oakleys.org.uk

I could not sit on this any longer, a Friday video a brewing guide for the aeropress.

I am super pleased with it, with more to follow very soon. I’d love to hear your feedback through the normal channels.

There is also a guide below and a download pdf version here

Carrying of from yesterdays work another post on one of the farms from my Bahia trip last week. This is from the neighbouring farm to Aranquan floresta is a farm I know quite well.

Farm Name: Fazenda Floresta
Producers Name:Nelson Ribeiro
Region:Chapada Diamantina
Altitude:1050 to 1200 meters above sea level
Varieties Grown:Bourbon, Catura, Java, Pacamara, obertan, topia
Last visit: November 2009

Report: Since the last visit in 2009 much of the work has been done in upgrading drying patio facilities. This is part of an ongoing program in the farm to raise the quality of production. The cupping lab that was set up on the last visit has continued to be used with monthly cuppings being held where every one joins in. Junior (nelsons oldest son) has participated in a in depth course to understand cupping and sample roasting which has been valuable while setting up the lab.

Newly planted growth from the last visit has continued to thrive and the whole farm is looking incredibly healthy. Grivilia (a shade tree) has been planted all over the farm to help with shade and as a pest deterrent.

A project to grow passionfruit in between the coffee plants has also started. Although competing in the same soils there root structure is different and harvest periods opposite ends of the year. So a small test section has been set up.

Planting of a varietal called oberertan has produced its first harvest. This varietal has very elongated branches that tend to fruit towards the ends. It is not known how this plant will react to the conditions of Bahia and in particular Floresta but we hope to see some early samples soon. Also planting of a pacamara and java where we should see the samples of this experiment although there will be no commercial offering until after these tests and more planting

The Bourbon trees that Has Bean bought all the crop from last year have thrived in the past 11 months and are looking very healthy. In spite of this, disappointingly the crop has underperformed producing less that last year. It seems the bourbon tree is not a fan of high yields and organic farming, and it seems that it is very difficult to grow in these growing conditions. Plans to extend the bourbon plants by a 1000 have been put on hold because of this, and maybe put off completely.

Instead of planting more Bourbon Nelson has allowed me to choose what to plant, in a mini Fazenda Has Bean Project. I have suggested two to Nelson who will go see if he can get the seedlings to start it off, and will be a Has Bean Exclusive.

The farm in general looks amazing and much work have been done over the past twelve months, investment of money time and energy is starting to pay off.

Cupping of the naturals, pulp naturals and washed were interesting so early in the season. The naturals stood out for special praise, you could taste the attention to detail.

All in all a farm that feels like its progressing and moving forwards in the specialty and quality.

So from past trips I tend to do like a travel diary and this time I decided it was time to change that. so for this trip I’ve done like a farm review on every farm I visited and I’m putting together a little video slide show of photos with a voice over from there.

This is the first time I’ve done this so please be forgiving as I learn a new bit of video stuff.

Farm Name: Fazenda aranquan
Producers Name:Luca Allegro
Region:Chapada Diamantina
Altitude:1050 to 1200 meters above sea level
Varieties Grown:Catura, Acaua, catucai 144, catucai, catura
Last visit: November 2009

Report: Since the last visit in 2009 like the neighboring Floresta much of the work has been done in upgrading drying patio facilities. This farm has gone a major overhaul and lots of the old plant stock removed and lots (and I mean lots) of new planting. Luca has hosted me on both of my trips to the Diamantina but last year had little to show me because of the new planting. Its a similar story this year but its amazing to be involved with the farm so early in its development. The one offering we did get chance to look at was the Catura washed coffee from the older plants. Processed by Nelson from fazenda floresta (these farms have very close links) its one of the best washed brazils I’ve tasted in a very long time. Pending samples back home I think this will be a huge coffee for us next year.

New planting involve catucai 144 which is gives just red fruit (as opposed to catucai normal which produces both coloured fruits) and Acaua which produces 40% peaberry. Another exciting coffee we cupped was the peaberry from this and the catura, I cupped the natural one and it was a very special cup. There were some discussions that they pulped natural and natural may not be able to be split, but we will see if we can twist some arms to make this happen.

I think in the coming years we will see more of this farm, its a baby at the moment but has the potential / plant stock / skills / processing to make some very grown up coffees.

A little thing, but very lovely sent to me by a lovely customer, made me smile Still think I have the best customers in the world.

Made me smile some one would do that for me. I like, I like it a lot.

These photos are a few weeks old now, but I thought I should still share them. There from Fazenda Floresta in Bahia and its showing me how much work they need to do to pick.

