Cerro Las Ranas (the Hill of Frogs) coffee is named after the farm’s lagoon that is populated by thousands of frogs, located in Apaneca within the department of Ahuachapan, El Salvador. The coffee is produced by JASAL, a family owned operation where Jose Antonio Salaverria and his sons take great pride in their meticulous attention to detail, from year-round farm management to quality control in the cupping lab, and everything in between. In the pulped natural process (also called a honey process), JASAL pulps perfectly ripened cherries and then dries the coffee beans, still covered in mucilage, on clay patios while...
How it all started...The METAD coffee groups origin story begins with Muluemebet Emiru, the first female pilot in Africa during WWII. After WWII the Ethiopian Emperor awarded her with farmlands lush with wild coffee trees, in the Harrar and Sidamo regions of Ethiopia. She transformed the Harrar farmland into a private coffee estate, thus forging her family's deep connection to the land and the beginning of coffee cultivation that would go on for generations to come. METAD is managed by Aman Adinew who returned to Ethiopia after many years working abroad at the executive level for multiple fortune 500 companies...
For the consummate tea drinker, oolong teas hold a special place in their heart. While there is great attention given to the processing of all teas, oolongs require the hand of a skilled tea master to fully capture the spectrum of flavors oolong holds. The beauty of oolong, aside from the sweet- savory flavor, is that it falls somewhere between a black and green tea. So, when the afternoon sleepies start to come around and you need a little pick me up that won't keep you up all night, turn oolong. The caffeine content will be lower than black tea...
Honey & Pulped Naturals: Before we jump into the honey prepped or honey processed coffees, let's get an understanding of naturally processed coffees. The short of it is, naturally produced coffees yield a sweeter cup profile. The beans are left with the cherry, mucilage and parchment still attached to the bean when dried. When executed properly during the fermentation, the bean will garner a robust natural sweetness and well rounded profile. There are three main categories when it comes to the honey prep process; yellow, red, and black. The other sub categories are; white and gold. A de-pulper machine removes...
The Origin of Matcha Stretching all the way back to the 17th century, matcha was first enjoyed by the Tang Dynasty in China. They found that by steaming the leaves they could form bricks, which would make it easier for sellers to take on trade travels. The tea bricks were prepared by roasting and grounding the leaves then mixing the tea powder with water and salt. Around the 10th century, a Japanese Buddhist monk, by the name of Eisai, returned to his home country after many years spent studying Buddhism in China. He brought with him the much revered matcha...
If you're looking to cut down on your caffeine intake, develop fuller flavors within your tea and increase the overall health benefits you receive from enjoying your favorite cup... look no further than the beautiful simplicity found in cold brewing. Cold brewing tea is just about the easiest thing in the world to do. Pop some loose leaf tea into a container of cold filtered water, let sit for up to 12 hours and strain. Viola! The result is a tea that has fewer tannins, producing a flavor that is much less astringent than hot brewed tea with a smoother,...
