Tropical Colors Warm Winds Tour Chapter 2 · Saturday November 21, 2009 by colin newell
Pushing around a rake over coffee parchment to find my soul.
I reorganize and re-balance.
In coffee we are looking for the right amount of moisture in the bean.
In life we are looking for the right balance of love and fear.
Enough love to say Hey and enough fear to say Fool…
Yes. You do get it both ways.
The ying and yang of our existence is just about balance.
A balance that we never actually achieve but spend a lifetime walking the fine line
for.
Tropical Colors Warm Winds Tour 2009 · Tuesday November 10, 2009 by colin newell
Hello from Kona, Hawaii. Breaking my silence now.
Have spent a few days on light duty observation of Kona Coffee Fest – and what a wonderful, rural event it is indeed.
Sat with Joachim Oster of Blue Horse Kona (and my dear Wife Andrea) over coffee at the Keahou Outrigger waterside bar and talking about life, death, coffee, birth, the farmers life, the science of coffee and everything in between.
Photo above: I am loading 80 pound bags of Kona cherry into the pulper at Blue Horse Kona
This is why I am here. To get some of those pressing questions answered.
To hang the soul out to dry and to heal.
To let the rays of the tropical Sun trickle charge largely discharged batteries.
To move forward by sitting perfectly still.
This will become a regular home for upwards of a month a year.
I would suggest this kind of down time for anyone. It is amazing. And subtle. And gentle.
It is Hawaii.
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Fall 2009 coffee drinking - what's on today? · Wednesday October 14, 2009 by colin newell
Today: A surprise bag of Cafe de Altura – La Quinta MAry – 100% Organic… and no, you are not going to find this on any Cup of Excellence hot list or specialty coffee auction block. This is very good, freshly roasted Mexican coffee from the holiday heartland of Puerto Vallarta.
A colleague visited the historic town of San Sebastian while he was on vacation – and while there stopped at Café de Altura, which is at the town’s entrance; a coffee plantation run by Rafael Sánchez Alvarado, where you can purchase delicious coffee and mocha blends.
And I agree, it is delicious. It is not often I get hand delivered beans from someone’s Mexican vacation. Thanks Gerry!
Later this morning I will be brewing up some Karatina Kenyan AA from the Nyeri Region (with thanks to Transcend Coffee)
Fall Fun Food and Drink Chapter Five - laughter in my cup · Tuesday September 29, 2009 by colin newell
Saw this ad on TV this morning… for VIA Instant coffee from Starbucks.
Pets sitting with their owners. Pets who look like their owners cannot tell the difference between VIA and real coffee.
Civil War re-creators who cannot tell the difference between VIA and actual coffee – in the frame, civil war actors falling to the ground clutching their muskets…
from bullets or instant coffee? Who knows.
I laughed. and laughed. and laughed and laughed.
Why? Because 50 years ago… or more. Instant coffee was introduced because coffee had gotten so bad that this was the only way that trans-nationals could think of cheapening coffee any further.
My opinion now folks: Things have gotten so bad at Starbucks that this is what they are stooping to: Instant coffee for the masses.
Laughing some more.
Does Starbucks cynicism and contempt for their customer base know no bounds?
If there was ever a sign of the End Times, this could well be it. Parades? Dancing girls? WTF people. WTF.
Giggling again.
VIA Instant Coffee – from Starbucks.
Oh. My. God.
This is so funny.
Insert Jabba the Hut moment now…
Hahahahahahaha Hehehehehehehe Hohohohohohohoho.
Bwahahahahah HEHEHEHEHEHEHE HOHOHOHOHOHHO
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH HOOOOHOOOOHOOO!
For the CoffeeCrew.Com website, I am Colin Newell
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Fall Fun Food and Drink Chapter Four - rapture in my cup · Thursday September 24, 2009 by colin newell
Overwhelmed. o·ver·whelm …To affect deeply in mind or emotion
Yesterday I served Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and pure Kona (from RocketFuelCoffee.Com in Toronto, Ontario)
The JBM was brewed 75g to this 1.5 liter Bodum bad-boy. 20s of vigorous stirring and a 3.5 minute brew period.
We stood in a circle like a Bulgarian woman’s a capella choir – singing its praises in near perfect harmony;
Balanced acidity. Medium body. Not a lot of bite.
But was it is a truly exceptional JBM?
In light of what we followed up with: a pure Kona brewed in a 60g load in a Newco OCS-8 40 fluid ounce drip brewer… it was good, maybe great.
But how great?
The Kona was cleaner tasting – both had great body and were balanced on the palate with gentle citrus notes.
Then we tried Helsar de Zarcero from Drumroaster Coffee of Cobble Hill, British Columbia. Helsar de Zarcero 100% typica varietal is one in a long line of exceptional coffees from the Perz and Rodrigues Villalobos families. The coffee is supple, sweet and, as always, meticulously processed at the Miramontes micro mill.
Helsar de Zarcero is raised in Costa Rica’s fertile West Valley at elevations between 5400-6100 feet.
How did this modest bean take two of the World’s caffeine super-powers by the stem and push them aside?
Simple; diligence, dedication, love, location, attention to detail… and a desire to produce one of the Planet’s best tasting coffees.
Photo above – Geir Oglend captures the moment
I am not saying that great JBM and Kona isn’t wonderful, because it is. It is just… that in 2009, there are better coffees (for less) that are worth your dollars and unflinching attention.
Cheers to master artisan roaster, Geir Oglend, of Drumroaster Coffee on Vancouver Island for another stirring and stunning coffee presentation… And, of course, to the folks at Helsar de Zarcero in Costa Rica.
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