Among the many things that were discussed, 2 things stood out: 1) the real and positive impact that the Direct Trade relationships between Stumptown and the coffee producer have on coffee workers’ quality of life; and 2) the opportunity for continual innovation in coffee processing and its ultimate result in improved coffee quality.

Many of the coffees that Stumptown offers are Direct Trade coffees. Stumptown works and negotiates directly with these exceptional coffee producers, leaving out the coffee broker and other middle men. The farmer receives more money when middle men are not in the picture, and Stumptown further incents the farmer to produce higher quality coffee by offering a premium for coffees that meet Stumptown’s quality standards. Aida Batlle described that through this model, her workers are the highest paid in the country of El Salvador. She is also able to provide health care, school uniforms for children, and food for her workers. Some coffee producers in the area charge their workers for food, Aida does not.

Through the Direct Trade model there are opportunities for collaboration between Stumptown and the coffee producer.  When the green coffee buyer has a depth of knowledge of coffee harvesting and processing practices, sharing this information with the coffee producer can not only transform the coffee, but if the coffee producer is open to continual improvement through small batch experimentation, the results can be phenomenal! Aleco and Aida spent a good portion of the evening describing how their ongoing work together and Aida’s interest in innovative practices have produced spectacular results. Aleco commented that he and Aida exchange emails nearly weekly, sharing ideas on the methodology of processing the coffee after it has been picked. (Processing is the period of time when much of the flavor of the coffee is developed.)

Aida, a repeat El Salvador Cup of Excellence winner, is known worldwide for her meticulous coffee cherry selection and attention to picking perfectly ripe coffee cherries. She elaborated that her coffee pickers are skilled at picking cherries when they are perfectly ripe for the specific processing method used at her farm. Arturo Aguirre Jr., coffee producer of Guatemala Finca el Injerto, Direct Trade, and Cup of Excellence winner, echoed a similar message when we met him a few years back. On his farm, the coffee pickers’ skill for picking cherries when they are ripened properly for the processing method used on his farm, is a hugely significant factor in the outcome of the coffee’s flavor.

During the evening, Aleco reflected that there isn’t “specialty coffee” so much as there are “specialty coffee producers” — coffee growers who are interested in improving their coffee, continuing to implement best practices in coffee production, and developing the skills of their workers and compensating them accordingly.  Thump is committed to continuing the chain of quality through our persistent and meticulous attention to the details that go into preparing the perfect drink. After all of the effort that goes into producing the perfect bean, we are determined to see its journey to completion as a perfect drink for you!

Anyone familiar with Stumptown Coffee Roasters knows they source outstanding coffees. What you might not know is the ongoing effort Stumptown’s green coffee buyers and roasters make to select these coffees.

In a traditional sale of green coffee beans, a roaster purchases green coffee from a broker or middle man, and the roaster has no contact or relationship with the farmer and has no control over how much money the farmer receives. In the last several years, independent coffee roasters have looked for opportunities to forge relationships with the farmer directly, cutting out the middle man so the farmer benefits by receiving a higher price and so the roaster can make a direct, positive impact on the lives of the people who provide the coffee. In this model of “relationship” buying, the roaster may visit the farm annually to learn first hand how the coffee is grown, harvested and processed. But the roaster’s expertise is in roasting coffee, not in agricultural processes, so he or she has no background to evaluate and advise on the effectiveness of these processes to best optimize the coffee’s potential flavor. This is where Stumptown’s green coffee buying practices for their “Direct Trade” coffees set an amazing industry standard and is now a model for partnership.

In recent conversations with Stumptown trainer Skip Colombo and green coffee buyer Ryan Brown, they shared how Stumptown’s green coffee buyers visit each Direct Trade coffee producing farm multiple times throughout the year — during the growing and harvesting/processing periods. During these visits any number of things happen, from teaching farmers to roast and taste their own coffees so they have the tools to evaluate how their farming practices affect coffee quality, to encouraging farmers to set aside money to improve the farm’s infrastructure in ways that directly improve coffee quality, to advising on updating harvesting and processing practices with the ultimate goal of improved coffee quality. With improved coffee quality, the farmer can ask a higher price, and we, the consumers, enjoy a more consistent and delicious coffee!

As mentioned in this month’s thump featured coffee article about Finca el Injerto Bourbon, Direct Trade, Stumptown requests that during the coffee harvest, beans are separated by varietal, by day of harvest, and by geographic region of the farm from where they grew. Stumptown then receives, roasts and cups samples of these separated beans to pick exactly which varietal, from which part of the farm, from which day it was harvested, to make up the lot Stumptown will purchase from that farm. They repeat this process with each direct trade coffee they purchase!

Stumptown green coffee buyer Ryan Brown said, “For fun, I’ve been tracking how many green samples I’ve cupped/evaluated since January 1st, and the number is presently 2,343 samples!” When it takes 150 samples to select Honduras Finca El Puente, and 25 samples to select Finca el Injerto, and 400 samples to pick the Kenyas: Ngunguru, Gaturiri, Gatomboya, Tegu, and some others, you might sip your Stumptown Direct Trade coffee with a little more awe. We know we do! Here’s to all of the work and passion that went into bringing us our delicious coffee!

If you’ve been by the shop in the last month, you may have noticed that we remodeled part of the back bar. We removed a large freezer and sandwich table and then extended the back counter all the way to the back door of the shop. We also added cabinetry above the counter and a refrigerator and freezer below the counter.