Luca sent this through as an email

“The “scale” of ripeness goes from the green to the black …as in that picture(above).

It goes from the green to the ‘’yellowish green’’ (which will not be as astringent as the green), then to orange, then light red, vivid red…. into the purple…. After that it will dehydrate into, dry, parched fruit … and finally black.

Normally, commodity like processed coffee will wait for the point in which the ‘’ average ‘’ is more in the middle range, and take all the fruits.

Selective, quality oriented picking will pass and pick the ripe one a few times over a period time – in our case, in a not so cold year, pass again every 8 to 10 days. In a year of lower temperatures, every 15 days or so. But even among the ‘’ripe’’ ones, you have the red and the purple… Which will have more time to concentrate the sugar while still in the tree – ‘’alive’’ – as opposed to the ripe ones in the drying patio. The metabolism still on but starts to perish… the older people, or the popular knowledge if you wish, recognize the purple the perfect point… I am not sure. (see photo below)”

(The ones on the right are good and ready)

So good picking is just as important as good growing and roasting.

Those who are eagle eyed may have seen me pop some pictures up on my flickr account last Saturday evening of some coffee cherry’s.

After being out for the evening I returned home to find an email from Fazenda Terramater with a couple of photos of a special project they have done for me without asking.

On my visit last year, I saw a whole heap of coffee bushes planted on the edge of the property underneath some huge old pine trees. I asked Luca who was translating for me to ask Adoedato if the pine cones and the trees by these plants made a difference to the final cup. As he asked Adoedato you could see from his face he thought what a stupid question and shrugged.

Now at the time of the visit we were not buying any coffee from Adoedato and I hadn’t even had a chance to cup it. It was only persistently asking for a sample after I got back and got a chance to cup it that we did buy it. So there was no reason for Adoedato to listen to anything the crazy gringo asked.

But Saturday night the photos below were in my inbox and the forest coffee under the tress is going to be kept separate this year to see if the pine cone fertilizer makes any difference to the final cup. I have no idea but the total production will be 1 bag if we are lucky so we are going to find out together

This is why its worth while visiting origin, spending the time expressing what you would like to find out with farmers so they can put it together, no matter how crazy the requests are.

In a few weeks time I’m back to Bahia for some more exploring and some more feedback on what we would like to see, its so cool to have this open channel of communication direct with the producers.

In this weeks in my mug I talked about Leaf rust (roya) and the problems its causing on Colombia at the moment.

Leaf rust (roya) is a disease that effects the leaves and the yield of as coffee plant and its general health. Firstly found in 1869 in Ceylon (now known as sri lanka). Ceylon was a huge coffee producer at the time, but because of the rust they ripped most of their coffee plant stock, and planted tea. Kind of good for them as they became one of the tea producing giants, but this was not the end of the disease.

From Ceylon the next place for rust to be cited is in the 1870, where it spread to sumatra and Java and the Indonesian isles. This was devastating and saw a change of varietals that were planted as a way of combating the problem.

From Asia the next place this was to Tanzania and Madagascar in the 1880’s. Interestingly not making it to west africa until 1956 which seems very strange to go from this rampant spread to stop spreading (but still having a very strong foothold in the places where its found).

It seemed that South / central America was immune from this spread, but then in 1970 it was reported in Brazil and from there rapidly to all south / central American producing countries.

It is transported by a powder that is attached to the plant (like pollen) and is carried through the air, on clothes by people and by insects, and once it begins to take hold then it really does go rampant.

A lot of effort was put into finding a coffee that was naturally immune from the disease, and it was found that strains like Liberica and robusta have a higher resistance to the roya but arabica is very very susceptible to it is weak against rust. Lots of cross breading has produced some more immune strains, but normally at the cost of cup quality.

It is believed that high shade very wet high humidity conditions also add to the risk of roya.

Talking to a friend who has just returned from Colombia roya seems to be rampant, and there is a real problem they are trying to deal with. You can spray the plants with a copper based fungicides but no one likes spraying things and these fungicides are expensive and in short supply. The other way is to plant varietals that are less susceptible. There are many alternatives but advice given to farmers in an article I was sent was to plant Catimore, which as part of a mixed plant stock is fine (and we have seen some great ones) but on its own rarely produces quality coffee.

I think there will be a real drop in quality of Colombian coffee with this kind of advice, and I do hope that farmers choose a different route, the new Colombian we have just stocked is trying F6 which has more promise of quality.

In Colombia low yields because of weather issue have been a problem for a while, with this problem prices for Colombia are in essence double of that the markets are showing and I only think it will get worse

As I said I talked about this on this weeks in my mug see below

OK sorry for the slight delay in finishing off this blog diary, its a few weeks now since I left Bolivia but still in my mind its incredibly fresh.

Day 5 was leaving the farm and going back to La Paz to see the milling / warehousing and to enjoy a cupping.

The exporters anditradecoffee who were my hosts on the trip, were amazing, they put together an awesome program  for me and I am incredibly grateful to them. This day was all about seeing what they do and visiting there facility. It was also a chance to cup some new crop coffees that was very exciting.

The offices are in the main down town part of the city very close to the hotel that I was stopping at. The warehouse / mill is in El Alto which is very close to the airport. This is at 4000 meters above sea level and here you can really feel it, the air is very thin. So thin that when you are coming in to land you just do not slow down when you hit the runway and when taking off its the longest run, because the air is so thin.

Now all of this altitude talk is going somewhere, cupping at this altitude effect the extraction of the coffee and perceptions of the coffee. Also as silly as it sounds by slurping the coffee it effects breathing (although not in a big way) all these things come together and you have to keep in mind.

But before the cupping a tour of the mill and a chance to see the new crop Machacarmarca thats waiting to be packed and loaded (at least 6-8 weeks till this will happen at the soonest).

Everything here is hand sorted to make sure only the best coffee goes through to our cups. The facility is amazingly clean and tidy and really smart. This is equally important as the farm doing a good job in the chain.

The cupping was great fun, a bling table, and hidden on the table of eight I knew the new crop Machacarmarca was there, the rest were new coffees for me to take a look at.

From the table number one, two and three were all very solid good coffees but very simular in profile and taste, were all from the same farm, just different sections, very pleased they scored 85 86 and 85. Number 4 was very solid 87 and again from the same region as the first three. Number 5 and 6 were amazing, like 92  and 94 amazing, really good but similar, from the same farm just two lots that I liked a lot and we are hoping to secure for this year. The last two posed a problem I knew by this point one of them had to be the Machacarmarca but I couldn’t decide so I said both in the end. It turned out they tried to play a trick on me and placed it on twice. Feeling very smug with my self we all really agreed on our cupping scores. But another example of how good Bolivian coffee can be.

So the end of the trip, and a great one at that, good people good coffee, and for me the best coffee trip I have ever had, by a long stick, I love this place.

So the final full day on the farm was meant to be spent picking again, but the local villagers needed to clean the water tanks which meant we would be without water all day. Not a major issue normally you would think but all the coffee gets processed on the same day of picking and the pulper needs water to work, so this had to be canceled.

A terrible shame as I had really enjoyed the previous day, but a good chance for me to explore the farm. I went on a hike up to the very top of the farm at 1850 ft above sea level, through lots of bracken and past lots of the coca fields that surround the farm.

As I said in an earlier post it is legal to grown and sell coca in Bolivia. This is a tradition in this part of the world for many years. The locals make tea from it and chew it, it gives energy, staves of hunger and can help in altitude sickness. In its leaf form it seems fairly harmless and no worse than some legal drugs you can see for sale in the UK. Obviously when it it made into base and powder it becomes a whole new beast that I wouldn’t want to see but this is what the farmers in the area do, and there is a legal market for it. Coffee prices have been so low for so many years, even if these people wanted to swap crops they have not been able to. Coca fetches a much better price for them is easier to grow, gives four harvests a year and has a huge local market no need to be dealing with gringos like me.

Unfortunately you can see the effects of this booming market everywhere, coca doesn’t need any shade in fact does better without the shade needs to be farmed in an organised way in lines and huge areas have been deforested. This in turns means that there is land erosion and all sorts of other impacts too complicated for a simple coffee roaster. But one thing is the wildlife has no where to live so lessens the diversity which in turn is not good for the land.

Luckily in this sea of coca Machacarmarca is a haven for wildlife, they have reestablished forests that had been cleared by others, and they work hard to maintain the environment without the use of chemicals. Lupe sees this has he obligation to the farm to make sure it is well looked after even if all around is not. So the wildlife from outside the farm as moved into the habitat and you can see the positive effects of this all around.

The 1850ft part I had climbed up to was at was the latest part of re introducing tress to the farm, but also meant you got an excellent view of all around. Difficult to get up to harder to get down.

Back in time for lunch a much needed snooze was in order, in the hammock off I went for an hour, thats how comfortable I was there, I never sleep like this in the middle of the day, but Machacarmarca has a way of slowing you down to its time.

