One Bean At A Time...

Our second Coffee Master Journey meeting was held yesterday at Cheesequake Travel Plaza.  Mike Penna (Company Operated Store Manager/Coffee Master from NYC) facilitated the class and brought in samples for us to try of the new cold-pressed juices from Evolution Fresh.  Since our last meeting we have been working on our projects and finding coffees to go with each of the subjects in Chapter Two: "Agriculture" of the Coffee Master Journals; Elevation, Latin America, Africa/Arabia, & Asia/Pacific.

(Maykol & Julie presenting their project)

We started out with Maykol & Julie's project which was about Elevation.  They made two poster boards with a wealth of great information to share with the class.  Showcasing the different elevations that countries grow coffee at and their flavor profile, the "Coffee belt" and even some specific countries that are known for their coffees growing at some of the highest elevations in the world.

(Maykol & Julie's projects)

For their coffee tasting, they chose Starbucks Guatemala Antigua, which is one of the few single origin coffee's in the Starbucks Core Line-up.  The coffee had a pleasant aroma with hints of soft spice and cocoa, very balanced yet an elegant complexity.  Guatemala Antigua was an excellent choice since the coffee grows at an elevation of 5000-6000+ ft above sea level.  The coffee was paired with Caramel Brûlée Bites which brought out the subtle sweetness of the coffee along with it's cocoa notes. 

(Latin American coffee ready for washed processing)

The next project was done by Manfred & Roberto on the Latin America coffee growing region and was done as a slideshow presentation.  All of the information in the slideshow was extremely informative and detailed along with beautiful scenic pictures of Central America.  The project focused around Guatemala and Costa Rica for being important countries to Starbucks coffee buyers.  The coffee tasting for this project was Starbucks Puerto Rico which was paired with glazed pomegranate cashews.  Coffee was brought to Puerto Rico by Spanish explorers in the mid 1700's and are direct decedents from trees in the groves of King Louis XIV of France.  The coffee was balanced and nutty with a soft acidity and a clean finish.  The pairing brought out the acidity and complimented the coffee nicely.  Mark Ormsbee (Licensed District Manager/Coffee Master) shared pictures of his visit to Costa Rica which summed up a lot of Roberto & Manfred's project with visuals of small family owned farms and stories of Starbucks changing the lives of the Latin American people.  "Pura Vida!"

(Jordan presenting the Africa/Arabia project)

(Jay & Jordan's project)

The project on the Africa/Arabia growing region was done by Jay & Jordan.  Kenya & Ethiopia were in the spotlight for this project due to how much coffee is produced in these countries and the reception they get for their exquisite and complex taste profiles.  Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee were all arabicas originated and also were some of the first cups of coffee were brewed.  The coffees chosen for the tasting were a Starbucks Reserve Malawi: Lake Of Stars which gets it's name from the twinkle of fishermen's lanterns reflecting on the water at night, and a Ethiopia Yirgacheffe from a cafe called America's Cup in Asbury Park, NJ which roasts on site.  The Malawi was full bodied with aromas of citrus and soft spice, paired with lemon loaf brought the coffee to the next level.  Mike Penna (Company Operated Store Manager/Coffee Master from NYC) commented that the lemon loaf was a excellent pairing for the Malawi and really brought out the citrus flavor in the coffee.  The Ethiopia Yirgacheffe was bright with a very noticeable acidity, a light roast comparable to a Starbucks blonde roast with similar attributes.  Paired with chocolate cinnamon bread, it brought out the cocoa notes in the coffee while leveling out the acidity and spiciness that the Yirgacheffe region is known for. 

(Stacey & Mark's project)

Lastly, Stacey Carpenito (Licensed Brand Champion/Coffee Master) & Mark Ormsbee (Licensed District Manager/Coffee Master) presented their project on the Asia/Pacific growing region.  This region is known for producing full bodied coffees that are herbal and earthy with flavors of spice.  Sumatra and Komodo are two core Starbucks coffees that come from this region and are very popular amongst the dark roast drinkers.  The most expensive coffee, Kopi Luwak, known for it's odd processing method comes from the Asian/Pacific region and could cost up to $300 a pound!  The coffee tasting Mark & Stacey provided was a real treat for all of us; the two new Starbucks Reserves West Java Indonesia & Isla Flores Indonesia paired with a variety of cupcakes from Crumbs.  The West Java had an herbal complexity with a milk chocolate flavor and paired really well with the red velvet cupcake.  The Isla Flores is processed fully washed which is different from most Asian/Pacific coffees which are semi-washed; this coffee was incredibly smooth with a clean finish, and was favored by all in the room.

