Coffee Dreams at Doka Estate, Costa Rica

by Costa Rica Vacation Journals

I woke up early today, excited about my morning tour of Doka Estate, one of the oldest and largest working coffee plantations in the country. A longtime fan of their Tres Generaciones coffee, I was eager to learn more about the source of this caffeinated gold. Coffee has been an integral part of the Costa Rican economy and culture since the early 19th century when it was first planted in the rich volcanic soils of the Central Valley. Having grown up in a strict Maxwell House (with the occasional Folgers), I now appreciate the bold flavors of real café, and Costa Rican coffee is arguably some of the best in the world.

My coffee adventure began with a 40-minute bus ride from Alajuela to La Sabanilla, near the slopes of Poás Volcano. Our bus traveled via the narrow Fraijanes road, winding gently up the mountainside. As we climbed to 4500 feet, past coffee farms and spectacular valley vistas, the plants seemed greener and the air fresher and cooler. The bus dropped me off at the coffee plantation entrance where I boarded the Doka Estate transfer for the remaining one-kilometer journey. The minibus was packed with bags of fresh roasted coffee, bound for souvenir shops across Costa Rica. The smell was so heavenly that words escaped me. I breathed in the heady aroma, ready to begin the day.

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9 Classes You Don't Want To Miss at Coffee Fest Atlanta June 1-3

Coffee Fest Atlanta will feature nearly 100 educational sessions with more than 60 included in the cost of your standard attendee registration.

Each session is selected specifically to assist the coffee, tea, and specialty food and beverage retailer in improving productivity and profitability. Here is a taste of some of the amazing educational opportunities attendees will find at Coffee Fest Atlanta:

1) Brewing a Hot Brand—21-Day Action Plan
The Brand Coaches—Lon LaFlamme and David J. Morris
Friday, 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m. &
Saturday, 9:05 a.m.-9:55 a.m.

2) Free Press—How to Land Articles in Local & National Publications
Shanna Germain, Roast Magazine
Sunday, 11:05 a.m.-11:55 a.m.

3) Global Trends In Coffee & Coffee Roasting
Shawn Contreras, Diedrich Manufacturing
Saturday, 8:10 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

4) Hosting a Coffee Tasting at Your Store
Jennifer Stone, Stone Cup Roasting Company and
Rob Tuttle, Everything Coffee and Tea
Saturday, 12:00 p.m.-12:50 p.m.

5) Innovative Ideas in Frozen Desserts
Jim Marmion, Advanced Gourmet & Marco Casol, Pregel USA
Saturday, 1:15 p.m.-2:10 p.m.

6) Romancing the Bean—Up Selling Coffee Beans In Your Café
Tim Stanton, Stanton Coffee Roasters & Tea
Sunday, 8:10 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

7) Selling Tea in a Coffee World
Bill Waddington, TeaSource
Friday, 9:05 a.m.-9:55 a.m.

8) The Ambiance of Your Café—Getting Crowds in Your Door
Bruce Milletto, Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m.

9) The 10 Commandments to Build Skyrocketing Profits
Travis Miller, My Coffee LLC
Friday, 12:00 p.m.-12:50 p.m. &
Saturday, 12:05 p.m.-12:55 p.m.

For more info, visit www.coffeefest.com

Certified Sustainable Coffee Recognized for Outstanding Quality

Results from Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality Events Announced at SCAA Conference

Rainforest Alliance
May 7, 2007

The Rainforest Alliance has announced the results of two recent Cupping for Quality events, where a panel of independent coffee experts evaluated coffee from nearly 100 Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in 11 countries at the headquarters of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in Long Beach, California.

Top scorers from the cupping events, which took place last month and last December, included farms from Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Nicaragua and Mexico. With all countries represented receiving an average score of more than 80, which is the threshold to receive specialty status, the results of the cupping events show that sustainable farming practices produce high-quality coffee.

“When farmers are meeting a set of holistic standards covering soil and water conservation and good worker treatment, those responsible practices result in the production of better beans,” said Sabrina Vigilante, senior marketing manager in the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable agriculture program. “These results show that a range of industry experts agree. Put simply: Sustainable practices yield a premium product.”

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Zen and the art of coffee roasting

The craftsmanship behind Batdorf & Bronson
By Julie Douglas

In “The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef,” Marco Pierre White, the first “rock-star chef” credited with plucking Britain out of culinary obscurity and elevating its restaurant scene to historic heights, details his quest to obtain the coveted three-Michelin star designation. The perfectionist chef catalogues his efforts, including distilling each dish to its “essence” and examining every jot and tittle of his restaurant.

