March 21, 2024
At the heart of the modern coffee revolution lies a family with a vision as rich and enduring as the beans they cultivate. As we reflect on the journey that brought us to the modern era of specialty coffee, we find ourselves indebted to the Peterson family and their unwavering commitment to excellence.
Their story begins amidst the verdant landscapes of Hacienda la Esmeralda, where Hans Elliot first assembled the sprawling estate in 1940. But it was Rudolph A. Peterson, a visionary Swedish-American banker, who saw beyond the pastures and glimpsed the potential of this land. In 1967, he took the reins of Hacienda la Esmeralda, transforming it from a cattle ranch into a beacon of coffee innovation.
The Petersons' journey was one of constant evolution. From dairy farming to the pursuit of coffee excellence, each step was guided by a deep respect for the land and a thirst for discovery. By the mid-1980s, as the aroma of coffee permeated the air, the Petersons made a pivotal decision to refocus their efforts exclusively on coffee cultivation. Little did they know that this shift would spark a revolution in the industry.
It was in the hushed whispers of the Mario lot that the magic truly began. Recognizing the exceptional quality of a select group of coffee trees, we dared to diverge from tradition. Microlots were born, each one a testament to the exquisite flavors waiting to be discovered. And then came the revelation—the world's first pure Gesha coffee, unveiled at the Best of Panama competition in 2004.
The response was nothing short of extraordinary. With prices soaring and demand skyrocketing, the Petersons stood at the forefront of a new era in coffee appreciation. But for us, this was just the beginning.
Today, we're reminded of the remarkable coffees that have graced our cups, each sip a testament to the Peterson family's dedication and expertise. From the misty slopes of Jaramillo Farm to the intricacies of meticulous processing, every brew tells a story of innovation and passion.
February 16, 2024
May 11, 2018
January 14, 2014
This morning I’m drinking our Volkopi Lintong coffee, planning the day, and doing some research on a new Rwandan lot which just dropped in the Roast Works. This is the first Rwandan coffee that I have personally roasted, and the green coffee on from this lot is a beauty; low defect count, even screen size, and uniform color.
This coffee comes from the Nyamasheke district of the Western Province in Rwanda. We’re calling it Kivu Kanzu, Kanzu being the washing station and Kivu from Lake Kivu which is near the washing station. Kivu is also in reference to the Kivu Arabica Coffee Company, which has a huge hand in producing this coffee. Farmers in this area began to struggle to afford milling and processing around 2010. Farms in this area are very small often have only 1000-8000 coffee plants. Each plant on average produces about a pound to a pound and a half of green coffee in a production year, and farms of this size have a significant difficulty financing operations outside of the harvest season. The Kivu Arabica Coffee Company provided this financing, which let the farmers stop worrying and get back to farming. And it shows in the fact these farmers are now producing award winning coffees.
As a roaster it's easy to have this romantic idea of being able to go to a little farm to make a big difference, fly back with a pallet of coffee, and roast it while telling stories of how I helped mill the beans and eat a cherry off a tree. While I am looking forward to knocking that off my bucket list someday, I’m equally excited to work with importers and mills which contribute to a larger framework of sustainable practices around growing quality coffee and find coffees that are more beautiful that you can imagine.
Now back to the warmth the roaster.
July 26, 2013
Balance-
We’ve been getting a lot of insight into the roasting process with the recent acquisition of our Giesen W15. Moving from an Ambex roaster to the Giesen has been an interesting, sometimes frustrating, process. We’ve been forced to rethink the roasting process and categorically eliminate some of our old habits which were based around the Ambex’s “personality.” Our good friend Chris Schooley is always advocating the benefits of roasting on as many machines as possible. He claims getting a feel for roasting on multiple equipment platforms enables you to understand the process outside of any individual equipment platform. This has absolutely been the case from the moment the Giesen was switched on.
