A Coffeelandia Story

Food carts. Local beer. Local bands. And naked bike riders! Just a typical Friday night in Southeast Portland, right? In a way…

It started as such a simple idea: see how much Portland culture we could fit into one night. SCAA was coming and the town would be abuzz with java nerds and espresso newbies alike. Every coffee hotspot across the country (and even across some oceans) would be sending representatives to the heart of American coffee (sorry, Seattle) and we’d have one chance to reach them all. Coffeelandia was born.

We wanted to show off our city, we wanted to welcome all of these out of town friends, we wanted to show that the positive efforts of one community here in Oregon could do a little good for a community 3000 miles away. We also kinda wanted to party. Slowly, painstakingly, Coffeelandia began to come alive. First was the music; Tezeta Band’s exotic funk to get things rolling, Pure’s soothing and mystical rhythms, and Karaoke From Hell to blow the roof off. Next came the food carts; pizza (and lots of it) from Renaissance Catering, down home biscuits and gravy from Blues City Biscuits, and fabulous burritos from Koi Fusion. Paobread jumped into the fray with some amazing Brazilian treats, and Rancilio came to keep us caffeinated all night. There were gobs of Ghirardelli goodness, silky smooth swallows from Dr. Smoothie, and much multi-flavored martini madness from Monin. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, beer.

Both Laurelwood and Hopworks Urban Brewery volunteered without hesitation to join us for the evening and provided tents and fantastic staff members to pour. Pyramid Brewing helped out with kegs and servers for the evening.  Maletis Beverage and Point Blank Distributing helped us fill in the gaps with MANY kegs of other local goodness. And wine from A to Z Wineworks and Domaine Pouillon flowed throughout the night. Coffeelandia became most decidedly adult.

Finally the night arrived. West Coast Event Productions and Portland Partyworks transformed months of blood, sweat and tears into a tented wonderland with a bouncing tiger to protect us all. The stage materialized, the tables apparated, and in a flood of glowing necklaces and well-caffeinated smiles the much anticipated crowd rushed in. And kept coming. And coming. And did not stop until we finally had to start turning people away.

And then, in a blink, it was over. The music stopped, the cheering crowds fell away and the tents came down. Coffeelandia had lived its life in full, and as in any good life a legacy remained. Thanks to our sponsors, our vendors, and our wonderful attendees we have raised $16,500 which is ALL going to Global Brigades to fund a water stewardship project in Honduras. Not too bad for one night in a small corner of Southeast Portland.

Many many people helped to bring Coffeelandia to life. It would not have been possible without the generous support of all of our sponsors listed below. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to our fantastic volunteer crew: Arianna Sawyer, Sarah Roberts, Michelle Graham, Dorothy Dewan, Steven Dutt, Jeanette Lee, Neal Franzer, John Gilles, Misty May, and the hardworking crew at Portland Roasting Coffee. Thank you for your help. And thanks to everyone who attended! It was a fantastic night, and we’d love to hear about your Coffeelandia story in the comments below.

The always relaxed Mr. May at work.

Our trainer, Nathanael May, talks about his induction into the wild world of barista judging:

For a certain species of barista, this is a special time of year. In addition to seeing the emergence of the first tender shoots of spring, January, February and March represent the heart of the Regional Barista Competition season, culminating with the United States Barista Championship (USBC) in April. Some of the best baristas from around the country will converge on Portland for this year’s penultimate competition (whose winner will attend the World Championships in Vienna, Austria) and another national champion will be crowned.

My passion for coffee has not steered me toward competition in the past but the twin siren songs of camaraderie and education that waft out from the events called to me. Last year, I tried my hand at judging for the first time. I loved it.

Official barista competitions involve a fifteen minute performance by a barista. Within that time frame the competitor must produce four 1 oz. shots of espresso, four 5-6 oz. cappuccinos, and 4 “Signature Beverages” that contain at least 1 oz. of espresso each. These twelve drinks will be served (and explained) to four sensory judges while two technical judges watch the mechanics, timing, and flow of the competitor. All of this business is overseen by a certified head judge, who ensures that the competitor is being fairly assessed and that the judges have the tools they need to assess the competitor fairly.

It was into this confluence of coffee and humanity that I thrust myself in 2011 when I became a technical judge at the Northwest Regional Barista Competition.

The process of becoming a judge starts out easily enough—you simply sign up online and express interest. A certain level of coffee expertise is expected and to ensure that you are qualified to gauge the quality of someone’s performance, you’re tested. The tests occur the day before competition begins in a mandatory Judges Calibration, operated by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and facilitated by Head Judges from the USBC.

