Summer Blend 2015 Is Here

Announcing our limited edition 2015 Summer Blend! This is an organic blend comprised of beans from Ethiopia, and the Dominican Republic.  

Description:

A light-bodied blend with notes of honey, citrus, and a hint of raspberry.

Available Medium Roast only. Get this exclusive blend while you can! 2015's Summer Blend is only available through September 23^rd. 

Shop Summer Blend.

Questions or comments about this blend? Leave a comment below!

Latest Cupping Notes

I was sorting through some folders and realized I had some cupping notes that have never been posted. These are from two different tastings, where we sought replacements for our Mexico and Ethiopias. Our new Dominican Republic is in there too! It's always interesting and fun to compare the different coffees and consider the factors that change flavor. 

Here they are:

Mexico Organic SHG EP - La Lagunilla Cooperative: Anise and sharp pepper aroma, caramel and nutty almond notes, medium-high acidity. A perfect replacement for our previous Mexico.

Honduras FTO SHG EP – Marcala: Woody fragrance, earthy, sweet melon flavor notes, mellow, medum acidity, low body.

Panama Organic SHB EP - Duncan Estate: Mellow aroma with chocolate and spice notes, vanilla nut flavors, medium sweetness with low acidity.

Peru Organic SHB EP: Earthy fragrances with hints of peppery anise, grass-like flavors with high acidity.

DR Organic RFA – APROCAFE: A sweet, raspberry jam aroma, flavors of honey, wheat bread, dried fig and berry. Low acidity.

Ethiopia FTO G2 Limmu Inara Farmers Coop ‘Debelo’: Muted citrus fragrance, tangy lemon and black tea flavors, with a little nuttiness similar to our former Sidamo, hints of tobacco in the  aftertaste. Low sweetness, medium body. This was our favorite of the three Ethiopias we cupped. 

Ethiopia FTO G2 Limmu Inara Farmers Coop ‘Bufata’: Very similar to the Debelo: citrus, and tea flavors but with hints of buttery caramel and medium acidity, medium body. Very similar, less sweetness, butter, caramel. Med acidity.

Ethiopia G3 Organic – Burka Gudina Estate: Sticky sweet lemon fragrance, flavors of dried fruit such as blueberry and apricot with a hint of dark chocolate 

What are your favorite flavors in coffee? Ever done a tasting or cupping? Leave a comment below!

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

New Coffee Feature: Holiday Blend 2014

Announcing our limited edition 2014 Holiday Blend! This is an organic blend comprised of beans from Ethiopia, Sumatra and Mexico. 

Description:

Warm up any occasion with this smooth blend, featuring flavors of rich, creamy chocolate and vanilla, with hints of citrus and berry.

Get this exclusive blend while you can! 2014's Holiday Blend is only available November 27th-December 31^st.

Shop Holiday Blend.

Questions or comments about this blend? Leave a comment below!

New Coffee Feature: Ethiopia Limmu Inara

Hello coffee lovers!

We have a new single origin coffee in our repertoire: FTO Ethiopia Limmu Inara. 

The Beans:

From the Debelo Coop, part of the Limmu Inara Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Union located in the Limmu region of Ethiopia. These are Grade 2 Arabica beans and are certified Organic and Fair Trade. 

The Taste:

From our cupping notes: Muted citrus fragrance, tangy lemon and black tea flavors, with a little nuttiness similar to our former Sidamo, hints of tobacco in the  aftertaste. Low sweetness, medium body. 

From Olam's (our green coffee importer) cupping notes: bright, lemon, apricot, sweet, long finish.

Featured in:
Safari Blend

Shop FTO Ethiopia Limmu Inara

Questions or comments about this coffee? Leave a comment below!

April Cupping

On Saturday, we had our first cupping of 2014. We were mostly looking for a match to our Organic Indonesia Sumatra. Since it's one of our most popular coffees and essential to some of our blends, we need to restock with something very similar. We also ordered samples from origins we've never tried before, including Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.


Here are the tasting notes:

Sumatra FTO Grade 1 - KSU Tirmijaya Coop: Smoky, cinnamon spice flavor with notes of vanilla, raisins and butter, very low acidity, some sweetness and full body. An excellent match to our current Sumatra. 

