The NY Times on ‘Direct Trade’
September 12, 2007
The New York Times has a fascinating piece today on Direct Trade coffee companies.
In the past few years, big coffee companies (e.g., Starbucks, who buys roughly 300 million pounds per year) have started marketing “Fair Trade” and “organic” coffees. Many customers have no problem shelling out a bit more for beans that were more thoughtfully and carefully grown. Yet, these labels - or even the methods - offer no guarantees for the actual flavor or quality of the beans. Even more recently this has given rise to Direct-trade coffee companies such as Stumptown and Intelligentsia and others, who buy their beans directly from the farms and cooperatives that grow them (i.e., not from brokers).
This gives the relatively small roasting companies an unprecedented relationship with coffee farmers, and thus unusually direct control over the quality of their coffee offering.
“It’s an exploration of coffee’s flavor, really” is how George Howell explains his mission. Mr. Howell, who runs George Howell Coffee Company, a roaster based in Acton, Mass., has had a hand in practically every lurch forward in the quality coffee scene since he started out in the business in 1974. “We’re finding flavors we’ve never ever tasted before, different fruit and floral flavors from really pristine, clean coffees. These are flavors that have been lost or diluted in the old methods of blending coffee down to an average product.”
In many ways, the direct-trade roasters are building on the foundation laid by companies like Peet’s and, later, Starbucks, which went outside the commodity system to find superior coffee. But, Ms. Blumhardt said, those companies are too big to comb over every bean in every sack the way some direct-trade companies do. Starbucks bought more than 300 million pounds of coffee last year; Intelligentsia, the biggest of this group, bought 2 million pounds.
Direct Trade companies develop a unique relationship which goes beyond the basic buyer/seller. Duane Sorenson (owner of Stumptown) recently travelled to Rwanda, and after discussing the needs of the local coffee growers, started a nonprofit group called Bikes to Rwanda. This April, 400 bikes specially engineered for carrying heavy loads of coffee over hilly Rwandan terrain were delivered to the cooperative just in time for the harvest.
“It’s not charity,” he said. “Our producers invest back into their workers, coffee shrubs, equipment and land. We know this is happening because of all the time we spend with them throughout the year, on their farms and in their homes.”
The entire article is a great read. Go check it out and while you’re there, view the From Cherry to Cup slideshow.
(via Grendel)
Coffee: An International Community
September 11, 2007
When we first launched Perk-O-Late, we mentioned that the coffee community was a fantastic group of people. After being up and running for a couple weeks, that fact continues to ring true. We have received great feedback, encouragement and tips from fellow coffee fans around the world and it is really exciting. There is a lot to be said about the social aspects of coffee, but I’ll save that for another post.
We’re thankful for everyone that has visited and has been in touch so far. In the 2 weeks since launch, we’ve had visitors from 19 countries: US, Australia, Canada, UK, China, Germany, Russia, Greece, The Philippines, New Zealand, Ireland, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Portugal, Austria, Denmark and Sweden. Whew!
We hope that list continues to grow.
There are many reasons we love coffee, but one of them is certainly its universality. No matter where you are in the world there is a coffee culture, and you’re likely never more than a walk from the nearest cup.
On that note, be sure to check out some of the folks in our blogroll, such as Cafe Grendel (Perth, Australia) and JimSeven (World Barista Champion from the UK).
Rwanda: Muyongwe Wins 2007 Golden Cup
September 6, 2007
The Golden Cup cupping competition was organized by OCIR CAFÉ and USAID/SPREAD as a way to promote Rwandan growers and roasters. The tiny landlocked African country has been ravaged by genocide and civil war for decades, but their high tropical, volcanic soil provides excellent growing conditions for quality coffees. Until recently Rwanda was an unknown in global specialty coffee but they are working to change that. Timothy Schilling, Director of USAID/SPREAD, was very proud of the event’s success and the coffee that it produced:
“I am sure Rwanda will be the best country in the whole world to export high quality coffee in the next five years,”
Schilling also believes that in the not to distant future Rwanda will offer some serious competition for established specialty coffee giants like Costa Rica, Colombia and Jamaica.
[Read]
Perk-O-Late: Week 1 Round-Up
September 5, 2007
It’s been one week since Perk-O-Late launched, and we’re quite excited about the response we’ve received. We have a lot in store and we thank everyone who has stopped by, subscribed to our feed or left a comment so far. Below is a round-up of Perk-O-Late’s first week on the innernetz:
The Coffee Co. that shall not be named got more billing than we intended to give them by announcing their first foray into Russia as well as a new partnership with Tassimo for single-serving pod coffee. Speaking of partnerships, Steve Jobs announced today that the new iPod Touch will have wireless access to the iTunes music store and will interface with the music playing in Starbucks.
We wasted no time in revealing our nerdy underbellies by pointing to a study linking caffeine and the prevention of dementia. We also recommend you read Jakob Norburg’s paper on Coffee and the Bourgeoisie. Interesting stuff, indeed.
Perhaps the biggest news for Perk-O-Late is that our first order of raw Brazil Moreninha Formosa should be here tomorrow from Coffee Storehouse. Buying green coffee is a first for us and we are excited to try our hand at roasting and share the experience with all of you. Those of you that have experience roasting at home, don’t hesitate to share your words of wisdom!
This week I also had the pleasure of corresponding with Alex Tennant of Aerobie® (the makers of the Aeropress™). My very first Aeropress™ should arrive tomorrow and I am quite excited to give that a try. I’ll be sure to post a video of it in action and let you know what I think!
