For this monthly cupping recap, we're sharing a rundown of all the green coffee samples that we brought back from Coffee Fest New York. Trade shows like Coffee Fest are an excellent place to meet new importers and producers and build new sourcing relationships. As a company that sells both green and wholesale roasted coffee, we're always looking for high-quality offerings.
We receive a lot of samples throughout the year. We strive to taste every sample we're given and to provide feedback on those samples regardless of whether we move forward with a purchase. This practice helps us taste new coffees regularly, keeps us in touch with trends in processing, and introduces us to emerging producing regions. Taking the time to sample roast and evaluate these coffees is how we honor the labor that goes into growing, harvesting, processing, and exporting this valuable product.
Here are all the coffee samples we received at Coffee Fest.
Ecuador
We brought home three samples from Ecuador, all provided by Trasus Coffee.
The first sample, a fairly standard washed coffee, was muted but familiar with notes of graham cracker, brown sugar, and grapefruit. A Sidra varietal offered clean sweetness, vanilla florals, and a nice Piña Colada flavor.
The best cup on the table was the last one; fresh raspberry fragrance, strawberry and maple sweetness, and a complex dried fruit characteristic. My notes, which tend to be very objective and avoid all preferential language, include the comment "pretty!" During calibration, I learned this "pretty" coffee was an anaerobic Green Gesha that costs $17/lb. I knew it tasted expensive.
Puerto Rico
Several producers from Puerto Rico attended Coffee Fest, and Bryant was able to attend a cupping with the growers during the show. He brought home two samples from the cupping to explore further.
Both of the samples were naturally processed. The first cup had great complexity with notes of berries, apple blossom, and black cherry. The second was very unusual, with a waxy banana flavor (like Runts candies), sweet carrot, and an umami flavor like a mild soy sauce. Being able to meet the farmers and discuss their coffees in person was a real highlight.
Yunnan, China
The Yunnan province of China is quickly becoming recognized for its growing specialty coffee production, and this group of coffees from Yunnan Coffee LLC showcased the exploration of processing happening in the region.
A washed Catimor variety tasted like a familiar and approachable coffee from Brazil. Milk chocolate, orange peel, and peanut brittle flavors with a slightly starchy body. We felt that it would make a great blender if the price point was comparable to the Brazil offerings we've recently purchased.
The rest of the set was more experimental. An anaerobic yeast processed Catimor tasted bombastic with big fruited wine flavors, POG juice, and botanical gin with a squeeze of lemon. An anaerobic honey Catimor was more restrained with cashew and chocolate wafers, chocolate chips, and toasted marshmallow notes. Finally, a second anaerobic yeast offering was complex and floral with flavors of rose hips, dried blueberry, and tonic water.
If you haven't explored many Yunnan coffees yet, it's a region to pay attention to.
El Salvador
Two coffees from Tibesa Coffee made it onto the table. The first cup, a Pacamara, was a favorite for me. The coffee boasted a classic El Salvadorian profile of peaches, apricots, and almonds, and it reminded me of the first Pacamara from El Salvador I ever tasted. It was clean and delicious. A red honey Pacamara from the same importer was also very nice, with sweet grapefruit and lemon acidity paired with notes of apple and Oreo cookies.
Bolivia
Alquimia Coffee is a specialty coffee shop in Bolivia, and they also import green coffee to the United States. We came home from New York with two of their green coffees and a bag of roasted coffee (in a beautiful package).
The washed Catuai tasted like butterscotch, light tobacco, and roasted nuts with a pleasant citric acidity. It was a little basic but pleasant and balanced. The washed Gesha varietal was more interesting with key lime aroma, raspberry, and purple fruit flavors like grape and black currant.
Myanmar
Our final sample was another new-to-us region, the country of Myanmar. We chatted with a representative from Myanmar Coffee for a long time about their offerings and shared some guidance on how to break into the US market as a new importer.
The coffee sample we brought back to Minnesota was a fun fruity coffee with notes of guava, raisin, and chocolate ganache. It was funky and fermented but with control and cleanliness. It would work very well as an "adventurous" single origin for a menu, and we hope to see more coffees from this country in the next year.
We're so grateful to everyone who shared coffee with us during this trip. If any of these coffees piqued your interest, feel free to reach out to us for more information! Until next month, happy cupping.
