Coffee reviews / Latin America

Coffee review: Panama Finca Hartmann

Plainspoken Coffee. A Coffee Review for Ordinary People by Ordinary People, #8.

I have been interested in trying coffees from Finca Hartmann since I traveled to Panama a couple of years ago.  Finca Hartmann is in the Chiriqui highlands in the Boquete region, and most of the land is in shade coffee.  It is a popular birding destination, and researchers are welcome (they offer a field station for use) — many associated with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have published papers on research conducted there, some with Hartmann family members as co-authors. Over 280 bird species have been recorded at the finca, and Christmas Bird Counts typically yield around 200 species.  It is an example of a finca with a great deal of concern for preservation of biodiversity that has not been certified shade or organic.  We tried several Finca Hartmann coffees from different roasters.

Paradise Roasters Palo Verde.  This coffee placed sixth in the 2006 Best of Panama competition — the same competition in which the Hacienda la Esmeralda won first prize. There are two “sections” to Finca Hartmann, and Palo Verde is the smaller, southernmost one on the property. This was a medium roast, with no oil on the beans.  I detected some sort of very sweet, fruity aroma in the beans that I found really nice.

As is typical, we tried this in the French press, Aeropress, and as a brew. Something had to have gone awry in the press, because it was pretty bad.  It fared better as an Americano from the Aeropress, and as a brew, where it was a nice, smooth, sweet, classic coffee, with a hint of chocolate.  In general, nobody was overwhelmed by it.  It was variously described as “unspectacular,” “not a lot of depth,” and one taster said, “I’m not moved by it.” I think I’m beginning to foster snobs.  2 motmots. Also available green, for which there is a review at Coffee Cuppers.

Mayorga Coffee Roasters Hartmann Estate.  This coffee was billed as a medium roast, but was leaning much darker than the Paradise Roaster selection, with all beans showing quite a bit of oil.  The coffee beans were quite fragrant, and the coffee itself fresh from the French press had a slightly fruity fragrance — a couple tasters suggested cherries.  This was a very well-balanced, smooth cup, without any distinctive characteristics, a classic cup.  “It’s just a good cup of coffee,” Nighthawk suggested.  I think a lighter roast might have coaxed some more interesting aspects out of the bean. 2.5 motmots.

Cafe Pronto Panama Boquete SHB, Hartmann Estate. This coffee was received a mere two days after ordering (truly pronto!), but had been roasted five days prior to ordering.  Thus it was 8 days old when we tried, within it’s fresh period, but perhaps “middle-aged.” Nonetheless, when the water hit it in the French Press, it produced a moderate amount of bloom, and was the hands-down winner of the three.

It was also a medium roast, with some beans showing a bit of oil.  The beans, both whole and ground, were very fragrant, sort of spicy, one of the most appealing aromas we’ve had from a Central American bean so far.  Very hot, the coffee delivered a juicy, almost mouth-watering first few sips.  It stayed just as good as it cooled, medium-bodied, with a very soft mouthfeel.  I wasn’t sure what to think when I saw this descriptor from the roaster, but it is certainly an apt adjective. Brewed, it was also tasty, but lacked some of the pleasant subtleties found when prepared in a press pot.

We could call this coffee well-balanced, but “harmonious” might be a better description.  As in many “classic” coffees, there were not a lot of flavors that jumped out.  Yet it stood out from the other Finca Hartmann’s.  Let’s call this a Classic ++ rated at 3.75  (nearly 4) motmots.

Certifications / Corporate coffee / Jacobs Douwe Egberts/KraftHeinz / Rainforest Alliance

Yuban ad campaign

As I was perusing a magazine, I came across an ad for Yuban coffee with the headline “The coffee you make can make a difference.”  It showed their coffee cans, emblazoned with the Rainforest Alliance seal and a banner saying “Conserving the environment & supporting coffee farmers.  Minimum 30% Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee.”

Let’s examine. Who are we dealing with? Yuban is a Maxwell House brand, which in turn is owned by Kraft Foods. (More on which corporations own which brands here.)

How big a deal is it that Kraft is buying RA beans? While Kraft will purchase 12,000 tons of RA coffee in 2006, this represents a tiny fraction (I’ve calculated about 1.5%) of Kraft’s coffee bean purchases.

