Four Barrel Coffee

Jeremy and I have been in Kenya the last ten days, cupping through the auctions, touching base with producers, establishing new relationships, and narrowing down our sights on a handful of special gems to bring back home to you.

It has shaped up to be an unusual main harvest here as a result of changing weather. Abnormally heavy rains in December of 09’ washed away flowers of what would be a great 2010-2011 harvest. The addition of drought in April-May 2010’ compounded the already low production, leaving very little cherry to thrive on the plants. Some factories like Gaturiri saw production down 65%, a 15-year low for them. Across the board, all the factories we visited were barely producing half of what they had produced in the 2009-2010 harvest. Likewise, our partnering dry-mill CKCM was seeing just 50% of parchment delivered from all of the factories from every growing region in the area. 

While the final outturn of the main harvest ended up being small in quantity, the quality was exceptional. Less fruit on the coffee plants led to a bounty of nutrition to be had by the few surviving cherries, thus creating more quality lots than in years past. Where AA/AB grades typically account for 30% of the harvest, they accounted for 75-80% of this harvest. The quality was exquisite, and after digging through a few hundred samples we narrowed down to a manageable selection of what we considered some of the finest Kenyan samples we have yet to taste.

Besides cupping, we have spent much of our time here visiting with the producers. Mid-week, we arranged for visits with factories in the Murang’a area, west of Nyeri, where we purchased coffees from both Kangunu and Miroroma last year. Nestled between rolling hills of bright green tea, and at the foothills of the Aberdare Range, we gained some insight into the unique, dense and syrupy coffees that come from this fertile area. 

Later in the week, we had a chance to re-visit a handful of factories in Nyeri, among them, Gaturiri, Kagumoini, Tegu, and Kangocho. These factories all welcomed us back at a time when the final traces of this unusual harvest were being put to a close. Many of the beds and pulpers were being repaired and the last few bags of parchment headed for delivery to the dry-mill. We toured the factories and gained further insight into the years struggles and achievements. This won’t be a harvest soon forgotten here in Kenya, and I assure you come spring time, when these coffees start making their way on to our menu, you won’t easily forget them either. 

The Rwanda Rushashi is a favorite at our Front Bar.

This coffee is hand picked and sorted by a 70 member women’s group called Duhingekawa (meaning literally, “women’s coffee”) a subgroup of the 1700 member Abakundakawa cooperative that mills this coffee at the Rushashi washing station. Abakundakawa’s production is a fair trade certified, USAID project to improve the quality of life in Rwanda, and this particular micro-lot is separated from the bulk production. Sadly, the majority of the members of the Duhingekawa group are widows from the genocide and we have paid a premium for this coffee that returns directly to the women producers. Their coffee is remarkable and meticulously picked and sorted — it consistently receives higher cupping scores than the rest of Abakundakawa’s production.

We're pleased to introduce a new single-origin decaf offering on our shelves. Say hello to Decaf Sumatra Sidikalang. Chocolate, molasses and rum in the cup. Sweet and balanced. 

Sidikalang is a city and district immediately to the west of Lake Toba, the massive crater lake in North Sumatra. While it is near Lintong, Dolok Sanggul and other growing areas, Sidikalang coffees have a different flavor profile, more like a classic Mandheling. Part of this is due to micro-climates and influences from the Lake, part is due to the cultivar. The area has its own special long bean type, a form of Typica that was lost in the late 1880s, when coffee leaf rust swept through Indonesia. However, both the Bergendal and Sidikalang varieties of Typica can still be found, especially at higher altitudes and in remote areas.

Our Decaf Sumtra Sidikalang is decaffeinated using a natural water process.

54. Coffee and a spiced-chocolate doughnut at Four Barrel.

Over the last two weeks we've quietly introduced Darra Bonko and Wollega Leka Wato in our cafe. The Darra Bonko's silky mouthfeel and the Leka Wato's brilliant acidity are both stunning additions to the menu at the Front Bar.

Ethiopia Wollega Leka Wato

Producer: Ato Jote, owner of Leka Wato

Process: Washed

Location: East Wollega, Nekempti (West Ethiopia)

Elevation: 1750 meters

Varietal: Ethiopia Heirloom

Cup Characteristics: Jasmine, orange oil and cane sugar introduce the candied oranges and coconut flakes in the cup. Excellent balance, brilliant, sparkling acidity and a clean, sweet finish.

