Coffee Bird was at the London Coffee Festival this year and we held many cuppings throughout the weekend. Our aim was to try and recreate what cupping at origin is like, so on the table were coffees from all different rest points and regions of Guatemala. Some coffees were still laid out on the patio at the farm ten days prior whilst others had already rested for up to six weeks.
The coffees had all been prepared - hulled and graded - by hand. When clients purchase the coffees they will have been prepared at the dry mill rather than by hand. The sophisticated machinery at the dry mill, used later on in the season, in fact offers a finer preparation than by hand. We were also able to showcase "terroir" by comparing multiple excellent varietals from the same farm, for a number of farms. It was a real privilege to share the stories of the producers represented at the table. As one of our clients, Per Nordby, said afterwards, we saved everyone a trip to Guatemala!
We've been to the London Coffee Festival every year since its inception in 2011 and it has been a joy to watch it grow over the years. It has been fantastic meeting our clients at their stands and learning more about how they showcase their coffees and innovate within the industry. It's also pretty amazing to see the commitment, dedication and passion of all the competitors, and we can only imagine how proud our farmers would be if they could see their own coffees prepared with such skill, art and respect.
We are already looking forward to 2017!
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