Welcome to the latest instalment of DR Wakefield’s monthly newsletter: a round-up of our own news plus insights on the wider coffee industry. Both at DR Wakefield and beyond, there’s been plenty going on in the world of coffee over the last month, as you’re about to find out…
DR Wakefield: Where we’re going, and where we’ve been…
Will and MT are buzzing after their trip to the Moscow Tea and Coffee Expo in early October – you’ll be able to read all about it on our blog soon! This trip was partly a networking venture, and partly an opportunity to spread the word to the Russian market about the fact that we’ve now opened a new warehouse in Lithuania – more on that soon.
Will’s off to Seoul and Taipei this month for their respective coffee shows too: we now have brand new clients in both regions, and so he’s heading out on a goodwill trip to meet and greet them. He’s hoping to gain a few more new connections too, thanks to the two shows…
Finally, we also have the excitement of Cup North this weekend, which Phil, MT and Henry are attending. Essentially, it’s Manchester’s answer to the London Coffee Festival: think ultra specialty, ultra-passionate coffee aficionados and ultra-keen roasters. It’s going to be brilliant – Northerners are so friendly!
Could South Sudan be a new coffee hotspot…?
As a country, South Sudan is just four years old: the newest country in the world. Thanks to recent developments, it’s also become the world’s newest coffee-producing country, with the first coffee products from the country exported to France for sale in October.
The country continues to struggle through a violent civil war – a war which all but wiped out its previously established coffee industry. Now, however, not-for-profit organisation TechnoServe is looking to revive that industry. As one of the few countries where the conditions are suitable for coffee to grow in the wild, could we see more coffee farms start to spring up in South Sudan?
New valuation method announced for Hawaii coffee…
As of January 2016, Hawaii’s green bean pricing valuations will be conducted in a new way.
Currently categorised as a “field crop”, Hawaiian coffee will become a “non-citrus fruits and nuts” crop at the start of next year. The change will see coffee produced in Hawaii being valued in the same way as that produced in other countries across the globe, meaning that market values will be represented more accurately, growers will be able to report more easily and the USA’s only coffee growers could well see more growth.
The Ember mug: the world’s most advanced coffee mug…
Ember Technologies have announced the launch of a brand new mug, which is quite probably the most advanced we’ve ever seen…but that’s what you’d expect from a retail price of $129. Using all sorts of high-tech materials, the new Ember thermal mug allows its users to keep either tea or coffee at a consistent temperature for several hours: it’s even got its own built-in heating and cooling systems to allow the temperature to be changed.
What’s more, Ember Technologies have even developed an app that links to the mug, allowing you to change your coffee’s temperature with the simple click of a button…
Prototype of La Curva unveiled by La Marzocco…
La Marzocco’s biennial Out of the Box event took place in mid-October in Milan, and in addition to the usual lectures and coffee workshops, they had some exciting news to report. This year, they unveiled their new prototype lever espresso machine known as La Curva, which has already made waves.
Completely reinterpreting the existing concept of a lever machine, La Curva focuses on ergonomics as well as design. The levers are far easier to pull than those on existing machines, and a built-in safety feature means that they lock into place when pulled, and return slowly. The milk steamer is designed for both left-handed and right-handed users, with the wand featuring a cool-touch technology to avoid the risk of burning. Check out the article on Sprudge to find out more about this impressive new prototype.
New arrivals:
Kenya AA FAQ
The highest scoring coffee of the month for us – SCAA 86 pts. Chock full of ripe plums on a base of salted caramel chocolate and lemon zest, skip the after dinner desert and go straight to this coffee – preferably black, from an aeropress.
Café Granja Esperanza Caturra de Altura Guatica Risarlda
A mouthful to say, and what a mouthful to drink: roasted Hazelnuts in buttery caramel and fruit notes make this exquisite coffee utterly delectable. Once again our friends from Café Granja have surpassed themselves with this lot.
Yirgacheffe Grade 2
This beauty landed last week, with a healthy 84.5 pts on our SCAA score. It packs a tea-like punch, with Orange and lemon flavour notes – almost festive in the mouthfeel – this is great for roasting in time for Christmas.
Coffees to get excited about:
Colombia Esperanza from Café Granja
Full to bursting with caramel chocolate flavours, this special lot has a syrupy finish, with subtle yet crisp acidity to demonstrate what we know and love to be the very best that Colombia has to offer.
Sumatra Gayo Mandheling
This is a relatively commercial coffee, but scores a little over 83.5 on the SCAA scale. It’s full of all the fruits, citrus, herbs and spice that you’d want from a Sumatra: the lingering spiced fruit fills your mouth with such joy that you’ll be straight back for more!
PNG Elimbari
Passion fruit, oranges, and sweet glacé cherries, they’re all there! We all love a coffee from the origin that made DRWakefield famous! We’ve been buying this coffee for 40 years – and given the quality of the latest arrival, we’ll still be buying it for the next 40 too…