Ethiopia Darra Bonko

Producer: Ali Hussen, manager of the Bonko mill.

Process: Washed

Location: Sidama, Bonko region, Darra Woreda subdistrict

Elevation: 1900-2050 meters

Varietal: Ethiopia Heirloom

Our coffee offerings have changed greatly over the last few weeks. We are at a point in the season where our efforts in Colombia and Sulawesi are bearing tangible results in the café.

The Colombia Andino is the result of relationship building in Bruselas, a town in the Huila region of Southern Colombia. Over the last several months, we have been able to offer an array of distinct single-farmer microlots from several producers in Bruselas. During Jeremy and Tal’s recent visit to Colombia, they met up with these farmers that would contribute to a larger lot exclusively for Four Barrel.

The Andino group comprises 100 producers that surround the town of Bruselas. The group was established by farmer Helio Rico during the crash of the coffee market in 2002. During this market crisis, many coffee farmers were moving down from the mountains to grow more profitable coca. Thils the group has been able to sell at a premium to buyers such as Nespresso, this last year marked a growth for them in the direction of quality with the establishment of a cupping lab at the buying station by Four Barrel’s sourcing partner, Virmax. All coffees delivered are scored and approved accordingly: if a lot of coffee is not approved for grades A (84-85 points) or AA (86-87), farmers receive constructive feedback as to what inhibited their coffee from yielding higher scores. Lots receiving grade A, AA, and AAA (88-90) are paid a premium higher than any other exporter in the region. Lots scoring above 90 points qualify for farmer lots which fetch an even higher premium, and become the small microlots we have featured before. With Virmax’s cupping lab in place, the potential of an understanding and achievement of quality is sustainable and long-yielding. Four Barrel purchases as much AAA as we can, in addition to a small amount of AA to support farmer development.

This particular lot is from the smaller first semester harvest of the two harvest cycles of Southern Colombia. While the deliveries were slim from the Andino group during this smaller harvest, we found coffees from four producers that we scored above 88 points: Helio Rico, David Burbano, Norbey Macias, and Robiro Muñoz. These farms are small, most of them only a couple of acres of Caturra, so we expect this limited to go fast.

In the cup, cherry pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, and dried cherries introduce the layered acidity, silky mouthfeel, and excellent structure. The Colombia Andino is a great introduction to a group of farmers that we will be seeing more of this coming winter when the larger second harvest arrives.

  Helio Rico on his farm

In July, Jeremy traveled to Indonesia to meet with a number of producers we have featured in the past, as well as to establish new relationships. The first coffee from these efforts has arrived and is an exciting prelude of more to come.

The Sulawesi Toraja Sapan is derivative of a coffee we offered in the Spring, the Sulawesi Toarco. PT Toarco Jaya is a private company in the Tana Toraja region of Sulawesi. Local farmers hand-pulp, ferment, wash, and dry their coffee before submitting it to Toarco Jaya, which then performs the final drying, milling, and grading. Many smallholder farmers in the town of Sapan contribute their coffee to Toarco, and this lot represents a narrow selection of the best coffees from the region. Unlike most coffees from Indonesia, this coffee is fully washed, which is far cleaner and more revealing of the terroir. Consequently, in the cup the Toraja Sapan is surprising for an Indonesian coffee. Dried pineapple, rosewater, and concord grape mesh with a dense body with tropical wood notes and a resonant, balanced structure.

Amazing coffees just keep coming! This week we have three new coffees available: Costa Rica Cafetín 1900, Ethiopia Walena Suke Quto, and Kenya Tegu.

Cafetín is a micro-mill in the town of San Martin, Costa Rica. While Tim O'Brien was a Peace Corps volunteer based in San Martín, he fell in love with the town and its people. He returned to build a micro-mill there in 2004 to increase quality and thus increase earnings for the producers of San Martín. Innovative sustainability projects have been fostered, such as the use of bio-bags to convert liquid waste into methane for cooking and machinery. 

