:: Home Coffee Roasting Blog ::

Cook’s Illustrated magazine did an in-depth review of automatic drip coffee makers in their September / October issue, just released.  The excellent Technivorm KBT-741 brewer, made in Holland, was their clear top pick.  The review stated that the Technivorm, “achieved perfect temperatures for brewing and serving and was the closest of all the coffee makers to reaching the ideal brewing time”.  All of the brewers reviewed utilize vacuum carafes, a trend clearly best for the coffee.

We were named as the source for the Technivorm brewers and indeed we are one of their largest dealers in the US.  We offer the KBT-741 and the nearly identical Thermo CD (CDT) models.  Because of the demand created by the review we sold through our inventory and are now accepting pre-orders for brewers that will arrive here mid-September.  Technivorm has also announced a price increase that will be effective Sept. 1, so pre-ordering prior to that date assures customers of securing a brewer at the present price of $239.95, and, of receiving one from the first shipment to arrive. 

Click to pre-order the Technivorm Moccamaster KBT-741 or Technivorm Moccamaster CDT.

We have a lot of wonderful coffee arriving that will be available on the site shortly.  How this for one pallet’s content:

• 2008 Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda
• 2008 Best of Panama #2 Carmen Estate
• 2008 CoE Nicaragua #2

The La Gloria / Limoncillo was the most after coffee in the Nicaragua auction and fetched the highest price. Separately, also just received:

• 2008 India Elkhill Estate AA
• 2008 Guatemala Antigua La Tacita
• 2008 Panama Carmen Estate (non-auction)

We are expecting other coffees we won at auction to be coming soon, including winners from Guatemala CoE and El Salvador CoE as well as other coffees of interest.  Check the online store periodically and also look in our New Arrivals section.

 We are freshly back from the Guatemala CoE having spent a week cupping and enjoying the country. First place in the competition went to El Injerto, for a massive Pacamara from the Huehuetenango region, which garnered 93.68 points - almost 4 full points ahead of its nearest competitor.  The next three coffees were tightly grouped between 89.60 and 89.78 points as there was not as much unanimity among the jurors as for the top coffee.  El Injerto has been at the top before. They took first in 2006 and sixth in 2007 but in both years with Bourbon rather than this year’s Pacamara varietal. This year’s coffee was a stunning, lavish affair, with broad plum, prune and raisin notes, pronounced aroma and long, long finish.

Last year’s winner El Socorro y Anexos finished fourth with a Maracaturra varietal.  Third place was the adjacent farm by the same owners, but with a Bourbon and under the farm name San Guayaba.  Second place went to La Bendicion with another Bourbon.

Although it is a joy to cup so much wonderful coffee and to do so in the company of one’s friends and colleagues, it is easy to forget the sheer amount of work that is involved.  Jurors start the day early, cupping for the better part of 7 hours most days. Depending on how many or few coffees are eliminated in the first round, cupping for the second round, which must be accomplished in one pre-scheduled day, ran 10 hours. The sessions are alternately dotted with cupping and discussion.  The work of the jurors pales in comparison to that of the host country’s coffee organization, in this case Anacafe.

Anacafe represents 75,000 coffee farms in Guatemala, many of which are extremely small, some large.  They provide a wealth of services aimed at helping farmers improve their growing methods, and, to assist in any way possible to bring their coffee to market.  Over the years, Anacafe has helped to direct farmers toward producing higher quality coffee at higher elevations, shying away from lower grown coffees.  In turn, this transition has catapulted Guatemala into the top tier of coffee,  which finds the most sophisticated buyers willing to pay higher prices.  Ninety-eight percent of the country’s coffee is shade grown making for higher, more consistent humidity for the coffee while providing a natural canopy for birds and other species.  Guatemalans have a deep respect for the environment, for transparency in coffee production methods and understand the symbiosis between the coffee they grow and the land upon which it is grown.  They think long term.

