Holy F^*%ing S#$%

PT's sold some of the green samples at $20 for 200 grams; seems I got the bargain of the year. Ipsento was in an alliance for the Geisha Aristar, expecting to pay around $50 per pound. But it's going to Japan at $70.25. The Don Pache DP, which I'm sipping on now, and which was my favorite, went for $111, also to Japan. In fact that's where all the top lots are heading.

Looks like the Japanese roasters have finally learned about the high grade DP lots. Grab those platform dried Sidamos while you can. Because you'll soon need to move to Tokyo to get them.

Wowwow, $111 per lb. I just don't think my palate is that worthy.

Looks like a few are coming to Taiwan too.

another_jim wrote:
PT's sold some of the green samples at $20 for 200 grams; seems I got the bargain of the year. Ipsento was in an alliance for the Geisha Aristar, expecting to pay around $50 per pound. But it's going to Japan at $70.25. The Don Pache DP, which I'm sipping on now, and which was my favorite, went for $111, also to Japan. In fact that's where all the top lots are heading.

Looks like the Japanese roasters have finally learned about the high grade DP lots. Grab those platform dried Sidamos while you can. Because you'll soon need to move to Tokyo to get them.

I just ordered the sample of Lote 11 just for reference. I wish I could have gotten something like the Geisha Aristar or Don Pache.

All the naturals were pretty spectacular. The Elida Galact was my winner out of all the lots (we didn't cup the top 5 washed lots and still have those samples). There are some really great coffees in this auction top to bottom but only 3? will make it to the US.

Looks like Grumpy got the #6 lot. Man $13.85 a pound. Coffee is getting crazy expensive. 3 years ago I was getting super premium greens for 4-6$ a pound. Just ordered 4 pounds (2 Yemen's a Harar and a Kenya) and it was nearly $60. That would have been around $25 a couple years ago.

What's odd is that the naturals averaged around $50, while the others all averaged around $20. Elida, for instance submitted their premium washed Catuai, which got $16, a semi-wet Catuai which got $10, and two dry process Catuais, which got $35 and $25. These prices are for standard cultivars, and not confounded by the "geisha effect."

The selling prices are at odds with the cupping scores, where the washed coffees garnered a few points more than the naturals.

Naturals just spread on the ground and left to dry are cheaper than wet process; but drying cherry on a raised bed, and inspecting and sorting them daily (the Don Pache and Esmeralda had no detectable ferment in the cup) is probably more expensive.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. All the naturals, not just the stars, got great prices this year. If I were a Panamanian coffee farmer, I know how I would be processing my best fruit next year.

Out of the top 10 coffees, I felt that 5 had very real issues with ferment. I was shocked.

There are only five naturals and one pulp-natural. Did you get ferment on all of them?

I only tried the Esmeralda and Don Pache naturals. I'm positive the Don Pache is clean. I caught a tiny hint of something soury-astringent in the Esmeralda, but it disappeared in the cool cup. In most cases, ferment becomes more apparent when the cup is cooled. But I'm not the ferment bloodhound some cuppers are.

The top naturals were bought by Wataru, who used to have a reputation of being a total bloodhound when it came to flaws.

Actually got it from a bunch of the washed coffees. Tasted like they'd been in the water too long.