Thirty-five farms provide coffee to the Cafetín mill, and a variety of lots are produced. We have had several Cafetín offerings in the past, and this year, the 1900 makes another appearance. The three farms of Guillermo Robles, Delfin Jimenez, and Elver Solis contribute cherry that has been picked at a minimum of 1900 meters above sea level. In fact, the coffees selected for this lot are grown at elevations reaching 2000 meters above sea level. For comparison, most specialty grade coffee in Central America is grown between 1500-1800 meters. The coffees are then mechanically demucilaged using a water-saving Penagos system at Tim O'Brien's Cafetín micro-mill.

The high elevation prolongs the ripening of the cherry, creating a denser seed and endowing the cup with a refined, resonant sugar-cane sweetness and a focused cherry acidity reminiscent of some African coffees. A viscous mouthfeel rounds out this exceptional, balanced coffee.

Suke Quto is a producer's association located in the Oodo Shakisso district of Guji, which lies in the southernmost part of the Oromia region, bordering both the Sidama and Gedeo zones. Set on gentle slopes between mountains and highland plateaus, the farmland has dark brown volcanic, loamy soil. In all, 68 producer members of Suke Quto grow their Ethiopian heirloom varietals on 291 hectares at 1800-2200 meters above sea level. This lot represents the finest coffee from their third harvest in history, as they first began cultivating coffee in 2004.

After ripe cherry is carefully selected, the coffee is depulped and fermented conventionally, washed, soaked to increase fruit-like acidity, then dried on raised beds. The meticulous processing creates an exquisitely clean and balanced cup which features lemon verbena, sweet almonds, dark chocolate, with kaffir lime and sweet cream. 

We have had an incredible run of Kenyan coffees this year, and the Tegu continues to demonstrate the remarkable qualities of the region. The Tegu mill represents 910 member famers and is renowned for producing lots of outstanding quality. Usually, Tegu submits their coffee to the central auction system, which is how the vast majority of coffee in Kenya is sold. This particular lot was purchased directly from the producers through the "second window", bypassing the auction system.

On Monday, September 6, Four Barrel will host a class on brewing better coffee at home. Instruction will be focused on general concepts like importance of grind and temperature, as well as implementing tools like pourover kettles and scales to improve brewing techniques. These principles will be demonstrated on French Press, Chemex, Clever, and Hario V60 brewing devices.

Space is limited to 10 people, so drop by the cafe and reserve your spot. $20 gives you a space in the class, as well as your choice of coffee to take home, and special pricing on brewing equipment.

One of our fresh arrivals is the Costa Rica San Juanillo Don Jose. This coffee is produced by Don Jose’s son, Sixtolman Sanchez, in the West Valley of San Juanillo de Naranjo. One-hundred percent Caturra is cultivated at 1600 meters above sea level, and this particular lot is processed using the pulped-natural method. After the cherry is pulped off the seed, rather than being fermented and washed clean, the fruit mucilage is allowed to dry on the parchment, which increases body and sweetness. The San Juanillo Don Jose is particularly clean for a pulped-natural coffee, which is why we are so fond of it. Roses, ripe cherries and plums become honey, baked cherries and dark chocolate, with honey sweetness and a syrupy body. Four Barrel is proud to offer Ethiopia Shakisso Moredocofe again this year. This fresh, new crop arrival comes to us from producer Haile Gebre. In 2001, Mr. Gebre left his government position to return home to cultivate coffee on his grandfather’s land. In addition to his grandfather’s land, Gebre owns another farm nearby, as well as a washing station for processing coffee cherry. His company, “Mora Mora River Development of Organic Coffee”, also works with farmers in the immediate area, who grow coffee in highland old-growth forest in the Guji province. Moredocofe is certified organic, and Mr. Gebre ensures environmental stewardship among his associate producers. He also educates producers on harvesting, cherry selection, and sustainable farming practices. The coffee cherry is meticulously processed at Gebre’s mill; his processing includes a six hour washing technique, post-washing soaking, and gentle drying on raised beds. The result of this process is a coffee with incredible cleanliness and mouthfeel. Passionfruit, marzipan and fresh blackberry aromatics introduce the marmalade, apricot and black tea in the cup. We are so excited to offer an excellent coffee from such an astounding producer. 

