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From the Roaster Coffee is more popular than ever. For the aficionado, every stage of coffee preparation from growing, to roasting, to brewing is critical for the perfect cup of coffee. Our coffee roaster, Morning Glory Coffee and Tea, provides information on each of these aspects of coffee, including introducing us to coffees from all over the world, with the goal of enhancing our knowledge of and appreciation for this complex and wonderful beverage.
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Coffee Blending |
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 Spring is here in the Rockies, which means snow! The coffee shop is quiet so there is more time to concentrate on cupping and blending. We are excited for our new crop of coffees to arrive and are preparing by tasting samples and adjusting blends. Blending is the art of combining coffees to create a consistent and balanced cup. Different blends are used for different qualities. Lighter body blends work well for traditional breakfasts accenting the oils in bacon and eggs creating a fuller body. Medium body blends can be great all day as all around sipping coffees. Fuller body and darker roasted blends work well after dinner with desserts (especially chocolate). The most important of the blends that can be created is the espresso blend. Although there has been a movement in recent years to utilize single origins in espresso brewing, it is still the blend that brings balance to the cup when brewed in this method. Espresso blends are typically three or more coffees from a variety of origins and sometimes a variety of roast degrees. The basic idea is to create a balance of flavors that will shine through the espresso brewing process. The coffee is brewed quickly under pressure highlighting the strongest character of each coffee in the blend. Northern Italian style tends to be lighter in roast character and Southern Italian style is darker with more roasty notes. The important thing to understand when choosing a blend is that there is virtually no standard recipe for degree of roast, ratio, or coffee type from roaster to roaster. It truly is the abilities and the experience of the person creating the blends that make a blend good or not so good.
The art of blending in Specialty coffee allows the customer to experience well balanced coffees that are tailored to specific meals or time of day. Commercial blends are used to create a consistency of product for better or worse. There is also a third form of blending coffees that all consumers should be wary of. Many roasters, big and small fall into the trap of blending high profile coffees in order to use an origin name. We have all seen coffees labeled "Kona Blend", "Kona Style", "Jamaican Blend" or "Jamaican Style". These products do not represent the coffees they are advertising. In the case of "blends," the actual ratio of the named coffee is often very low creating a product that in no way resembles the origin or its characteristics. In fact, there are laws in Japan that prohibit such blends or place minimums on how much of the named coffee is actually in the blend. The State of Hawaii has put truth in labeling laws into effect and is currently working with the Hawaiian Coffee Association and the Kona Coffee farmers to address such issues. Always check the label. If a brand uses the term "style" on its label it is a guarantee that there is absolutely none of the named coffee in the bag. These coffees are created to mimic an origin such as Jamaican Blue Mountain and capitalize on the name to market the product. The product may be fine but this method unfortunately dilutes the quality of the named origin.
In closing, be sure to enjoy your local roasters signature blends for what they are; handcrafted, well balanced coffees that marry the best attributes of the origins they are working with. Avoid commercial blends that are maintaining the status quo for bad taste and be leery of the roaster that mislabels or uses an origin as a marketing ploy. The truth is in the cup.
About the Roaster
 Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone, Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close-knit coffee community from "seed to cup", and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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What makes Specialty Coffee Special? |
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 Coffee is the second most traded product in dollars, surpassed only by petroleum. Our politics, culture and every day lives have been shaped by this mystical beverage, but what is that special something that makes a coffee “Specialty”. The current market is filled with a confusing mix of labels and marketing schemes that tempt us to pay an extra premium for our daily brew. Specialty, gourmet, single origin, organic, shade friendly, fair-trade, the list seems to be endless. Because coffee is so deeply embedded in our culture, there is no simple answer to this question. There is, however, one distinct difference between commercial coffee and coffees labeled “Specialty”. Commercial coffee is of lower quality on every level. The coffees that are used in the major grocery brands are primarily purchased on the coffee futures exchange in New York City and London. The coffee traded in New York is all Arabica Species and is referred to as C grade; the lowest certifiable grade in the industry. Coffee traded on the London market is Robusta Species. Robusta is the second most used species of coffee in the world. Found in the 1890’s in Central Africa, Robusta is now a large part of commercial coffee production. Robusta is easier to cultivate, is more resistant to insects and disease and has twice the caffeine of Arabica coffees; Robusta is also very cheap to purchase. Although Robusta does have a place in some espresso blends its major problem is a horrible taste profile. It is for this reason that Robusta is used as a blender to lower the price of commercial coffee products. Low prices equal bad taste on many levels. Virtually all Specialty coffee roasters utilize top grade Arabica coffees for their blends, flavored and straight origin coffees. There are over 4000 independent coffee roasters in the United States and the majority of them are buying coffee on a farmers market rather than on the futures market. As roasters, we are paying a premium on the daily exchange benchmark for the highest grade coffees available. These coffees are primarily purchased through brokers who purchase direct from the farms and co-ops and then have the coffee stored for shipping in warehouses throughout the country. If a roaster is fortunate enough to have the means, many will buy direct from the farm or co-op and make visits to the origin to build a closer relationship with the farm. Many of the roasters and brokers that visit the countries of origin have made great strides over the last twenty years to insure the livelihood, culture, and heritage of the farms and co-ops by paying a fair price and insuring that the producers are provided with a good standard of living.  When you purchase Specialty Coffee from your favorite roaster, be sure to look at or ask about their mission statement and business practices in regards to the coffees they roast. Do not depend solely on labels, and choose carefully. As I have said before the truth is in the cup.
