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

20 Savory Coffee Recipes To Try

It's easy to find dessert recipes that use coffee. It goes so naturally with flavors like chocolate and nuts that it's a logical addition. It's more rare to find savory food that involves coffee. I've done some Googling and found a lot more than I expected and they are mouthwatering! I've seen a few recipes for coffee barbecue sauces and meat rubs before, but I was surprised to find everything from espresso vinaigrette to coffee crackers. Here are my top 20:

1. Coffee-Braised Short Ribs
This uses wine and cold brew coffee as both a marinade and part of the sauce. 

2. Roast Beef with Porcini Coffee Sauce
Mmmmm....reminiscent of a Boeuf Bourguignon, they add coffee to flavors of mushroom and wine. 

3. Coffee Barbecue Sauce
So many yummy flavors in this one. 

4. Barbecue Hoecakes with Vinegar Slaw
Chicken and corncakes with a brown sugar BBQ sauce.

5. Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburgers with Texas Barbecue Sauce
Coffee and spice rubbed burgers with bacon and cheese.

6. Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce
Spicy and sweet....

7. Coffee-Marinated Bison Short Ribs
More coffee and maple syrup goodness.

8. Coffee and Spice-Coated Lamb with Arugula, Avocado, and Blood Orange Salad
This rub has coffee and cocoa, could it get any better?

9. Caribbean Shrimp Tropical Salad with Lime Coffee Vinaigrette
Here's an interesting one, using coffee in a vinaigrette. 

10. Apple Jack Ribs Smoked Over Coffee Beans with Coffee Barbecue Sauce

This one involves throwing coffee beans on the grill to get coffee-flavored smoke. 

11. Coffee Crackers with Aged Port Cheddar Spread

I'm super intrigued to try coffee crackers. 

12. Coffee Coloradito Mole
Adding coffee to an already chocolaty mole sauce, yum!

13. Cuban Style Polenta Tamales
Espresso in tamales sounds delicious

14. Chicken Wings with Thai Inspired Coffee Barbecue Sauce
Switching it up by adding Thai flavors to a barbecue sauce. 

15. Smoked Turkey Sandwich with Coffee Shallot Jam
Coffee jam sounds interesting.

16. Espresso-Chili Rubbed Pork with Sweet Potato Fries
Cayenne, coffee, orange, yum.....

17. Flank Steak with Coffee Peppercorn Marinade
The flavor combos on this one sound amazing!

18. Late Night Coffee-Brined Chicken
Here's a new way to do a whole chicken.

19. Coffee Bacon Sandwiches
Coffee and bacon can't go wrong. We have a pack of bacon waiting to be cooked and I may just try this one out.

20. Molasses and Coffee Pork Chops
Anyone who's ever put a spoonful of molasses in their coffee knows this is a good combo. Plus it's an Alton Brown recipe, so it's almost guaranteed to be delicious.

Have you ever tried using coffee in savory food? Share your experiences and recipes in the comments!

-Jessamyn at Voyage Coffee Roasters

Holiday Giving

This holiday season, we will be sending 5% of proceeds from December coffee orders to The ApParent Project. AP is a non-profit in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti that creates employment for the impoverished  especially for parents who are trying to provide for their families. The founders are family friends of ours, and we are excited to support this cause!