Archive for March, 2003

Posted on March 9, 2003 - by deCadmus

Kenyans

This week I finally dug into the bag of Kenyan beans I brought back from Barry’s Christmas Party in January. [Yeah... Christmas. In January. It's a retail thing.] Anyhow, I roasted a batch this week, and when I got around to brewing a cup I get this “deja vu all over again” kind of sensation. “Self,” I says… “you had some of this coffee just last week!” Which was impossible, of course, as I’d just opened the bag.

And it hits me… after his lengthy Kenya cupping trial this winter, Barry has stocked the very same Kenya Kimandi beans as has Steve Ackman at Two Loons.

What d’ya suppose are the chances?

Posted on March 9, 2003 - by deCadmus

Everybody Wins

You win some, you lose some… this time everybody wins. A wee bit over a week ago I offered to send tasting samples of the 2001 Guatemala Cup of Excellence to folks who would write and suggest why they might like to try the beans. Three intrepid souls wrote - Jim, Chris and Doug - and all three will get some beans. If you folks would kindly send your postal particulars, I’ll get those beans out this week. …and Doug, no, you don’t have to share with CoffeeKid.

Posted on March 8, 2003 - by deCadmus

Colombia Sells Direct

The Colombian Coffee Federation [the folks who brought you Juan Valdez] have chosen to skip [at least one of] the middlemen, choosing to sell direct to coffee importers abroad. Other than the clear suggestion that it now sucks to be a coffee exporter in Colombia, I’m not altogether certain of the ramifications….

Posted on March 4, 2003 - by deCadmus

Mardis Gras, Redux

Laissez les bon temps rouler!! It’s Mardis Gras again [so soon!] and I have too little time to write… so I’ll simply refer to last year’s entry:

Yes, there’s more to New Orleans than Mardi Gras, and more to New Orleans coffee than Cafe du Monde. Sadly, the venerable Kaldi’s Coffeehouse and Museum is no more… its museum aspect was no affectation — it’d just been in business that long, and it’s worn wood-plank floors and battle-scarred counters told a story, as did its selection of just-roasted, brewed coffees. I never had chicory-laced coffee at Kaldi’s. You know what? I never missed it.

Get an update on New Orleans’ current coffee scene, and a simple how-to for making your very own cafe au lait… just follow the time machine.

Posted on March 3, 2003 - by deCadmus

Bucks: No More Online Sales

Has Starbucks brewed up a new online business plan? A recent visit to their online store finds no espresso machines, mugs, etc. ad infinitum… just coffee.

Posted on March 3, 2003 - by deCadmus

Coffee Features Elsewhere…

The weekend edition of the Washington Post gets caffeinated with a series on Stalking the Bean. With a little effort you can separate the beans from the chaff and find some reasonably factual information there… most useful for those local to DC.

The Seattle Times offers a soft-focus profile of some of the city’s coffee roasters and buyers, apparently ocassioned by the retirement of Starbucks’s chief coffee buyer. On the home-team: Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Tully’s.

Want the bean facts and nothin’ but? Take a gander at a new Coffee FAQ. It’s yet in proto-form, but it’s a commendably fine start.