Monday, June 28, 2004


cupping swanky

please remember that the scaa consumer member nyc event concludes this evening with the cocktail party at the nybot grading room.

this event is open to all scaa members, pro and consumer, even if you didn't make yesterday's incredible cupping. see you at 6pm!

as for yesterday's event, 10-14 of us managed to navigate new york city well, with only one small transport bobble, as the l train to williamsburg was apparently running backwards and only on one track.

but fortunately that didn't stop us from getting to gimme, where we consumer members got to chat with barista mike white (of coffee party fame) and watch kevin cuddeback pour amazing latte art -- 2 and 3 strand laurel wreaths that delicately wove their way around the cup edge like an ancient olympic crown.

at the exchange consumers benefited from the expert tutelage of former scaa prez steve colten and green coffee association vice prez john stefenson as we cupped 2 flights of 8 coffees each -- 16 in all -- to see the wide range of quality available -- everything from a lovely ethiopian harrar with an amazing blueberry note that sang as clear as a bell to a repulsive vietnamese grade 2 robusta.

the harrar was probably the most lovely i've ever sampled in my life. it was so good in fact that several of the home roasters with us frankly and openly snatched the green to take with them.

even tho' the grades of vietnamese robusta on the table were frightening -- frightening because they do appear in the coffees americans drink every day -- i have to admit that the samples of el salvador and peru arabica presented to us were in fact worse.

the low-quality, trash or "triage" peru coffee actually made me nauseated briefly with its ammonia odor, which came from rotten, nasty defective beans included in the sample. not that they were actually representative of the finest coffees peru and el salvador can actually produce!

but the coffees i want to focus on and describe with the great linglese are the three we cupped at oren's daily roast with oren and genevieve:

  • nicaragua: this fair-trade, organic coffee is the wiwili "la provedencia." it was so floral and a little bright at first i mistook it for an african, esp. since it lacked with bittersweet finish i associate with similar coffees, such as the organic nicaraguan i had from counterculture a few months ago.
  • jamaican blue mountain: this coffee was from the "rsw" estate. this one also completely fooled me; i was convinced it was a central american coffee, perhaps a mexican altura. that oren's a tricky guy! it was bright, floral, and woody spicy -- i thought allspice, nutmeg, mace.
  • sulawesi kalossi: this coffee cried out indonesian. just a mellow coffee with that great scent of fresh soft moss, heavy body, nutty aroma, and dutch chocolate aftertaste. i personally found it to be far the most striking of the three.

all of these coffees are of fantastic quality. as oren explained (ruefully?), "i never cup on price. i cup it as it is and buy only what i really like."

he laughed a little and looked at his shoes: "that it always seems to be the best quality, most expensive coffee is just the way it is." well oren, i have to say we coffee lovers are glad that this is how fate works out for you.

because it certainly works out well for us! finally, let me bestow a huge bccy thank you on everyone who helped make this event happen, and to the consumer members who attended, esp. those who travelled great distances to participate.

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