Kenya’s Batian Creation: Is It Really Ruiru?

Jul. 6 | O Ruiru? A new Kenyan coffee varietal, Batian, has just been announced by the Kenya Coffee Board. ”Dr. Kimemia said the variety nicknamed ‘peak of excellence’ also produced high quality coffee and was expected to help Kenya regain its lost glory in the international coffee market.” Details developing. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation: Kenya Releases New Coffee Variety

Con of Excellence: Marcos Antonio Batres Bendix, Accused Coffee Bandit

Jun. 7 | From a rough translation from El Salvador’s La Prensa Grafica newspaper : Marcos Antonio Batres Bendix, dedicated to the export and marketing of coffee, is accused of the crime of aggravated fraud for an amount exceeding $300,000. Mr. Batres represents the Finca Santa Teresa, whose Pacamara varietal finished 8th overall in El Salvador’s 2009 COE competition with an overall score of 89.34. There are a number of startling accusations coming...

Volcanos and Tropical Storms Ravage Latin America

May. 31 | May was a hard month for Latin America. First there was the double-whammy of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala, followed by the Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador. Then Tropical Storm Agatha hit Central America. Early reports indicate that at least 106 people have lost their lives in the storm. Thompson Owens of Sweet Marias has been on a source trip through Guatemala and El Salvador and is tweeting the events: New York Times has reported “scores...

Meet The Producer: Local Yokel Grows Coffee In Rural Western Washington

May. 24 | A Yokel With A Vision From Kona to Kitsap County, from El Salvador to Silverdale. God only knows what this guy needs a 10,000 square-foot greenhouse for… You can purchase these Kitsap coffee plants at 3leafcoffee.com. “Nobody grows coffee beans in Kitsap, so I get the privilege of naming a new coffee bean,” he said. Noster has already sold and given away many of the plants, but he plans to get rid of more to make room for his latest project...

Viva La Finca Buena Vista! Carlos Imbachi Earns Top Score From Roaster’s Guild

May. 23 | At the SCAA Expo Congratulations to Colombia’s Carlos Imbachi, winner of this year’s Roaster’s Guild Coffees of the Year. Mr. Carlos Imbachi, owner of Finca Buena Vista of San Agustin, Huila, obtained the highest overall score at the SCAA’s Roaster’s Guild Coffees Of The Year 2010 Competition. His lot, submitted by Virmax, Caravela Coffee and Sweetmarias obtained a score of 90.5. In 2010, 130 specialty coffees were...

Memoirs Of A Geisha Varietal: Esmeralda Auction Closed

May. 18 | Screenshot Gripping. The Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda continued its tradition of selling its entire 2010 harvest of award winning Esmeralda Special via an online auction system. A six bag lot of Geisha Mario Carnaval fetched $10,950! Kudos, Stoneworks! Sprudge.com is loving the late 90s web design! Roasters from around the world have been glued to computer monitors all day. See the auction results here!

The Transparent Trap: Counter Culture Releases Direct Trade Annual Report

May. 13 | Mike White at ShotZombies.com reports that Counter Culture Coffee has just released their first annual Direct Trade report – a compact five page PDF clearly laying out prices paid, the last time the producer was visited and the length of the relationship. Based in Durham NC,  Counter Culture was one of the first roasteries to use the designation “direct trade“. From CCC: We visit our farmer partners regularly, and seek to have...

Wondwossen Wonders: The Sidama Drama

May. 9 | Our favorite name in coffee commentary, Wondwossen Mezlekia, has recently weighed in with a fascinating contribution over on the Coffeed forums. Noted coffee gadabout Nick Cho posed a simple question: Sidamo or Sidama? Read Wondwossen’s fascinating response and learn how the letters “a” and o” can represent century’s of political oppression and strife. And check out Wondwossen’s blog: http://www.poorfarmer.blogspot.com/

A Zell For All Seasons

May. 5 | Doug Zell, Intelligentsia CEO and card-carrying member of the Brewtbart Brewbar League Of Rights, is hammering away again at his favorite cause célèbre: harvest dates. He’s implied in the past that “opaque” micro lots with ancient harvest times result in many coffees coming off as “dead in the cup”, and here he seems to be trying to push that harvest window dramatically forward: “Irealize that great coffee can...

Schlock of the Week: Kopi Luw-ACCKK!!!

Apr. 23 | Kopi Luwak: Sprudge.com Says It’s Gimmicky Garbage Oliver Strand of the New York Times has been doing a terrific job reporting on coffee in recent months. Which is why a number of folks on Twitter were confused and dismayed when this showed up on their RSS reader via the NYT Topics – Coffee blog: Animal Scent: Today in the New York Times, Normitsu Onishi looks at civet coffee, also known as kopi luwak, and how the market continues...