Anacafe roasts each sample to be cupped, tossing away any roasts that are not within the very specific target level.  The roasting was nothing short of spectacular.   Nearly every sample was perfectly matched in color and when displayed under a color corrected lamp, no variation was visible in flight after flight.  At the awards presentation Anacafe’s roasters received a well deserved standing ovation by the jury.  Anacafe has a large staff who assist in every way to keep things moving and to do so in a manner equal to all entered coffees.  Bottled water, boiled in stainless pots and dispensed immediately, meticulous water exchanges and clean-ups, all contribute to a competition with the very best integrity.  Gabriela Cordon of Anacafe was our gracious hostess, translator, facilitator, guide and companion.  Paul Songer was Head Judge.

The winning coffees will be auctioned June 12.  Look forward to some terrific coffee from Guatemala this year.

A pure Geisha coffee once again took first place in the Best of Panama competition this year with a score of 93.16. The coffee is called La Carleida and the surprise is that the producer is not from Panama. La Carleida was entered into the competition by Colombian coffee group Cafe Granja La Esperanza (Farm of Hope). They rented the farm in Jaramillo, Boquete that is directly adjacent to the now world-famous Hacienda La Esmeralda and upon which was planted mature Geisha by the farm’s actual owner.

Hacienda La Esmeralda did not enter their coffee in this year’s competition, favoring to have their own independent auction of their coffee and providing their neighbors, many of which produce superb coffee, the opportunity to have their day in the sun. The Peterson Family that owns Hacienda La Esmeralda remain vital members of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama and were involved participants in the event.

Another aspect of the competition brings to light the role individual varietals, or cultivars, play in the final taste of a coffee. Almost unnoticed, awards were given for first place within the Geisha, Caturra and Catuai varietal categories. Co-international juror Robert Thornsen from Norway’s Kaffa, made a comment some hours after the award’s dinner ended, as a group of us sat around the lobby of our hotel chatting. To paraphrase, he said a small revolution had taken place that indicates that people are beginning the know the difference in taste between one coffee varietal and another.

While wine is the most obvious example of a similar awareness that grape types play, most fruits and many vegetables are becoming known by their varietals. Apples, potatoes, artichokes and tomatoes are but a few examples of products where consumers recogize - a purchase - varietal differences. There are many, many varietals of coffee, some very ancient in their origins; however, there are generally half dozen commonly grown within any given country, that selection varying due to topography, climate, soil and tradition.

Today in Panama, Geisha coffee has a markedly different taste than others and it has been much lauded for its jasmine, floral, orange citrus perfume, when raised properly, as just being Geisha is not good enough. There is a great deal of Caturra, Cautai, Typica and Criollo being grown, and cultivars are frequently blended to accomplish a taste profile any given farm is seeking. Also, much experientation is going on. A Pacamara coffee took 5th place with it lush prune and fig character.

Both Best of Panama and Hacienda La Esmeralda will hold auctions in May. Here are the top 10 coffees from Best of Panama 2008.

The Best of Panama competition is set to get underway in Volcan, Panama on April 17.  After a string of first place victories for its now ultra famous Hacienda La Esmeralda geisha coffee, the Peterson family has decided to not enter it in competition this year.  Instead, they are holding a private auction for Esmeralda to be held in May.  Their absence from the BOP competition as participants leaves the light to shine more directly on other area growers.  To be sure, there is much terrific coffee growing in the mountains of Panama these days.  In fact, there are growers who, trying to emulate the success of La Esmeralda, are cultivating geisha.  It is being planted on many farms, but at this point it is not expected to have a major impact as many of the plantings are very young.  Without taking interest away from the geisha varietal, fabulous coffees are being produced from less notorious species.  The area is beginning to establish some new classic names like Elida Estate, Kotowa, Carmen Estate, Bambito, Cafe Rita and Lerida just to name a few.

We will be jurors at the competition and will keep you abreast of happenings as time permits.  All cupping rounds and results are done blindly with only a changing array of reference numbers assigned to the coffees each day.  If you like number 2462 one day, don’t look for that number the next day.  The same coffee, if it survives the round, will move forward with a new number to keep judging unbiased. 

We also expect to be tasting and most likely bidding on select Esmeralda lots in May providing the quality is up to the standard we have come to expect.  As you may know, we were part of the buying group that established a record price for this coffee last year.

