Holding a coffee leaf infected with rust fungus - from Bloomberg News

Just as we are slowly climbing out of last year’s extreme pinch in coffee prices, some potentially unhappy news comes out of Colombia. Apparently, a rust is infecting many coffee plants and causing some supply worries. Will this keep commodity prices, and the price for a cup of our favorite morning drink high, or will this just be a blip in the global ebb and flow of coffee production? We shall find out as new crops come in and we see how Brazilian and Vietnamese production affects the market. Here is a bit of news from Dow and the WSJ.

NARIÑO, Colombia—On the steep and verdant slopes here, an orange-colored fungus is laying waste to hundreds of thousands of acres of coffee. The infestation, and efforts to eradicate it, raises the specter of higher coffee futures—and more expensive cups of espresso—for months to come.

The fungus is known as roya, the Spanish word for “coffee rust.” It grows on the leaves of a coffee plant and chokes off nutrients to the beans. Encouraged by years of torrential rains, roya has spread throughout Colombia, forcing farmers to pull out their plants and replace them with fungus-resistant seedlings.

Juan María Cañar, a 64-year-old farmer in the Nariño region in southwest Colombia, said he was forced to replant much of his acreage. He usually produces 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds) of coffee beans. “This season, I’ll have about half that,” he said.

The fungus has ruined what was supposed to be a good year for Colombia, the world’s second-largest producer of high-quality arabica coffee, the mild-flavored, hand-picked beans for which coffee traders usually pay a premium. As much as 10% of the country’s coffee-growing region, or about 300,000 acres, were replanted this year in a bid to get rid of the scourge. New plants typically take as long as three years before they produce their beans. This is likely to restrict supplies, sending prices higher.
Investors have been paying scant attention to the potential crisis. Futures for arabica coffee, the variety most commonly brewed in the world, have been falling along with other commodities, amid gloomy headlines out of Europe. However, the declines are smaller than those for other exotic agricultural commodities. Coffee prices have fallen 7.4% this year, while cotton has dropped 40%, and cocoa is down 28%. On Tuesday, coffee for March delivery settled 1.5% higher, at $2.2280 per pound.

“It’s not selling off quite like the others are,” said Kona Haque, a commodities analyst at Macquarie Bank. “Coffee is holding its ground.”
Analysts say the warning signs flashing in the coffee market will soon become more visible through the uncertainty caused by Europe’s debt crisis. “The fundamental picture is taking a back seat because everyone is worried about Europe,” said Marcio Bernardo, an analyst at brokerage Newedge. The problems in Colombia come as global coffee supplies already are strained. The last crop out of Brazil, the supplier of more than one-third of the world’s coffee, was a relatively small one. Additionally, Central America was hit by heavy rains at the start of its harvest in October, which are expected to clip production in El Salvador and Guatemala.

World output of arabica coffee will shrink 4.3% to 79.6 million bags in the current crop year, which began in October, according to the London-based International Coffee Organization. The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, or Fedecafe, isn’t giving a firm forecast for next year’s crop, saying estimates are hard to make given the large amount of rain that came down this winter. For the past three seasons, the quasigovernmental organization set lofty production goals but came up short. The fact that they are demurring this year is telling, says Jack Scoville, a broker at Price Futures Group.

“They’re trying to be very cautious as to what they say,” Mr. Scoville said. Analysts say that in the best-case scenario, Colombia’s output in 2012 could be comparable to this year’s, which Fedecafe expects to total around eight million bags, each weighing 60 kilograms. In a good year, Colombia produces about 11 million bags. Meanwhile, demand for coffee is growing. Consumption has risen 2.5% every year on average over the past decade, the ICO said, citing the growth of niche markets and new consumers in emerging markets.

