My food manufacturer’s permit with the New Mexico State Environmental Department was approved! Four coffees were third -party tested by Cambium Analytics for myco-toxins and were found to to be within safe limits for further processing and sale. The coffees come from Yemen, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi – also known as Celebes. None of the coffees are certified organic, though three of the coffees ( Yemen, D.R.C., and Sulawesi) come from washing stations and centralized processing facilities that purchase parchment from small holders in their geographic areas. The Colombian Coffee is from a single farm in the Cundinimarca Prefect of Colombia. Finca Lara. The Coffee from the Congo was processed at Societe Maitea washing station in the South Kivu Province of the DRC. The Sulawesi coffee came from the Toraja washing station in the southeastern part of Sulawesi. The Yemen coffee came to me through Muslot Trading Center in Mokka , Yemen, via Royal Coffee of Oakland.
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Springtime Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival, Albuquerque , New Mexico April 5 & 6 2025
Dear Coffee Fans,
Are you ready for the Big Shew ! I hope I am. Hope to have 4 coffees ready , Colombia Cundinimarca Single Origin Finca Lara Tibi Washed Arabica, Democratic Republic of Congo South Kivu National Park region, Sain Maittea Cooperative Coffee mill, washed Arabica, Sulawesi/Celebes wet-hulled process Arabica , small holder producers, Yemen Mokka Sanani dried-in-cherry “Natural ” process Arabica small holder grown, single mill sourced.
Autumn is in the air
Dear Friends , It has been a quick moment since my last post.
I have attended the 2024 Roast Magazine hosted Roast Summit in Schaumburg , Illinois this past October. What fun and inspiration. The Group dynamics were encouraging and the facilitators were very polished and professional. The best part was the feeling of camaraderie amongst coffee professionals and the potential for learning new things came into clear focus. The time I spent this summer season working through the licensing process for food manufacturing has been a challenge , but, however, maybe, we are through the worst of it. I have touched base with one of my coffee growers, a couple from the Cundinimarca Prefecture of Colombia. Their coffee caught my eye initially, because in the biography of the growers, one of them had been raised in Socorro, Santander, Colombia! Since I live in Socorro, New Mexico, USA, It was natural that I purchase the green beans!. Later on I found out that one of the couple went to my alma mater ! So here we are, on the cusp of a brave new world, working our way through the seasons. As Hermoine Granger shared with Harry Potter during the first movie, that “Friendship and Bravery were more important than ” Books and cleverness” It takes bravery to build a business and to maintain a sense of purpose throughout all of our lives’ tribulations. Happy Thanksgiving! to all !,
Cheers,
Brewster Bird
Good day.
Coffee sampling. Sulawesi/Celebes.
Past the Ides of March
Dear Reader and coffee drinker,
This is my first blog post since the Holiday Market at The Railyards in December last. The February Valentine’s Day Market was a disaster we had appreciable amounts of snow on the 10th and really low sales, it was wet and cold It even showed signs of snow in the Tender Shop ( last post I mistakenly called the building the Brake Shop.).
i did not use my best Boy Scout or Hurricane Island Outward Bound School dress – for – winter clothing ethos and froze the first day. Chill blains and everything else!
The second day of the Valentine’s Day Weekend at least the sun was out. It was still sloppy though. I did bring hot water on day two!
Spring is in the air now, and I am 2 weeks away from the Southwest Chocolate and Coffee Festival ( my 5th year exhibiting with them) . My hope is that this dog and pony show comes off a little less disgruntled than last years event. There will be Aeropress coffee samples ( Hopefully Aeropress ” cold brew” too) and a coffee/ Aeropress give away!
I aim to have my coffee grinder present as well, in order to grind your beans. Even if you did not buy them from me.
The coffees I hope to feature are from Yemen, Costa Rica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There will also be a blended dark roast available.
