The first thing on yesterday's agenda was cupping samples of the new lot of decaffeinated Colombian coffee. This was an easy cupping as I could tell immediately what sample was best. I am drinking a cup from the first production batch as I write this and I've compared it to the previous lot, which we are brewing today. The two lots are very similar, with the main difference being that the new lot has a slightly richer flavor which might be due entirely to the fact that this new lot was decaffeinated more recently than the previous one. This means that the decaffeinated Colombian is still not as tangy as our Colombian Supremo Reserva del Patron, but rather follows a more traditional flavor profile for a Colombian coffee.
While roasting yesterday, a friendly DHL driver brought some green samples from Eximius Coffee. When Eximius called to ask about sending samples, I said I was only interested in really special, top grade stuff. I recieved two generous samples: one of Kenya AA "Gazelle" and another of Guatemala SHB "Epicure". I was intrigued as our Kenyan and Guatemalan coffees are among my favorites. I roasted these samples soon after they arrived and tried them today.
The sample of Kenyan certainly was special in that it lacked every characteristic expected of a good Kenyan coffee. It lacked acidity, the body was thin, the flavor was flat and not nearly intense enough.
I had a more favorable impression of the Guatemalan sample. It has a well rounded flavor with the slightest hint of a caramel note, but the flavor is lacking in intensity and body. Overall, while not strictly a bad Guatemalan coffee, it does not compare favorably to our Guatemala Antigua La Flor del Cafe.
Clearly we will not be purchasing these coffees. I am still waiting for samples of Papua New Guinea from another company and hope that these will be better.
I have noticed that I am roasting our Fair Trade Certified Sumatra Gayoland more frequently. A portion of sales of that coffee this month are going toward tsunami relief efforts in Sumatra. This has been one of our best selling coffees for a while, and I am glad more people are trying it.