Sumatra Organic G1 - Ketiara Coop: Earthy, with hints of almond. Light lemony acidity and some sweetness. Overall bright and tangy. Similar to our current Sumatra, but not as close as the Fair Trade.

Dominican Republic Organic Rainforest Alliance- APROCAFE: Rich and full-bodied, with dark chocolate flavor and hints of smoky tobacco.

Brazil Fine Cup - Fazenda Pantano 'Yellow Bourbon': A typical Brazil, very coffee-ish, with milk chocolate and nutty notes. Medium body and sweetness.

Bolivia Organic Strictly Hard Bean Euro Prep - Caranavi: Hints of jasmine flowers in the aroma, sour cherry and lemon tea notes, bright and acidic. 

Uganda Organic Rainforest Alliance Washed - Sipi Falls: Sweet and tangy, bringing to mind grapefruit and lemon with hints of buttery caramel.

Coarsely ground coffee, ready for tasting. 

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

Why the Cost of Coffee Changes

We are raising our prices slightly in May, and we want to make sure our customers know why. This is also a great opportunity to explain a little bit about the coffee industry. 

This is the path our coffee takes:

Farmer > Olam (Importer) > Voyage > You

Did you know green coffee is traded as a commodity, just like cocoa, corn, or wheat? (Coffee is second-most traded commodity in the world in fact, after oil.) Because it's a commodity, the price fluctuates every day. Every time we restock on the same green beans, from the same farm, the price has changed.

We want the farmers who grow our beans and their workers to be paid, fair, livable wages. That's one of the reasons we work with Olam. Though not all of the beans we buy from them are certified Fair Trade, (the Fair Trade certification is not without issues) we know that they are committed to paying the farmers well. They even have many community development and education programs in place. (That's another post for another day.)

In 2013, there was such a drop in commodity coffee prices, that many coffee farmers were not even profitable:

“There can be no doubt that in many countries the prices received by coffee growers fail to cover the unit costs of production, while at the same time the prices of basic goods, such as food and energy, are rising....Indeed, coffee is the worst performing agricultural commodity of the last two years, with a downward trend that has so far shown no sign of improving.”

 ---International Coffee Organization, November 2013

Source: Daily Coffee News

In the last several months, the price has risen again, and that is reflected in the price we pay for green beans. We think paying a little more per pound is worth it to ensure that the people who work hard for our coffee are able to support their families!

Here is a great infographic with some other interesting facts about coffee and economics:

Source: Mint.com

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

Fall Cupping Session

Hello internet! It's been awhile since we've blogged. I hope you're all having a great fall and drinking lots of coffee!

We had a cupping this past weekend. We had six varieties to sample this time, including a decaf, and new batch of the same Mexican coffee we already carry. Even coffee from the exact same farm and can taste different crop to crop, so we needed to make sure the taste was roughly the same. 

If you're unfamiliar with cupping and the process, you can read some of our past posts about cupping: 

December Cupping

We Keep On Cupping

One More Cupping

My cupping sheet

Brazil Organic Fancy - Nossa Senhora de Fatima Estate:

The fragrance brings to mind almonds, pretzels and rum with hints of smokiness. Dark chocolate and nut flavors are present, with very low acidity.

Mexico FTO Bird Friendly SHG EP - Swiss Water Decaf:

Muted peppery fragrance, followed by low acidity, classic Mexican chocolate and nut flavors. Very similar to our other Mexico.

Mexico FTO SHG EP - Union Ramal Santa Cruz:

(This is the same Mexico we offer now.) Almond and pepper aroma, nutty cocoa flavors with a slight tanginess and mild sweetness. Very little difference from last year’s batch, also similar to the decaf we cupped above.

Burundi FW AA – Rutana:

Smells like a garden. Very earthy, brings to mind squash, mind flavor, low-medium body.

Brazil Standard FC Peaberry Natural - São Pedro Estate:

Sweet jasmine notes in the fragrance, sourdough bread and chocolate flavors with a hint of spice, and a low-med body. Very mellow. 

Panama SHB EP - La Gloria Estate:

Vanilla, almond and anise aroma. Creamy, low acidity with cocoa butter flavors. Reminiscent of our Kenya Peaberry. 

After tasting all of them, we settled on stocking up on the Mexico, the Decaf, and some of the Panama to work into future blends. 

