Tag Archives: Castillo

435. In defense of Caturra: A conversation with Alejandro Cadena

2014-11-27 Comments Off on 435. In defense of Caturra: A conversation with Alejandro Cadena

When I read this article by Kenneth Davids in The Coffee Review assigning Caturra to the second tier of varietal quality, I thought immediately of Alejandro Cadena, whose pioneering Colombian exporter Virmax can stake a solid claim to intellectual and material authorship of the microlot model. Why did I think of Alejandro?  Because when he […]

434. The variety play (and the future of Caturra)

2014-11-24 Comments Off on 434. The variety play (and the future of Caturra)

We interrupt our series on of interviews on the CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings to bring you an important reflection on the future of Caturra. Are its days numbered?

433. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Intelligentsia

2014-11-20 Comments Off on 433. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Intelligentsia

Today, a conversation with Intelligentsia QC manager Chris Kornman and coffee buyer Geoff Watts regarding Colombian coffee varieties—the third weekly installment in my series on the CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings. Earlier this month, Chris and QC Lab Assistant Amanda Seaver staged the CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings at the Intelligentsia Roasting Works in Chicago.  Six different Intelligentsia […]

432. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Tim Wendelboe

2014-11-11 Comments Off on 432. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Tim Wendelboe

Tim Wendelboe is a former world barista champion and one of the world’s premiere coffee celebrities.  When he is not busy roasting coffee, he may be serving it at the coffee bar that bears his name.  Or sourcing it as a partner in Nordic Approach, the Oslo-based importer promoting transparency in trade.  Or writing books […]

431. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Counter Culture

2014-11-04 Comments Off on 431. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings: Counter Culture

Counter Culture Coffee is a roaster that needs no introduction.  Its innovations in coffee sourcing, quality and sustainability have outsized influence in the coffee industry.  Counter Culture is, in short, a tastemaker.  And Counter Culture likes Caturra. A lot. As part of the CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings, Counter Culture’s QC Director Timothy Hill cupped 22 […]

430. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings

2014-11-03 Comments Off on 430. The CRS Colombian Varietal Cuppings

Readers of this blog will know that we have partered with World Coffee Research (WCR) and some of the brightest lights in specialty coffee, research and philanthropy on the Colombia Sensory Trial–a side-by-side sensory comparison of Castillo- and Caturra-variety coffee samples taken from farms in Colombia growing, harvesting and processing both under virtually identical conditions.  […]

416. Colombia Sensory Trial

2014-07-14 Comments Off on 416. Colombia Sensory Trial

Back in January, I described our plans to stage a side-by-side sensory analysis of Castillo and Caturra samples grown by participants in our Borderlands Coffee Project in Colombia.  Originally, we had planned to do this exercise independently. But as we moved forward in our planning and began talking to more and more friends in coffee […]

382. The Castillo-Caturra cage match

2014-01-27 Comments Off on 382. The Castillo-Caturra cage match

At the top of our list of New Year’s resolutions for 2014 is a comparative cupping of leading Colombian varieties.  In a snarky Tweet earlier this month that invoked the glorious Latin American tradition of lucha libre, I referred to it as a “steel cage match” between Castillo and Caturra.  But this is not a […]

378. New Year’s resolutions

2014-01-07 Comments Off on 378. New Year’s resolutions

It’s that time of year again — the time we all make New Year’s resolutions that are destined to be broken.  So here are three from the coffeelands: Generate more results-based evidence. Help the coffee sector navigate uncharted waters. Borrow a page from the microfinance playbook. Only we plan on keeping these.

376. This is not your father’s Arabica

2013-12-17 Comments Off on 376. This is not your father’s Arabica

Manuel Díaz is an independent consultant who helped CQI create its new R standards, which aim to do for Robustas what the Q standards have done for Arabicas.  His presentation on Day Two of the 2013 edition of Let’s Talk Robusta reinforced the central appeal of the brilliant keynote delivered on Day One by Ken […]