Monthly Archive for October, 2007

Non-Auction Lot Esmeralda Up First, Auction Lot Next Week

Published
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Luke
on October 3, 2007
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We found out today that we were accidentally shipped the non-auction lot “Esmeralda Especial” coffee rather than the  Hacienda La Esmeralda Auction Lot that garnered the $130/lb green price.  This is actually great news for a couple of reasons…

  • We can offer this coffee on the Clover at $8/12oz cup rather than $22 for the auction lot
  • We have read that this coffee is very close in it’s flavor profile to the auction lot (this coffee was procured by Intelligentsia outside of the auction from Hacienda La Esmeralda and was served at their preview party this past Monday night)
  • We will have the “real deal” next Thursday- so if you want to compare the two you may be able to try them both, but at any rate this means that there are more cups available so more people will have the opportunity to try this wonderful coffee

Here’s a recent interview from Chicagoist with Geoff Watts regarding La Esmeralda… also, another article asking- is it worth it?

And on another note- a new Tres Santos Micro-Lot, Melange, will also debut on the brew bar menu starting tomorrow.

Enjoy folks!

Esmeralda Especial On Sale Thursday 10/4/07

Published
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Luke
on October 2, 2007
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geishatree.jpgAt our cost of $198 per pound, we have determined that a 12oz cup of Hacienda La Esmeralda’s “Esmeralda Especial” will cost $22 for a 12oz cup. We kicked around the idea of making an 8oz size, but decided in the end that the best way to represent the coffee on the Clover was at 12oz. This price allows us to cover our cost of the coffee and offer something truly special to our customers. We recommend you bring a friend to our Strip District cafe and split it.

Speaking of price, the sales tax alone is actually higher than what most cafe’s in Pittsburgh charges for a 12oz coffee.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

Specialty Coffee Association of America Reveals World’s Best Specialty Coffee

Panama’s Hacienda La Esmeralda Wins an Unprecedented Third Consecutive SCAA Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion Competition

SCAA’s 19th Annual Conference & Exhibition
LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Panama coffee estate, Hacienda La Esmeralda, reached the highest level of coffee supremacy May 7 when it was recognized for having the world’s best specialty coffee for a record third consecutive year. The coffee producer set the mark by winning this year’s Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) 2007 Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion Competition in Long Beach, Calif. The coffee producer previously won the 2005 and 2006 Cupping Pavilions. The 2007 event took place at SCAA’s 19th Annual Conference & Exhibition.

Hacienda La Esmeralda’s winning coffee–from the Jaramillo region of Boquete, Panama–was one of 104 of the finest coffees that participated in the three-day international competition.

2007 Cupping Pavilion Results:
1. Hacienda La Esmeralda, Panama
2. El Injerto, S.A., Guatemala
3. Delicafe S.A., Costa Rica
4. Jesus Mountain Coffee Company, Nicaragua
5. Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, Ethiopia
6. Ka’u Farm & Ranch Company LLC, Hawaii
7. Carmen Estate, Panama
8. Cafe Importa, Colombia
9. Ka’u Farm & Ranch Company LLC, Hawaii
10. Volcafe Specialty Coffee, Ethiopia
11. C.I. Racafe & Cia S.C.A., Colombia
12. Cafe de El Salvador, El Salvador
More than 30 experienced judges selected the winning coffee by cupping, or thoroughly evaluating the scent and taste of each coffee sample. The judges specifically assessed six distinct attributes of the coffee samples, including: fragrance, aroma, taste, flavor, aftertaste and body.

2007 Best of PanamaGROWER PROFILEHacienda La Esmeralda
Coffee Name: Esmeralda Especial
Lot #: pa2007-01
Bag Weight: 22.70 kg. (50 lbs.)
Variety: Geisha
Elevation: 5412 fts
Avg. Rainfall:  
Owner: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Exporter:  
Web Site: http://www.haciendaesmeralda.com/
Cupping Notes: Intensely fragrant and aromatic, with exotic jasmine and orange-blossom notes, it has bright, sweet acidity, and is explosively floral on the palate. Drying method Solar % humidity 11.5 Dry Processing method Above screen 16 & below 20, densimetric & manual selection

Website Updates

Published
by
Luke
on October 1, 2007
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Just wanted to call out a couple of updates to the website.  Good reading!

  • We’ve added the current coffee list to the “Brew Bar” page with links to Intelligentsia’s description of the coffees.  As always you can download a pdf version of our current Clover Brew Bar Menu.
  • We’ve updated the “Shop” page to provide some information about the products we are currently carrying.  We just got in shipments of home grinders and new home brewing equipment.  It’s not an e-commerce site yet, but we’re working on it.
  • We’ve filled out the “Catering” page to reflect what we’ve been doing for almost two years now… that is great coffee/ pastry/breakfast/lunch catering services.  We also wanted to introduce something we’ve been doing for the past few months but haven’t gotten around to officially promoting it- ESPRESSO BAR CATERING. Yes you can now book us to make fantastic espresso drinks at your next event.