What’s with the 30%? Rainforest Alliance (RA) allows use of their seal on products with a minimum of 30% certified beans (a fact for which they are sometimes criticized).  In order for Kraft to keep their prices so low (suggested retail for a 12-ounce can of RA-bean-containing Yuban is $3.89; a 13-ounce can of Maxwell House is $2.56), the other two-thirds of the beans in the can must be lower quality, likely technified/sun coffee.  I don’t see any other way they can do it.  The cost differential between certified beans and non-certified beans also means that I doubt Yuban will ever contain more RA certified beans than the 30% minimum required for use of the RA seal. (Update: As of January 2013, the Yuban can still indicates 30% certified beans. However, RA is requiring companies to scale up their percentages over time…read more here.)

Does this move really help farmers? While RA certification includes fair labor practices, and RA certified coffee usually commands some premium, the criteria does not set a minimum price paid to farmers. RA certification is cheaper for corporations that Fair Trade certification.  Oxfam is still pressuring Kraft to agree to buy Fair Trade coffee.

RA cannot be faulted for their efforts in promoting and making sustainable coffee available to mainstream consumers.  Nor can they really be criticized for partnering with Kraft, since RA certifies a product, not a company.

Still, it difficult for me to endorse supporting a corporation like Kraft which has a dubious ethical record (Responsible Shopper profile here). And while Kraft deserves some credit, as none of the other Big Coffee companies is making this type of effort, real environmental preservation and fair prices for farmers is far, far better served by purchasing sustainable coffees from small companies and roasters with relationships with their suppliers, especially those that provide information on the specific farms where their beans are sourced.  Plus I guarantee it will taste better!

UPDATE! The January 2007 issue of Coffee Review goes over supermarket coffees, including this coffee, which is “dominated by a cloyingly sweet nut character, the calling card of inexpensive coffees of the robusta species.”  Robusta tastes bad, and is sun coffee.  Very bad!  As for the Yuban Organic brand, that review notes it is recommended for “Those on a budget with a commitment to organic growing principles that transcends the desire to drink decent coffee.”  Please also read the accompanying article or my post about it.

More information:

 

Birds and other biodiversity / Research on coffee growing

Abstracts on presentations at the NAOC

Here are some very brief summaries of research that had to do with coffee growing that were presented at North American Ornithological Conference. I also put together a page with full abstracts, and author contacts.

  • Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) foraging behavior in the western Andes of Colombia. This species (which I’ve written about before) was common in shade coffee plantations, and only fed in the shade canopy.
  • Population ecology of Cerulean Warblers on breeding and wintering grounds. This study concluded that shade coffee farms in the Venezuelan Andes were critical wintering habitat for this species, with density in the farms higher than in the surrounding forest.
  • Coffee certification as an economic incentive for bird conservation. Discusses the shade coffee farms of central Veracruz, Mexico, many shaded by cloud forest tree species.
  • Certification and birds: the importance of shade coffee plantations for species diversity in the Cuetzalan region, Puebla, Mexico. 182 species were recorded in this area, and while not as rich as primary forest, shade coffee still maintains a high diversity of birds.
  • Traditional coffee plantations: suitable habitat in the anthropogenic matrix for Neotropical resident and migratory birds. A study that complements the previous Puebla study, quantifying the different types of birds found in shade coffee.
  • Neotropical insectivorous birds as pest control of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) on Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee farms.  More on Matt Johnson’s work in Jamaica.
  • Birds, shade grown coffee, and community outreach in Ecuador. Self explanatory.
  • Sensitive bird species in shade coffee plantations. In southern Mexico, shade coffee with high levels of structural diversity (many layers of shade trees) may be good for conservation purposes; however, shade coffee may only be important for forest species which are sensitive to deforestation and disturbance when close to intact forest.

Coffee regions

Veracruz, Mexico

I am attending the North American Ornithological Conference in Veracruz, Mexico.  Coffee breaks are catered by Consejo Regulador del Cafe Veracruz, the organization that regulates and certifies “Cafe Veracruz” labeled coffee, guaranteeing origin and quality.

Veracruz state is on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and is divided into three growing regions, as shown in this map (click to enlarge).

One of the farm requirements is for coffee (arabica only: typical, bourbon, or Mundo Novo) to be shade grown (how much I don’t know).  There are several vendors selling these coffees as well, but so far I’ve only seen ground coffee, and would rather not bring that home for a review.  The coffee we’ve had on breaks has been quite good.  If I do find whole beans, I’ll snap some up for a report.

I’ve seen several posters on coffee and birds, and talked to several people very involved in both research and the certification process.  I will have much more information in the weeks to come as I synthesize what I learn.  More later.