Problems in the euro zone could pinch global demand as the European Union has the highest coffee consumption per capita in the world. Another factor that could mitigate Colombia’s production problems is Brazil, which is forecast to harvest a big crop next year. Last week, Brazil’s National Coffee Council said the country will produce as much as 52 million bags, a 18% increase over last year. The council’s forecast is conservative compared with private estimates that are closer to 60 million bags. However, Brazil’s harvest doesn’t begin until May. Until then, the market must grapple with another possible shortfall from Colombia.

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Delving into Chocolate

We’re tasting some chocolate today at the Roastery (the staff do not know it yet). These notes are from Tifa Chocolate and give us a good guide to our day. We’re exploring some different brands of chocolate to carry in the cafe, influenced by the Fair Trade movement and images in the Dark Side of Chocolate, and historical context of chocolate, as depicted in the book the Emperors of Chocolate. All in all, it’s fun to expand our palates, and take lessons herein  back to the exploration of coffee. From Tifa Chocolate…

Protocol for Tasting Chocolate

To Begin With

Chocolate tasting should be about the experience and not solely about the consumption of chocolate. It should engage all the senses (sight, sound, smell, feel and finally taste) and can be appreciated by almost any person regardless of age, social standing or gender. It does not take extensive knowledge to develop an appreciation for the many fine and varied chocolates available today but for those who are curious, there is a never-ending spring of information available to better enable you to appreciate the history, science and art that is chocolate.

Please understand that there is no right or wrong when it comes to chocolate — there is just your opinion and preference based on your individual taste and predisposition. What you will ultimately want to develop as you go through the chocolate tasting process is a fuller awareness of the spectrum of, and differences between, the multitude of quality chocolates available to you in today’s marketplace. Many people, particularly Americans, are of the opinion that chocolate is a pleasant but somewhat homogenous product. This perception is changing as consumers become increasingly familiar with the products offered in the world market place. The reality is that chocolate, like wine, covers the spectrum of flavors with each having a unique personality. Regardless of your personal level of exposure to chocolate, we hope you will enjoy most of the selections provided but more importantly that you experience them all and broaden your familiarity with some of the more prominent chocolate makers represented by these selections.

NOTE -You may want to have the following available for your adventure:

• First, something to “reset” your taste buds between samplings. Unsalted crackers, ladyfingers, angel food cake, watermelon, strawberries and fruit sorbets and sherbets all make excellent palate cleansers. Pick something that you enjoy and then just a nibble or taste will do the job each time.
• Second, you may want a beverage of some kind. Your choice might be as simple as sparkling or purified water or you may want to pair the chocolate tasting with wine selections (see Pairing Chocolate with Wine.) Again, let your personal taste be your guide.
• Remember to leave the chocolate kit at room temperature prior to tasting. The more subtle flavors will otherwise be muted.

Time to Taste Chocolate

Once everyone participating is comfortable:

First Step:

Observe the Color: After unwrapping the first chocolate sample take a moment to note the texture and color. The color range of chocolate can be from the deepest brown to an auburn tint. Any well-tempered chocolate will have a high shine and dark chocolate will have a greater sheen than milk chocolate. All chocolate should be free of “bloom” (white splotches caused by the separation of cocoa butter crystals.) A good quality white chocolate will be a deep yellow color due to the high cocoa butter content.

Second Step:

Listen to the Sound: Break the chocolate into roughly dime size pieces, watching as it breaks. Chocolate with high cacao content will break cleanly and with a distinct crisp sound. Chocolate of lower quality (with a lower cacao content) tends to be soft and will not crisply break.

Third Step:

Feel: Hold the piece of chocolate between your fingers and note that the chocolate will begin to melt within a few seconds. Chocolate that has the proper cocoa butter content will melt at or near body temperature.

Fourth Step:

Inhale the Aroma: Take a brief moment to close your eyes and smell the chocolate. As you know, appreciation of many things in life such as baking cookies, good wine, a fine cigar is enhanced by the scent. In fact 75% of what we perceive as taste is actually derived from our olfactory perceptions. Considering the aroma just prior to tasting will allow your brain to more accurately identify the subtle qualities of the chocolate (when you smell you are actually inhaling particles.) There are over 600 natural aromas associated with chocolate. Taking a moment to appreciate the smell will, in effect, get your taste buds prepared for the experience to come.

