Tuesday, November 22, 2005


the finch wa yrg, part iii

how best to describe oren's finch wa yrg when brewed in the cafetiére? blue.

once again i repeat if the origin sourcing on this coffee wasn't airtight, i'd swear this was a harrar. even at 11 days old, these beans present a luscious, appetizing blueberry muffin aroma just from opening the bag.

and even tho' i've enjoyed this coffee in the chemex, and the vac pot, i personally think the best way to get the blue outta the steam and into the cup is with a french press. but this is just because i personally love a blueberry coffee and think it's one of the most special attributes java can display.

this is just a lovely coffee and i suggest everyone try to get their hands on it; again, it's in such limited supply -- less than 20 bags. . .

over the weekend, i had the occasion to speak to one taylor clark of portland, ore., who's writing a book about coffeehouse culture. he seems amazingly mermaid-positive and american focused, even tho' he has recently travelled to europe to visit coffeehouses.

when i told him about the stories i have personally heard from independent retailers about the mermaid's hardball business practices, and also the allegations from former baristi that have led to union calls, he interrupted me and said, "don't those sound like conspiracy theories?"

well, taylor, no, they don't. i urged taylor to call oren, who is the poster child for how an independent roaster-retailer can survive the mermaid's onslaught.

but somehow i doubt he will! oh taylor i dare you!

but seriously, taylor seems like a nice young fella, yet it did break my heart to have to explain to him that the u.s.a. doesn't have necessarily the best baristi or the most innovative coffeehouse culture -- if the world championships mean anything, those honors may belong to scandinavia, australia, and new zealand.

when it comes to coffeehouse design and style, the honors might belong to japan. nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what taylor's book will look like. . .and i wonder when or if he will see the truth of the argument that the mermaid isn't really so much in the coffee business anymore. . .

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