Black Apron Exclusive: Colombia Nariño El Tambo
January 16, 2008
I recently swung by my local Starbucks and picked up this Black Apron Exclusive because we plan to start regularly reviewing the best they have to offer. I have to preface my thoughts with the fact that I am not a huge fan of South American coffees. They are good, but in my opinion, mostly forgettable. The most noteworthy aspect of Starbucks’ Columbia Nariño El Tambo, is that it is not charred to a crisp like most of their daily fare. This holds true for most Black Apron Exclusives. However, after reading the description from Starbucks’ website,
Colombia Nariño El Tambo is juicy, with intriguing floral notes and a citrus complexity. It also has a remarkable chocolaty sweetness rarely found in Nariño region coffees, which are typically known for their signature nutty flavor.
I believe they roasted the delicate floral notes out of the lots they sold to the public. There is a delicate citrus note in the aroma and the flavor as it hits your tongue, but the sweetness is more aptly describes as a molasses, or light brown sugar sweetness. Overall, very smooth with a dense mouthfeel and a subtle sweet finish. It is not that unlike my latest favorite from Sweet Maria’s, the India Mallali Estate “Tree-Dried Natural.”
The Colombia Nariño El Tambo is a decent offering and a nice change of pace from what Starbucks typically has to offer. However, for only a few dollars more than the price of the 8oz. Black Apron Exclusive you could pick up a pound of green India Mallali Estate “Tree-Dried Natural” and a popcorn popper and have a better cup of coffee.
California Cops Giving Out Coffee Instead of Tickets
December 18, 2007
Traffic cops in Rancho Cordova, CA are pulling over motorists with a holiday surprise. Instead of a tickets, the cops are giving good drivers gift cards from the Coffee-Company-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Local businesses donated money to fund the holiday treat that the police hope will promote goodwill between traffic cops and drivers. Personally, my stomach does a back flip then falls through the floor every time I see the flashing lights in my rear view mirror, so how could the relief of a false-alarm coupled with free coffee not produce good cheer?
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.)
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.
Black Apron Exclusive: Organic Lomas Al Rio
August 29, 2007
I just picked up a half-pound of Starbucks’ latest Black Apron Exclusive, Organic Lomas Al Rio (Central Valley, Costa Rica), and after pressing the first cup I must say it is quite good.
I’m going to use this as an opportunity to practice cupping, and fine-tune my descriptions of fragrance, aroma and flavor. As with anything on this site, I will share the details of each step so you can learn along with me or, more importantly, so those that know better can correct me if I go awry. However, I can tell you now that this coffee has wonderful, sweet floral notes and a very silky mouth-feel.
Concerning the estate itself, Lomas Al Rio was the first in Costa Rica to receive its SMBC-certification (in addition to its organic certification).
The U.S. has two separate shade certification systems intended to ensure that Latin American shade-grown coffee is produced under a set of scientific guidelines. One is Eco-OK program development by the Rainforest Alliance and a network of Latin America environmental organizations, and the other is the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC) criteria. Both systems’ standards require a minimum of 40 percent shade coverage, as well as specified tree heights and numbers of non-deciduous native tree species.
Francisco Mena, a general manager of the Lomas Al Rio coffee farm, recently went through this new certification process, making Lomas Al Rio the first SMBC-certified farm in Costa Rica. He explains that an organic inspector visiting his farm had completed one of the SMBC workshops, so during his inspection for organic, he recommended that he also inspect for SMBC standards. Mena approved his idea, and the total cost for certification was around $320.
I must admit that I didn’t know much about “shade grown” coffee until I read this article (by April Pojman from Fresh Cup Magazine). According to the back of the Black Apron box:
The Lomas al Rio coffee mill is a beacon encouraging small farms to grow organic coffee in ways that help protect the Central Valley’s lush biodiversity and use it to good advantage. In fact, birds and insects play integral roles in the coffee-growing process here.
