The old world of "coffee is coffee" is long gone, but sometimes it seems like the wider specialty coffee industry chooses to overlook some fantastic coffees for the sake of getting a "better" origin. I agree that some of the best coffees that I have had the pleasure of drinking were Panama Geishas that dragged me further into my overdraft. However, I don't believe that the world of specialty coffee which we spend so much time in should be so focussed on a handful of producing countries.
Instead of focussing purely on origin or on price point, we base our buying decisions primarily on their taste and if we believe that they will fit into our current offer list.
As a result, our sourcing process looks roughly like this:
- We receive a selection of green coffee from our importer(s);
- I do some quick green evaluation to check for defects and take some measurements;
- I roast the coffees on the IKAWA;
- The following day, we cup the coffees and take some notes then discuss what we like and why;
- After selecting our favourites, we contact the importer(s) and hope the coffee is still available;
- If all is well, we receive our favourites in a couple of weeks ready to roast in the Giesen and make its way to a cup near you.