Intelligentsia will be sending their Finca La Maravilla from Itzamna Guatamala for this months direct trade coffee.  Here are some specifics on this fantastic single origin:

Tasting Notes

Silky and velvety, full of smooth milk chocolate and dried stone fruits. The acidity is soft and balanced, nestled between notes of black forest cake and jam. A buttery finish compliments the creamy mouthfeel.

Coffee

LOCATION:  Huehuetenango

FARM:  Finca Maravilla

FARMER:  Mauricio Rosales

VARIETAL:  Bourbon, Caturra

ALTITUDE:  1500 – 1850 m

HARVEST:  January – April

Characteristics

FLAVOR:  Milk chocolate, stone fruit

ACIDITY:  Balanced, soft

FINISH:  Buttery

MOUTHFEEL:  Creamy

Geoff's Notes

Key up the music, and make it grand: the 2010 version of Itzamna has earned a red carpet entrance. Lately I have been quite content to sit back and let coffees speak for themselves because they do it so darned eloquently and in a way that just cannot be touched by the written word. But special consideration must be given here, as I think a new standard has been set. Best of all, the measurable step forward in quality is in no way just a matter of advantageous growing conditions or good fortune. The farmers involved in the Itzamna project deserve massive props for the work they put in, both in advance of and during this year’s campaign. It has showed up in a big way, and let this be my public thank you to Henio and Raul Perez (from La Soledad) and Mauricio Rosales (from La Maravilla) for having created something so soul-meltingly delicious.

Guatemala has always been a star within the Specialty Coffee community. There is a long tradition of estate coffee farming and quite a bit of technical expertise that helps explain the coffee quality. Many farms have their own wet mills and drying patios and can maintain excellent control over the coffee as it is being processed. It is also a country unique in Central America for its huge indigenous population (over 50% of the people are of Mayan descent) and diverse micro-regions that produce mouthwatering coffees with distinctly different profiles.

We have always had a particular love for these coffees, and over the years Guatemala has remained one of our most treasured origins. Itzamna is our serenade to the country, a blend of our favorite Guatemalan coffees that combines taste characteristics specific to different parts of the country to create an enthralling concert of flavor. All three farms are spectacular (and will be offered individually for limited runs during the fall season).

Coffees from La Maravilla (HueHue) bring an energetic ripe fruit acidity to Itzamna. This farm was the first to meet the requirements of Direct Trade status, and we’ve had a close relationship for over six years now. This season Mauricio finished constructing new housing for the temporary workers, and we celebrated with a post-harvest party at the farm for all the pickers and their families.

La Soledad (Acatenango) contributes a rich milk chocolate and butterscotch sweetness, and last year the farm finished top 20 in the Cup of Excellence—hats off to them for this recognition of their achievement. It is one of my favorite farms because the forward progress and investment they are making to advance quality and become a standard setter for social and environmental responsibility on the farm needs no explanation; it stands out every time I visit. They’ve just completed the final stage on their very impressive water treatment system and have started work on a cupping lab that will be built on the farm itself. They are currently working on some diversification with an innovative plan to produce avocado oil from the groves of delicious avocado trees on the farm. These guys are the definition of pro-active.

Itzamna is the creator-deity whose name can be rendered “god of nectar” and was the harbinger of culture, cacao, and maize to the Mayans in ancient lore. We chose the name Itzamna for this offering because we like what he stands for. He is a beloved deity from Mayan mythology, credited with creating many of the things that make life worth living. He introduced farming and science. And he was always known to be kind and protective towards humans, no mean streak whatsoever. In other words, he is the man. We can only suppose that he has a profound love for coffee as well.

Intelligentsia will ship their single origin El Machete from Finca Santa Teresa in Panama to Direct Trade Coffee Club members for the May shipment.

The El Machete is produced by an innovative farmer named Juan Pablo Berard. His dedication to coffee quality and social and environmental sustainability are obvious in all endeavors at the farm, from funding Casa Esperanza (a school for his workers’ children) to separating individual lots of coffee to preserving forest on his property.

Tasting notes:

Forest blackberries, concord grape and a pleasant winyness dominate the nose. The body is full, dense and silky in texture; reminiscent of Black Forest cake. The lime acidity underscores notes of St. Germain and muscat grape as the finish tapers into cocoa and nutmeg spice.

Specs:

Producer: Juan Pablo Berard and Maria Louisa Berard

Farm: Finca Santa Teresa

Region: Santa Clara

Varietal: Catuai, Caturra, Typica

Altitude: 1,400 – 1,500 meters

Harvest: December – February 2010

The Direct Trade Coffee Club shipment for April 2010 will be from Madcap.  They are shipping a Catuai, Pache, Arabigo varietal from Ellen Prentice and the Finca de Dios in the Fraijanes region of Guatemala.  The coffee comes from Ellen Prentice

Finca de Dios is at an altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level and was processed using a wet mill process and sun dried on concrete patios.  The beans were harvested between January and March of 2009.

