Boomerang Espresso Blend - Coffea Roasterie

Tasty espresso blend of Ethiopian and Costa Rican coffees. 

Tasting Notes
Mild fruit acidity with a full, dark chocolate body and a lasting, deep fruit finish. 

About This Coffee
When we started working on this blend, we had a goal of a smooth, sweet espresso. This mix really impressed us. It is a nice espresso that can be taken as straight, but we recommend that you to try it in milk. This coffee clearly shines with the addition of perfectly steamed milk. 

50% Amaro Gayo Natural
50% Costa Rica Helsar

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The History of Yemen Mocha Coffee

Bab al Yemen, Sana'a - the main gate to the old city.

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The first authentic account of the history of coffee was written by Abd-Al-Kadir in 1587. The famous manuscript is preserved in the Bibliotecheque Nationale, Paris, and catalogued as "Arabe, 4590." A popular tale in coffee history goes as follows: In the year of the Hegira 656, the mollah Schadheli went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Arriving at the mountain of the Emeralds (Ousab), he turned to his disciple Omar and said: "I shall die in this place. When my soul has gone forth, a veiled person will appear to you. Do not fail to execute the command which he will give you." The venerable Schadheli being dead, Omar saw in the middle of the night a gigantic spectre covered by a white veil. "Who are you?" he asked. The phantom drew back his veil, and Omar saw with surprise Schadheli himself, grown ten cubits since his death. 

The mollah dug in the ground, and water miraculously appeared. The spirit of his teacher bade Omar fill a bowl with the water and to proceed on his way and not to stop till he reached the spot where the water would stop moving. "It is there," he added, "that a great destiny awaits you." Omar started his journey. Arriving at Mocha in Yemen, he noticed that the water was immovable. It was here that he must stop. The beautiful village of Mocha was then ravaged by the plague. Omar began to pray for the sick and, as the saintly man was close to Mahomet many found themselves cured by his prayers. The plague meanwhile progressing, the daughter of the King of Mocha fell ill and her father had her carried to the home of the dervish who cured her. But as this young princess was of rare beauty, after having cured her, the good dervish tried to carry her off. The king did not fancy this new kind of reward. Omar was driven from the city and exiled on the mountain of Ousab. 

Omar had been in exile for a long time, and he was starving. He cried out in despair and a bird brought him a branch with red berries on it. Omar tried to eat the berries, but they were too bitter. He threw the berries in the fire. The fire made the berries too hard, so Omar decided to boil them. Omar loved the pleasant smell of the beans as they were boiling. He decided to drink the brown concoction. Omar found the drink revitalizing and told others about it. Word soon reached Mocha. The exile was lifted and Omar was ordered to come home and bring the berries with him. Omar shared the drink with others. People said it cured a variety of ailments. Coffee was hailed as a miracle drug and Omar was made a Saint. A monastery was built in Omar's honor. 

The earliest credible evidence of humans interacting with coffee was during the middle of the 15th century. Monks in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen were drinking coffee. Sufis used coffee to keep themselves awake during their nighttime devotion and long hours of prayer. It's not known when people starting drinking ground coffee. The City of Mocha was a major trade center for the Mocha style of coffee bean. The green coffee beans are known for their distinctive flavor. One historian said Mocha became an important port due to an Ottoman law. The law required all ships entering the Red Sea to put in at Mocha, and pay duty on their cargoes. It's commonly believed that Marco Polo learned of Mocha coffee during his travels through the Arab World. In 1595, Spanish Jesuit missionary Pedro Paez was the first European to taste Mocha coffee. Mocha was the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century to the 17th century. 

Yemen Mocha coffee is grown and processed today as it has been for centuries. Seedlings are grown on terraced hillsides. The dryness of the air and soil results in a small, hard bean. Yemen's entire crop is processed by the dry method. The beans are allowed to dry completely on the tree before picking and hulling. This dry method is believed to be responsible for the unique taste of Yemen coffee. It's described as fruity, winy and spicy.

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Sumatra Lintong Dolok Sanggul - Victrola Coffee

Photo courtesy of Victrola Coffee.

This coffee scored a 94 on Coffee Review!

