September 2013 - some wonderful mid-season coffees arrive at mycuppa

Date Posted:1 September 2013 

September can be an interesting time in the world of green (or raw) coffee beans.

We see a flurry of activity from May through to late July and then during late August some very interesting coffees miraculously appear out of nowhere. 

Why ? well I can only guess some of the quality lots are held back from the initial season shipments so that farmers and brokers can negotiate better prices - playing with that all important supply demand balance.

That may be part of the story, but it could also be a very natural and normal situation whereby a season (or crop) has many parts, or phases and stages - early, mid and late.

There are stories floating around declaring the best of any crop is the middle. For some types of beans that may be the case and for others there may be benefits in late season where the cherries have matured, or the processing involves some form of stabilization.

We know that in some origins, e.g. Brazil, etc. the quality plantations and estates will store the processed raw coffee in wooden vats at controlled temperatures for up to 3 months before shipping the coffee to the destination export customers.

This month we have come across some very good coffees.

Perhaps the standout has been Mexico and the highly regarded San Christobal estate.

For the last few years, San Christobal has developed a well-earned reputation for superb quality.

This year, Bennetts brought in a bunch of perfectly prepared patio microlot coffees and we grabbed quite a few of them. 

Mexico San Christobal Natural (Fancy) The most interesting of the Mexican microlots is without doubt the Natural. This coffee was prepared in the style of Ethiopians, with incredible care and attention to detail.   Region     Nayarita Altitude   1050 - 1150 metres above sea level Varietal   50% Typica - 50% Caturra Intense aroma of berries, tropical fruits and chocolate that continue through to a sweet cup. Clean, balanced and well rounded showing a tangy citrus acidity, full silky body, creamy mouth feel and a long dark cocoa finish.

Ethiopia Sidamo Guji - Sundried This year's arrivals of Ethiopians have not exactly set the heart racing with excitement. Sure, there are some great coffees to be found, but it's hard work sifting through the ordinary lots. This Guji was a real surprise package. The green/raw state was not as fermented with fruit as we have seen in the last few years.  Even when we roasted it, there was no overwhelming fruit aroma. However, grind the coffee and HELLO berry. Without doubt one of the best Sidamos we have cupped since the Oromia FTO that picked up a Silver Medal at the Golden Bean in 2011. This Guji has truckloads of Blueberry and choc-biscuit flavor. Perfect black and with milk it is a memorable experience. The bad news is we only have about half a ton of this wonderful coffee, so it will be used sparingly.