Homestead Coffee Roasters

2012-02-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Homestead Coffee Roasters

is now proudly roasting...

Guatemala SHB

This month we are roasting the best coffee that Guatemala has to offer. Guatemala SHB or (strictly hard been) is surely a unique coffee unlike any other. Grown in the highlands of Northwest Guatemala in the Heuhuetenango region, this coffee resonates with a gentle balance of fruit and subtle chocolate notes. Heuhuetenango is renown worldwide for exceptionally complex acidity. Which means, with its unique spices and aromas serving this coffee black will enable the taster to fully appreciate it in all it's complexities. For those extremely brave souls this coffee makes one powerful espresso that's not to be missed!

About the region...

We are pleased to offer this strictly hard bean (SHB) coffee from the most rugged and northwest mountains of Guatemala's highlands, as our coffee of the month. This region is not prized for its volcanic soil, but instead relies on the microclimate for its unique flavor. An extreme elevation of 3500 feet is usually threatened by cold weather and regular frosts. However in this growing region the warm and dry trade winds from Mexico's Tehuantepec plain protect the coffee trees against the otherwise harsh conditions. Coffee grown at this altitude produces a highly desirable tangy acidity.

If you are curious to try this medium roasted single origin coffee for yourself, please, stop in to see us at the Homestead or just click the link below and order some to go!

*clicky* Guatemalan SHB for only $10.95!!! *clicky*

Defining "Single Origin" Coffee

2012-01-24T07:17:00.000-08:00

I happened to stumble across this nice article written by Dal Anderson that I thought really clarified the misconceptions of what exactly a "single origin" coffee is. Being in the coffee business there is a constant conversation that takes place as to what type of coffee is better, single origin coffee (coffee from a single farm) or a coffee blend (a coffee that can include a number of beans from around the world).

As a business person and marketeer of our coffee, it's really nice to work with coffee blends. Coffee blends can be a wonderful thing. For one, our blends remain relatively consistent. For example, our "Homestead's Own" and "Dead Man's Brew" has been remained on the shelves and in our brewers for a few years now. On the flip side a single origin bean can and will vary not only in taste but in availability as well. The simplicity of a single origin bean can sometimes be less chaotic on the taste buds which allows for a "certain amount of clarity in its taste."

(Re)Defining Single Origin

Single Origin Coffee - 2010: a selection of coffee beans from a single coffee farm, processed one way, and roasted with one roast profile.

The idea behind this definition is that you highlight the coffee as much as possible, and present a coffee with a certain amount of clarity in its taste. It could be a microlot, it could be a specific processing method, or it could be a general selection of beans from an entire 20 acre farm, but it is still, by (my) definition a Single Origin.

If the coffee is from a coop of several tightly business-connected farms, should it be called a Single Origin? I don't think so. If the coffee is roasted with different roast profiles and post blended, does that still follow the spirit of the concept of Single Origin? Many people think so (my boss does!), but since roast profiles can change the taste of almost any coffee I feel this takes away from the spirit and intent of Single Origin as a title and definition. If the goal of promoting Single Origin is to get consumers thinking about terroir, farmers, specific tastes, and growing practices, once you muddy up the taste with different roasting profiles, perhaps you lose the meaning.

For that, we could have:

Single Origin Roast Blended - 2010: a selection of coffee beans from a single coffee farm, processed one or multiple ways, roasted with multiple roast profiles.
This definition helps keep the spirit of promoting one farm's coffee but it also explores the taste potential of the coffee depending on how the green coffee was processed and how it was roasted. It could also help the public understand what we in the industry know very well: different processing affects the taste of coffee, and different roast profiles do the same.

Lastly, we could have

Single Origin, Roasted for Espresso - 2010 A selection of coffee beans from a single coffee farm, processed one or multiple ways, roasted with one or more roast profiles to be brewed as espresso.

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A lot of our customers take our Single Origin coffees roasted for drip or French press and put them into their espresso machines. Some like the results, some do not. But we also roast some of these Single Origin coffees from time to time with a very precise profile for espresso brewing. In those cases, our customers find that coffee to be much more appropriate for the brewing method. This is something we debate often at the roastery. We wished more companies educated their customers on how roast profiles can be tailored for a specific brewing method and what works for one style of brewing may be detrimental for other methods.

Since Single Origin espresso is so popular right now, a little education with the buying public could go a long way. But perhaps that is another article.

Written by Dal Anderson for coffeegeek.com

for the full article go to http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/professionals/08-18-2010

Coffee Grounds oh Coffee Grounds...

2012-01-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Whenever I'm done drinking a cup of coffee I rarely stop and think, 'Where do all those exhausted coffee grinds go?' However, I do think the most obvious answer is, 'Well, in the garbage.' But no, they do not go in the garbage here at the Homestead! OH NO! Here at the Homestead we sort out the spent coffee grounds and filters for reuse. Well, we do not reuse the filters, ever.
We sort the coffee grinds out for a few reasons..

1) Coffee Grinds make Great Fertilizer
  Old coffee grinds are great fertilizer for plants that thrive on acidic soil. Most all garden plants will grow in acidic soil. But, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans and onions will dig it!

2) Your indoor plants will "dig the grinds"
Winter is a great time to fertilize your indoor plants. Any time of the year works well buy in the summer it attracts these little flies that you can barely see. Sort of like fruit flies but smaller.

3) Working used coffee grounds into your compost pile
Coffee offers a nice solution to adding nitrogen back into the soil. It's also said to keep snails and slugs away. But not the common earth worm, they dig it and your plants will too!

4) Radishes and Carrots
Plant your radishes and carrot seeds in finger sized pocket of used coffee grinds to maximize your harvest!

There are many other things that used coffee grinds are great for, but using the coffee in your garden is the best and most efficient! You can use the grinds from you brewer at home or stop by the Homestead with a bag or bucket. We've got nice dry coffee grinds waiting to make your garden their home.

for more nutrient specific information check out this link...

http://www.coffeeresearch.org/agriculture/soil.htm