Facts

Village:  Dolok Sanggul

Region: Lintong

Elevation: 3940ft to 4600ft

Process: Wet Hulled

Varietals: 60-70% Typica Type (Lasuna, S-Rini, Jember) and 30-40% Catimor Type (USDA, Ateng, Kartika)

Producer: small hold farmers around village of Dolok Sanggul

Tasting Notes

Fragrance/Aroma: Molasses, Mango, Coconut, Cedar

Flavor: Molasses, Wild Berries, Cedar, Caramel

Body: Heavy

Finish: Cedar

Acidity: Winey, Medium Intensity

Roaster's Notes

We have another delicious coffee from the Lintong region of Sumatra for Victrola’s menu, offering layers of complexity to explore in the cup.  In Sumatra, the traditional wet-hulled processing method creates many of the defining characteristics of the classic Sumatran flavor profile.  This coffee brings that character into refined focus and clarity.  Starting with sweet molasses, coconut, and cedar in the fragrance, more fruit and a rich caramel quality emerge in the brewed aroma.  In the cup, balance is achieved between the slightly winey acidity (reminiscent of wild berries), the aromatic wood notes, and the intense sweetness that permeates this coffee.  The finish is long, but soft, repeating the cedar note found earlier.

Coffees in Sumatra take a somewhat complicated route from tree to export.  Our Lintong hails from the village of Dolok Sanggul, south of Lake Toba.  Small-hold farmers from the area bring their parchment to the local market in the village.  Prior to market, the farmers use a hand-pulper and sun dry their “parchment” (still in the husk) coffee in their backyard.  Pulped coffee still has some of the fruit clinging to the parchment around the bean at this stage.  At the market, local collectors purchase it and complete the processing, including more drying, hulling (removing the parchment), and final drying down to 13-15% moisture.  These local collectors then sell the raw beans to the exporter, where the coffee is thoroughly graded and sorted.

Victrola’s lot from Dolok Sanggul was carefully sourced from specific collectors who buy coffee with proven consistent cup character.  The exporter then double and triple picks (sorts) the coffee to produce a more consistent, higher quality, and uniformly sized coffee.  The particular exporter we worked with to source this coffee operates a climate controlled facility in the port city of Medan, an unusual feature that helps maintain cup quality in the warm Indonesian climate.

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Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - Kochere - Victrola Coffee

This new coffee scored a 94 from Coffee Review!

Facts: 
Region: Kochere District, Yirgacheffe 
Varietal: Wild/Heirloom 
Altitude: 5900 to 6550 ft. 
Processing: Washed 

Roaster’s Notes: 
Considered one of the most prized coffee regions in the world, Yirgacheffe produces some of the most distinctive coffees year after year. The coffees of the region are diverse while maintaining a flavor profile that is unmistakable on the cupping table: light-bodied, floral, sweet, and citrusy. This year we again decided to purchase coffee from the Kochere District in Ethiopia, as it has consistently been one of our favorite microregions. We’re lucky to have this new crop of coffee so early in the season, thanks to our importing partner whose experience and connections in Ethiopia help ensure their coffees are among the first to ship each season. 

This year’s crop from Kochere is aromatically intense with jasmine, rose, orange, and sweet marzipan. The cup starts out lively and bright. Lemon-lime citrus and subtle green apple notes create vibrant, juicy acidity. As the cup cools it mellows into sweeter fruits reminiscent of melon and hints of berry. The mouthfeel remains light, gentle, and tea-like. 

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, and as such, the coffee trees thrive in their natural environment. Most coffee there is grown by small-hold farmers, whose ripe coffee cherries are processed and dried at a local mill or cooperative. Typically the trees are wild varieties that grow in the ecosystem they evolved in, contributing to the great cup diversity found from one microregion to another. This natural relationship between the coffee trees and their environment allows the plants to grow at extraordinary elevations, often beyond 6000ft, as with this coffee from Kochere. For these reasons Ethiopia continues to produce some of the most complex and desirable coffees on the planet.

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Colombia Los Naranjos - Coffea Roasterie

Photo courtesy of Coffea Roasterie.

Tasting Notes
Soft citrus notes with a creamy, luscious body and sweet, tropical fruits.

