WATTS WORKS - JOY IN THE CUPPING LAB

Hola:

The cupping crew here in the Intelli Lab is especially smiley and gleeful today, beyond even the usual highly joyful standards. It's been a glorious coffee day; we spent all afternoon evaluating lot samples from La Maravilla ("the wonder") and were treated to a parade of coffees that showed characteristics ranging from sweet cherry and cane juice to floral and plum-like to rich and chocolate-y. Some were refreshingly citric and tart, reminding us of tropical skittles, while others came through with complex black cherry and warm cocoa notes that gave the coffee a particular elegance.

But beyond the raw sensory delight there was something else causing our happiness...this was a coffee that basically skipped a year due to milling problems in 2006 that prevented us from using it. It is like the return of a great friend coming back from a year-long sabbatical. Many of you may have noticed that there was no El Cuervo (our Guatemalan DT I-mark) in the '06-07 season. For those who haven't yet gotten to know this coffee, here's a primer:

Guatemala is one of the premier origins in the world for Specialty Coffee. You might check out an early edition of Watts Works to get a glimpse of how enamored we've always been with the character of coffees that come from the various regions of the country. They are perhaps the furthest along of any coffee-producing nation in identifying and isolating regional differences in cup profile and have such distinct micro-climates that even novice tasters are able observe regional profile trends during comparative cuppings. San Marcos, Antigua, HueHuetenango, Fraijanes, Atitlan, and the recently inaugurated Acetenango all bring something unique to the table.

In 2004 El Cuervo underwent a change when we began focusing on Huehuetenango as the centerpiece, replacing the coffee from Fraijanes that had been the key contributor in the past. La Maravilla, located in Huehuetenango (and featured on the cover of our 2007 Direct Trade calendar), became our first true partnership farm and the test run for our embryonic Direct Trade program. The place is fantastically beautiful with jagged mountain slopes and deep valleys, a misty cloud forest, and lush green landscape. The owner of the farm, Mauricio Rosales, is a humble visionary and tremendously warm human being who shares our passion for quality. The coffee is radiant with flavor, reflecting both the near-perfect growing conditions and the exceptional work of an impassioned and careful farmer. It was the perfect fit as Mauricio had been selling his coffee at prices below its true value and was thrilled to finally connect with a roaster that understood the costs of quality.

Well now it’s 2007, and we're gearing up to launch what will be our greatest El Cuervo edition yet. The best of the coffees from Maravilla's ‘07 harvest will be taking center stage and we'll craft the I-mark by adding some coffee from a farm in Acetenango that just joined the DT ranks this season. It is a near certainty that this coffee will be my first choice among all of our Central American offerings this Fall... it's just that good, the Lance Armstrong of Central American coffees. Having missed it for a whole year just intensifies the pleasure of getting it back.

We'll be milling the coffee in the coming weeks, and it will board an ocean liner bound for California sometime in July. I expect El Cuervo to be on the offering sheets starting in late August or early September.

In the meantime, consider the Anjilanaka from Bolivia...our featured coffee for this week. It is still behaving like a champ… a little softer than it was when we initially released it, but in a very good way, like a wine that becomes smoother as it matures. It's one of the best one the menu for June, and will likely be gone by August...so enjoy it while you can!