Fifth Step:

Tasting the Chocolate: Here is the part you have been waiting for!

How: Place a small amount of chocolate (about the size of a dime) in the middle of your tongue. Close your mouth and wait for the chocolate to begin melting. Now lift your tongue to the roof of your mouth and swirl the chocolate all around. It may be difficult, but resist chewing until the chocolate melts. You will have a chance to observe the following sensations:

What to look for:

• As soon as the chocolate begins melting on your tongue you will get the early “notes” of flavor. These “notes” are the blending of all the different compounds in the chocolate (some “notes” can be described as fruity, buttery, nutty, vanilla highlights, clean, etc.). Your first impression should not be that of sugary sweetness but rather a nice balance between sweet and bitter. Any flavoring added to the chocolate should be subtle and not artificial tasting.
• Observe the texture of the chocolate (i.e. Is it smooth or gritty?)
• The “finish” as it is referred to in wine tasting, is actually the aftertaste you will experience. A good chocolate should have a pleasant finish with no hint of a chemical element.
• Consider your overall impression of that particular chocolate immediately after tasting. It is a good idea to note your impressions in writing as you go along so you can recall which you had a particular affinity for. (It can be frustrating when you remember you really enjoyed a particular chocolate but can not recall which it was.) Remember that during your tasting experience you will encounter a variety of distinctive tastes. Some you will like (hopefully most); others you may not enjoy as much (or at all.) Try very hard to keep an open mind as you taste each. Even if you dislike a particular selection you will have gained an awareness of that particular offering; something you did not have before the tasting. Remember the overriding purpose of chocolate tasting is to expand your exposure; the idea is to explore, thereby defining your personal preferences.
• Finally, discuss your impressions and opinions with others in the group. The range of reactions to one chocolate can be very surprising.

A Side note about taste:

Your tongue has thousands of tiny taste buds that allow you to recognize the four basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Taste buds located near the front of your tongue are for salty and sweet; those for sour line the sides of your tongue; the bitter are found at the very back of the tongue. Surprisingly, the center area on the top of the tongue has very few taste buds. The reason you move the chocolate around in your mouth is to hit each of these areas. Taste experience also depends on age, gender and genetic make-up based on recent research.

Sixth Step:

Prepare for the Next Selection: Cleanse your palate by eating a small amount of sorbet, cracker and/or taking a sip of water while you take a moment to discuss the last selection tasted. You may be surprised at the strong preference a person may have for one chocolate over another even though both have similar cacao content. Many times the geographical region the cacao was grown in will give that bean a very different flavor from another bean. Just like coffee beans, the soil and surrounding crops can result in differences in beans produced by similar trees.

Understanding the Differences between Chocolates

Cacao content: Manufacturers identify cacao content as a percentage. This percentage represents the amount of cacao solids used in the production of that chocolate. The higher the percentage of cacao, the darker the chocolate and conversely, the lower the number, the sweeter the chocolate. The percentage can range from a very dark chocolate at 85% down to 35% for a milk chocolate. It is interesting to note that there is no chocolate in “white chocolate” — only the cocoa butter (natural fat from the cocoa bean) is used in the manufacture of white chocolate. Some manufactures will leave “nibs” of chocolate in the finished product giving it something of a rougher mouth feel. American tastes have historically run to the lower percentage milk chocolates while Europeans have shown an inclination towards darker chocolate. Studies suggest this difference in preferences may be changing today as more and more Americans are becoming familiar with the higher cacao products.