Our new roaster is amazing, and not only challenges us to re-think how we roast and view the process, but gives us a different style of coffee to which we are adjusting. We’re finding a deeper amount of balance in all our coffees. Perhaps a little bit of this is due to the fact we are finding better processed coffees, but a little bit is due to the extreme stability of the Giesen; in direct heat, airflow, bean agitation, and even negative drum pressure. As we dial into the nuances of our roasting style, we are finding the coffee to be more full, acidity is balanced in the framework of the entire cup, flavors work a little better together, and our morning espresso is a more complete experience. Lopsided coffees are out- balanced coffees are in.
As we learn more, which is the point of being in this business, we’re excited to see how this translates with different coffees and how balance can be stretched to highlight the best qualities of each coffee we bring in. We’re very appreciative of you, our quality-focused customer, for your support and appreciation of the journey we are on to manage the unmanageable agricultural product we work with. Coffee. Get some.
December 30, 2012
Some people may not be aware of this, but our coffee industry has several regulation bodies and trade organizations which operate on a national and international level to advance coffee research and regulate the general industry trade. Several of these industry bodies have put forth standards for serving coffee and engaging with people as a barista. At Corvus, we embrace these standards while acknowledging that coffee is a multi-dimensional subject of study. Bean density affects the ratio of extraction, being a mile higher than most of the country affects roasting temperatures and water activity. Fat to carbohydrate ratio (among others) within different beans affects brewing. Being subject to all these variables we understand that flexibility is paramount- but not unlimited flexibility. A flexible mindset is only a positive asset within the framework of a standard of excellence.
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to encourage industry standards as comprehensively as possible with Corvus Coffee baristas. One realization I’ve come to is an accurate view of excellence, in relation to standards, is critical. Currently, there is an assumption that an “average” barista is one who pulls shots with about a 50% successful extraction rate. Average is viewed as a barista who isn’t entirely sure how to steam milk, but can get lucky about 50% of the time. Someone unsure of drink ratios, not really sure where the coffee they are serving comes from or any of the intended flavor nuances. Similarly, I feel that a barista who can pull shots which are consistently well extracted and finish off well textured milk with a tulip while explaining the expected pull’s taste profile is viewed as an exceptional barista.
Not only do I disagree with both examples, but this paradigm relies on complacency and harms our industry. In my above example, the first person is below standard; more of a person who simply happens to spend time during their day standing behind an espresso machine. The second theoretical person is up to standard, but not exceptional, based on that description alone. Your next door neighbor may think he is an electrician because they own a pair of needle-nose pliers and a voltage meter, but he isn’t.
I’m not sure why we work in one of the few industries where we view someone who has purchased the correct tools as a craftsman regardless of his/her skill level. In order for us to advance to a powerhouse city in the US coffee scene, we need to quickly realize we have few, if any, truly exceptional baristas, let alone baristas who are at the standard. Once we start viewing standards as basic requirements, not the epitome of skill, we will begin to send more baristas to the national stage.
The other improvement which comes as a result of this mindset is better engagement with customers. Currently, many baristas view customer service as an optional tool of the trade. I think this is manifested clearly in the past. Something is amiss when a major publication for food and drink names a barista of the year & inspires more anger than introspection in many coffee elitists because they view, perhaps accurately, their technical skill level to be beyond the winners’. Technical skill is very important, but being on par with industry technical standards does not define a good barista. A clear and separate section of SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) standards is dedicated to customer engagement. The role of a barista is customer service. You need to be able to diffuse tense situations, engage and educate, and answer sometimes ignorant questions. Angrily serving tasty drinks from a dirty, poorly kept, workspace automatically makes you a poor barista at best. Winning an award based on customer service without taking technical skill into account is no less one-sided than the reverse scenario.
I guess my entire message can be summarized as: we all have a long way to go in the Denver coffee industry. The more baristas who gain a healthy dose of introspection towards their work, the faster we will develop accurate paradigms towards excellence. Thanks to those of you who currently demonstrate this foresight & seek to grow your craft. In a lot of ways we are in the first generation of Denver craft coffee and are paving the way for people who will come after us. Our skill level will directly determine the skill level of people coming after us. Keep this in mind as you go about your day to day routine in the world of coffee.