Spring is here and with that a whole new crop of coffees that are sure to please many pallets. I will cover some new coffees and their cup qualities next month. Catch ya on the refill! About the Roaster
Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone, Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close-knit coffee community from "seed to cup", and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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Washed or Unwashed…that is the question |
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 Much of the quality and character of a coffee is a direct result of how the bean has been processed after picking. There are many methods, including washed, unwashed European Prep, and triple picked. Knowing a little bit about each of these processes can be extremely helpful in finding the right coffee for your pallet. With the exception of Brazilian coffees virtually all Central and South American coffees fall into the washed process category. Coffees in these regions are typically processed by a method known as European Prep. The coffee cherry is pulped fresh from the fields to remove the flesh of the fruit. What remains on the seed is a slick sticky substance called mucilage. The mucilage is not soluble in water and needs to be removed by one of two methods. The traditional method is to ferment the coffee in water. The fermentation time depends on a number of factors including the amount of coffee fermenting, water temperature, and humidity. The second method is called aqua pulping; the mucilage is removed with water and bean against bean friction. Although different characteristics are found in the cup, both methods create what is called a clean cup. Unwashed coffees are processed without the use of water and can be extremely different from lot to lot, season to season, and origin to origin. The coffee cherry is allowed to dry on the seed and is then hulled, sorted and graded. Because the bean is dried with the fruit, the resulting coffee can have a strong earthy, wild flavor in comparison to the washed method. Sumatra is a great example of a coffee that exhibits an earthy sometimes musty character, heavy in body. I prefer unwashed coffees in a blend to add character and body, balanced with washed coffees to brighten and complete the cup. Triple picked is a term to describe coffees that have been picked and then sorted twice to clean out any defects in the raw product. The interesting result in the case of coffee from Sumatra is that the cup can actually suffer as the result of triple picking. Most coffees will roast more evenly, look better on the shelf and of course taste better with the defects removed. Sumatra however, can lose its earthy character and become bland. The lesson learned is that roasters must cup and sample many coffees and not choose purely by the processing method, but by the quality in the finished cup. For the consumer it is much the same. Trust your local roaster to choose the best coffees and the proper roast. Choose your favorites by the final cup not the processing method, brand, origin or estate. Beyond the labels of roast degree, type, and origin, you will find the truth is always in the cup. About the Roaster
Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone, Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close-knit coffee community, from "seed to cup" and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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Ethiopian? I want a regular cup of coffee! |
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In this day and age of coffee shops on every corner it would seem that the regular cup of coffee has become a thing of the past. The truth is that there never has been a regular cup of coffee. From its humble origins 800 to 1000 years ago in what is now the Ethiopian Highlands, coffee has made an amazing and exotic trip encompassing religion, politics, economics, imperialism, revolution and of course that morning wake-up. Coffee is now grown in over fifty countries and employs twenty-five million people world wide. Coffee is the second most traded product in dollars in the world, outdone only by petroleum. With over 400 billion cups consumed every year, coffee is the world’s most popular beverage. Something to think about the next time you gas up the car and get a cup of coffee to go. There are many legends that pertain to the origin of coffee drinking, some of which may be true. There is no evidence, however, to show exactly when or how coffee was first discovered. One thing is for certain; Arabica Coffee is indigenous to Ethiopia and was transported to the Arabian Peninsula where it was first cultivated in what is today the country of Yemen. Wild coffee is still found in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia to this day. It is also cultivated in the Harar, Limmu, Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions. Washed Yirgacheffe and Sidamo are the most common Ethiopian coffees found in the United States and are both popular for their medium to light body and floral aroma. Ethiopian coffees can vary greatly from lot to lot and year to year, so finding that perfect blueberry note in a Yirgacheffe or hint of lemon in a Sidamo is always a challenge for even the best roasters and cuppers. At their best, Ethiopian coffees are an incredibly elegant cup with a complexity and character riveled by few other origins. Each sip is a celebration of the entire coffee industry, rich in culture, heritage, history, and pride for a product and beverage that has been a major contributor to the world as we know it today. These coffees are great any time of the day, but I prefer them with a light brunch or to stimulate a great before-dinner conversation with friends. About the Roaster
Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone, Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close-knit coffee community, from "seed to cup" and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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Mountain Top Estate: Australian Bundja Peaberry |