Additional Information:  Finca de Dios (Farm of God) is more than just a name for Ellen and her workers, it's a mind-set that all of their practices are based off of.  Ellen, one of very few female coffee farmers in Guatemala inherited the farm from her father.  She feels a deep responsibility to ecological awareness in her practices and diligently works with her producers to pay a good wage.  In 2008, the farms excellence was awarded 13th place in the Cup of Excellence auction.  MadCap wants you to keep your eyes open as they strongly believe Finca de Dios will be one of the most sought after farms in Guatemala in the next decade.

Madcap will also be serving this coffee during the upcoming Symposium at the Specialty Coffee Association of America conference this week.

If you would like to receive coffee from the Direct Trade Coffee Club in the future, join the club! 

Anyone that followed the link to Sarah Kluths tasting notes within our recent post about Intelligentsia coffee announcing their shipment of  Ikirezi, Burundi coffee for the club shipment in February, will understand Sarah’s passion and commitment to Direct Trade.  What you may not get is “the rest of the story”, so we asked Sarah what was special about her recent trip to Burundi, here is what she had to say:

Hmmm… Burundi

A highlight of mine was interacting with the spirit of the Burundi people. I did some work for USAID, providing a one-week course for cuppers.  Their passion for learning was undeniable and their willingness to understand and embrace the specialty coffee movement was inspiring.  So often, you run into people who’ve been working in an industry for ages and their experience and tenure results in a resistance to change rather than a proclivity for innovation.  These cuppers expressed nothing but sheer pleasure at learning more about the intimate details of cupping, roasting and production as well as ways in which they could provide improvements in their own cooperatives, washing stations or Sogestals.  Although the Burundian government may be in the beginning stages of cultivating an environment suitable for specialty coffee, its producers aren’t.  They are as passionate as ever and are ready to do what it takes.

Thanks to Deborah Johnson Wood for taking the time to write about the coffee business in Western Michigan and the Direct Trade Coffee Club.

The Direct Trade Coffee Club is a collection of roasters and we believe it’s important to clear up one point made in the article regarding the Direct Trade model.  The notion of the Direct Trade model ‘cutting out the middle men’ is is a common misconception.  It is this idea of “cutting out the middlemen” and using this “saved” money to pay the farmer more.   We would like to respond by stating that this is not our roasters goal, wish, or practice.  We believe each link in the value chain plays a very important role in supplying your everyday fix of liquid gold.  Our roasters use experts on the ground at origin, they use importers and exporters and they use freight companies.  There are many hands that touch the coffee, and we value each one.  The process of direct trade, is about getting the finest coffee to the consumer while recognizing each link of the value chain in a respectful manner, which starts by paying the farmers more.  Direct trade is expensive, but its the best way to obtain the best coffee in the world, procured in the most economically sustainable manner.

Please comment on this post if you think the way we do.  We would love to hear your thoughts.

We have been in conversation with Farmers to get their perspective on how direct trade impacts them, their customer and workers.

Our first post in this series is from Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa.  Here is his response.

As a 3rd generation coffee producer at Finca Vista Hermosa, I’ve discovered that there is no such a things as a perfect relationship and that excellence never happens by accident.  However when multiple parties across
the supply chain share common goals, those goals become more attainable and risk to all can be minimized.  I have found that the best relationships are simply efficient relationships where what one party supplies is exactly
what the other demands.  No more to avoid being wasteful and no less, avoiding disappointment.  This is best exemplified when each party is extremely discerning and specific in how quality is defined.  It is in this pursuit that one realizes excellence is not a place one arrives to, rather an ongoing process.  A process of continuously learning from others.  This is a process that requires much communication in person, on a regular basis. This is what is required to be socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.  Exceptional coffee simply cannot be produced without highly skilled labor that is compensated fairly and it cannot be done consistently year after year with out taking good care of the land and people which produce it.   Having a mutual understanding of exceptional quality between the producer, the consumer and all links in between means that value can actually be passed on.  This means that a producer can be both profit and quality driven, when each link in the chain understands and appreciates what it takes to produce that quality year after year.

Here are examples of three critical roles in the coffee value chain and how they are impacted by the direct trade model:

THE FARM

• It provides an ability to plan long term
• It provides the opportunity for the producer to break out of the commodity market and focus exclusively on quality development
• It provides the opportunity to become a stable pillar in the community
• It provides a secure future in the long term
• It provides long term demand for exceptional quality, sustainable practices are no longer just a noble choice but they make good business sense

THE FARMER

• Direct trade provides an opportunity for the personal reward of doing a good job and partnering with someone who understands, appreciates and passes along the value
• It provides a bright future with the opportunity to carry on for many generations
• The Direct Trade Coffee Club provides a venue for producers to talk with consumers about the impact direct trade has on them

THE CONSUMER

• It puts the best culinary experiences in coffee, with in reach for the average consumer
• Tasting terroir becomes possible
• There is reward to purchase an exceptional product one can enjoy while knowing it is supporting the livelihoods of many who take pride in being artisan boutique farmers
• The Direct Trade Coffee Club provides consumers with a variety of coffee producers and roasters which enables them to connect with the producer first hand and experience the fruit of their labor