What coffees sound the best to you? Have you ever done a cupping?

-Jessamyn

at Voyage Coffee Roasters

New Coffee Feature: Organic Ethiopia Sidamo

Hello coffee lovers!

Today's post is the last in a series of four about our newest coffees. Last but not least, this post is about our Organic Ethiopia Sidamo Suko Quto. 

The Beans:

This Organic offering is grown in volcanic soil that's maintained with organic recycling. The farm is above 1600 meters in the Oriomia region of Ethiopia. It's a Grade 2 coffee, and it's processed using the Washed Process. 

The Taste:

From our cupping notes: A muted fragrance followed by lemony, black tea notes, a hint of sweetness, and a light-medium body. 

From Olam's (our green coffee importer) cupping notes: very nice sweet, lemon, floral notes

Featured in:
Safari Blend, Tempest Blend

Buy Organic Ethiopia Sidamo

Questions or comments about this coffee? Leave a comment below!

One More Cupping

We had (hopefully) our final cupping before we order more beans. We're excited about some of the coffees we got to try out this time. 

Here are the tasting notes:

Guatemala Huehuetenango Pierda Azul: This coffee has a molasses scent with hints of earthiness. Flavors of buttery caramel and orange come through. Its low acidity and hint of sweetness finish with a pleasant walnut aftertaste.  

Guatemala Finca La Bolsa La Huerta: Less fragrant and more acidic than the similar Guatemala above, it features a spicy aroma. Pecan, lemon, black tea, and earth are the primary flavors.  

Mexico FTO Ramal Santa Cruz: Smells like sweet almonds, followed by some sweetness, chocolate and tart wine-like flavors and a mellow aftertaste. Medium body.  

Indonesia FTO Sumatra Grade 1: The distinct, sharp fragrance of this coffee has notes of fruit, especially blueberry. Spice, dark chocolate, mocha, and vanilla flavors. Complex but still smooth and chocolaty, the low acidity and full body make this a delicious coffee. 

As we look at ordering, we should end up with quite a good selection, including coffee from South America, Africa and the Far East. We've sampled coffees with a lot of different labels and certifications: Peaberry, Strictly Hard Bean, Strictly High Grown, Euro Prep, Fair Trade, Organic, Rain Forest Alliance. For a lot of the coffees, there is even information available about the farms, their owners and processes. When we have our new coffees, we'll be posting about each one! 

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

We Keep on Cupping

We're continuing our search for delicious organic beans. Because coffee is a constantly changing commodity, our offerings will change every several months. We really love the coffees we have right now, so we're looking hard for coffees with the same flavors. 

Here are notes from our most recent samples:

Costa Rica Organic Lomas Al Rio: A rich coffee with flavors of cocoa, caramel, and nuts, a smooth aftertaste and med-full body. 

Honduras Fair Trade Organic COCAFELOL: This coffee starts with a sharp and spicy aroma. Overall a simple coffee with notes of earth, chocolate, and nutmeg. 

Uganda Natural Bukonzo Organic: Features an exotic, woody and floral aroma. Sweet, syrupy blueberry and strawberry jam flavors. 

Ethiopia Certified Organic Fair Trade Harrar Gr. 4: Similar to other Ethiopian coffees we've tasted. The fragrance is both tangy and sweet. Dark chocolate and dried fruit come to mind, especially blueberry at cooling, light acidity, minimal sweetness and a medium body. 

Ethiopia Organic Sidamo Grade 2 Suke Quto:
A muted fragrance followed by lemony, black tea notes, a hint of sweetness, and a light-medium body. A good flavor match for our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. 

Papua New Guinea Organic A/X Yha Hauka Kopi:
Low complexity, spicy and slightly smoky aroma, earth and wood flavors, nice aftertaste. 

Ethiopia RFO Limmu G2 Kaffa Forest Estate:
Featuring an almond and vanilla fragrance, followed by flavors of caramel, honey, hibiscus and lemon. A bright coffee. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts on coffee flavor: 

What are your favorite flavors in coffee? Do you go for fruity? Floral? Chocolatey? Caramel? Do you tend to stick with coffee from one part of the world? What's the best type of coffee you've ever had? Leave a comment below!

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters