Upcoming coffee tasting event - South America vs Central America
Our next coffee event will be here at the Bean Store on Monday 24th June at 5.15pm.
Both these regions are home to a number of coffee growing nations, famous for their coffees and steeped in coffee tradition....and their coffees possess flavours and aromas, acidity and body that inspire and captivate coffee professionals and consumers.
We will have a range of coffees from a number of countries from both regions along with different varieties and processing methods from countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and more.
The plan is to traditionally cup all the coffees available...then see how some of them perform in a range of brew methods.
Register now at the Bean Store - cost for the evening will be $10.00
Thanks to all the dedicated followers of our coffee events who braved the cold and turned up for our Ethiopia coffee tasting last night......on the coldest night of the year so far.....respect to you all.
We tasted our way through 4 regions, 2 processing methods and a myriad of different grades from this mystical coffee growing land...and much was learned
Keep posted for whats happening in June.
We are proud to release our 3rd Cup of Excellence coffee from the 2012 competition - the 2013 competitions are in full swing right now!....look out for those coffees later on this year.
La Pira hails from the famous Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Tarrazu is region renowned for its clean sweet coffees and has produced many many Cup of Excellence winners. La Pira farm is located on the Dota Valley, were the changes in the climate gives ideal temperaturesfor the production of an excellent quality coffee.
Supply is strictly limited so try this superb coffee while it lasts.
REGION: Tarrazu
CITY: Sanat Maria de Dota
FARM: La Pira
FARMER: Carlos Urena
ALTITUDE: 1650 M
VARIETY: Villalobos
PROCESSING METHOD: Washed and sun-dried
LOT SIZE: 2282 pounds in total
INTERNATIONAL JURY SCORE: 85.77
RANK: 24
TOP JURY DESCRIPTIONS:
AROMA: Milk chocolate, raisin, honmey and lime zest
FLAVOUR: Grape, red apple, passionfruit and grapefruit
ACIDITY: Red cherry and red grapefruit
OTHER: Agave sweetness, chocolate and honey aftertaste, very refined and balanced
ROAST DEGREE: Medium
RECOMMENDED BREW METHOD: Filter methods - Chemex, Hario, Aeropress, Swiss Gold
ABOUT LA PIRA
La Pira farm was first sown 50 years ago by Carlos’ father, Gilberto Urena, which was known as “PIRO”, there for the name of the farm. After inheriting the family farm, Carlos worked for many years as a certified organic coffee producer but because of the very high costs has returned to working with sustainable production methods.
La Pira uses a unique system for Costa Rica where sheep are used to graze in the coffee farm to control weeds and has eliminated the need for herbicides. Sheep do not eat coffee leaves like goats or other animals and have the benefit of fertilizing the coffee trees as they walk and eat in the farm.Well known as an exceptionally clean and sweet coffee.
The farm is located on the Dota Valley, wHere the changes in the climate gives ideal temperatures for the production of an excellent quality coffee.
Our latest Single Origin offering for 2013 is a fresh crop coffee from El Salvador, hailing from Finca San Emilio....a coffee we currently use throughout the year at Ozone Coffee Roasters. Our cupping team is excited to offer a taste of the fresh crop from this stunning and innovative farm.
Worth brewing on all methods cause its COSECHA FRESCA!
REGION: Quezaltepeque
FARM: San Emilio 2012-2013 Harvest
VARIETY: 100% Bourbon
PROCESS METHOD: Pulp natural
ELEVATION: 1400 – 1600m
TASTING NOTES AND CHARACTERISTICS
AROMA: Dark chocolate, jasmine, toffee, almond
FLAVOUR: Clean, very sweet, berry fruits, wine like
ACIDITY: Sparkling, citrus
BODY: Heavy, syrupy
ROAST DEGREE: Medium
Last week we held another of our monthly events - this time focusing on brew methods we use at Ozone Coffee Roasters other than Espresso equipment.
We had a great group of uber keen coffee enthusiasts come along to learn about keys to brewing consistently tasty coffee at home. They left armed with knowledge and tools to experiment at home with brewing parameters and ideas that will have them experimenting with developing their own preferred profiles for their Chemex, AeroPress and pour-over filter set up to name a few.
Every month at Ozone Coffee Roasters we hold a publuic event like this, each time with a different focus....to keep an ear to the ground on our next coffee event follow us on Facebook
Over the weekend Nic, Steph and Paul attended the AeroPress NZ Brewers Cup. AeroPress is the main naming sponsor for the competition in its first year, and as the NZ distributors for the Aerobie AeroPress coffee maker we were proud to attend, be part of the action and brew AeroPress coffees at the event for the crowd that gathered to watch the competitors. Earlier in the day Paul was also a judge in the compulsory service, scoring coffees brewed by each contestant with the same coffee, but by a brewing method of their choice.
Held in Kingsland Auckland, The AeroPress New Zealand Brewers Cup is the national competition that leads to the World Brewers Cup. The competition format highlights the craft of filter coffee brewing by hand, promoting manual coffee brewing and service excellence.
This was the inaugural NZ Brewers Cup, and the NZSCA are excited to run this World Coffee Events competition at the national level.
In this Championship, competitors prepare and serve three individual beverages for a panel of judges. The Championship consists of two rounds: a first round and a finals round. During the first round competitors complete two coffee services – a compulsory service and an open service. For the compulsory service, competitors prepare three beverages utilizing whole bean coffee provided to them by the competition. For the open service, competitors may utilize any whole bean coffee of their choosing and must also accompany their beverage preparation with a presentation.
At the end of a long day, Guy McCracken from Cafe on Oxford in Nelson was named the 2013 AeroPress NZ Brewers Cup Champion and is on his way in May to represent NZ athe World finals.
Guy used a spectacular Panama Geisha that he brewed using a plunger....with the addition of filter papers.
Runner up was Aymon McQuade from Bell Tea and Coffee Wellington, Third Place Tim Norris from Coffee Supreme Wellington.
On Friday Steph and I competed at the Huhtamaki NZ Cup Tasting Championships 2013 in Auckland, with 24 other competitors from the NZ coffee community.
The format for this competition awards the professional coffee cupper who demonstrates speed, skill, and accuracy in distinguishing the taste differences in specialty coffees in 8 triangulation tests in 8 minutes....pick the odd coffee out of 3 x 8 sets of coffees as fast as you can and you are the champ!
Or as the World cup Tasting rules say.....''Coffees of the world have many distinct taste characteristics and in this competition format the objective is for the cupper to discriminate between the different coffees. Three cups are placed in a triangle, with 2 cups being identical coffees and one cup being a different coffee. Using skills of smell, taste, attention and experience, the cupper will identify the odd cup in the triangle as quickly as they can. A total of 8 triangles are placed in each round. The top 8 competitors with the most correct answers and the fastest time proceed to the next Semi-Finals round. Then the top 4 will compete again in the Finals round to determine the next World Cup Tasters Champion.''
This is a fun event and tests not only your cupping skills at pace, but your ability to perform under pressure and nerves....thats almost the harder part.
Both of us represented well with myself getting a fast 5/8 and Steph a very respectable first time 6/8 in 3 minutes flat....the finalists all qualified with exceptionally good scores and the final was epic with 2 former champs and some experienced competitiors battling it out.
Steph and I are both excited about taking what we learnt this year and improving our results in the 2014 comp....next year!
Our latest Cup of Excellence offering hails from El Salvador. Our head roaster Paul was an international jury member at the 10th Anniversay Cup of Excellence in El Salvador, and scored this coffee an 85 and 86 in the first 2 rounds. Paul noted a complex and rich perfumed aroma with floral notes, and some tropical fruit tones - pineapple and peach.
Supply is strictly limited so try this superb coffee while it lasts.
ABOUT LA CUMBRE
This coffee has been described as one of the top Bourbons from El Salvador. La Cumbre, meaning “the High peak’’ is located next to the famous Los Pirineos Farm, in the top of the Tecapa Volcano. The farm is currently owned and managed by Gilberto Baraona, a third generation Coffee Grower and Exporter.
The farm has been in the family since 1890, and is special because is located at very high altitude of 1400 metres above sea level, and is planted in 100% Bourbon Elite variety.This variety is the original heirloom Bourbon coffee tree, which came to El Salvador, initially from Reunion Island and later from Puerto Rico. In other countries is known as the French Mission Bourbon.
This Farm is being cultivated 100% Shade Grown, and will be reserved just for the conservation of this heirloom variety.The rich volcanic soil, and orientation, gives the farm outstanding conditions for growing coffee. This coffee was milled and sun dried on clay patios, at Los Pirineos Coffee Mill.
REGION: Usulatan
CITY: Berlin
FARM: La Cumbre
FARMER: Gilberto Baraona
ALTITUDE: 1400 M
VARIETY: Bourbon
PROCESSING METHOD: Washed
LOT SIZE: 45 boxes (1,350 KGS)
INTERNATIONAL JURY SCORE: 85.29
RANK: 27
TOP JURY DESCRIPTIONS:
AROMA / FLAVOUR – Lemon, lime, sugar cane, caramel, milk chocolate and clean
ACIDITY – Crisp, bright, citric and green apple
MOUTHFEEL – Silky
ROAST DEGREE: Medium
RECOMMENDED BREW METHOD: Filter/pourover methods, Syphon, Plunger/Caffetiere
Emotions flowed as freely as the "claret" at the Naki Knockouts event in New Plymouth on Saturday night in front of a packed house of 2000 at the TSB Stadium.
Our very own Craig 'Macca' Macfarlane fought in one of the 4 corporate belts against Mark Louis from Our Place, in a face off between 2 well known and respected NP hospitality personalitys.
Both are dedicated and determined trainers and athletes, and the fight was one of the most anticipated match-ups of the night.
Craigs hard training and sacrifice over the last months paid off in full, with a first round TKO winning him the fight, after landing a clean and precise right hook.
The entire extended Ozone Coffee Roasters family are incredibly proud of Craig and his achievement on Saturday night!
Highlights from the corporate fight between Craig Macfarlane and Mark Louis
Photographs by our great friend and mean as chef Meredith Bool
Every month we feature a single origin coffee. As a team we get to try new and different single origin coffees every week...some weeks is every day, and we love to share our discoveries from the cupping table. This month it is a coffee from Brazils famous Cerrado region in the state of Minas Gerais named Moreninha Formosa.
A group of 31 plots make up a large farm called Aurea and Moreninha Formosa is one of these. Fazenda Aurea is located in a region called Serra do Salitre, a high plain in Cerrado Miniero, Minas Gerais state. At 1200 meters, the Serra do Salitre has higher, better altitude than most of Cerrado, which averages 800-900 meters for coffee production.
This offering is the Mundo Novo variety and the coffee is dried on raised African beds to promote even drying which enhances the quality and flavour in the cup.
Its characteristics are very dynamic for a Brazilian, this coffee leads off with a touch of unexpected acidity and quickly flows into a refined, but still distinctly natural processed body. A berry sweeteness runs into a pleasant cocoa aftertaste.
Click here for in depth notes on this coffee.
Coffee trees at Moreninha Formosa
The raised African stlye drying beds at Fazenda Aurea
PO Box 8227, 47A King Street
New Plymouth, New Zealand
freephone 0508 2 OZONE
p +64 6 757 5404
f +64 6 757 4075
e info@ozonecoffee.co.nz
