Los Naranjos de San Augustin, on the other hand, is a mixed varietal lot, with Caturra and Colombia. Caturra and Colombia are both relatively recent introductions; Caturra is a mutation of the Bourbon plant, while the Colombia variety is a hybrid with Caturra and the Timor hybrid in its pedigree. The cup profile here is more acidic with nice fruit. It lacks the floral Typica aroma, but the sweet and full bodied cup really impressed us.

A new Sumatra will also be making its way onto the menu soon, the special prep Lintong. This is a much cleaner coffee than the typical Mandheling, with more acidity, some mild fruity notes, and a nice sweet bell pepper flavor. It is still an earthy cup, but not nearly as aggressive. We're still tinkering with the roast profile on this one, but the first batches we've cupped have shown promise.

We're also looking for a good Sulawesi as the new crop comes in, and we'll hopefully be introducing one soon.

-Jon

Beloya 9

Jon — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:02:32 -0400

Its amazing what you can do with a small quantity of really good coffee. Through repeated cuppings and tiny french presses, we've stretched a small sample of the Beloya 9 through at least ten tastings, and without exception, we've been amazed every time.

Beloya is a new coffee, produced through collaboration between Abdullah Bagersh in Ethiopia, and Ninety-Plus Coffees here in the states. It is the result of a previously unseen level of attention in origin; This coffee is free of under ripe cherries, harvested according to proper sugar and acid readings, and dried on raised beds with very frequent agitation. The resulting beans pick up the wonderfully fruity flavors and aromas from the flesh of the cherry during the drying process, but are free from the usual earthy or over fermented notes found in most dry processed offerings. The Aricha coffees follow a similar protocol, but are harvested and processed in a different region of Ethiopia.

When we first tasted the dry process Beloya and Aricha samples from Ethiopia, we knew right away that they were something special. The intense aroma, ripe fruity flavors, and exceptionally clean, sweet cup is the total package as far as a dry processed coffee goes. One micro-lot in particular, the Beloya Micro Selection 9, went a step further, and really stood out in our cupping. When you are tasting six incredible coffees, and one really jumps out at you, you know its not a coffee to pass up.

We didn't pass it up. In a few weeks, we will be doing production roasts of the Beloya 9. We're extremely excited to bring this coffee to Sioux Falls, and show our customers what a great dry process is really capable of.

The Beloya 9 is a very forward, simply delicious coffee. Its unlike anything we've offered before, and I think the first whiff of the dry grounds gives that away. Upon grinding, fresh blueberry notes fill the air, and the cup is a pure, sweet carrier for the unique aroma.

More to come when I can stop gushing and start offering.

-Jon

Come Cup With Us

Jon — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:29:07 -0400

We will be offering a free public cupping on Saturday, October 4th at K Restaraunt at 11am.

This is a great chance to try a number of very special coffees side by side, get answers to any coffee-related questions you might have, and talk with some like minded coffee lovers. Download our flier for more information.

Space is limited to 10 - 15 guests. Give us a call if you'd like to reserve a spot. 605-362-9955

-Jon

Local Milk equals Delicious Lattes

Jenna — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:22:02 -0400

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.