The afternoon Lupe had arranged for a small 5 a side game of football with the farm workers (and me) against the local community players. It was meant to be played the following day, but plans had meant I had to leave early. So disappointed were the locals in not being able to “kick the gringos ass” that it was moved forwards at everyones request so it could happen. We had a crowd we had goal posts that had been made especially, and we had specially bought for this event football strips, ones we were all very proud of and non of us gave back at the end

I wont tell you how bad I was (a 36 year old playing at altitude who is so unfit its unbelievable) but I did score two goals and we did win 5-2. I have put together a fun little video below for you to watch, I wont tell you how much fun I had putting it together but I giggle each time I watch it.

After the game we at about drank beer together and even with communication issues completely got each other and managed to talk. Football is a great leveller, but also shows were not so different, we like the same things and its a great bringer together. Next time I play the game at the start of the week because by this point we were buddy’s.

Still some more to come to wrap up the trip but coming to an end now, but I do hope you have been enjoying it.

So a big reason for wanting to make this trip was to go picking pulping of my own coffee. I’ve never been able to say I have picked the coffee I roast as pickings have been on farms that we have been unable to buy everything from.

But as we do this with Machacarmarca it seemed like a great chance to work with the coffee I’ll be working with over the next 9 to 12 months.

I also have never been able to process and pulp before and seeing how a farm does this can give you a big insight into why the coffee tastes the way it does. I was to find out this was probably the highlight of the tour for me as I never understood why machacarmarca tasted the way that it did, I think I do a lot more now.

So early breakfast and of to pick with my basket. I thought maybe three four in a day I’d need to empty the basket. I didn’t plan for how hard it is to pick coffee. The guys told me they do this four five six times a year not just triple picking which is thought to be good but making sure only ripe cherry’s are picked not doing any post sorting as a lot of other picking is. the yield is so small ere that if they did this we would have virtually no coffee. Picking takes three four months because of this method, but it makes sure you get the very best cup.

It got to lunch time and all I had was this

The guys told me I had done well and they were impressed, I am not sure if this was due to their low expectations of me, or they were truly impressed.

I was slower than them of course but I wasn’t a million miles behind as I had thought I might, so I was pleased with my mornings work.

Great food was the foundation of this trip. Great home cooked food, well prepared great portions at the right times. Home backed bread from the huge clay oven. But the best part was everyone stopped (including the pickers) and got fed. The other part was it was all about sitting together and family. I was accepted within 20 mins of being on the farm as family, we all talked and shared what we had done.

I was tempted with beer and siestas or world cup football games at the local bar, but I had a job to do so back to picking I went. The day I picked around 20-25kg, and was told this was not bad, the guys were around 35-40 kg. This kind of selective picking is hard work, low yielding and very hard work mentally and physically. But I think we have all seen in the cup what this kind of extra work does to the cup.

While picking the cover of the trees meant even in the midday sun it was cool and a nice place to work. It made me think about shade and its importance in the final product. I was given a number but in translation it got lost what it was referring too but it was most plots the size with these varietals, with this we were working on would yield 12 – 18 (of what ever it was) this plot yielded 9 at its very very best, and this was replicated across the farm. But Mario and Lupe have no desire to increase that yield, but to maintain the quality.

Then it was time to pulp, this washed fermented to remove mucilage coffee. Everything at this stage is done with Lupe’s input, she is the hard work of the farm, and the consistent. Everything is had weighed and then hand floated, in small plastic containers. There are no huge tanks to do this in just plastic baths.

A rudimentary but incredibly effective way of doing it. Small batches (everything is picked and de pulped within 20 mins of finishing picking) by hand and eye. Because of the skill of the pickers there were not many floaters but what there were are removed and used for consumption on the farm or in the community.

This is where the true pleasant surprise came for me. I have always been told this was a washed coffee and although it presented with some washed qualities I have never 100% felt it was a washed and fermented coffee. Three days on the farm I had not found a fermenting tank so when the pulping began I waited with excitement.

The beans are run through the depulper and the cherry is removed with a small amount of water and the centrifuge force of the depulper. Some small pieces of cherry run through get through, but on the whole most make it through in the correct condition. If you touch these beans they are slimy and sticky from the mucilage. Normally on a traditional washed coffee these would be put into to water to ferment to remove this sticky slime. But these are run through the bypass system to be washed once more, which visibly removes some of the mucilage, but not all.

It is then taken to the Indian drying tables on the back patio to dry in the sun, being turned regularly and taken to a moisture level of around 13%. They are then bagged and taken to the plant in La Paz (more of that to follow on that part).

