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February 2021

mycuppa February 2021 newsletter

 “Fashion is neither moral or immoral, but it is for rebuilding the morale.”  — Karl Lagerfeld.

mycuppa February 2021 Newsletter

News of lower volumes for Brazil's next crop may pressure an already "tight" global coffee market to push up pricing.

The next harvest season is referred to as "off-cycle" in Brazil. Now Brazil is the world's largest producer and five times bigger than the #2 coffee-growing country.

Off-cycle is a phenomenon of nature where the coffee trees have high productivity for one season and then less tissue development for the next season whilst recovering.

Along with the off-cycle, recent lower rainfall in some larger growing areas creates a water deficit during the critical post-flowering period when the trees need good water to set and develop fruits (cherries).

Reports estimate Brazil's harvest will be 30 - 35% lower than the recent crop (which generated bumper volume). Averaged out, it's likely around 25% lower yield and for the #1 producer of coffee, brokers and traders will shift to other origins to make up the numbers.

They say that the global coffee market catches a cold when Brazil sneezes.

Sendle

When we said never again to Sendle, did we mean it?

Yes, of course we did. Those wounds were hurting at the time.

Sendle's Sydney segment failed in December, and with no method to switch off or isolate Sydney, it was impossible to keep the rest of Australia available to Sendle.

But as is often the case in the roulette of pain that is parcel logistics in Australia, AusPost managed to stiff us so badly, over and over throughout December, January and into February, we are seriously concerned at their conduct and repeated avoidance of any responsibility.

For the last seven weeks, customers have been begging for the return of Sendle - who would have thought that was possible, not us. Welcome back, Sendle we missed you.

As always, we encourage our customers to choose the shipping option that best suits their needs. 

Please pay attention in the checkout, as the cheapest option is always displayed first - this will vary based on location and cart volume.

mycuppa February 2021 Secret Label Coffee

February 2021 Secret Label 

Before we start, let's explain how Secret Label works for those new to the program.

We often receive emails from customers asking for help to re-order more of a specific Secret label coffee from the past.

Sure, we get it. A coffee pumped your tyres, and you absolutely must have some more.

Sometimes, the request is for a Secret Label 3 to 6 months previous and in the world of coffee, that's almost another season or a lifetime.

Each month's Secret Label is a standalone creation. Think of it as a seasonal dish.

We have just enough coffee to reach the end of the calendar month without knowing how many kilos will sell. It's part crystal ball and part fly by the seat of your pants.

The lots we use for Secret Label are only available in small quantities, e.g. from 400 - 1100kg each. These small, high-quality lots are called "micro-lot".

They are specialized coffees, typically cherry-picked by the farmer as premium grades and segregated or isolated at the farm to be packed and sold separately by the farmer as they command higher prices commensurate with the improved qualities of these carefully graded lots.

Once the holding has gone, we can't go back and buy more as often the micro lots represent the top 10% of a crop, so it's only ever a tiny volume from a farm's harvest and a one-time shipment event.

Now onto February.

One of the coffees was late arriving this month, and ironically, it's a type that prefers a more extended time post-roast to develop (or de-gassing) before revealing its true colours, so we had to be sure it was going to meet our high standards.

The hero of this blend is a coffee origin never featured previously in our Secret Label program, and rarely do the stars align for us to bring together this combination.

Only a few origins left have yet to play a role in our Secret Label Program, and one of the beans in this month's Secret Label blend seems forever in short supply (well, at least for the last six years).

We are excited to play with this punchy, lively, spicy origin to generate something completely different in the cup. 

As a side note, it's also a notoriously tricky coffee to blend - rarely does it play well with others.

After all, Secret Label is about discovery and exploration, taking a risk and going on a journey into the wider edges of the coffee spectrum by pulling together a solution that gives us memorable moments.

We love the taste of salted caramel with spicy, rich notes of chocolate ripple cake, a big buttery body and dried fruits that linger in a long, brooding, dark, syrupy finish. This coffee will continue to develop and build up complexity as it ages – just like a fine wine.

Too many coffees taste similar, and so many lazy roasters copy the same safe, boring templates or lack the courage to push the envelope and venture into risky areas for fear of alienating their customers.

February's Secret Label is a distinctive coffee, unlike most other coffees you would typically find in the Australian coffee market.

We love the buttery body and rich texture - this coffee likes time to develop its potential. It may take up to 2 weeks from the roasted date, but it's well worth the wait. Don't let that stop you, however.

AROMA - forest fruits, cocoa

FLAVOUR - salted caramel, spicy, rich notes of chocolate ripple cake.

ACIDITY - low, mallic.

BODY - full, buttery.

BALANCE - Great mid-palate burst of flavours.

AFTERTASTE - Long buttery body with a dark syrup finish.

OVERALL - Complex and spicy.

For a limited time only - ending when the allotment has run out, which may occur before the end of the month.

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Toot Toot

Whilst it's only been a few months, somehow, it feels like an eternity waiting for our special Colombian Decaf to arrive.

The good news is that it landed in our warehouse, and we are certainly relieved to have our particular Decaf lot back on deck. That's one more COVID-related annoyance that will return to normal.

The new lot of Colombian Supremo from our favourite region, Narino, has an impressive juicy note of caramel dark chocolate with a sweet citrus acidity and long cherry finish - all we look for in a great coffee.

This lot of Colombia Supremo continues to surprise and excite us, as it took 11 days post-roast to bloom and develop its robust cup profile. Undoubtedly, it is one of those classic qualities that keeps building sweet complexity with age. It's been moving fast, and half a ton has already walked out the door in the last couple of weeks. Lovely.

Most of our blends will have changed in the last few weeks from the new season arrivals integrated into the coffees.

All this is a normal and largely undocumented process we undertake every 6 to 8 weeks. Different lots cycle through our holdings based on the rotating harvest schedules.

For context, most blends have between 3 and 5 components from different origins. 

With harvest occurring at various stages throughout a calendar year, it results in up to 24 other lots to integrate in 12 months.

Coffees change, and that's good; otherwise, we would all get bored with the same flavours.

We have discussed how difficult it is to generate ideal results for black and milk-based espresso - they require opposite or contrasting acid profiles, and often, when the bias shifts too far in one direction, the other suffers.

I've spent months and months fine-tuning the performance of blends in a black espresso environment without losing the critical elements required by the 93% of espresso drinkers in Australia who prefer to add milk or dairy alternatives. 

It's no easy task, and we hope black coffee drinkers enjoy these subtle changes.