Robby’s El Salvador Blog…Stay Tuned for More…

February 5, 2010 by Neesha 0

Wow! I returned Sunday from a 5 day trip to the coffee farms in El Salavador. I was asked to go from my roaster Cuvee Coffee’s Mike Mckim. We stayed at Jasal Farms mill about an hour from San Salvador hosted by Jose Antonio.

I have to say it was a very enlightening, educational, and humbling experience.

My passion for a excellent cup of coffee started in the late 80’s in Boulder’s and Denver’s coffee houses which led me to a job in Texas where I spent a month in California cupping and learning about roasting mostly single origin coffees from all over the world. With my previous knowledge and my immersion over the last year in putting together Local Coffee I felt I knew a little about what it took from “farm to cup”. But like so many times in my life when I thought I knew something….I was humbled with a whole new learning experience.

Mike really did a good job educating me about the lengths he was willing to go in pursuit of the perfect cup (relentless scientific roasting, cupping, traveling to all his farms origins to cup and evaluate their standards, etc.) but experiencing the farm and mill process brought it all together. I experienced what “others” find acceptable and what makes Cuvee and a handful of other roasters so unique.

Here are a few examples of what sets Cuvee apart –

  1. A real Direct Trade relationship with the farm and mill.  I experienced the farmers respect for Mike opinion and experienced palate during cupping . I also experienced some experimental types of picking and drying that  Jose Antonio implemented for Mike during his last visit. We where able to cup and WOW…just wait until June you’ll see for yourself at Local.
  2. Selective Picking- No Machines folks just VERY hard working folks individual picking only ripe cherries. This is rare!
  3. Selective Sorting-not only did they selectively pick they then take those 135-150lb bags down the mountain (on their backs!) to a flatbed truck and then to the sorting tables at the mill where there are about 10 ladies sorting the best cherries for Cuvee!!

There is much more so I will follow up soon with more about the pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee!!