mie

It might seem like quite some time since i had something in particular interesting going on in my head regarding coffee. But i have been thinking about interesting things and coffee a lot also since my last post. Mostly, the lack of posts are due to the new coffee people favourite thing - micro blogging - twitter. And I have honestly not spent so much time writing up blogposts, because the twitter universe has made it very easy to delve into subjects with links to other blog posts and articles about blog posts. Facing the diverse and burgeoning amount of blogs and articles has made me experience and contemplate the complexity of the field - the plethora of methodological decisions that coffee people that wants to be on top of things needs to face every day and the insane amount of time we spend to follow up on each other - what is going on today? every day.

It's almost Christmas, and I will spend it contemplating this year - which has rolled by faster than I could say Maracaturra. On New Years Eve, I am leaving Oslo for a while for San Francisco, which I think will be interesting and a learning experience. In particular, I am looking forward to learn more about extraction, a field of interest that is mostly overlooked by me. Not because I don't want to, but just because I'm not there yet. Not in 2009, at least. The multitude of alternative approaches to extraction has made explicitly this subject something I wish I knew more about - a coffee challenge that is not yet completed.

Merry Christmas, friends. And peace on earth.

For those who is still following my blogging, there haven't been many adventures in coffee recently, but a report from the San Francisco coffee scene should be on its way along with a discussion about climate changes and its affect on coffee production thanks to my new friend Juan Ramon, agronomist from Costa Rica and the Brumas del Zurquí micro mill. He has taught me lots of interesting things about tsunamis and axes.

For now, please join Rasmus from Kaffemisjonen in Bergen and a few responders (including yours sincerely) on how Cup of Excellence award winning farmers should spend their dineros here. Enjoy!

ps the picture is from the last time I visited Honduras, May 2009, and we are discussing sample roasting. From the Cup of Excellence auction in 2008 we were able to establish a very successful relationship there. see the CoE winner to the far right? we still get along great! <3

for those who occasionally looks through my flickr, you've probably seen that the entire roastery is moving. today i was the last one to put everything on my desk in a box - after they removed even the piping for the roaster. leaving was sad, but i am prepared for new adventures!

summer has been good, nice people visiting from panama, australia and the us (should i include sweden or not?) and lots of good talks about coffee. even fun times in parks and by the sea - we took us cup tasting champion ben kaminsky to swim in the oslo fjord after some serious nerding around for a few days.

our new roastery / wonderland is spacious, 35m from wall-to-wall, around 700m2 all in all. i am currently busy trying to have some control over all the coffees we've been holding back for a while in wait for the new space - all arriving over the next couple of weeks - these are of course the latino lovers and africans. around 8 lots from various micro mills in costa rica is arriving first together with the best of panama, various micro lots from boquete and esmeralda auction lots, so that we can be well prepared for francisco menna and exclusive coffee's visit in september.

first of all : i am competing in this competition, for whatever reason i am not sure of. i hate competing in something i can't possibly win, but then again, it might be fun and i am right now experiencing my head telling me that, and my heart struggling to accept it. "might be fun". ok. so i'm reading the rules and heading over to wendelbottom later today to pick up some divine love (amor de dios is the actual coffee we're going to use). at least i can cup it tomorrow to see what's in it. i hope everyone at the roastery can take their pride in finding my grind.

oh, and i'm also substituting for ben kaminsky. oops. if you are out there, make sure to send me some instructions, or you'll loose !! i plan on wearing a hat for that one.

I’m about to head out of Panama City for the third time in a week – this time for returning to Oslo. Robert came to Boquete to ”pick me up” last Saturday and cup some lots there before we headed to Honduras together for a few days. Yesterday was my birthday, and except from a few beloved ones that were not present, my day was amazing !

Spent the day cupping and visiting the Santa Marta farm (CoE winner with a Pacamara in 2007) where the coffee trees were blooming. So beautiful. Saw the farm, and even went bathing in their water source (true, i was allowed to since it was my bday!). Some cerveza on the way back to San Pedro Sula, some ceviche and then a very very nice present from Robert – a full mariachi band playing ”felicidaaaaades a miiiia” (that’s supposed to be me) and the biggest whitest cake I’ve ever seen. I have to head to the airport now. Friday back home Mr B has been roasting some more Ethiopia samples. Can't wait to taste them, I'll post cupping notes at kaffa.no immediately after.

i'm writing post the awards ceremony from the best of panama (BOP) 2009. i came to panama city late tuesday night and boquete the day after - first flight wednesday morning from panama city to davíd and spent the day cupping samples with josé david garrido. we've been cupping the mama cata farm samples quite rigorously this season and have already committed to a very nice "fully washed" lot - a blend of caturra, villa sarchi, bourbon and typica picked in the beginning of march. i need to note that what they call "fully washed" locally is what i feel is better explained as a mechanical wet process. we have previously bought his honey processed geisha - there's a lot to say about the various processing methods that are experimented with here in panama right now and there were many discussions about the subject. all the judges were asked to cup one table with only naturals when the BOP cuppings were over and asked to give feedback to the farmers.

the official BOP cuppings lasted for three days - and we had some very interesting methodological and existential questions brought up, like mentioned about the naturals. top two coffees were geishas, and we also cupped a very nice third place winning pacamara. winner of the competition this year was the esmeralda farm here in boquete, who has their own geisha auction scheduled for may 19th.

i did a small collage of my essential needs on coffee trips : shoulder bag big enough to fit all the important things you want to bring - samples, green converses and gowns (for awards ceremonies). and of course my aeropress ! i just love it !! upcoming world aeropress championship is announced at the wendelblog. i'm heading to honduras tomorrow to cup some coffees there as well, but i'm hoping for a chic lunch in panama city on my way from one airport to the other.