This question gets posed to me at least onetime per week at the market, regardless of which market it might be. This question is so open ended it almost makes me question what I like….Well, not really. I like coffee! There are some I like more than others, such as the more floral Ethiopians or the tanginess and earthiness of the Sumatrans; however, I have found a quality roast with a quality bean will bring a quality cup that is unique.
That uniqueness can be broadly generalized by each coffee’s Country of Origin (COO). The COO has a large impact on flavor and can overall be a general grouping. However, when you break a COO down into its different regions (about like comparing grapes from Brownfield, Ft. Stockton and Fredericksburg…all in TEXAS!) you start to see the complexity in coffee and why single origin coffees might be so appealing.
When I select coffees to add to our offerings, I like to select coffees I think I might like to drink. However, I only represent myself and am a rather small population sample. So, knowing this, I tend to try to stay somewhat broad in my selections. I will try to always have a floral Ethiopian in the lineup, but these single origin coffees have a limited availability…When they are gone, they are gone! I will select coffees based on what estimated notes are from the source and from my importer.
Keeping my selections broad has introduced me to several coffees I likely would never have tried prior, like the Tanzanian coffee we currently have (as of writing Jan 31, 2019) with its citrusy sweetness.
I have found as I have ventured into this new area of coffees over the last 2 years is that there is a single origin coffee for everybody. In addition, I have found that the coffee we may have grown up around in a red or blue can does not have to be the coffee we use as a benchmark. Oh wait, it has become a benchmark…A benchmark to BEAT.
Although that is not really a fair comparison, it is the comparison that is being made when I am visiting with a potential customer about coffees and how a quality single origin coffee can be so much more to any one person than the coffee from a red or blue can might be to the masses as a whole.
I look forward to seeing you at the market and answering the question…What is your Favorite? Well, I have to end this with me turning the question around to you….Which is your favorite coffee? I would love to hear which is your favorite TPR coffee, but out of all of the coffees you have had, what was the coffee that really made that impression? One of mine was a medium roasted Harare from a small roaster in Temple, which kind of helped spring board this expanding venture…