You might think we’re talking about the cool, rainy season that we just can’t seem to shake around here, as being “coffee season.” Well, of course it is! But it’s also worth mentioning that coffees around the world have specific growing and harvesting seasons.  Like many agricultural products, arabica coffee trees yield coffee beans only once a year, when the growing conditions are just right for that part of the world. That means market availability is continually changing as different growing regions finish their harvests at different times of the year.  For us at thump, we are experiencing a cornucopia of new Latin American coffees as this growing region has recently finished its harvest for the year. Bring on the Guatemalan and Costa Rican coffees!

Coffee’s seasonality also explains why our coffee offerings are always changing. Stumptown buys small quantities of exceptional coffees just after they have been harvested. To insure freshness Stumptown purchases only as much green coffee beans as they anticipate using over a few months, not an entire year. When stored properly, green, unroasted coffee stays fresh for several months. Beyond this point the beans begin to stale and lose vibrant an complex flavors that are unique to that particular coffee. (Some roasters deal with their aging stockpile of green beans by roasting away both favorable and unfavorable flavors and replacing them with flavors of a dark roast. Come to our Public Coffee Tasting, Sunday, June 20th at 1:30pm to learn more
about all of this!)

As we welcome in our recently harvested Latin American coffees, we are most excited for the return of Guatemala Finca el Injerto, Stumptown’s first Direct Trade coffee. A wonderful story, and a fabulous coffee! We anticipate its return in the next couple of weeks, and we plan to dedicate a week in its honor in July!