Eventually White turns to a Michelin reviewer who advises, “If you start serving amuse-bouches and improve your coffee, you won’t be a million miles away.” The chef heeds his recommendation and shortly thereafter is awarded another star. So it follows that a detail like coffee quality can, in some cases, make or break the career of a chef—after all, it is the final impression to round out what should be a pleasing sensual experience.

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First Automated Coffee Roaster to be Recognized by Ken Davids

Robot From Fresh Roast Systems, Inc. Becomes First Automated Coffee Roaster to be Recognized by Ken Davids

Texas Roast coffee company has received recognition from leading coffee authority Ken Davids of Coffee Review for coffee roasted on the Fresh Roast System automatic roaster.

Key Biscayne, FL (PRWEB) May 6, 2007 -- Fresh Roast Systems, Inc. announces that Texas Roast Coffee has received an impressive 89-point review from leading coffee authority Ken Davids of Coffee Review for coffee roasted on their fully automated roasting machine.

"The Fresh Roast System is the sous-chef in our kitchen," says Texas Roast owner Jeff Schneider. Schneider founded the Rockwall, TX, coffee shop and roasting business less than one year ago after returning from military duty in Iraq, with no prior coffee roasting experience or formal training.

By obtaining such a high rating on Coffee Review's 100-point scale for their Cowboy Coffee blend, Texas Roast enters an elite class of specialty coffee craftsmen. Mr. Davids describes the blend as having a "very impressive aroma" and "grapefruit notes with distinct cedar and semi-sweet chocolate."

"Ever since the review, online sales of our coffee have been booming," says Schneider.

"This achievement is going to raise some eyebrows in our industry," notes specialty coffee industry consultant Andrew Hetzel. "Some traditionalists will always be skeptical of new technologies, but I believe that this proves automation can be an effective tool that will allow any business to roast craftsman-quality coffee with minimal requirements."

Mr. Schneider is planning additional Texas Roast locations in coming months, each of which will be outfitted with its own automated roaster.

About Texas Roast

Texas Roast serves fresh baked pastries and fresh roasted coffee daily in their coffee shop at 2435 Ridge Road, Rockwall, Texas. For more information call (972) 722-6336 or to order coffee online, visit their website at texasroast.com.

About Fresh Roast Systems, Inc.

Fresh Roast Systems of Key Biscayne, Florida, is the creator and patent holder for the Fresh Roast System ventless automated coffee roaster, a self-contained computer operated coffee roasting machine that allows any business to consistently produce fresh-roasted coffee without the staffing and environmental drawbacks of traditional coffee roasting equipment. For more information, call (305) 361-0463 or visit their website at freshroastsystems.com.

Specialty Coffee Pioneers Join Forces

Specialty Coffee Pioneers Join Forces; Ethiopia's Network of Licensed Distributors Grows.

(CSRwire) Washington DC- May 2, 2007 -Ethiopia's specialty coffee sector celebrated this week as Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Company, a renowned and high profile fair trade and farmer-friendly coffee roaster and distributor, joined the Ethiopian new network of licensed distributors.

"Dean's Beans is a company that takes a lead on support and consideration for its developing world coffee suppliers and coffee farmers. We know they already have demonstrated their commitment to Ethiopian coffee farmers and their communities. The goal of our initiative is to raise awareness in Ethiopia of how special and unique their coffees are and to bring more sustainable economic benefits to farmers from their sale. We are very pleased to have Dean Cycon and his team join forces in our network at this early and formative stage," commented Getachew Mengistie.

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Fresh threat for coffee industry: berry borer

Alarm is being expressed that Jamaica's billion dollar coffee industry could be in jeopardy due to the rapid spread of the berry borer pest which is wreaking havoc on the sector.

Word from the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) is that the rate of infestation has increased with the pest destroying several acres of coffee.

According to JAS President Senator Norman Grant the current coffee crop is at risk.

“The coffee berry borer infestation for the present crop is at an alarmingly high level. In previous crops berry borer infestation was between five and six per cent, in this crop we are seeing infestation in the region of 15 to 18 per cent and in some situations it is as high as 25 per cent,” said Senator Grant.

He says the disease has spread to the Blue Mountain coffee crop and this has resulted in a delay in shipments:

“More than 30 to 40 per cent behind in terms of shipments. The repercussions of that is certainly that the quality could affect the overall out turn of the crop and have some implications as it relates to pricing,” he said.

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