Flavorings:

There is an endless number of flavorings that can be added to chocolate during the manufacturing process. A few of these include orange, ginger, almond, vanilla, coffee, green tea, chili or pepper. Filled chocolates are different from flavored chocolates. Flavored chocolates have the flavorings added directly to the chocolate during the manufacturing process, as opposed to a flavored filling (e.g. ganache, fondant, etc.) However, to experience the natural flavor of the chocolate itself (separate from the additives and fillings,) you should start with pure chocolate bars. The ingredients in these will be limited to cacao, cocoa butter, sugar, milk products and natural flavorings.

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Photo courtesy of our architect, Craig Brown

After a long hiatus on our blog site, I can announce that we have opened our new cafe space, and revamped roasting facility. We have been working since June 1 to build onto the corner of Colorado and East Main in downtown Buena Vista, the first building on Main since 1979. Three weeks into the opening, I can visit the computer and post a couple photos and a link to South Main’s article from opening day, and start blogging once again. Thank you to everyone who visited this summer and endured construction noise, lack of cookies from our baking space, and general periodic uproar. How grateful we are to be open and fully operational once again.

Photo courtesy of Craig Brown

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The old corner of E Main, including the original roastery building

Day1: Excavation work for the Roastery, including bakery space

We at the Buena Vista Roastery and Bongo Billy’s have long awaited the day when we can house all of our beans, cocoas, equipment, baking, et cetera in one spot. Spread out in 5 spaces through the town of Buena Vista, we have maximized our efficiencies, but only within the context we have had. Now, at long last, we have broken ground on an expanded space, which will bring us into one building. This is right on East Main Street in downtown Buena Vista.

Read on to understand some of the process we used to get us here, using Holistic Management as a guide to this decision:

We operate using Holistic Management, as introduced by Allan Savory,  as a guide for our business operations. This includes forming policy, guiding spending decisions, optimizing processes, and most of what we do.  By understanding the different and distinct enterprises within the business, we identified that growing our retail was the largest potential marginal reaction to contributing to a thriving and vibrant community, showcasing our coffee – both the barista skills and high quality of our roasts, and influencing our bottom line. We embarked three years ago to effectively and significantly alter our retail. Now, we are one of four hub businesses on the corner of Colorado and Main and help to bring energy to downtown. Alongside of Mother’s Bistro/Daughters, Colorado Kayak Supply and the Asian Palate, downtown is starting to gain energy and is not just a pass through on the way to the River Park and South Main.

Retail was the weak link in the business. We can now buttress that enterprise. True, the building is not up, we have not moved in, new processes and procedures are not in place. Yet, this link in our Chain of Production from resource conversion to bringing in dollars and fulfilling our purpose is no longer the weakest part of the business – the part that will fail us if we do not pay attention. It is time to focus once again on our wholesale side of things, for cafes, or for hotels and restaurants: the next step. Mentally separating into enterprises for planning and spending money, while functioning as a whole entity allows us to be sure that each dollar spent and each minute of time goes to the best and highest use. Our returns are not just financial, but involve community, environment, staff satisfaction, customer experience, and a host of other very valuable contributions. Please contact us to learn more about how we use Holistic Management within our business.

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Cupping is most effective when several coffees are tasted side by side. Doing this allows you to taste the differences between coffees and between regions of coffees. Cupping coffee is said to be the best way to taste coffee because it draws out all of the flavors of the coffee.

The Process:

It is important when you are cupping coffee that the process is exact and the same for each tasting. At the Roastery, we usually cup several coffees at a time by grinding 11 grams of coffee and brewing it in a cup with six ounces of water. There are three stages during the cupping that we give a description of the coffee: when the coffee is dry and wet, and when we taste the coffee.