The tests cover a wide range of material, from knowledge of the rules and regulations of the USBC to skill in tasting minor variations in coffee to assessing the visual accuracy of cappuccinos and espresso shots. After the testing, a period of “calibration” begins and the judges start to hone in on exactly what they’ll be looking for in the following day’s competitions. The Head Judges monitor the progress of each individual who wants to judge and select the judges from a pool of qualified candidates.

The next day, the “curtain goes up” and the show starts.

The actual judging is incredibly enjoyable. Each competitor is different (like a snowflake!), and each performance requires special attention. One competitor pulls six shots of espresso at once (with only two hands, quite a feat), another uses two different coffees during her time on stage. Grinders can be set up on the right or left of the machine, and the twelve drinks can be prepared in (almost) any order.

As a technical judge, familiarity with the score sheet is of the utmost importance, as several things can be happening in a very short period of time, and you don’t really have the luxury of looking down and writing Dickensian commentary on your sheet.

As a sensory judge, your job is to be a great “customer,” smile at the barista while they serve you, and listen closely to what they say. Did they tell you to expect their espresso to exhibit a syrupy mouthfeel, notes of turmeric, cedar vanilla, and hazelnuts, with a berry finish and a rich mahogany crema? How did they do? Did the espresso live up to their description?

These and numerous other factors affect each barista’s score, and the top six scorers in the preliminary rounds get to go on to the final round. One set of seven judges assesses the finalists in their second performance of the weekend, and a victor is crowned the same day.

I’ve been honored to be selected as a technical judge in the finals of both the Southwest and Northwest regional competitions this year, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to judge at the national competition April 19th-22nd.
The level of competition is a sight to see, and if you’re in Portland this April, I recommend coming to the Oregon Convention Center to see the performances live. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget. And as you watch the dance of the barista around the competition area, don’t forget to watch the simultaneous dance of the technical judges behind them.

Let’s back up to December 2011. Nathanael and I went down to OSU for a friendly check in at the cafes. A few of the students talked to us about how they would like to learn latte art. What better way to build excitement around coffee than a barista competition?!

We decided to have everyone go through training and then give the students a couple months to practice. All three of the cafes sent employees to our facility for a tour and latte art training with the amazing Nathanael May. Three trainings, some check-ins and a couple of months later they were ready to compete.

We stopped in an hour before the competition to say hi at each location and we were received with anxious stares. They probably wondered what they had gotten themselves into.

The competition started at 4pm at Java Stop. The competitors were all really nervous. I explained the rules to them. They each had 5 minutes to create one drink. They could make as many drinks as they wanted, but by the end of 5 minutes they had to pick one and walk it to the judging table.

The ever poised Nathanael sat awaiting his first drink.

Sarah from Java Stop was up first. She might have been nervous, but she busted out 4 drinks and was fairly calm the whole time.

Ty from E-cafe was up next. He mixed half and half

with 2 % milk, a trick he had been practicing over the last couple of months.  The 5 minutes ended quick and he walked his drink over to Nathanael.

Third in line came Zoe. She was the lone competitor from Java II. Knowing that she had to represent her cafe she battled her way in and did her best to outdo the first two competitors.

Up next came Jeff from Java Stop. The second barista from his cafe, he was prepared to step up to the challenge.  Having witnessed Ty’s half and half mix he tried it out but quickly switched back to just 2%.  Three drinks later he presented his final cup to Nathanael.

Jesse was Java Stop’s last barista up. Two drinks in he was confident with his cup and waltzed over to the judging table.

The final competitor of the day was from E-cafe.  Son stepped up to the espresso machine looking  ever so serious and deliberate in his technique.

As Nathanael finalized his scoring sheets I gathered the competitors together for a quick group shot.  They all practiced hard and made some great latte art for the competition.

The competition had two awards. One for best individual score and one for the best average cafe score. With the tampers and portafilters motionless on the counter, Nathanael gathered the contestants together.

In third place came Zoe from Java II!

In second place came Jeff from Java Stop!

And first place goes to………….drumroll……….Son from E-cafe!

Awesome job Son and congrats to E-cafe for winning the cafe award!

Taking a first trip to a coffee growing country and seeing the processes first hand is a rite of passage these days for anyone serious about understanding the coffee industry.  The labor and love, landscapes and lifestyles, the culture and currents that flow via not just the commercial aspects of agriculture, but the way we work here to bring great coffee to you from the people who are working to provide great coffee for us on the land are just massively intricate in scope and decidedly humbling.  Such was my first trip out of the States and into Honduras right near the peak of the coffee harvest.