So its a kind of cross between washing and pulped natural, something I have been tasting for the past couple of year but now understand. Without these trips you don’t find out about the cover, the processing, the good people who pick and work the farm, and the love and care that goes into the processing by the owner

This day was the real highlight for me, an awakening of what the coffee is, and an insight into how dam hard it is to pick coffee well. I slept like a log this night in bed by 8:30 pm in a heap. Before bed Mario and Rodrigo took me through a presentation of the plans for the coming years of the farm, of improving quality ecology and increasing production with new plant stock. also maintaining the current stock by pruning and maintenance. A great piece of news was also that the farm is in stage two of organic certification. The farm has always been organic so they thought they should take advantage of it. so next years production will be organic certified which is no bad thing.

I know on this evening I felt a little sad, that it was all coming towards the end (I always do this too soon) but it was an a amazing day I enjoyed very very much



So Day two was spent traveling to the farm. I planned the trip for a day in La Paz to get used to the altitude. My last visit I got quite ill on it all by rushing around and not spending time acclimatizing. If you have never experienced that kind of height its like being drunk but with all the good parts of being drunk removed. Thick heavy head, slow responses, and the ability to do stuff only if you really concentrate (in this I include walking talking and breathing). But its strangely addictive too.

The trip to the farm is along the second most dangerous road in the world (the most I did last time in Bolivia on a bike). To get to the road there is a climb out of La Paz (its a basin of a city). The climb from 3300 meters above sea level in the pit of the bowl to 4400 meters (on the death road its up to 6000 meters).

The road is amazing very beautiful but amazingly scary at parts with huge buses coaches and bikes all over the place, far busier than the famous death road.

Arriving on the farm I am greeted by Mario, Lupe Lupe’s Daughter grand daughter and Son and his Girlfriend, all come to the farm to see the crazy gringo who has traveled half way around the world . Within 30 mins of being there I felt like I was part of the family, welcomed in sitting eating with everyone, and made right at home.

Its fairly late when I arrive but there is time to get in a mini hike around the farm and to go climbing trees.

I Love the fact there was no TV, a problem for me in world cup semi final week, but not missed. Even when Rodrigo went to the local town to watch the game, I stayed at the farm to enjoy myself. Evening are sat around a gaming table with a roaring fire playing cards, boggle and talking to each other. This first night I get taught two games of cards I have never played and stay up until 1 am, by mistake as I wanted an early night, but pleased I did not.

Ohh yes this is my view from my window

Interesting thing found out today is that La Paz is not the capital of Bolivia as I (and others I have spoken to) thought. It is the political capital but the actual capital is called Sucre

I’ve spent the last week in Bolivia, and instead of doing a day blog diary while I was there, I decided I wanted to do it once I got home, time to consider and ponder on the long flight home.

The reason for the trip was to go spend some time and better understand the farm Machacarmarca. This farm is one of our most important coffees, and is the first that we buy the entire production from. I also found out that we have been the only buyer since the farm produced commercially, which got me super excited.

The farm, is based is the Sud (south) Yungas region near to the town of Chulumani. The size of more than 100 hectors and has a history of growing oranges and coffee but for personal consumption. In the late 90’s there was a disease that attacked the orange / lemon and grapefruit trees that wipes out the crop. With a need for the land to be worked and to be able to offer work to the local community, it was decided something needed to be commercially planted.

The Chulumani region is notorious with the growing of the coca leaf. It is legal within Bolivia to grow coca for chewing, and it is a traditional thing to partake in. It suppresses hunger, gives energy and can have benefits with altitude sickness. In fact on this first day I took some coca tea that really helped me feel better from my altitude sickness.

Anyway it was decided to plant some more coffee and double the production of coffee from three hectares to around 6 hectares. More could be planted but without impacting on the farm as it is and lowering the quality. There is a long term plan in place to change this gradually and with care.

The first harvest of this coffee was in 2007 and was the entire lot that was put into the cup of excellence. This was the lot that I bought (13 x 69kg bags) which came 25 out of 26 but ended the 15th most expensive. I was part of that jury that year, and this was in both cupping’s my favourite coffee, and today still stands as one of my all time favourite coffees.

Anyway not much of a diary so far. I arrived early on the Sunday morning and spent most of the day sleeping and getting used to the altitude. I did go out to tour the city and got to see some amazing sights, here are some of the photos.

Everyday will come with a thing I learnt as this trip was all about learning. Trivia tip no.1 Coca leaves have medicinal uses and a cultural place in Bolivia history, and can not be looked at black or white.

Coming tomorrow the trip to the farm.