Photo by Matt Biddulph

1. First, we grind the coffee into the glass, smell the dry grounds of each coffee, and describe them using words like: sweet, earthy, nutty, bright, acidic, citrus, or chocolate.
2. The next step is to fill up the glass with six ounces of hot water and let it brew for about four minutes. After four minutes, we “break the crust” (or stop the brewing) by taking a spoon and pushing the grounds away to get the wet aroma. We each smell the coffee in the “wet” stage. The differences from dry to wet are sometimes drastic. Oftentimes, a coffee will smell citrusy when dry, but will smell more sweet when wet.
3. The final step is to scoop the coffee grounds out with a spoon. Then, using your spoon, take a loud slurp of the coffee, spreading it to the back of your tongue for the true taste.

New Coffees at the Roastery

At the Buena Vista Roastery, cupping is a part of our weekly routine. This past Friday, we did a cupping of Organic Uganda and Organic Java, two of our newest coffees that we offer.

• Organic Uganda, my new favorite coffee, has a rich, dark chocolate, sweet taste, with a full body, and a dark, smooth finish. Yum! When we smelled the coffee in the dry and wet stages, it smelled more nutty than it tasted when brewed.
• A very different coffee is the Organic Java that has a chocolate and earthy smell when dry, but has a bright and earthy taste with a little sweetness.

So next time you see us behind the counter at the BV Roastery sniffing and slurping coffees, you’ll know what we’re up to. And feel free to stop by and join us for a coffee cupping!

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Courtesy of juanpol

Yerba mate is a naturally caffeinated leaf of the South American holly tree found in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. The first people to discover yerba mate were the Guarani (pronounced wa-ra-nee). Drinking yerba mate has long been a cultural experience in these South American countries, and also has become popular in the Middle East. More recently it has made its way to the United States, where you will find yerba mate on the menu at many coffee shops, like the Buena Vista Roastery.

Though it appears to be a cup full of green leaves, Mate is a unique tea-like beverage with many health benefits that attract its avid drinkers. Mate is made when you steep dry yerba mate leaves in hot water, creating an infusion with a flavor that is strongly herby and grassy. Traditional mate is brewed with hot water in a dried gourd and sipped through a bombilla (a straw that filters the leaves). But it is possible to brew mate like any other tea or coffee. Here at the Roastery, we use our espresso machine to brew the mate, and we also offer mate lattes (mate with steamed milk) and orange-flavored mate. You can pick up some yerba mate for your personal home brews here at the Roastery.

Yerba mate is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Southern Brazil where it is consumed 6 to 1 over coffee. As part of the culture of yerba mate, the mate gourd is offered as a symbol of hospitality and is peacefully passed around a circle of friends while ideas are shared, stories are told, and a sense of community is created, according to http://guayaki.com.

Many believers of the beverage love the long-lasting physical and mental stimulant effects of the caffeine that are very different from coffee. Yerba mate provides 25 mg of caffeine per 2g tea bag in 8 oz of water. For comparison, the average cup of coffee has 135 mg of caffeine. The average cup of black tea contains 50 mg and green tea has 30 mg. But part of the tradition and draw to mate is the natural health benefits. Yerba mate provides minerals to support nervous system function, and B-vitamins to relax muscles. For these reasons, it produces a balanced, long-lasting physical and mental stimulation. In a serving of mate, you will find Niacin, Riboflavin, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium, and no calories according to http://yerbamate.com. Additionally, unlike coffee, yerba mate is not oily and acid forming, so it is less likely to cause stomach acid and jitters.

Another factoid (that is very important to the avid mate drinker) is that yerba mate comes either with or without stems. The leaf (with no stem) contains more nutrition, antioxidants, and stimulation than any other part.  Pure leaf yerba mate is also known as “sin palo.”  Many North Americans prefer the strong, clean cup of tea that pure leaf yerba mate provides, according to http://yerbamate.com. The stems add a light, woody taste. Yerba mate with stem is known as ‘con palo’. At the Roastery, we offer Taragui with stems and Taragui without stems, as well as an Organic La Esquina de las Flores with stems and Organic La Esquina de las Flores without stems.

So next time you stop by the Buena Vista Roastery and you’re in the mood to try something new, ask us about our mate!