My first day was a hectic ride following hours of red eye flights and layovers.  After I teamed up with a Mr. Robert Rice from the Smithsonian Bird Center and Mr. Daniel Shewmaker of Caffe Vita, we rushed to our hotel in San Pedro Sula and quickly hustled with other folks to Sogimex, a large Beneficio, or mill and exporter of tons of Honduran coffee.  The facilities were impressive to say the least and we cupped some of the best lots they had to offer.  It was very fresh coffee so we had to read into some of the nuance as we cupped, but found some impressive lots that were easily traceable right back to the individual farmer.  Most coffee farmers work on about two hectares of land (roughly 3 acres) and may produce something like 45 sacks of coffee a year.  The fact that the coffee was traceable among this situation paired with the size of the commercial industry was pretty impressive and a fairly new concept for Sogimex.  The mill received both dry and wet parchment coffee, employed drying machines and a vast network of sorters and graders along with hand sorting for defects.  The next day, however set the tone for the rest of the week full of insights and experiences that really built this trip into something unforgettable.

We woke up early and headed to Santa Rosa de Copan in, well, Copan.  Copan is western Honduras and part of the area growing coffee in the shadow Celaque, a beautiful mountain, Honduras’s highest peak at 2800 meters asl.  Once we got in we were quickly taken over to Beneficio Santa Rosa, literally “the” specialty coffee purveyor in Honduras.  This is where we met Peter Rodriguez, Operations Manager of the Beneficio and Omar, manager of Capucas and generations old coffee grower.  The mill seemed almost brand new in that all of the euqipment was top of the line, very clean and well kept.  We cupped coffees from a few different regions in Honduras and found a good deal of impressive cups, each coming out of different cooperatives.  Based on this, we decided where we wanted to travel to and see first hand where these favored cups were coming from.  We toured the rest of the mill and were pretty amazed.  People I was with who had gone on numerous trips the world over in coffee commented that it was among the cleanest, most professional looking mill they’d ever seen.  It was easily notable that mills just next door had black smoke heaving from stacks and and obvious disadvantages in repair of equipment.

After the tour, we went out to Las Capucas, the home of COCAFCAL, the co-op that our current Honduras offering comes from and toured the land and the fincas up and down the countryside throughout the day with Omar.  The thing that struck me the most, in addition to geeking out at my first sight of a coffee farm and setting foot before a shrub and fondling the cherries, was the intensely well worked out sustainability practices in place.  The pulp and organic scraps were biogested in compost systems all around, the lagoons were in place by law that cleaned all the processing water, and Utz had funded systems to derive biogas from the composting pulp, fueling stoves and other gas powered needs.  Raised drying beds were being built with local materials and biodiversity was a hugely respected issue.

Las Capucas also had in place 9 social programs for it’s farmer members.  They built a soccer field for the kids (hoping to hire a coach in the future), They’re spreading the biogas systems where they can, they are installing a virtual library/internet station at the central mill, they have materials available to repair and refurbish the tradition stoves in the farmers’ homes, and they work on a range of fertilization and processing issues with the members, in addition to facilitating certification with organic and Rain Forest Alliance.  We saw four specific farms doing excellent jobs with their coffee and learned a good deal about what makes Honduran coffees unique. 

One of the issues of note was that most Honduran coffee is dry fermented.  This means that once the picked coffee is pulped, it is left to ferment in the tanks without the addition of soaking water.  When the fermentation time is done and a certain level of Ph is hit, the coffee is then washed, floaters removed, then laid out to dry.  I found this really interesting considering the often mild nature of the coffees and that it must be a practiced skill that was able to do this and not overferment or mold the coffee.

The varieties in Honduras weren’t too incredibly different from other Central American coffees.  There were Pacas abound, and the best coffees seemed to often be of Caturra variety or mixed with Caturra.  There were lots of Catuai and yellow Catuai as well and only a couple of times did we find some Bourbon, which was being separated at that point for potential microlots.  I tried to take a lot of notes on this among the ridiculous picture taking I was doing, killing my battery every day.

The next day we headed out to Ocotepeque and went to COCAFELOL, where we met with Roberto Salazar a farmer and manager of the mill and cooperative.  We cupped a range of great coffees from there and almost unanimously decided, in a blind cupping, that Roberto’s coffee, named El Lechero, was the best.  We decided to check out one of his parcels of land after we checked out the mill.  The coolest thing about this co-op was that they had a big biogas system paired with a large worm bin system, making organic, fertile compost for it’s members’ farms.  They also maintained a decent patio so as not to machine dry all of their coffee and were solar drying some lots on raised beds as well.