For Guatemala Ojercaibal, we are honored to be part of their project—small holding farmers from the community each contribute coffee grown at or near their homes—coffee tended with the care given to a small garden. The project created many aspects of the infrastructure that made this meticulously processed coffee not only possible, but successful: schools, cooking appliances, clean water and waste management. These improvements benefited the whole community of approximately 300 families (1300 inhabitants) all from indigenous (Kaqchiquel) descent who depend fully on agriculture for subsistence. Fourbarrel purchased the entire blended lot from these 61 tiny coffee gardens. 

Our next Colombian microlot comes from a familiar name at Four Barrel, El Jordan. We have offered several different coffees from El Jordan in the past, and this lot is an all peaberry reserve lot.

The name El Jordan does not refer to a single farm, but rather it is the name of a collaboration involving members of the APCEJOR and ACEDGA producer associations in the Gaitania de Plana province of Tolima. The variety of producers within these two associations creates a rich foundation for the producers to create specially sorted lots during different periods of the harvest. This particular lot is a very special selection that is 100% peaberry. Usually, a coffee cherry contains two seeds, which is why a coffee bean has one flat face. Sometimes, for whatever reason, one of the seeds does not develop inside the cherry, leaving a single seed to develop into its characteristic round peaberry shape. Sometimes, peaberries are screened out of coffee as defects, especially in producing countries where coffee is graded by size. Sometimes, as in the case of the El Jordan Peaberry Reserve, the producers are requested to produce a special peaberry sorting. In the cup, peaberry coffee tastes different from its flat-bean counterpart. Increased intensity, more sweetness, and a more lively acidity are qualities often attributed to peaberries. A peaberry lot can sometimes, but not always, taste better than an unsorted lot.

This is Nicky, Four Barrel café manager. Nicky got his start working in coffee at the tender age of 16, at Aero Mocha in the PDX airport, close to the Portland suburbs where he grew up. At 18, Nicky moved to Seattle to attend University of Washington, where he studied English literature. While attending UW, he worked for Torrefazione Italia, “where the menu was very simple, much like ours [at Four Barrel].” During his last year at UW, he started working for another café, Cupcake Royale/Verite coffee. Once Nicky graduated, he relocated to New York City. “I decided to move to New York about two weeks before it happened, and randomly, I started working in event marketing, which was a nine to five job.”

After a two year sabbatical from coffee, Nicky relocated to San Francisco. “I wanted a job that I could enjoy, and something social, because I didn’t know anyone here.” He was hired at Ritual Coffee roasters where he stayed for nearly two years. “That’s when I got really serious about coffee.” Nicky left Ritual for a summer job in New York, and returned to San Francisco in October 2009. “When I came back from New York, Jeremy heard I was back in town and called me at eight in the morning. I got out of bed and came straight to Four Barrel! I can’t think of another coffee company I’d rather work for.”

Seasonality is a buzzword that has gotten a lot of circulation in the coffee world recently. All of our single origin offerings fresh crop arrivals, and we strive to serve coffees only at their peak. We can't claim to be trailblazers in this arena, because seasonality is nothing new. The simple fact about coffee is that it is more vibrant and flavorful when the green coffee is fresh, and because of this, for years plenty of roasters have been doing their best to serve coffees at their peak.

While our single origin offerings turn over frequently, one offering we will always have is Friendo Blend espresso. Does this mean that Friendo Blendo isn't fresh and seasonal? Not at all! It's not unusual for some roasters to use their espresso blend as a repository for old-crop coffees. Friendo Blendo, however, will always be made of fresh crop coffee. Our goal with the blend is to offer a consistent working product for our baristas and our wholesale baristas, so that customers in our cafes, other cafes, and at home can experience a consistent Four Barrel espresso. This doesn't imply that the blend doesn't change, but points to the matter of seasonality...

We've had some new coffees hit the shelves and the front bar over the last week. 

The Panama Duncan Estate Reserve is a pristine microlot from Ricardo Koyner, whose family has been producing coffee in Boquete for four generations. His carefully tended organic coffee farm, Kotowa, faces south in Volcancillo de Boquete de Chiriqui in northern Panama. Kotowa is the poster child of organic coffee farming, complete with ecologically sounds practices at the farm and the mill, as well as surrounding virgin forests that act as natural habita to both local and migratory birds. The microlot represents a small selection of the harvest; in fact, the lot comprises only one day's picking. Throughout the harvest, "day lots" are kept separated until they are evaluated before export. The very best day lot was kept separate from the rest of the harvest, and we were able to purchase it farm direct. In the cup, honeysuckle, marzipan, and blood orange aromatics give way to a buttery, silky mouthfeel with sweet blackberry juice in the finish. The saturated sweetness and articulated acidity is a testament to the careful Penagos demucilaging and subsequent washing. 

