JulieCraves

Coffee news and miscellany

How many high-dollar coffees are sustainable?

Last week, Forbes Magazine published an article on the world’s most expensive coffees.  I decided to take a look at the list and see which of the beans might be considered sustainably grown.

  1. Kopi Luwak — Indonesia.  ~$160/pound (all prices in US dollars).  Kopi Luwak is expensive because it is rare: the beans are collected from the scat of civet cats (usually Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, which are not felines but mongoose relatives), which eat the ripe coffee berries.  Passing through the digestive tract, the beans are slightly chemically altered by the fermenting action of the bacteria and enzymes in the animal’s gut, sort of similar to wet processing. Protein is leached out of the bean, which may make the coffee less bitter. High price due to novelty and rarity.Most coffee from Sumatra is generally shade grown, so pay attention to the source: some luwaks are robusta coffees from Java, Bali, or Vietnam (which may also be “processed” by different species of animals). The civets themselves are kept in captivity to process the coffee — they are wild. While they are tolerant of humans, they generally need habitat themselves, so presumably there must be some natural areas near or around the farms where the poop is harvested. Thus, we’ll call luwak coffee sustainable, with some reservations.  For everything you could possibly want to know about luwak coffee, go to AnimalCoffee. At some point, I’ll devote an entire post to luwak coffee, but I suppose I first have to decide to spend the money to try some. [Update: review here.]
  2. Hacienda Esmeralda Especial — Panama. ~104/pound.  Coffee & Conservation wrote a lot of background on this coffee, and also reviewed it.  Price is due to quality and unique flavor, low yield, high demand. This farm is, or was, Rainforest Alliance certified. Sustainably grown.
  3. Island of St. Helena Coffee Company [now out of business]-– St Helena. ~$79/pound.  High price due to small yield and remoteness of island, and somewhat to novelty (this was the island where Napoleon was exiled). Island of St. Helena Coffee Co. grows this coffee organically (though not certified), and plants threatened endemic trees. So yes it’s quite sustainable; the demerit comes in when one considers the impact of shipping coffee from way the hell out in the south Atlantic.
  4. El Injerto — Guatemala (Huehuetenango). ~$25/pound green. High price due to quality, having won the 2006 Cup of Excellence.Guatemalan coffees are generally shade grown and often organic. Nearly half of the El Injerto farm is preserved virgin forest, and they use bio-dynamic growing practices, although the farm is not certified organic.  Great example of biodiversity stewardship!
  5. Fazenda Santa Ines — Brazil (Minas Gerais). ~$50/pound green. High price due to small quanties and high quality — in 2005 it scored 95.85 points in the Cup of Excellence competition.  A lot of Brazilian coffees are grown in the cerrado, tropical savannah habitat very high in biodiversity.  Only about 20% of cerrado remains due to increasing agriculture, cattle farming, and urbanization. In Minas Gerais, cerrado is found mostly in the western part of the state. Santa Ines is located in the far south, and is said to have preserved a large area of forest on the estate, as well as riparian areas.  This is probably fairly sustainable for Brazil, but I lack full information.
  6. Blue Mountain — Jamaica (Wallenford Estate). ~$49/pound. High price due to small quanities and cache.  A lot of coffee labeled “Blue Mountain” is a blend (not 100% Blue Mountain) or phony.  Coffee that passes through the Wallenford Estate mill can be labeled from this estate, even if not grown there, although it should all be from the Blue Mountain region.  Like many West Indian islands, Jamaica has many endemic birds, and the mountains are important to both residents and migrants.  But deforestation in the mountains is intense. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is threatened by agriculture and invasive species, and price incentives for farmers to grow organic or shade coffee don’t work well in this system because of the high prices already received, so much of the coffee is not grown sustainably (read more about coffee and biodiversity in Jamaica here). You might be able to find some sustainable coffee from the Blue Mountain region, but I have to say that overall, most is not.
  7. Los Planes — El Salvador (Citala). ~$40/pound.  High price due to quality — #2 in the 2006 Cup of Excellence.  Coffee plantations are very important in El Salvador; much of the remaining “forest” in the country is, in fact, coffee farms. From what little I can find about tiny Los Planes is that methods are “traditional” (though not organic) and there is forest on the farm.  Given that most coffee is shade grown in El Salvador, we’ll call this one sustainable.
  8. Kona — Hawaii. ~$34/pound. High price due to high labor costs, low quantities, and cache. Like Jamaican Blue Mountain, not all Kona coffee is pure Kona, and some of it isn’t Kona at all (although hopefully people aren’t being ripped off as they were about 10 years ago, read more here). There are about 600 small growers on the Kona Coast, and most sell their crops to larger processors.  So it is difficult to determine how the coffee was grown.  There are some direct-sale farms that are certified organic and note being shade grown.  You have to choose carefully, so sustainable with reservations.
  9. Starbucks Rwanda Blue Bourbon — Rwanda (Gatare/Karengera). ~$24/pound. High price due to more to marketing factors than anything else.  All the Starbucks Black Apron selections, of which this was one, are $24-26/pound and come in what must be an expensive to produce fancy laser cut box. This is no longer available, so I’m not sure why it’s on the list.  Rwandan coffees are by and large grown by small holders on steep plots without chemicals, and is therefore considered sustainable.
  10. Yauco Selecto AA — Puerto Rico. ~$22/pound.  High price due to small quantities, as Yauco Selecto is only grown on a few farms in southwestern PR.  The Puerto Rican government has heavily subsidized coffee farmers, leading to frequent use of chemical inputs, and a lot of sun coffee.  I have been unable to find any specific growing information for the Yauco Selecto estates.
  11. Fazenda Sao Benedito– Brazil (Minas Gerias). ~$21/pound.  High price due to quality, another Cup of Excellence winner. Located in the same area as Fazenda Santa Ines, above, and hence with similar reservations. Unlike Santa Ines, which preserves some forest, the only sustainabilty measures I found mentioned in my research had to do with water and waste recycling. There is a cattle ranch on the farm.  Photos of these estates I’ve seen look pretty monoculturally stark. Since there is even less emphasis on sustainable practices in the material on this estate, I have to go with a not sustainable ruling on this one.