Coffee micro now offers Stripe as a way to pay and order
My Stripe moniker is CoffeeMicro. Or Coffee ( no spaces)Micro. The price is still $20.00 a package delivered by USPS. If you order more than one package (say two packages -12 oz size) the price would be $37.00.
Some of our coffees
Here are some of our coffees available for roasting and sale:
Honduras Paca Vita Organic
Producers: Silvestre Vasquez & Joel Lopez
Average farm size:
2 to 3 hectares
Altitude:
1340 – 1,700 meters
ASL
Processing types for export:
Mostly washed Arabica
Harvest: November
Honduras Reserva Pacavita, Organic
Following a brisk growth in production, this lush and mountainous country is now the
world’s third largest producer of washed Arabica. And the future looks bright.
Honduras has strengthened its already strong coffee industry with a commitment to revitalizing its
farms with new plantings. Offering a wide range of coffees, Honduras has recently
captured the attention of specialty roasters with high-quality beans treated with
care from the tree to the mill and beyond.
Reserva Pacavita
Rich Soils and Shady Trees
Surrounded by a diverse environment of biological reserves and mountain ranges, the
Pacavita region has ideal climatic conditions for growing coffee. Coffee plants grow in rich clay
soils, shaded by Inga trees, at elevations of up to 1,700 meters in this area of western Honduras.
Well-Defined Seasons
Well-defined seasons contribute to the quality of specialty coffees
from Pacavita. The rainy season results in beautiful cherries, and the
clear dry season allows farmers to sun dry them. The high-altitude
weather, rich clay soil, and warm sun ensure that the integrity and
quality of the beans is preserved from start to finish.
• TOPOGRAPHY: Located in the western part the country, the
area is surrounded by biological reserves and mountain ranges.
• CLIMATE: High altitude weather with excellent humidity and
adequate rainfall levels. Unlike other areas of Honduras, the
harvest season is dry, allowing for 100% sun-dried coffee.
• SOIL: Rich clay soils.
• ELEVATION: Steep slopes with elevations ranging between
1,100 to 1,850 meters ASL.
30 Years of Coffee Farming
Most farms in the area were established more than 30 years ago and
are between 2 and 3 hectares in size. Many are shaded by beautiful
Inga trees.( copy and images courtesy Genuine Origin Coffee Project, Volcafe’ Ltd.)
whole- bean roasted coffee
Freshly roasted coffee beans 12 oz bags shipped via usps priority mail
$19.50
Coffee and water
Coffees and waters are variables in your cup. Some municipal waters are great for coffee. Visalia California used to have really good, plentiful water. The aquifers were close to the surface almost artesian in well access. Unfortunately, the water sources have been drained through over-pumping of the aquifers and by the cutting of the gravel beds the water slips through to get to the valley towns as the water flows westward.
Socorro, New Mexico USA has an interesting water history using aquifers that have been contaminated by the mining industry and agriculture ( I did not state that for Visalia’s water, but the same applies there as well. ).
Water has markers such as Total Dissolved Solids ( or TDS) , “Hardness” or mineralization , flavor profiles ( yes, water has flavor profiles too).
Coffee prepared with “pure ” water ( filtered , reverse osmosis, or steam distilled) will have a different flavor or “bite” to it than coffee prepared with municipal or mineral spring water sources.
Arkansas’ s “Mountain Valley” brand spring water is my upscale favorite for brewing a top notch cup of joe. Next on the list, I found surprising, is the Topco grocery brand ( ” Food Club” ) of spring water sourced from the Hill country of Texas. Samantha Springs, Keller , Texas, or Caney Springs, Grapeland , Texas. Much cheaper and just as delicious ( hard , too).
I haven’t tried to brew a cup with the “Poland Spring” Brand ( Nestle’s owns it) of bottled water yet. It is sourced from the Dallas Plantation in Northern Maine ( I suspect from the Allagash water basin. )
So minerals are important for coffee flavor, have at it and let me know what you think. Cheers,
Coffeemicro 