Roberto’s farm was high up.  It was here that I got to chew on some sugar cane for the first time courtesy of Mauricio, a farm worker who lead us around to the different varietals on the farm.  I snapped some great shots and we moved on to another co-op in the area known as COCAMOL.  This co-op was different in that it seemed to receive almost exclusively whole cherry from pickers around the area.  This co-op also roasted for local grocery stores, which is noteworthy because Hondurans drink Honduran coffee, a not too common thing in some other countries.  COCAMOL was an aesthetic place to be as the late afternoon hit us.  We soon headed back into Santa Rosa though.

The next day we went to Lempira, where some of our group’s favorite coffees were from.  Lempira is a further south area and is the home of mostly indigenous Lenca people.  It was a wonderful kind of change of microclimate and culture as we moved in that direction and up into the mountains around Gracias and up to Cruz Alta.  Here we hung out with members of COCACETAL, a mostly Lenca coffee coopertive that also supported a Lenca women’s cooperative pottery business.  This is where we all kind of hopped to it and started picking coffee with the guys and learning about all the big things afoot in this beautiful area all around which is mostly protected virgin forest.  I nearly defected out there.  This was a righteous culmination of the trip as we toured a central mill about 75% complete for the co-op and heard about their desires to experiement with soaking times in the fermentation and saw the biggest lots of bourbon drying in raised beds.

The trip was epic in my mind having not had anything else to compare it to.   But even in trying to remove myself from the initial amazement and wonder, I have to say that Honduras has all the right ingredients for truly excellent coffee.   And in time I hope it will continue to move in that direction.  With some effort, we’ll get some great lots in this year and try to impress upon you how solid these coffees are while contributing to some of those great social projects I witnessed out there.  It’s definately something to look forward to.

I can’t wait for another opportunity to travel again.  For a peak at my travels check out the photos here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/33275853@N08/sets/72157628960205133/

Cheers.

When I met with Stephanie, the green coffee buyer at Portland Roasting, last winter to prepare for the trip I took to Guatemala in Spring 2011 (which I wrote a bit about here), I remember asking her conspiratorially whether cupping and scoring coffees was a real thing or if professional coffee tasters just made stuff up and nobody else knew any better. She just laughed and said that I would have to try it sometime and see for myself.

During one of my first weeks as an intern for Portland Roasting, Stephanie set up a cupping table with several different Portland Roasting coffees. Each station had three cups of coffee — two of which were the same, and one of which was different. We were supposed to go through and and taste each of the three coffees and figure out which one was different. Some of the coffees we were tasting reminded me of blueberries and others of almonds. Suddenly this idea that coffee can actually taste very different made sense. Though this day sticks in my memory as a day that I felt particularly lucky to be interning with Portland Roasting, the truth is that I learn something new every day that I spend in the office.

Interning at Portland Roasting has given me the opportunity to work on all sorts of things, from putting together gift bags to editing the website. Everybody has been great with the questions I come up with. Through the patience and knowledge of Portland Roasting’s staff I’ve been able to learn a bit about many aspects of Portland Roasting’s operations– from the logistics of purchasing green coffee to the art and chemistry of roasting. The fact that the staff has been so enthusiastic about teaching me about their jobs isn’t really surprising when you consider the passion they all have for great coffee, but since my time with them was my first experience in an office environment I couldn’t be more grateful. Though I had initially only planned to intern with Portland Roasting during the fall semester, my experience has been so positive that I asked to stay on through April, and I’m looking forward to what the next several months have in store!

What exciting things have we been up to lately at Portland Roasting? Oh you know just helping the Laurelwood brewers to choose coffee for their Organic Espresso Stout of course! You will be excited to know that the Organic Espresso Stout is completed and you can have a pint of it at Laurelwood Brewery.

This year we brought their head brewmaster, Vasili, in for a cupping. Ryan, our roaster, chose to sample a variety of our organic coffees. He took Vasili through the cupping process and explained the profiles for each of the coffees. They discussed the options for roasting the coffee and Vasili explained what flavor profile he was looking for. We then sent Vasili home with some coffee to sample and contemplate.

Vasili decided to create a mix of Organic Ethiopian with Organic Mexican, hoping to draw out specific flavors from each of these coffees. This year he chose to break up the beans very coarsely and place them directly into the tank with the beer toward the end of the brewing process. Vasili mentioned to me that the whole brewery smelled like coffee on the day they crushed the beans and put them in the tank.

