Exciting news! New coffees from Stumptown Coffee Roasters! A few old favorites are back again this year, and some are completely new to Stumptown and the marketplace.

First, from Central America in the Terrazu region of Costa Rica, is a bright and caramely cup from a micro coffee producer named Marvin Robles. Marvin has been growing coffee for years and has been sending his coffee to a local cooperative where it was blended with the hundreds of other coffee growers, getting lost among the mounds and mounds of beans, with varying levels of quality. Now, Marvin is milling his own coffee cherries, hand picking them, manually depulping them, fermenting and washing them, and finally drying them on raised beds. The quality of his beans surpasses those which were a part of the jumble at the local cooperatives. All of his hard work shines through in the cup: lively and bright up front, then rich with caramel and toffee notes. Costa Rica Marvin Robles $ 18.49/12 oz. bag

Next, from Ethiopia, is a new coffee to Stumptown, even though this region has been producing coffee for generations. Ethiopia Duromina is a cooperative in a region of southern Sudan which is considered the birthplace of Arabica coffee. This cooperative has just started wet processing the cherries harvested by farmers who are members, and then dried in the sun for 7-10 days, bagged and ready for the marketplace. This cup shows rich and buttery with floral notes and raspberry. Ethiopia Duromina $13.99/12 oz. bag

Old favorites back again to Stumptown and the Market of Choice:

Kenya Gatomboya Grand Cru: $21.99/12 oz. bag

Ethiopia Nano Challa: $14.99/12 oz. bag

Honduras Finca El Puente: $12.99/12 oz. bag

Guatemala Finca El Injerto- Bourbon: $13.49/12 oz. bag

The highly anticipated new coffee selections from Stumptown Coffee Roasters are finally here, freshly roasted and now available at your Market!

Columbia La Piramide Reserva: This one is a personal favorite, partially because I had the chance to meet Walter Pena, one of the growers, at a Stumptown board panel question-and-answer. This coffee is high quality, grown at elevations between 1,750 and 1,950 meters. Flavors and nuances from this cup include brown sugar, bright berry and spice. Stumptown has worked directly with these four farmers who complete the Asorcafe producer’s association for four years now.

Bolivia Buenavista: This coffee comes from 10 different farmers who together form the San Ignacio Cooperative in the Yungas Valley of Bolivia. This valley stretches from Southeastern Peru to Central Bolivia. This cup shows a slightly sweet profile of chocolate, honey, blackberry and toast.

Ecuador Loja: From the crest of the Andes, this coffee is some of the highest grown coffee in Latin America. Stumptown has worked with the coffee growers associations of this area for three years now. They say their direct trade relationship has improved the balance and clarity of the coffee in an apparent progress. The coffee cherries from these micro-lots are processed with hand-cranked depulpers, fermented in small tanks, then washed and laid out to dry on either patios or raised beds. The flavor profile of this cup shows sweet, fruity and finished with toasty notes.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Adado: This coffee comes from the Adado Cooperative washing station in the southeastern Ethiopian highlands, south of the capital Addis Ababa. This particular region is the main production area for the world famous Yirgacheffe and Sidamo coffees. Flavors from this cup include brown sugar, clove, orange blossom, and bright berry.

Try some new coffee, and experience some of the best in the world. Stumptown has definitely done its part in the exploration and development of some of the struggling coffee growing communities throughout Latin America and Africa, so that we may enjoy the highest quality coffees. In doing so, Stumptown and those who purchase their coffees support these communities, as well.

Great news for all of you Stumptown Coffee enthusiasts! We have new Stumptown coffees as of today, freshly roasted and delicious! Most of them are favorites from last year, but new to us once again, as they do not last very long. On the shelf this week in 12 oz. bags:

• Guatemala Finca Injerto Bourbon 13.49/ 12 oz. bag

• Kenya Ngunguru 16.49/ 12 oz. bag

• Panama Duncan Estate 12.99/ 12 oz. bag

• Ethiopia Michelle 12.99/ 12 oz bag

• Costa Rica Montes de Oro 12.49/ 12 oz. bag

Visit Stumptown’s website for full tasting notes on these coffees – their descriptions are amazing!

Tastings:

This weekend, we will be brewing up some of Zoka Coffee Roaster’s El Salvador Mirador and Rwanda Abakundakawa on Saturday and Sunday from 11-2 p.m.  As usual, we will be brewing with French press pot, Melitta and Chemex methods. Stop by and enjoy a freshly brewed taste from one of the finest roasters in the Northwest.

If you’ve joined us for a tasting of our coffee selections, you’ve likely been introduced to three different brewing methods. If not, join us this weekend and find out for yourself, then decide your favorite. For now, let me tell you about the differences between the three:

French or Press Pot: This method uses medium to coarse grounds. The grounds are then placed in the brewing vessel and hot water is placed directly over the grounds. The coffee steeps for a few minutes, then it is stirred and finally the filter is plunged downward trapping the grounds in the bottom. The coffee is poured immediately; otherwise the grounds will sit in the coffee causing a bitter cup.

The filter is different than most, as it is metal and coarser than paper allowing more of the essential oils to find their way into the finished cup, yielding a bolder cup of coffee. The French Press pot exudes a rich mouth feel that’s thick and syrupy.   

Chemex: This process is a similar process to the pour over, or Melitta brewing method, but with a thicker filter. The special filter is placed in the top of the glass pot and the grounds (a similar grind to a drip machine) are added on top of the filter. The brewed coffee is virtually sediment-free, has a clean, crisp mouth feel and bursts with fresh acidity.

The Chemex brews coffee using the infusion method, which makes it most similar to drip coffee in terms of body and taste.  Although not as rich as the french press, the Chemex does produce a sediment free cup of coffee that shows clean and clear in the carafe and tastes just as clean with a purity and vibrancy without the bitterness, only obtained with this brewing method.

If you’re interested in reading about the history of the Chemex and how it was developed, go to chemexcoffeemaker.com 

Melitta: This brewing method is similar to the Chemex method, but it has been around since 1908 when a German inventor came up with the idea of the paper coffee filter. She found that using a special paper as a filter, instead of the linen bag or a percolator, left the coffee less bitter and without the annoying leftover grinds.

The type of filter is the main difference between the Melitta and the Chemex. The Chemex filter is much thicker and will retain more of the coffees oils and as a result, its bitterness.  The infusion method, or pour over method, is favorite among coffee lovers, as it produces a clean cup and has been around for many years. The Melitta cone filter seems to be preferred over the basket-shaped filter, as the coffee saturation and extraction is optimal in the cone shape.

Join us Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 for a tasting of Zoka Coffee Roasters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Wandering Goat Guatemala Quiche. These coffees will be brewed by Chemex, French Press and Melitta from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.