We have had a couple new-crop Kenyas available for the last few weeks, and we have a new arrival that we are very excited about. Society, is located about 140km northwest of Nairobi in the Muranga District of the Central province. We bought the Kenya Kangunu with three other roasters when our contacts in Kenya were blown away by the sample on their cupping table. Kangunu represents one of the highest prices ever paid in Kenya for a coffee either within or outside of the auction system. The Kangunu washing station, part of the 1340 member Kangunu Farmers Cooperative Society, is located about 140km northwest of Nairobi in the Muranga District of the Central province. After picking, the cherry undergoes density sorting before pulping, then a meticulous double-fermentation and washing is performed. Post-soaking and two-stage drying increase complexity and mouthfeel, two areas where this coffee excels. Jasmine, cardamon, and blackberry jam in the fragrance become chocolate truffle and balsamic reduction, followed by a sweet, lingering finish. As the cup cools, the superior complexity and structure become even more apparent, highlighting just how remarkable this coffee is.

To someone encountering our coffees for the first time, it can be daunting to confront shelves of coffees from different parts of the world. The array of flavor descriptions we use to describe each coffee begs the question: What makes these coffees taste the way they do?

Our whole approach to coffee relies on the uniqueness of single origin coffees. “Single origin” is a broad term to differentiate a single-source coffee from a blend of coffees from several sources. The definition of single origin varies from country to country (maybe the topic of a future post!), but the implication is that a single origin coffee is from the smallest geographic distribution possible. Single origin coffees are compelling because their small footprint means they are expressive of a uniqueness of place. In wine, the word terroir is used to encompass geographical inputs and how that is translated into the glass. The term is completely analogous in coffee, as it is a botanical product endowed with a sense of place, the taste of soil, the sun and the rainfall.

Varietal characteristic often plays a significant role in what is experienced in the cup. Coffeea arabica is the species of coffee we are solely concerned with. A clear analog is wine varietal, where Chardonnay and Cabernet fall within Vitis vinifera, but express different phenotypes from a shared genetic backbone. Varietal as it relates to coffee is most often similar to Old World wines; certain varietals thrive in areas where others flounder. For example, you can count on a Côtes du Rhône to contain some combination of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, and other red grape varietals, just as you can expect a Kenyan coffee to be composed of some combination of SL28 and SL34, or one of the other, because these are the varietals with a proven track record in that area. Origin characteristic usually trumps varietal characteristic, but there are often cases where varietal characteristic outweighs origin characteristic. For example, you can compare two 100% Pacamara coffees from different countries and clearly see how this varietal overwhelms traits lent by origin.

The flavor and quality of coffee are not only geographical and botanical, but also affected greatly by human inputs. Cultivation practices to ensure plant health and yield, such as pruning, intercropping, and shading, influence the coffee while it is still on the tree. Once the coffee is picked from the tree, all of the subsequent processes are subtractive: flavor and quality cannot be improved, only preserved. Ripe cherry selection by hand picking is the first step in preserving quality. For washed coffees, immediate pulping on clean equipment and careful fermenting and washing preserve the delicate complexities of aromatics and acidity, as well as cup clarity and cleanliness. After washing, the coffee is dried carefully to an even moisture level, ensuring the stability and resilience of the coffee. The seed is then hulled, then sorted by size and density so the finished green coffee is homogenous and free of defect. Again, these processes can only preserve the flavor and quality that is there.

Roasting is another human input that can only preserve the quality and flavor of coffee. Our coffee buying practices dictate our approach to roasting.  The deeper that coffee is roasted, the more origin varietal and origin characteristic is masked by roast flavor, essentially hiding what the individual coffee has to offer. This works for coffees of poor quality, but we directly source unique coffees that are perfectly expressive of origin and varietal, and free of defect, so we roast to let the coffees speak for themselves.  Our goal is balance, and to dutifully showcase the efforts of the people that are really responsible for our remarkable coffees: the producers.