Birds and other biodiversity

World biodiversity crisis

The main thrust of Coffee & Conservation is how to choose sustainable coffees — those that help preserve biodiversity.  The more you understand the depth and urgency of the biodiversity crisis we face on Earth today, the more motivated you will be to do what you can to help (including drinking sustainable coffee).

It would be easy to devote an entire blog just to explaining, summarizing, and analyzing the biodiversity crisis, and that kind of detail is beyond the scope of C&C.  However, there is an excellent web site that pulls together many resources.  Dr. David Ulansey’s site looks a little crude, but includes many worthwhile links which are frequently updated.  I urge readers to take a look. Here are some of the links that pertain to the general biodiversity crisis or coffee growing regions in particular:

Of course it is preferable — and necessary — to preserve intact forests in coffee growing regions.  Purchasing cheap, mass-produced coffee merely encourages the exploitation of that land for high, short-term yields at the lowest price.  Buying coffee from established farms which produce coffee in the least-technified manner, and indeed paying a premium for them, 1) provides incentive for farmers to grow coffee in a sustainable manner, preserving biodiversity on their farms, 2) discourages large corporations from clearing more land and subsidizing more inputs for cheap coffee, and 3) discourages small farmers from abandoning their farms or converting them to sun coffee or other crops.

If you drink coffee, drink responsibly and sustainably. C&C is here to help.

Blends/Multiple / Coffee reviews / Latin America / Retail and specialty roasters

Counter Culture Sanctuary Coffees

Plainspoken Coffee. A Coffee Review for Ordinary People by Ordinary People, #6.

Counter Culture’s Sanctuary Shade Grown Coffees.

Fred Houk, an avid birder and a former member of SCAA’s Environment (Sustainability) Committee, was one of the co-founders of Counter Culture Coffee.  Through his efforts, Counter Culture began marketing their Sanctuary coffees in 1997, making them one of the first shade-grown coffee lines.  Sanctuary coffees are not sold on the Counter Culture web site, but are available at many Whole Foods Markets in the eastern U.S., and in regional southeastern U.S. natural food chains such as Earth Fare, Green Life Grocery, and Weaver Street Market, as well as some independent co-ops and organic shops.  Counter Culture has plans for a future stand-alone Sanctuary web site.

Packages feature a Wood Thrush, currently still common in eastern North America but of high conservation concern because of steady, long-term population declines — down 43% since 1966 — throughout most of its range. Wood Thrushes winter in tropical forests throughout Central America, including shade coffee plantations.

CC’s Mark Overbay sent three Sanctuary coffees to try; all are certified organic.  Links are to CC’s offerings from the same origins.

  • Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca Nueva Armenia — The Huehuetenango coffee region in western Guatemala is rugged and high elevation. Finca Nueva Armenia has at least 50 species of native shade trees, and I understand they are going to apply for SMBC certification soon.This was my favorite, and the first “Huehue” that I’ve tried…I understand why it’s a favorite of experts. We found it had more character than other Central Americans, including a little citrusy zing, at least in the french press, that reminded us of an Ethiopian.  We also detected a fruity flavor, perhaps apricot, as the cup cooled.
  • Mexico Pluma La Trinidad — From the region around Pluma Hidalgo in Oaxaca.  La Trinidad is the coop with over 350 members, and it is Rainforest Alliance certified.A slightly deeper roast than the other two, with some hints of oil on the beans.  This was the most rich and chocolately of the bunch, and held up best as a drip.  Using the Aeropress or Eva Cafe Solo, it also made an excellent Americano. AND, it was great iced!
  • Nicaragua Matagalpa Cafe San Ramon — In my post about Nicaragua and its coffees, I mentioned Counter Culture has a strong relationship with growers in this region through the Sister Communities of San Ramon. The farm, Finca Esperanza Verde, has an ecolodge and a butterfly farm, and like the rest of the area, is a great birdwatching destination.  The Counter Culture involvement is a perfect model of relationship coffee.  This is what we’re looking for in sustainable coffees and righteous roasters, people!A clean and classic cup.  Using press or other immersion method brings out more character in this subtle coffee, especially hints of cocoa.

Any of these coffees would make excellent daily breakfast brews. We give these Sanctuary coffees overall 3.5 motmots.

Counter Culture was Roast Magazine’s 2004 Roaster of the Year, when CCC was wholesale-only.  We’re happy CCC went retail, especially with sustainable coffees such as the Sanctuary line.

Coffee regions

Attention: Nicaragua

The situation and the role of coffee: Nicaraguan coffee made recent news, with a story on how organic coffee is losing its appeal to Nicaraguan coffee farmers. About 10% of the country’s coffee exports are organic, but producers feel there isn’t enough of a price premium to make the lower yields and extra effort (and certification costs) to produce organic coffees worthwhile.  Higher demand and increased volume of organic coffee worldwide has lowered prices, and according to the article, farmers are sometimes only receiving $1.05/lb for organic beans.

Nicaragua has suffered through civil war and natural disasters.  In 1998, Hurricane Mitch devastated the region and displaced many coffee farmers.  Coffee is an extremely important export crop, and 200,000 Nicaraguans depend on the industry.

Birds in coffee-growing regions: Organic and shade coffee are crucial for biodiversity in this country. Many of North America’s breeding birds — such as Blue-winged Warbler, Least Flycatcher, and the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler — winter in Nicaragua.

In addition to migratory birds, coffee-growing areas of Nicaragua are critical to resident birds. They are included in the North Central American Highlands Endemic Bird Area (EBA).  EBAs are designated by BirdLife International as areas which have a high percentage of species with restricted ranges.  This EBA is given urgent conservation priority, and the account states, “The montane forests are especially affected at 1,000-1,800 m by the growing of coffee without shade trees.”

About Nicaraguan coffee: Coffee in Nicaragua is often grown under dense shade.  Coffee is usually wet-milled at the farm. The profile of coffee from this country is best described as very approachable, clean, and with good balance. Kenneth Davids of Coffee Review considers Nicaraguans “subtle, suave, and lyric.”

The C&C tasting panel and I have tried several organic Nicaraguan coffees: from Heine Brothers, Great Lakes Roasting Company, and the Counter Culture Matagalpa Cafe San Ramon listed below.  These coffees are classic coffees, friendly and subtle,  medium-bodied and straight-forward. They are not especially complex, and serve as great all-day coffees that would be excellent introductions to tasty, sustainable coffee for your Folger-swilling friends.

My favorite Nicaraguan is the Counter Culture; note that they also market the Matagalpa San Ramon as one of their shade-grown Sanctuary coffees, available at retail outlets such as Whole Foods. There are delicious hints of chocolate in this coffee, which is especially good in any kind of immersion brewer, such as a french press.  Counter Culture has a strong relationship with growers in this region through the Sister Communities of San Ramon. The farm, Finca Esperanza Verde, has an ecolodge and a butterfly farm, and like the rest of the area, is a great birdwatching destination.  The Counter Culture involvement is a perfect model of relationship coffee.