David and I used to joke about how as I grew into the coffee industry that all of my relatives would find some way to give me cheezy coffee knick-knacks for birthdays and holidays. And at that time we made some kind of unspoken agreement that he would refrain from buying me coffee mugs with cat heads or motivational phrases on them.
So when David gave me a Chemex this year for my birthday, you can undoubtedly say I was stoked. It was conveniently on the same day that Octane received its first shipment of the Thunguri Microlot from Nyeri, Kenya. I have a special place in my heart for Kenyan coffees... but this was something worth writing home about. The best way i could describe it was a plum covered in maple syrup with a little bit of salt sprinkled on top. I bought a 12oz bag of it and it was gone a day later. I couldn't help but just keep making it for everyone (not to mention I'm slightly obsessed with experimenting with my new brew device).
On top of all of this Kenyan excitement, David Lamont brought us by some coffees from the CC cupping on Friday-- all coffees from Aida Batlle's Finca Mauritania. I'd never had a "Pasa" coffee before, and was stunned at it's real raisin rum flavor. I love being surprised at what coffee can be... Thank you.
Excitement overflows as the new coffees come in...
31 August 2008
26 August 2008
Love is Love
Until yesterday, Hurricane Faye hadn't really held up to much of a storm for us in Atlanta. At best, she offered a few beautiful overcast and mild windy days. People anticipated rain, but none came, and so when another cloudy day rolled over yesterday, I thought for sure it'd be a fine day to visit Love is Love farm in Douglasville, GA.
Instead, my adventure companion Emma and I found ourselves traveling down Fulton Industrial for twenty minutes in the heaviest sheets of rain we've seen in months. It dripped through the leaky roof of my car and was so loud that conversation was strained. But we persevered and managed to spot our turn, or what we though was our turn... only to be wandering down one of two roads with the same name, eventually leading to an hour long journey which really shouldn't have been more than 30 minutes. Anxiety aside, we eventually made it to the farm, but only to realize it was only open for fresh food shoppin' on Mondays from 4-7PM.
At this point you might imagine us turning around, finding a quicker route home for a rainy afternoon of snuggles and Law and Order marathons. But no, we were determined. After a couple of phone calls we were on the farm with Joe Reynolds, the twenty-something city boy gone organic farmer, and his parade of dogs ranging from old gray haired sweethearts to a tiny feisty chihuahua. He (with the dogs following along) gave us a grand tour of the 8 acre far. Love is Love actually belongs to an older couple, Skip and Cookie, but in large it is up to Joe and his lady Judith to do the planning. Their plants vary from the "instantly gratifying" beans to Amish seed spitting watermelons to a new plot in the works for strawberries later this year.
When asking Joe how he'd gotten into all of this, seeing as how he had mentioned working at the Brickstore in Decatur (a well loved Belgian beer restaurant) just a few years ago, he brought up coffee. Joe mentioned of his time at Java Monkey-- an Equal Exchange account, also on the Decatur square. He spoke with the folks at EE, and managed to make a few contacts with some folks in Honduras and Nicaragua. He traveled and visited these farms, inspired by their hard work, [I'm missing a few steps but Joe and Judith] eventually came to find his place on Love is Love.
Many of us in the coffee industry speak (almost religiously at times) about the desire to go to coffee origin. Myself included, we find it to hold some key to a whole understanding of the seed to cup process. As for now, I really don't have any plans made to go to coffee origin anytime soon, mostly for time and monetary reasons. But until that becomes a more likely possibility, it's comforting to know there is an organic farm just thirty minutes outside the city that can offer a similar experience. Grounding and peaceful, its indirect reminder of the "where it came from" story is a message sent strong.
If you're in the Atlanta area on a Wednesday from 4-7PM, I encourage you to make the short trip to check out the farm. If that isn't a possibility, they take their food up to the Local Farm Stand (Thurs, Fri, and Sat) in front of Star Provisions just down the street from Octane. They don't have a website, but Judith does have a Love is Love facebook page! Find them, love them :)
Instead, my adventure companion Emma and I found ourselves traveling down Fulton Industrial for twenty minutes in the heaviest sheets of rain we've seen in months. It dripped through the leaky roof of my car and was so loud that conversation was strained. But we persevered and managed to spot our turn, or what we though was our turn... only to be wandering down one of two roads with the same name, eventually leading to an hour long journey which really shouldn't have been more than 30 minutes. Anxiety aside, we eventually made it to the farm, but only to realize it was only open for fresh food shoppin' on Mondays from 4-7PM.
At this point you might imagine us turning around, finding a quicker route home for a rainy afternoon of snuggles and Law and Order marathons. But no, we were determined. After a couple of phone calls we were on the farm with Joe Reynolds, the twenty-something city boy gone organic farmer, and his parade of dogs ranging from old gray haired sweethearts to a tiny feisty chihuahua. He (with the dogs following along) gave us a grand tour of the 8 acre far. Love is Love actually belongs to an older couple, Skip and Cookie, but in large it is up to Joe and his lady Judith to do the planning. Their plants vary from the "instantly gratifying" beans to Amish seed spitting watermelons to a new plot in the works for strawberries later this year.
When asking Joe how he'd gotten into all of this, seeing as how he had mentioned working at the Brickstore in Decatur (a well loved Belgian beer restaurant) just a few years ago, he brought up coffee. Joe mentioned of his time at Java Monkey-- an Equal Exchange account, also on the Decatur square. He spoke with the folks at EE, and managed to make a few contacts with some folks in Honduras and Nicaragua. He traveled and visited these farms, inspired by their hard work, [I'm missing a few steps but Joe and Judith] eventually came to find his place on Love is Love.
Many of us in the coffee industry speak (almost religiously at times) about the desire to go to coffee origin. Myself included, we find it to hold some key to a whole understanding of the seed to cup process. As for now, I really don't have any plans made to go to coffee origin anytime soon, mostly for time and monetary reasons. But until that becomes a more likely possibility, it's comforting to know there is an organic farm just thirty minutes outside the city that can offer a similar experience. Grounding and peaceful, its indirect reminder of the "where it came from" story is a message sent strong.
If you're in the Atlanta area on a Wednesday from 4-7PM, I encourage you to make the short trip to check out the farm. If that isn't a possibility, they take their food up to the Local Farm Stand (Thurs, Fri, and Sat) in front of Star Provisions just down the street from Octane. They don't have a website, but Judith does have a Love is Love facebook page! Find them, love them :)
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