With the return of Guatemala Finca el Injerto, Stumptown’s first Direct Trade relationship coffee, it seemed like a good time to share a bit about what Direct Trade is and how the producers of Finca el Injerto embody the attributes of a Direct Trade coffee producer.

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.”

Previously, we described in depth the press pot (aka, French Press) brewing method, its ease of use resulting in a great cup of coffee. This exploration prompted us to change our format for a few upcoming public coffee tastings. Instead of our usual cuppings, comparing different coffees from around the world, we will compare the [...]

Each brewing method brings out different characteristics in the coffee. We examine a handful of brewing methods, such as drip coffee, press pot, Hario pour over method and siphon brewer.

Each brewing method brings out different characteristics in coffee. We examine a handful of brewing methods, such as drip coffee, press pot, Hario pour over method and siphon brewer.

One of the easiest ways to brew a delicious cup of coffee at home is to use a press pot, aka, French Press.

Last month Kent, Hazel & Finley attended a Stumptown organized panel discussion with coffee producers from Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Kenya. We took away a handful of learnings that will stay with us and shape how we work with their coffee once it reaches our shop.

We love learning, and we tend to attract staff and customers who also love to learn, improve and grow. We view each drink as an opportunity to improve upon the skill and attention we poured into the previous drink. There’s endless learning in perfecting the craft of coffee preparation, and there’s endless learning about the origin of the coffee beans themselves.

High-quality Arabica coffees like those you enjoy at thump come from the tropical, high-elevation climates of Latin America, Africa and Indonesia. Stumptown Coffee Roasters has established numerous Direct Trade relationships in the former two growing regions . . .

We are pleased to offer four new models of high quality Baratza coffee grinders for home use. This is one purchase that can make a significant difference in the quality and enjoyability of the coffee and espresso you brew at home.

Just in! Our old friend Guatemala Finca El Injerto (bourbon varietal) has come home to us!  This is the Guatemalan coffee and farm with whom Stumptown established its first Direct Trade relationship, a buying practice that has helped change how the coffee industry does business with coffee producers and has elevated Stumptown to the status [...]

Iced toddy has returned and we’re ready for hot weather to accompany it! We spent nearly a month testing different beans, blends, brewing times and water to coffee ratios. Somehow toddy was on your radar because many of you came asking for it before we were done perfecting it. Well, we’re especially proud of what [...]

In March, six of us from thump — and Finley — traveled to Portland to watch the U.S. National Barista Competition and visit some notable coffeehouses.

The staff at thump are rallying for a road trip to Portland this weekend to watch the United States National Barista Championship, attend some trainings, and tour some coffeehouses. We’re finalizing the logistical details for sending everyone and still keeping the shop open to serve you! Presented by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), [...]

You may have noticed the addition of a third espresso grinder on the bar. Our new Mazzer Robur E, affectionately named “Darth Vader,” is a state-of-the-art bad boy who means business! With the intent of adding another grinder for single-origin espresso, we went on the quest to research and discover a grinder that would also [...]

This month, Thump’s featured coffee is El Salvador Kilimanjaro Direct Trade, Organic.  This coffee is produced by Aida Battle, a female coffee farmer who Stumptown recently invited to Portland to speak at their “Meet the Producers” series.  (See the December thumpology for more info. on our fieldtrip to meet Aida.) El Salvador Kilimanjaro is a [...]

On November 18, Hazel, Kent and Finley zipped over to Portland and back for an evening “Meet the Producers” event, hosted by Stumptown. The guest of honor, Aida Batlle, is a rarity in the coffee producing industry — a woman(!) managing not one, but three, of her family’s coffee farms. We tasted her award winning [...]

Last month, Kent and Hazel took a field trip to Portland for the opportunity to meet two of Stumptown Coffee Roaster’s premier direct trade coffee producers, Guatemalan Cup of Excellence winners Mercedes and Arturo Aguirre Jr, of Finca El Injerto and Luis Pedro Zelaya of Semillero, Antigua.

September was a month of cool trainings. Kent broke away for a few days to go to the Seattle Coffeefest, an annual trade show where thousands of people gather to learn, teach, debate, buy, and sell everything related to coffee.

We’ve previously explored the seasonality of coffee harvesting and how, like eating fresh produce when it’s in season, drinking coffees brewed from newly harvested beans is a more flavorful and enjoyable experience. Some coffeehouses — like thump — feature ever-changing drip coffee offerings that reflect what coffees have been recently harvested around the world. As [...]

Many people don’t think of coffee as an agricultural product that, like strawberries, peaches, and cherries, has a specific growing season. When fresh fruit is in season, you’re in heaven and you can’t get enough of it! When out of season, it’s usually a disappointment to eat. Similarly, coffees around the world ripen and are [...]

Once the season hints at warm weather, we get requests to start making our divinely refreshing cold brewed toddy. Most brewing processes use hot water and take a relatively short time, anywhere from 23 seconds to 6 minutes. Toddy however, requires cold water, a lot of coffee grounds, and patience, about 20 hours! The cold [...]

In previous Thumpology articles we’ve discussed how the roast can affect a coffee’s flavor. How it is processed after harvest can have an even more significant influence on its ultimate flavor. Not to be confused with processing food, which might involve removing nutrients, adding artificial stabilizers, flavors, preservatives, etc., processing coffee is an all-natural sequence [...]

Part I: How the Roast affects the Coffee’s Flavor Before we knew much about coffee, we’d buy black beans glistening with oil, with descriptions like, dark roast, smoky, robust flavor. This sounded pretty good because, who wants to drink a whimpy cup, right? If dark roast meant robust flavor, then it would stand to reason [...]