S5:E13: COFFEE SMARTER
Topic: Climate Change Impacts On Green Coffee Sourcing
Guest: Jared Hales, Hacea Coffee Source
Title: Co-Founder & Green Coffee Buyer
Instagram: @haceacoffeesource
Website: www.haceacoffee.com
I learned (or relearned) a lot during this episode. For example, there is no honey nor any bees* involved in honey-processed coffee. Cherry gets depulped and left to dry with the mucilage oozing off the coffee bean, which is actually a seed. The coffee air dries on raised beds for about two weeks, with the mucilage/pulp gooping off like honey. During this time, fermentation is happening, and in an ideal world, a honey-processed coffee will end up having a combination of fruity, syrupy sweetness traits found in a naturally processed coffee and the clean, clarity of the washed coffees.
I learned that changing weather patterns are forcing farms to modify when coffees are being processed. Changes in the dry and/or rainy season duration impact when coffee can be processed or dried, which, in turn, changes the entire operational effort. The spiderwebbing effects of climate change seemingly know no end.
I also reminded myself that I should put out what I want to get back from the world. Right now, I want some good coffee, so I’m going to go knock on the neighbor's door and see if they want to share an Aeropress brewed batch of coffee from Steady State Roasting. I think that's how it works, right?
As far as I know, no bees get caffeinated during the processing of coffee.
FROM THE SHOW
Coffee cherries drying on a concrete pad:
Coffee drying on a screen:
Here is an example of the coffee de-pulping machine Jared and I chatted about on the show. You can see the wheel looks similar to a cheese grater. The distance between the wheel and the grate the cherries are dropping through can be adjusted, allowing for some pulp to remain on the bean as it would with a honey-processed coffee. Video courtesy of Mayorga Coffee on YouTube.
DEFINITION: Agronomy
Jared recommended Naysayer Coffee Roasters founded by Chris and Beth Vecera in Napa, CA as a roaster to check out. Their logo is a glass half full, if I’m not mistaken.
R!WC Industry Partners
Click these R!WC Industry Partners links. Drink their coffees and whiskeys. Visit their cafes. Support local coffee shops. You won’t be disappointed.
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters
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Coffee Smarter: Natural, Washed, and Honey Processing