Most notable though, is what we added on top of the new counter space! We added a single cup pourover bar and a wicked cool La Marzocco GS3 espresso machine. The addition of the pourover bar will allow us to serve you individual cups of any bean we have in the house, not just what’s in the airpot. The GS3 will allow us to serve single origin espresso as well as speed up training time for new employees and allow for continued skill development for existing staff when “Ruby”, our primary espresso machine is in use.  The GS3 will also give us flexibility to serve espresso at events around town!!

We’re excited about how these changes will diversify our coffee and espresso offerings for you and allow us to continue to develop our appreciation and love of coffee!

In honor of our featured cup this month, Hair Bender Espresso Blend, we thought we might address what espresso actually is!

Is it a bean? A blend? A roast? A grind? Nope, nope, nope and nope. Espresso is a method of brewing coffee. More specifically, espresso is a method of extracting flavor under pressure (131 pounds per square inch to be precise!) in a matter of 20-30 seconds.

Espresso is chemically and visually different from coffee. Most coffee is just a homogeneous solution of water with dissolved coffee solids.  The espresso brewing method produces a more complex extract, with a richer and more intense flavor profile. And, unlike with drip coffee, it is easy to distinguish three distinct layers when looking at a freshly pulled shot of espresso:

1)      A top layer of crema (slightly foamy, caramel color)

2)      A middle layer of strong coffee (like drip coffee, but a much higher percentage of dissolved coffee solids)

3)      A bottom layer of rich, heavy oils

Part of the magic of espresso and what makes it so delicious, lies in the crema.  As you sip espresso, your lips pop tiny bubbles in the crema, releasing aroma right under your nose.  These bubbles start escaping within seconds of a shot being poured and that’s why it’s so important to get drinking as soon as your drink is ready! Delicious flavor is dissipating into thin air!

The gas that creates crema bubbles is trapped in the roasted bean during the roasting process. It slowly escapes over time, taking flavor with it.  It’s worth noting that the gas escapes exponentially faster once the beans have been ground. This is a particularly important point with espresso, because the espresso grind is much finer than with other brewing methods, and it stales within minutes.  At thump, we grind a precise amount for each shot and use those grounds within seconds of being ground. Yes, it really does make a difference. To preserve the flavor of your coffee at home, no matter what brewing method you select, buy and use coffee beans within 10 days of the roast date, and only grind what you will use for each brewing cycle.

So back to the Hair Bender Espresso Blend: This blend of coffee beans could also be brewed as drip coffee, French press or any brewing method of one’s choosing. But the folks at Stumptown go to great lengths to select beans from different growing regions around the world that compliment each other when brewed as espresso. Because coffee comes into full ripeness at different times of the year around the world, Stumptown is continually challenged to source new fresh crop beans that support a consistent flavor profile for their Hair Bender Espresso Blend.  The blend of beans changes throughout the year, so Hair Bender’s flavor is dynamic and is also changing ever so slightly to reflect the 5–8 different and changing coffees that make up the blend.

Next time you are in thump, watch the espresso shots as they pour and notice the caramel-colored crema top layer. If larger drinks are your routine, consider just once for the fun of it, a smaller drink such as a traditional cappuccino, a macchiato, or a doppio. Dip the little spoon into the crema and taste it! Feel the syrupy heaviness of the espresso in your mouth. Taste the complex, dynamic and rich flavors on your tongue! After this sensory adventure, you just might not go back to that bigger drink!

Stumptown pursues these relationships with the long term in mind.  In some instances, Stumptown’s green coffee buyers may find a coffee that is a diamond in the rough. Their in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of growing, harvesting and processing coffee helps them guide up-and-coming coffee producers to fine tune their practices to ultimately yield an outstanding coffee — and to command a premium price! This does not happen over night, but over the course of multiple visits throughout the year, year after year.

The folks at Stumptown wrote an detailed article describing how the producers of Guatemala Finca el Injerto, Bourbon Varietal, Direct Trade go to great lengths to produce an exceptional coffee. This article illuminates a passion for quality, meticulous detail and innovation. Read this article, and as you sip the fruits of their labor, raise your cup in their honor!

Click here for Guatemala Finca el Injerto PDF

If you’d like to learn more about what goes into establishing and nurturing a Direct Trade relationship between Stumptown and coffee producers around the world, please check out this page.

Direct Trade Coffee from Finca El Injerto

Stumptown pursues these relationships with the long term in mind.  In some instances, Stumptown’s green coffee buyers may find a coffee that is a diamond in the rough. Their in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of growing, harvesting and processing coffee helps them guide up-and-coming coffee producers to fine tune their practices to ultimately yield an outstanding coffee — and to command a premium price! This does not happen over night, but over the course of multiple visits throughout the year, year after year.

The folks at Stumptown wrote an detailed article describing how the producers of Guatemala Finca el Injerto, Bourbon Varietal, Direct Trade go to great lengths to produce an exceptional coffee. This article illuminates a passion for quality, meticulous detail and innovation. Read this article, and as you sip the fruits of their labor, raise your cup in their honor!

Click here for Guatemala Finca el Injerto PDF

If you’d like to learn more about what goes into establishing and nurturing a Direct Trade relationship between Stumptown and coffee producers around the world, please check out this page.

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!

Our May Public Coffee Tasting is Sunday 5/23, 1:30pm-2:30pm at thump.