We are all progressing so well in our Coffee Master Journeys, and yesterday proved it with the amount of information shared and the rising passion for all things coffee.

Thanks to Mike Penna for facilitating this class and bringing in samples of Evolution Fresh!

Thanks to Stacey Carpenito for the Coffee Tasting Guide covers and Starbucks pens!

Thanks to all for bringing in your coffees for us to try and sharing your incredible projects!

The next class will be held at Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza on March 14th at 2pm.  I'm sure we're all excited to try some more coffees and share our coffee knowledge to all.

Activity: Comment something that interested you about each of the projects.  What was something new that you never knew about for Elevation, Latin America, Africa/Arabia, & Asia/Pacific? 

I can't wait to see your responses!

-Jordan

Coffee Master Projects!

Hey guys! How's your projects coming along?

Elevation

Did you know?  Arabica trees can be planted and grown at elevations of 900-1800 meters above sea level!

Latin America

Did you know?  Colombia is ranked 3rd in the world for coffee production, exporting over 1.5 Billion pounds of coffee!

Africa/Arabia

Did you know?  Africa is the birthplace of coffee and where all arabica's originated!

Asia/Pacific

Did you know?  Indonesia is home to the most expensive coffee in the world, Kopi Luwak, which has retail prices that reach $700 per kilogram! ($300+ for a pound)

Here's an activity for the class!

Please comment one fact about each of the following:

-Elevation

-Latin America

-Africa/Arabia

-Asia/Pacific

Once I get a comment from everyone, I will update this post to have your information in each section!

I hope you guys are having fun working on your projects and finding coffees to taste for our next class!

Sample Project by: Mike Penna (Coffee Master/Store Manager NYC)

-Jordan Alejandro

Guatemala Declares National Coffee Emergency...

Guatemala declares national emergency to deal with spread of fungus devestating coffee crops

Follow the link below to read the article by Sonia Perez

Article Provided by Stacey Carpenito (Starbucks Brand Champion/Coffee Master)

http://news.yahoo.com/guatemala-declares-national-coffee-emergency-232718868.html?ugc_c=EtNaPMb12QDdyZ6ILbL55y05yKu0pgPlHb6Uzrn2yZKdqJOsVtq9i3b0qZIb3z3Z.QMGhUsC4xe8udQ4HlBnDciJJx_QyThOewSrug75l.boPmccVijZ1P5FF7Dcfh3.K9XNOONnk5VublgbTZFpbZyx.sd5C.lPtCn8x8V6oL1dEW0DhcBbT4Caf64FyIkswicUQbLG6WBKkGZnihcxZHPOJOVTQ2ADxt847mc9ZK6ezR2zailcYL9WPlhauzX2uzXs3.M-&bcnv_s=e&ugc_scnv=1&ll=3

At the moment, Latin America is being effected heavily by coffee rust (pictured above.)

"Coffee Rust," is a fungus, scientifically know by as Hemileia Vastatrix, which forms clusters of yellowish-orange leshions on the coffee leaves causing the tree to no longer bare fruit (coffee cherries.)  This disease is devistating to coffee plantations and causes a majority of the farms land to cease productions. 

The disease was first reported in Kenya in 1861, then spread to Sri Lanka, and by the early 1900's widely throughout Africa and Asia.  It started to affect most of the Asian/Pacific growing region and now is heavily spread across Latin America.  This is ground breaking due to the amount of Latin American coffee Starbucks purchases, especially from Guatemala.  In the comming months, if these farms aren't treated properly with pesticides, we could see a spike in coffee prices from the Latin American countries. 

-Jordan Alejandro

The Origins Of Coffee...

   Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee.  The Oromo people are believed to be the first to discover the energizing effect of the coffee plant.  The story of Kaldi the goat herder, remains the seed in the timeline of coffee's life (pun intended).  The 9th century goat herder Kaldi, discovered coffee by accident when he noticed his goats were becoming more active from eating the coffee berries.  After stumbling upon monks, he shared his findings with them and they became quite fond of the reaction it gave them.  Resulting in more energy for longer hours of prayer.  Although the story of Kaldi is believed by most, there are other stories that attribute to the discovery of coffee.

Sheik Omar, was believed to cure the sick through prayer.  Omar was once exiled from Mocha, Yemen to Ousab.  While in a desert cave in Ousab he noticed berries growing off of a shrubbery, but didn't favor them due to the bitter flavor.  He then tried roasting the seeds but they became hard, so to soften them he boiled them in water which resulted in a fragrant brown liquid which would soon be coined as the "miracle drug."  After drinking this liquid, he became revitalized and sustained for days.  Stories of this "miracle drug" reached Mocha, and Sheik Omar was asked to return and was made a saint for his findings.

In the 15th century, the first credible evidence of coffees existence appears around Mocha, Yemen in Sufi Monasteries.  In Arabia, coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed, done in a similar way to this very day.  By the 16th century, coffee knowledge reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa.  Yemeni traders brought coffee back to their homeland to cultivate the seed.

Portrait of Baba Budan

In 1670, coffee was first smuggled out of the Middle East by Sufi Baba Budan from Yemen to India.

This picture explains how Baba Budan smuggled coffee out of the Middle East by strapping seven coffee beans to his chest.  The first plants grown from these smuggled seeds were planted in Mysore, India followed by it's spread to Italy and the rest of Europe, then to Indonesia, and the Americas.

Coffee has made an incredible impact on all of these cultures even to this day.  Then, used as a medicine, or to form social gatherings, and even possibly the beverage that brought War Generals together to discuss battle strategies.  Now, coffee is the heart of some nations, nurturing a blooming economy.  

Discovery, curiosity, innovation, and passion is what bridged the gap between coffee being just a berry on a shrub to a delicious cup in the hands of millions every day...

-Jordan Alejandro

You Have Been Chosen...

  (Left to right: Mike (Coffee Master), Maykol, Julie, Stacey, Jordan (Standing), Manfred, & Roberto)

   Today was a productive day at the Coffee Master Class in Woodrow Wilson Travel Plaza.  Facilitated  by Mike Penna (Starbucks Company Operated Store Manager/Coffee Master from NYC), he kicked off the class with a coffee tasting of Pike Place Roast and Cafe Verona.  Followed by an introduction of our future Coffee Masters which include; Maykol Villalobos, Roberto Rivera, Manfred Goracy, Jordan Alejandro, Julie Feliberty and our current Coffee Masters Mark Ormsbee (Licensed District Manager) and Stacey Carpenito (Starbucks Brand Champion.)

We explored the history of coffee, starting with Kaldi and his goats to the opening of the first Starbucks at Pike Place Market in 1971.  The discovery started in Ethiopia as an accident and led to being one of the most sought after commodities in the world.  We learned how espresso got its name and the meaning behind the word "Cappuccino", the first coffee filter and Amsterdam becoming the trading center of coffee.  The history of coffee is rich with legend, intrigue, smuggling, and romance. Today, the Starbucks Coffee story was revealed and our knowledge on it's origins have expanded.

The class was wrapped up with a coffee tasting of Sun-Dried Ethiopia Sidamo, a reserve from Africa that was processed naturally.  The coffee was incredible, and the perfect finish to the day.

Our next class will be hosted at Cheesequake Travel Plaza on February 21st with some exciting projects and tastings ahead of us.  Four groups were formed to present a section of "Chapter 2: Geographic Origins," the groups include:

Jay Greenberg & Jordan Alejandro
Maykol Villalobos & Julie Feliberty
Manfred Goracy & Roberto Rivera
Mark Ormsbee & Stacey Carpenito

Thanks to Mike Penna, Mark Ormsbee, and Stacey Carpenito for making this happen.  We will all see each other in a couple weeks to start the second chapter of our Coffee Master books.  Until then, keep drinking coffee!

-Jordan Alejandro