Introducing Brazilian Decaf

Our beloved Sumatran Decaf will not be available again until the end of the summer, and we looked hard and long at how to replace it for a few months. Brazilian coffee, like Sumatran, is low in acid and full in body, and stands tall as one of the classic global flavors.

The Mogiana region, where this offering comes from, is a wonderful example of multi-generational stewardship. Many of the large family plantations, some 5 generations old, have built schools and nurtured communities..  It is a forward looking growing region agriculturally because many of the original growers became advocates for the Rainforest Alliance.

The Mogiana Brazilian is well described as notes of "hazelnut/walnut, cocoa, and dried fruit." I was stuck that one source noted the dried fruit as raisin, which I couldn't disagree with, but when I opened the bag, the green beans hit me with a strong aroma of bitter cherries. Pretty nice, excited to be working with it.

What about the Sumatran Decaf?  Don't worry, it will be back as soon as we can get it again. It's one of the cornerstones of our business, and its a keeper.

Seasonal Offering: Blue Krishna Balinese

Our current Special Offering, available in all Kimberton Whole Food stores, is Blue Krishna Balinese. This unique coffee was born in the aftermath of the 1963 eruption of Mount Agung, still an active volcano to this day. That event devastated the coffee fields on the South Pacific island of Bali. To spur recovery, the government distributed new seedlings to the farmers, and, enhanced by modern agricultural techniques, a distinct new coffee flavor arose - rich, earthy and pungent like the other Sumatran varietals on the surrounding islands, but with unique notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, cedar, and anise.

"Many coffee farmers on Bali are members of a traditional farming system called Subak Abian, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of "Tri Hita Karana". According to this philosophy, the three causes of happiness are good relations with God, other people and the environment. This philosophy, specifically 'happiness with the environment' favors the production of organic coffee, or at least the use of organic fertilizers and the lack of use of agrochemicals." - Wikipedia

Although the Subak provides many services to provide care for it's community, in particular, as a farm cooperative, it spreads responsibility evenly among farmers for the maintenance of water irrigation and cropping patterns.

The Subak irrigation systems were developed in the 9th Century, and are honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Like all our Seasonal Offerings, this one is available until the harvest has been distributed, then it's gone. My importer started with about 800 bags, and now they have 92. It's almost over... but it's been so popular I can't doubt that I'll be looking for it next year, about the same time. Meanwhile, get it while you can - you won't regret it.


The stunning photograph of Mount Agung is by Michael W. Ishak (www.myreefsdiary.com) - CC BY-SA 4.0

Roast of the Month: Sumatran Sunrise

Our Roast of the Month has joined the Bulk Bin offerings at Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton and Downingtown.

Look for sales and special discounts in coming weeks and join us on a coffee adventure as we explore classic and overlooked coffees from farms and cooperatives all over the world, including some personal favorites from Burundi, Guatemala, Brazil, New Guinea, and Bali.

Sumatran Sunrise has been a favorite of our "occasional offerings." But the way it started - the way we cooked it up - was just a happy accident!  I got tangled up between two roasts that had been ordered and ended up with a coffee that was neither one nor the other.

But it tasted pretty darn good! The Sumatran component in particular went from the expected molasses chocolate notes to an interesting milk chocolate and malt profile. Underneath, a light floral aftertaste, or floral on the edge of herbaceous... the original mistake had yielded quite a happy surprise. 

I'll tell you one thing that wasn't a mistake: The Sumatran coffee used this time, and any time of year we can find it, was from Aceh Ketiera, a woman managed cooperative.  This powerhouse producer is profiled here by one of our importers:

 In spite of its relatively young age, Ketiara quickly has established itself as one the most-respected Fair Trade cooperatives in the Gayo Highlands of Sumatra due to the excellent quality of its coffees, efficient contract performance, and a focus on innovation and continuous improvement. The group’s leader, Rahmah, is a force in the local coffee industry in spite of being a woman in the traditional, male-dominated Gayonese society. Her vision and tenacity have served as the foundation for Ketiara’s success.

Rahmah, and the Cooperative as a whole, are the subjects of an excellent short video here.

Enjoy, this cup's for you.

Mid Atlantic Wine and Food Festival

I'm delighted to be serving coffee and meeting new people as the exclusive coffee vendor at the Mid Atlantic Wine and Food Festival in Wilmington, DE from from March 6-10.  I'm using the occasion to relaunch my Grounds for Health fundraising coffee, El Amor de Madre, and am honored to be joined by a former GFH board member on Saturday. Grounds for Health addresses cervical cancer in migrant and underserved populations, where it is a deadly killer.  Not to overstate the matter, if we want to fix the world for our kids, we better keep all the Moms alive that we can.

My table is right next to the stage in the Main Festival tent.  On Saturday morning I'll be assisting Rich Lipner, a coffee grower from Panama, who will be sharing a lifetime of experience in the coffee world.

Check out all the celebrity chefs and the multi track programming using the link above, but prepare to be amazed on Saturday evening by Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, the apartheid busting musicians from South Africa.

I'm pretty excited about all of it.  If you are able to visit, tell me you saw it on my blog for a free cappuccino!

Coffee Realpolitik

I really enjoyed this conversation I had with Brian James at WPAZ radio. I do get going on some of my favorite topics, mostly economic realities in the global games we play, plus buying local.

Welcome Handcrafted Cookie Company

If you don't think a person can have tears of gratitude for a cookie, you haven't experienced what Chad and Theresa Williams are doing at the Handcrafted Cookie Company in Phoenixville, PA. Please consider what you would do if something with a name like one of these appeared in your hand: Lavender Vanilla Sugar Cookie, Blueberry Bliss Oatmeal, Mocha Coconut, or Chocolate Cherry Cordial. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. They custom bake for gifts, have great party trays, or you can buy the dough and show off at home.


Now you can get Kimberton Whole Foods Coffee there too, including our classic Northern Italian espresso blend, extracted on their La Marzocco Linea, one of the finest coffee machines you'll find in our area. And they really know how to use it. Espresso and cookies... I think I need to have my next birthday party there.


I'll be hanging out with them this Friday, April 2, about 6-9pm for Phoenixville's First Friday, answering questions and getting to know the customers. Hope to see you in the Ville.

A Tale of Two Decafs

We've tweaked our existing decaf and added a new one. Here's the story:

We're darkening the roast for our Sumatran Decaf, and introducing a new Peruvian decaf. The natural sweetness of the Peruvian makes it winning candidate for a medium roast, and the deep, earthy characteristics of the Sumatran enable us to roast it darker but retain full flavor.

Both are decaffeinated by the Swiss Water Process. If you've heard that term for years, but still don't really know what it means, this diagram makes it very clear.