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 Extraordinary coffees are always rare and only available in small amounts. Australian Bundja is one such coffee. Bundja is sourced from several small boutique Estates in the New South Wales, Northern Rivers Region of Australia. A single origin Arabica coffee, Bundja is processed with the double pass method. This method of using late ripened coffee was pioneered at Kauai Coffee Company in Hawaii and is being further refined at Mountain Top Estate. Late ripened coffee cherry is less dense and therefore floats in water, allowing for complete separation in the pulping process. Late cherry or floaters are slightly overripe giving the coffee a more distinct note. Handled properly this type of coffee will have fuller body and higher fruity characteristics. Bundja is available in flat bean and Peaberry. Peaberry coffees are also rare in the industry because many mills do not take the extra effort to separate this single bean. Peaberry is produced by virtually all coffee trees. Healthy trees will produce 2% to 3% of their crop as Peaberry. Peaberries result when the coffee cherry only produces one seed. Coffee flowers are “perfect” or self pollinating with (normally) two ovaries that produce two side-by-side seeds (what we know as coffee beans are not beans at all, but seeds). When one of the ovaries is not pollinated or does not form a seed, the one seed rounds itself off and forms an oval or pea shape. The peaberry can then be separated by means of a slotted screen. The more familiar flat beans are also separated through 64ths of an inch round screens from size 12 up to 20 screen. The larger and denser bean will usually produce the best quality cup. Screen size also creates a consistentency of size allowing for balanced development of the coffee during the roasting process. I will share more details of the intense grading that is necessary for a great cup of coffee in future articles. After cupping the 2005 crop, I chose the peaberry over the flat bean as my favorite for this year. In my experience, peaberry tends to be more intense in the cup. Depending on the origin, there is heightened body (mouth feel) or acidity (brightness). Bundja Peaberry is exceptional in that both of these characteristics are up front and present in the cup. The body is full with a creamy, buttery feel. This coffee is clean, well balanced, sweet and mellow with faint orange and lime like acidity. Although still a young farm in the industry, Mountain Top Coffee has made great strides in production and quality, creating an incredible coffee that is a joy to roast and privilege to sip. This coffee works well as a filter coffee but really shines when brewed in a press pot. An extremely rare treat from “Down Under”, if you have a chance to enjoy this coffee be sure it is with a special dinner and a rich chocolate dessert. About the Roaster
Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close knit coffee community, from "seed to cup" and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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Kauai Estate Reserve |
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 The world of Specialty Coffee has grown enormously in the past twenty years. Improvements in agriculture, roasting and packaging now allow an incredible variety of great origin coffees, blends and flavors to be available to the customer. I have spent the last thirteen years roasting, tasting and selling coffee and have to say that the coffee that I will be writing about today is a personal favorite for many reasons. Just thinking about Kauai Estate Reserve brings back the fragrant smell of coffee flowers mixed with plumaria and other exotic flowers on and around what I affectionately call "The Farm". Kauai Coffee is the largest coffee farm in the United States, with 3,400 acres of coffee trees. Literally millions of trees stretch as far as the eye can see bearing fruit that after being harvested, pulped, dried, hulled, graded and cupped will become Kauai Estate Reserve. Kauai Coffee Company, on the south side of Kauai, HI is one of the most technically advanced coffee farms in the world. Unlike many other coffee farms, the operation on Kauai is all inclusive, allowing for quality control from start to finish. Every batch is cupped and graded by the farm and the State Department of Agriculture before it is allowed to have the Trademark of origin. The coffee is then ready to be shipped to a roaster where the coffee will be finished. Hawaiian coffees are for the most part mild and delicate in the cup and Kauai Estate Reserve is no exception.
Unlike most perishable food products such as wine and cheese, the quality of coffee is truly determined at the point of sale. In the hands of a capable roaster an incredible coffee can be created, however it must be ground, brewed and served properly for that creation to be complete and satisfying. There are many methods for roasting coffee, all creating a distinct and different final cup. The same coffee can taste completely different from roaster to roaster depending on their methods and choice of cup profile. Kauai Estate reserve is a relatively soft bean and must be roasted carefully to bring out the best cup. This past year's crop has been a customer favorite for its milk chocolate notes and slightly spicy finish. My cupping results have noted a hint of cardamom lingering in the finish. Mild with a medium to light body this is a perfect all day coffee or a great fit for that special Holiday breakfast that isn't complete without something special and rare. Kauai Estate Reserve competes very well against other Hawaiian coffees both in the cup and the pocket book.
About the Roaster
Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. is a roaster of specialty coffees in West Yellowstone Montana. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc., we are passionate about the close knit coffee community, from "seed to cup" and are proud to roast and provide some of the best coffees in the world on our website catalog and at our West Yellowstone, MT Coffee House. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc. we feel it is important to roast our coffees appropriate to the origin characteristics rather than to a particular roast color.
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