Abe Carmeli wrote: As to the stethoscope, I have no idea.

To hear the very faint beginning of second crack? Or considering the skillful extremely light roasting style of Terrior, the very ending of first?

Great report, thank you!

The Brazil COE third place winner, Fazenda Pedra Preta, was shipped vacuum packed and is one of the best coffees I have had.

This was all such a great experience. Thank you Abe, Jim and George.

chelya wrote:Is vac-packing at roaster too late? Does it have to happen at the farm to see the difference?

With few exceptions, vac-packing at the roaster is too late. Vac-packing at origin is FAR better.

Abe Carmeli wrote:The more acidic high grown coffees will fade faster.

There was indeed a lot of info thrown rapid-fire at you guys. High grown coffees generally age slower, probably because they're dense enough to not allow as much oxygen inside.

cannonfodder wrote:Question, did they elaborate on the temperature they store the frozen greens at, or is that a trade secret

The beans from that tasting were kept at about 5F.

Abe Carmeli wrote:I believe Peter is 25.

I'm 24 and a half.

DavidMLewis wrote:I remember several years ago, Terroir mentioned flying the coffees. I assume they gave it up because of the cost, and because in most growing areas the trip from farm to airport is no less fraught with peril than that from farm to dock. Did you talk about that?

When we first started to fly coffee we saved the lives of some coffees, from Brazil and Nicaragua for example. But, sometimes it didn't work! Then, the last straw was when it was becoming a crapshoot as to whether the coffee would actually arrive later than it would have by boat. We need a more reliable method!... Though, what a cool experiment that was!

DavidMLewis wrote:To hear the very faint beginning of second crack? Or considering the skillful extremely light roasting style of Terrior, the very ending of first?

Terroir's roasters get anxiety if a roast is ever screwed up. One roasts best between 67.3 - 74.7 beats per minute.

SL28ave wrote:I'm 24 and a half.

Oh, boy...when you're in your fifties you're happy to be within a half a decade of right!


Happy Birthday (in half a year).

[And thanks for the good info.]

SL28ave wrote:I'm 24 and a half.

One day, being called 'boy' will be a compliment.

Do you think holding greens at a lower temperature than 5F is detrimental, or is simply the easiest temperature to maintain in your cold storage locker? I store my greens in a chest freezer that is much colder than 5F.

cannonfodder wrote:Do you think holding greens at a lower temperature than 5F is detrimental, or is simply the easiest temperature to maintain in your cold storage locker? I store my greens in a chest freezer that is much colder than 5F.

I don't think that going under 5F is detrimental. All the coffee that we actually sell is kept close to -40 F.

chelya wrote:Is vac-packing at roaster too late? Does it have to happen at the farm to see the difference?

To clarify my previous answer: one can usually see the difference if it's vac-packed at roaster, with care of course. But doing it at origin is better.

I've put up a webpage report called Cupping with George which goes into more depth on how all the specific practices at Terroir we've mentioned add up to an overall approach to coffee.

I think George's vision merits discussion, so feel free to agree or disagree; or object to my portrayal.

Thanks Jim, great (webpage) report.

While I understand (more or less within my limited capabilities to understand) George's philosophy of the true terrior of the bean for me it would be sad if his vision evey came to full fruition. For instance I love a great wet processed Yirgacheffe. If I understand correctly this would be the more true state of the bean to George. Yet I also love dry processed Yirgacheffe which if I understand correctly is not within George's terrior philosophy. To me they are different expressions of the bean. I wish I could have gotten both DP & WP of the same pickings of Ididio Misty Valley for direct differing enjoyment comparison.

An analogy might be a prime cut of beef. Some chef's believe anything beyond a touch of salt masks the true essence of the steak. Not even wood smoke grilling! But to me whether lightly seasoned versus heavily rubbed with different seasonings or a london broil or terriyaki style marinade etc. are simply different interpretations of the steak. And usually not if but which wood to use smoke grilling another layer of flavor interpretation.

miKe mcKoffee wrote: For instance I love a great wet processed Yirgacheffe. If I understand correctly this would be the more true state of the bean to George. Yet I also love dry processed Yirgacheffe which if I understand correctly is not within George's terrior philosophy.

I think a dry process might be better if the beans were dried in perfectly dry area ( think Arizona desert)
The problem with dry process is that it takes long time and so many things can go wrong - one rainy day could cause the beans to start rotting.

I think the wet process is inferior by nature, but it is done in a controlled environment so you never risk losing your crop

/gabi