And so it goes, our first week of many to come. Thanks to all of you that have written, commented and subscribed. Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet done so, go grab our feed! Thanks for reading. There’s more to come!
UPDATE: I forgot to point out that we have added a few features to the site. Now under “Sections” you’ll notice that there is a Coffee Basics page. This covers some of the basics of storage, grinding and brewing and will continue develop over time. We also started a Perk-O-Late Discussion Group and hope you’ll come check that out and participate.
Tassimo to partner with Starbucks, Bosch
September 4, 2007
According to a press release from Kraft Foods, Inc. this morning, there are some interesting innovations coming down the pike for their proprietary Tassimo hot beverage system.”Starting in December, select Starbucks varieties will be available in a single-cup Tassimo DISC (T DISC) capsule format. Tassimo brewer owners in the U.S. and Canada will be able to enjoy these four Starbucks® coffees at home: House Blend, Breakfast Blend, Caffe Verona® and Africa Kitamu™. They can be purchased at Tassimo.com and at select retailers in time for the holidays. Other products already available in T DISC form include Seattle’s Best Coffee® and Tazo® tea.”"Furthermore, Kraft is announcing a new global brewer alliance. In mid-2008, Bosch Household Appliances will launch a new Tassimo brewer carrying the well-known Bosch name. The Bosch consumer-centric approach to innovation, quality and sophisticated product development ensures the Tassimo system will continue to be made to exacting performance standards.”Can’t say that this is exactly exciting news, as I don’t figure myself a pod fan (much less a fan of overpriced Starbucks pods). I’m more interested to see the build quality of the Bosch machines than anything else. Can anyone vouch for the quality of pod coffee?(via Single Serve Coffee.)
Alfred H. Peet Dies at 87
September 4, 2007
Alfred H. Pete, known as the “grandfather of specialty coffee” and the leader of the gourmet coffee revolution, died Wednesday of cancer. His revolution started with a small shop in Berkeley, CA that focused on quality in production, ingredients, and preparation. His shop soon grew into 150 stores in four states. In addition to personally training some of today’s coffee elite, Peet is also remembered for being the first to bring fine dark-roast coffee to the masses.
Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant, credited Mr. Peet with almost single-handedly helping the American consumer appreciate the dark roast blend.
“He got us to embrace deep, rich flavors,” Mr. Wolf said, “and so had a huge influence on much of what we value in food and wine — yes, wine — today.”
Read more of the New York Times tribute to Peet.
First Russian Starbucks Opens Next Month
August 31, 2007
The coffee mega-chain is set to open its first store just outside Moscow next month. The global chain is already established in China, Europe, and South America but has been slow in entering one of the world’s most populous nations due, in part, to a long running lawsuit with a Moscow lawyer who has tried to claim ownership to Starbucks’ trademark.
Russian culture has traditionally embraced tea but a handful Russian owned coffee chains have been growing rapidly. While several of the Russian coffee houses have alcohol on the menu it is unlikely that Starbucks will veer from its established offerings.
“It’s a powerhouse brand, and that will help overcome some of the hurdles that may be caused by coming in late,” said Lori Daytner, the Moscow-based chief executive of Rosinter Restaurants Holding, which runs T.G.I. Friday’s and other restaurants in Russia.
The country has “changed drastically in 15 years,” she said. “There are very strong Russian coffee brands here, and I like to see competitors because that shows the market is still growing.”
Read the Full Seattle Times article.
Caffeine Prevents Cognitive Decline?
August 30, 2007
A four-year-long study by French scientists of over 7000 individuals, published in the August issue of Neurology finds that women over the age of 65 with high caffeine consumption rates (three cups a day or more) show significantly less cognitive decline than women with low caffeine consumption (one cup a day or less.) The greatest benefits were seen in - ummm, whats the word? - oh yeah, verbal retrieval. There was also an observable benefit in visuospacial memory in the three cup a day or more crowd. The protective effects of caffeine also increased with age. So for all the ladies 65 and up keep the coffee brewing. Sadly the study show no effects, positive or negative, for men in the same age group. You can read the abstract from the study here.
Welcome to Perk-O-Late!
August 28, 2007
It’s finally time to kick things off. Let’s start with a quick run-down of what we hope to do with this site.
First of all, we just love coffee. I assume - since you’re reading this - that you also love coffee. You’ll like it here. Let’s get this fact out on the table now: we’re not coffee connoisseurs…yet. We drink a lot of coffee, know what we like, but we haven’t yet learned the ins-and-outs of regional characteristics, cupping or roasting. We’re embarking on that journey just now, and we built Perk-O-Late to share our discoveries with you.
That is not to say that connoisseurs aren’t welcome. The coffee community is a fantastic group of people, and like our favorite coffee shops, we want Perk-O-Late to be a place for great conversation. We solicit your feedback, your questions, your ideas and suggestions.
That said, we’re going to hit the ground(s) running. Our first order of business is to find the best places to buy green coffee beans. Once our first beans are in hand, we’ll explore the best (and most budget-friendly) ways to roast coffee at home. We’re itching to try roasting in a popcorn popper - and trust me - we’ll document the whole thing.
We have big plans for Perk-O-Late and we look forward to having you along. This will be a repository for coffee-related news and events, as well as an eventual database of coffee shop reviews by city. We welcome your submissions, comments, or just a friendly email!
So, that’s that. We’re live! Check back daily (or subscribe to our feed) to get your fix.