December 30, 2012
Quality coffee is grown, not roasted. I think this is the underlying principle which guides roasters in the newest generation of specialty coffee. We don’t try to market our roasting skills; rather, we seek out sustainably grown lots of coffee, and constantly hone our ability to fully develop the existing flavor. We focus on the farm, and understand that improving growing & processing methods is the best way to improve quality.
Being someone who subscribes to this principle, it’s amazing the variation of green coffee quality I find through importers who sell primarily to specialty coffee roasters. We have several importers which will reliably send us more samples of improperly dried, past crop coffee which is full of defects than samples of a quality level I expect for specialty coffee. What is disturbing is somewhere, “specialty” coffee roasters are selling this as artisan coffee and people are buying the snake oil. I’m not necessarily accusing any roaster of being misleading, but there are multiple examples of small roasters which simply don’t know the difference between good and poor coffee quality.
This raises the following question in my mind. What is the difference between Nescafe` buying well-processed robusta, roasting it consistently, marketing it as “shared value” coffee, and a small roaster buying past crop, unevenly dried, over-ripe, high-grown arabica and marketing it as “small-batch” specialty coffee? Nothing.
All this being said, what I think needs to happen in the specialty coffee industry is a greater assumption of responsibility within the emerging roasting community. We can rely on marketing, or “anti-marketing” and the title of small-batch roasters, or we can be seeking out knowledge and rely on a consistent cycle of improvement within our craft. Don’t use the phrase small-batch without explaining how this impacts quality; and if you don’t know what it means, don’t use it (Hint: It’s not the same thing as having a “small” roaster). Admit that we are all constantly improving our abilities, instead of presenting yourself as an authority on coffee. Learn about green evaluation and how, on a practical level, proper drying and sorting affects the cup. The best way to know when you’ve found a very knowledgeable coffee authority is they are eager to learn. The opposite is also true.
If we assume the mantle of “specialty coffee roaster” let’s ensure it means something. I know that as more roasters understand that being in specialty coffee carries a responsibility to every person; from the farmer, to the consumer, and visibility to coffee at each level, this industry will make exponential gains. Sepia toned pictures of a tiny roaster and vintage coffee packaging do not a specialty roaster make; constantly seeking out ways to improve your understanding & skill does.
December 30, 2012
We’ve recently been talking about the concept and importance of visibility. We are experiencing a lot of growth in our industry, and Denver is no exception. As this occurs we’ve been witness to the amazing opportunity for businesses to create visibility within their brand or, conversely, to mimic visibility while obscuring channels of sourcing coffee, tea, or other products. With a small growing coffee business, the current state of sourcing may not mirror your long-term sourcing goals. My worry is that some craft coffee companies may choose to mislead customers as to their involvement in farm to cup sourcing and imply, implicitly or explicitly, that they have direct sourcing when they do not.
I have told myself that this doesn’t matter, and if a business is being unethical in its communication to customers, it is their business. As I’ve thought more, I realize that this sort of misleading information hurts all of us. Our industry is built on trust. More times than I can count I’ve told consumers to look to the roaster or shop owner who is using roasters and importers to guide their coffee buying decisions instead of a Fair-Trade or Organic certification sticker. Buying from people who maintain open lines of sourcing is a far better way to positively impact the farmer than relying on vague market certifications acquired by large roasters.
This sort of trust relies on honesty within our craft community of shops, roasters, and importers. As soon as the specialty coffee customers in this city learn of a craft coffee professional misleading them in some way relating to their products, we all lose credibility. Whether we like this or not, we all are in the same boat; pushing for market share against big coffee producers. Consumers new to this market view us as one single group of companies. Everything we do reflects on each other. Be open with your customers on where and how you procure your products and goods. If your current state of affairs doesn’t reflect your long term goals, communicate this drive and direction. Being a company with long term goals is great; being a company who fakes it till they make it is not.
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