A programming update was incorporated into Hottop KN-8828P and KN-8828B models that provides additional safety measures. The P Models imported after 3/5/08 incorporate this update - we have them in stock now. The B Models will be arriving shortly. However, while this update has an added layer of safety, software versions prior to this should not be considered unsafe. Below is a description of the changes; updated Owner’s Manuals can be downloaded at the Hottop website.

3/5/2008
The changes below were added to page 14 for the KN-8828B
and page 19 for the KN-8828P of the Owner’s Manual:
FACTORY PROGRAMMED SAFETY

There are three separate safety points programmed into the KN-8828B:
1) If the KN-8828B displays a temperature of 356 F (180 C) within the first 8:30 of roasting time, the unit will alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press a button (other than EJECT) within 20 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. Pressing a button continues the roast as programmed.
2) When the KN-8828B displays a temperature of 410 F (210 C), the roaster will again alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press a button (other than EJECT) within 20 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. Pressing a button continues the roast as programmed.
3) When the KN-8828B displays a temperature of 428 F (220 C), the beans will be immediately ejected. There is no override for this safety function.

There are three separate safety points programmed into the KN-8828P:
1) If the KN-8828P displays a temperature of 374 F (190 C), the unit will alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press the “Enter” button within 30 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. Pressing the “Enter” button continues the roast as programmed.
2) When the KN-8828P displays a temperature of 410 F (210 C), the roaster will again alert you with warning beeps. If you do not press the “Enter” button within 30 seconds, the beans will be automatically ejected. Pressing the “Enter” button continues the roast as programmed.
3) When the KN-8828P displays a temperature of 431 F (222 C), the beans will be immediately ejected. There is no override for this safety function.

Behmor small grid cylinder - We are now taking orders for this optional, additional cylinder.  Price is $19.95.  You can order the Behmor small grid cylinder here. We expect to start shipping them 1/4/08.

Behmor 1600 roaster offer - We think our offer for the Behmor is the best out there. 8 pounds of coffee, a $20 UPS ground freight allowance makes shipping free to most locations or very little to others and a coupon good for a discount on your next order of unroasted coffee.  We have Behmors in stock and ship quickly.

The Technivorm CDT Thermal coffee brewer is coming back into stock.  They are on their way to our warehouse and we should be shipping them by 1/4/08.  Wee also stock the KBT-741. Both Technivorm coffee brewers can be ordered.

Two new Hottop home coffee roasters are now available and previous analog and digital models have been discontinued.  The new models are KN-8828B and KN-8828P, known affectionately as B and P.  There are extensive reviews of both on our site: B model and P model.  Both are programmable roasters.  The B allows users to modify four parameters during a roast:  time, temperature, fan speed, heat element power.  The modifications can be saved in one of three slots.  The P model is a highly advanced profile roasting system allowing the user to write up to 10 programs, each with 8 segments that, using the parameters above, sets targets for each stage or segment.

Both roasters can be set to “Auto” which will allow them to work like the previous generation, meaning after the roaster warms you will be prompted to pour in coffee beans, the roaster will follow a factory preset program.  You will be able to increase time at the end of the roast or eject beans at any time.

Happily, the original Hottop body and interior design is intact, and upgrade kits are available for owners of previous generation models.  This consideration for existing owners is a reaffirmation of the previous solid design and allows users to have an upgrade path without the need to buy the complete new models.

The new Hottop roasters and upgrade kits are available now.

We just loved the Elida coffee, #3 winner of Best of Panama 2007 and the top rated non geisha coffee in the competion. It was universally appreciated by the panel of judges, including us and later drew much attention in the auction that followed in late May.  We led the buying group that won the bid and we now have a very limited supply of this particular winning auction lot to offer.

Two Ninety-Plus coffees from Ethiopia have been added to our offerings, both very special and tributes to how interesting heirloom varietals can be in the hands of dedicated growers and processors.  No effort has been spared to produce Beloya Selection One and Aricha Selection One.  These coffees received ratings of 97 and 95 respectively from Coffee Review as roasted coffee.  Now our home roasting customers have access to them.