Island Coffee®

 You ever wonder what is in a cup of coffee aside from the chemical content? It starts with mother earth and ends with a culinary delight if all goes well.  The chain of events necessary to happen for the elusive perfect cup are staggering. If one of the links are weak the entire process suffers and the end result is compromised to a degree that may be minor or major depending on the significance of the event. There are somethings that are out of the roasted coffee consumers control that happen at the farm or mill level that we can only hope go well.   Processing faux pas usually result in an over- fermented coffee profile. That’s why when purchasing roasted coffee to smell it first for a cherry or slightly rancid aroma and pass on it if so identified.

Let’s zero in on a little identified nuisance-coffee oil, specifically aged oils. Cleaning your coffee equipment from the coffee cup to the grinder is essential to realizing the maximum potential of your favorite brew. Coffee oils  when fresh liven up a cup but when old can have a significant negative impact. Keep your coffee cup clean and the brewer clean at the spray head and in the carafe. When storing coffee clean your container  between refills, wiping old coffee oils with a damp paper towel and using no soap or detergent that may leave a taste residue.

Coffee oils can be a delight or a curse, it’s just the timing that set them apart.

All this being said, there is still nothing you can fix about bad coffee short of a clothes pin.

 If even half of the things you read about coffee is true then there are more super quality coffees out there then there are growing areas. How can so much BS be told and still there’s much more “in the pipe” waiting to be drained. Here are some questions to ponder.

Does anyone really believe that arabica coffee by itself is a landmark for quality or that whole bean coffee is in itself a certification of  excellence?

How about quenching of coffee after roasting? Does anyone really think it is done to improve quality or to save money and cut corners?

How about office coffee services? Is that some of the best coffee going or what?

Does ”Royal Kona” have anything to do with Hawaiian Kona? 

Does “Jamaican Blue Mountain style” have anything to do with Jamaican Blue Mt. coffee?

Which weighs more- a pound of feathers or a pound of lead?

How many coffee roaster does it take to screw up a roast?

Should you apply ointment to burnt coffee or drink it?

Does Mocha Java have chocolate in it?

Where does ground coffee come from?

What is the most expensive crap coffee in the world?

Do you have any real coffee, you know, not that gourmet stuff?

How does Folgers find that quality coffee?

Why do we buy foreign coffee instead of American made?

 Are Hebrews guys making coffee?(as opposed to Shebrews)

Where can I find a truely great cup of coffee?

Why is restaurant coffee so bad and yet costs so much?

If you can’t pronounce the coffee name, does it taste better?

 The answers my friends, are blowing in the wind, the answers are blowing in the wind.

 There are so many roasters and coffee houses making so many claims of having the best coffee available it is offensive and embarrassing to any real coffee lover. How can everyone have the best coffee? It reminds me of the movie Elf when he walks into the rather nasty New York diner because they have a “Worlds Best Coffee” sign in the window. “Congratulations on the worlds best coffee” he shouts, but no one responds because it is only a sign that they didn’t take seriously. Who would really believe that? But here in lies the rub, Elf thought it was true. Why, because he didn’t know any better. And that’s what the people making these claims are hoping for, someone who doesn’t know any better.

 Don’t let that be you. Coffee is very subjective on the palate and coffee that is 100% arabica is not a true landmark of quality.  Try any coffee that appeals to you and don’t stop until you find the one that is what you were expecting and not what you are told. If you coffee selection is  for political, religious, philosophical, environmental reasons or just curiosity then you probably are willing to forgive any short-comings in taste for the experience. But regardless of your selection, drink the coffee that you find to be your fit and don’t believe that one coffee fits all tastes-because it doesn’t!

     I was pumping gas in our company vehicle the other day when a woman asked me if we roasted our own coffee? I replied that we did and have for over 25 years. She then asked where she could buy our coffee and I replied that we sell somewhat exclusively to boutique coffee shops and only retail on the internet. She then asked what was our brand? I was a little puzzled because our Island Coffee logo was what had lured her in the first place so she knew that already. So what was it that she wanted to know? Was she thinking that we had one coffee and it was Island Coffee? Was I supposed to say something like “Starbucks” to wrap up the conversation.                

     But if you know me, you know I couldn’t let it go. So I said that we sell the farmers coffee from single origins or geographic regions, you know from specific places where coffee is grown. We can’t take credit for the coffee itself, only the selection and roasting process. I explained that importer/roaster is like the tires on your car. Although the tires can make the car ride better and increase the overall quality driving experience, the name of the car remains the same. Just as Lexus is the car, single origins are specific geographic places where it came from.      

     As a fellow roaster, our creed should be to “cause no harm”. It is my belief that a coffee should represent what it was grown to be. Whether that be fruity, chocolaty, musty, earthy, caramely, buttery, tobacco, smoky, etc. It shouldn’t be ashy unless that is the specific profile that truly enhances the roasted profile.                     

     So think about the brand. The brand represents the roasters belief and understanding of the roasting process but it does not represent the origins of the coffee. Only the coffee farmers can take credit for that!

 Bad news for 2009 regarding Colombian coffees. They isn’t a lot available and what’s there is may not impress you with it’s quality and scare you with the price. Heavy rains in late 2008, somewhere around a 47% increase over the normal expected amount, have cause a low yield and subsequent lesser harvest. We have seen a wholesale increase of 56% so far this year and the worst may still be yet to come.

 For the good news, there is still a lot of great coffee out there. Our recent import of Malawi Mapanga was startling. Malawi is usually average for gourmet arabicas( my opinion) but this years crop of Mapanga is quite impressive. Very good body, nice finish, floral and dried cocoa tones and a favorable balance make Mapanga a fine cup. The Huila we recieved from Alco Bolivar were true Huila quality, the Caribecafe Huila coffee was not. We have also some great coffee from Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kenya, Costa Rica to name but a few. With 29 single origin coffees in house and 55 blends and 8 espresso blends we should cover you palate.

 Remember