We waited in anticipation until we got an email from Vasili telling us the stout was ready! Steph and I quickly got in the car and raced over to the brewery on Sandy to congratulate the brewers and sample the beer. The beer smells like coffee from the instant it is poured. Delicious, delicious Portland Roasting coffee! Neither Steph nor I had tried a stout quite like it and we were pleasantly surprised by the intense coffee flavor that came through. The intense coffee flavor is present from the beginning to the finish of each sip. Fantastic!

The Laurelwood Organic Espresso Stout will soon be available at fine grocers around the Portland Metro area and on tap at Laurelwood Breweries. Just make sure you weren’t planning on going to bed early!

Just yesterday I was lucky enough to check out the continuing construction at our soon-to-be-open second store at the Oregon Convention Center.  It was a bit dusty of course but the magic is starting to shine through.  The counters are in place, display cases are beginning to come together, and the finishing wooden touches are being perfected.  

The second store will be a bit smaller than the first and it will be located next to Exhibit Hall D near the MLK entrance.  It will feature a similar menu as our already existing store, but will be easier to access from outside of the convention center.  We’re hoping to be open by the end of January, but as more details become available we’ll be sure to share!

Portland Roasting Launches Brand Licensing Program

Portland, Ore. – Portland Roasting Coffee Company officially launched its brand licensing program this month with the opening of its first ever Portland Roasting Café, located in the Oregon Convention Center, with a second café set to open in the Oregon Convention Center later this month. Both cafés are independently licensed locations operated by Aramark.

“Portland has earned the reputation as a city with distinct taste for quality, small-batch coffee and a commitment to sustainability,” said Karen Totaro, Oregon Convention Center’s assistant executive director. “By offering Portland Roasting as our exclusive coffee in our catering and cafés, convention visitors from around the world can literally taste the essence of Portland during their stay.” Read More

We know how to create great programs for all our different types of wholesale customers…coffee shops, restaurants, universities, hospitals…but this customer wanted us to replace two Starbucks licensed cafes with Portland Roasting Coffee cafes!  Now…this wouldn’t be too much of a stretch if we currently had our own retail cafes…but since we didn’t, it was a bit more complicated. It took some quick thinking and a lot of teamwork but we came up with a concept (with the help of Medina + George, our fantastic designers) and a proposal.  I am, of course, skimming over the late nights that Marie spent working out all the details, the many budget meetings and design revisions, and all the time spent researching local companies and artists to partner with. A few months later our proposal was accepted and we were able to start moving forward with construction!  I can’t say that everything went smoothly and we opened without a hitch…but we did have a very successful opening of the first store and throughout the process we have learned a lot and things and are moving along quite well for the opening of the second cafe. We are on track for the second store to open around mid-January so we’ll keep you updated as things progress!

Now…you might be wondering who this new customer of ours is…and why they would want to switch from Starbucks to Portland Roasting…

The Oregon Convention Center (in partnership with ARAMARK) purchased our first two licensed concept stores.  The Oregon Convention Center is known for its sustainability initiatives and wanted to partner with a coffee company that had the same business practices and ideals. In 2004 they were the first convention center to earn a LEED Certification for Existing Buildings and in 2008 it was re-certified at the Silver level.  As a leader of sustainability in the specialty coffee industry Portland Roasting turned out to be the perfect fit!

Mark Stell in front of the 1st Portland Roasting Coffee Cafe in the Oregon Convention Center

We have such a wide variety, from small accounts with one or two airpots of coffee to large distributors with big client lists of their own.  We have independent cafes, restaurants, churches of every stripe, college cafeterias, grocery stores, caterers, drive-thrus, local burger chains, and even shops that specialize in knitting supplies (hi Cast One On!).  We have too many to name here, but the great thing is that we feel a connection to each and every one of you. 

We feel like you are a friend, and we really want you to succeed.  I have gotten to know a lot of you beginning when I was a delivery driver.  I saw you every week, and I had a sneak peek at you in your element, I got to see your passion and sometimes your frenzy.  I got to see you working hard to make your business great, and I love getting to play a part in that. 

Some accounts have come and gone,  just as some employees have come and gone.  I keep my fond memories because we were part of a team.  I don’t ever want to lose that feeling- it keeps the urgency in the work we do.  I hope you feel that we are a part of your team, and that you won’t hesitate to reach out to us when you need to. 

 Here at Portland Roasting we feel so blessed to have won Roast Magazine’ s Roaster of the Year, and we share this win with you.  You have chosen us and trusted us, and without that we could not have grown and  become better.  We are proud to have your faith and support and we will continue to push ourselves for our own betterment, and your benefit.  We truly are thankful, for you!