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At the Buena Vista Roastery, we have a “Coffees for a Cause” program that helps support non-profits, both locally and globally. Whenever one of our 12 ounce Coffees for a Cause is purchased, 10 percent of the price is donated to the corresponding organization. The current non-profits and organizations include: 

• The Africa Center for Holistic Management
  

  photo by Nate Steiner

• BALLE
• Chaffee County Boys and Girls Club 
• The Denver Street School
• Slow Food USA

But the Roastery is not the only place interested in helping other organizations through coffee. I was reading online today about one individual getting a little more press – Chicago singer-songwriter Michael McDermott. In an effort to help feed America’s hungry, McDermott partnered with Feeding America. So every bag sold of McDermott-branded coffee will feed seven children. 

This “coffee movement” is not just limited to these two examples. When you search online “coffee for a cause”, there are many organizations that come up, like Coffee With a Cause where you can support existing causes just by purchasing a bag of coffee. It is like donating money to an organization by simply buying coffee. And with more and more people drinking coffee these days, this idea is a great, simple way to reach out to your local and broader community just by purchasing a product that’s part of your weekly shopping list. 

Be sure to check out our Coffees For a Cause page, and drink up, knowing that your purchase is going toward a worthy cause.

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The short answer is this: knowing the origin of your coffee. Today I was reading on Grounds For Change about this topic. The Fair Trade Certification ensures that hard-working coffee farmers are being paid fairly. Many coffee farmers are making less for their coffee than the cost of production. But farmers who grow Fair Trade Certified coffee receive a fair price for their work, and they are able to support their families, their communities, and the environment.

But there are, in fact, many qualifications and criteria that must be met in order for a coffee to be classified as Certified Fair Trade. When you buy a Fair Trade coffee, this is what it actually means:

• FT coffee is purchased directly from the growers at a higher price than other coffee.
• FT coffee farmers must be part of a democratically-run cooperative working with other local growers, not a single estate. Growers are guaranteed a minimum price for the coffee. If market prices exceed the minimum, coffee growers receive a per pound premium. The co-ops then determine how the premium will be spent.
• Importers buy FT coffee directly from the farmers, cutting out the middle man and allowing the FT farmers to compete in the marketplace and develop skills to escape poverty.
• Freedom of association, safe working conditions, and fair wages for those working on FT farms.
• FT also helps develop the local community because the co-ops invest their FT premiums in social and business development projects like scholarship programs, healthcare services and quality improvement training.

Many coffee consumers are realizing the importance of Fair Trade. I saw this article posted last week about a group of students at WVU working with a coffee cooperative in Nicaragua to make sure that farmers receive fair prices for the coffee they grow. Check out the article here.

Here at the Buena Vista Roastery, we offer a variety of Fair Trade coffees. Be sure to check out the variety of Fair Trade and Organic coffees that we offer.

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Photo by CIAT

Growing Coffee in a Warming World

Some of the soaring coffee prices is a result of warming temperatures. Warmer temperatures result in more moisture, more humidity, more pests, more damage to the coffee fruit and an overall reduced supply, especially in coffea arabica, specialty coffee. Some people are talking about carbon offset programs and trading carbon credits, which brings a whole set of problems of its own and rearranges deck chairs on the Titanic.  I won’t get into the carbon credit program or my thoughts on other ways to address climate change here. The Savory Institute and its related videos and articles is a great source. But, this blog post, A new financial model for growing coffee in a warming world in SUNfiltered is an interesting introduction to one perspective.

A quote from the blog post:

The global Fair Trade movement has done a stellar job of highlighting the economic plight of coffee farmers in the developing world, many who barely eke out a living growing one of the world’s most heavily traded commodities. And while Fair Trade has always had an environmental element to it, that may become more pronounced as these farmers become some of the first victims of global climate change.

And the video on Colombia and approaches to dealing with a changing climate:

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