About This Coffee
This coffee is grown along the banks of the Los Naranjos river in near perfect conditions all year. The farm rests along the edge of Cueva de los Cuacharo, a 500 square mile biosphere where two mountain ranges converge. The perfect growing conditions are believed to help produce the quality that this coffee offers. This lot is mixture of coffee from farmers who produce similar tasting cups.

Region: San Augustin, Huila
Varietal: Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Castillo
Processing: Fully Washed and Sun Dried
Growing Elevation: 1350-1900 masl

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The Coffee Bean - A Seed in Disguise

Ripe coffee cherries. Visit our photo blog.

Did you know that the coffee bean we know and love is not a actually a bean? Although similar in appearance to a member of the Leguminosae family, the coffee bean is really a seed. In the heart of a fruit, referred to as a coffee cherry, you will find what we commonly call coffee beans. Coffee cherries turn either bright red or purple when ready for harvesting.  

Found in clusters along the tree branches, the skin, or exocarp, of a coffee cherry is bitter and thick. These are actually used with ginger to make another drink, qishr, that has been popular in Yemen for centuries. Underneath the the outer layer, the mesocarp has a grape texture and is extremely sweet. The parenchyma, a slimy protective layer, is followed by the endocarp. This forms an envelope around the bluish-green coffee beans that have a final layer called the spermoderm. 

Most often coffee cherries or berries have two seeds with their flat sides facing each other. In a very small percentage of coffee beans around the world (approximately 5%), the beans come with a single seed instead of the usual two. This natural mutation inside the coffee cherry results in what is called a peaberry. Peaberries are noticably smaller and denser than normal coffee beans. While some say there is no taste difference, others claim they are sweeter and more flavorful. 

Peaberries have to be hand sorted after picking and processing because there is no way to tell by looking at the coffee cherry if it will be a single bean or twins! Their exceptional taste and relative rarity command premium prices. But keep this in mind. If you are already buying great coffee from an award winning roaster and only 5% of all coffee beans are peaberries, you are likely drinking from the top 0.5% of coffee beans in the world! Not a bad way to start your day.

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Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

For years, coffee has been a mainstay at every place from the breakfast table, to the office break room, and everything in between. And for most people, coffee has been something of a joy - adding in all that sugar, cream, and more, to get out, well, a great and tasty drink that wakes you up in the morning. 

But what if it turns out that coffee is - gasp - healthy for you?! As it turns out, there are plenty of studies backing up the idea and theory that coffee is a great deal healthier than most of us have come to realize over the years, and that it's actually beneficial to drink coffee throughout the day for a variety of health reasons. 

While these studies are by no means the entire story, let's go over just a few of the important studies out there that link coffee and health benefits for you and your body.

Caffeine Gives You Energy 

First and foremost, people often (correctly) attach coffee drinking with caffeine, and thus, energy. And that's true! Caffeine provides a great deal of healthy energy for people, and is one of the most easily digestible and usable forms of energy for the human body on our planet today. Sure, seven cups may make you jittery, but a couple cups spread out over a few hours time provides for you a great deal of natural energy that will leave you feeling healthy, focused, and energized. 

Coffee As A Pain Reliever? 

New studies have recently coming out indicating that the caffeine in general, and coffee specifically, may act as a pain reliever to improve and fight back against pain symptoms and more. For people looking to get their blood moving, and pump up their blood stream naturally, and in a safe way, it turns out that coffee may do just the trick, especially when it comes to increasing circulation and fighting back against chronic pain and stiffness! 

Coffee Enhances Exercise Performance and Consistency 

For many people, as it turns out, coffee enhance both exercise performance and consistency, according to a study from October. Coffee can promote and assist a wide variety of people with their exercise goals when it comes to sensible and consistent consumption of the tasty drink over time, along with other healthy habits and acts ranging from consistent physical activity to healthy nutrition. 

Coffee Has Water... And Water Is Good 

Coffee is made up predominantly of water, and for some people, can be the only water they get all day. While we'd all love to get in the habit of drinking five or ten glasses of pure water each and every day, it just doesn't happen for most people. For that reason, then, it's critical to find other ways to get water - and for many people, that means coffee. This non-traditional method of hydration is increasingly a huge benefit to people seeking to get more water in their daily lives, and improve their health immeasurably thanks to the increased water intake.

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