Breaking News

28, Aug '08 - With Al back from his epic three week Olympic adventure in Beijing, all seven Atlasians are actually in the office at the same time, for the first time in months! Good thing, as the next several weeks are going to be action packed, what with our 3-Day Roasting and Cupping Workshop in the lab, Coffee Fest Seattle right around the corner, the Atlas 10th Anniversary Party on the Saturday evening of Coffee Fest and much, much more!

19, Aug '08 - Just got back from the 8th Annual SCAA Roaster's Guild Retreat, held this year for the last time up at Sugar Lake Lodge near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Retreat is one of the few times during the year when coffee roasting professionals are able to gather together, share roasting techniques and ideas, learn from other professionals in the industry and generally have a fun ol' time. We're excited to see the Roaster's Guild Retreat moving to the Pacific Northwest for the next few years, hopefully increasing the number of PNW roasters attending. Thanks to the SCAA Roaster's Guild Executive Council, and the SCAA staff for hosting another terrific Retreat!

8, Aug '08 - Al's in China for the Olympic Games, and Jenny's in sunny California for a week so things are pretty quiet around the office. We just received a stellar arrival of Colombia El Corazon that we're all crowing about, and a new arrival of Sumatra Lintong TP that has the silkiest body we've seen; like slipping between satin sheets after stepping out of a bubble bath. Next week: Roaster's Guild Retreat!

24, July '08 - Craig and Chris returned from Colombia on Monday the 21st and are hard at work back in the office, stateside again for at least a month or so. Both Atlasians were in Colombia for the first ever "Mejor de Monserrate" micro-lot competition in Huila. Check out the story and photos when you get a chance!

9, July '08 - Craig is down in Colombia this week working with the Coffee Quality Institute training Q Grader cuppers in Armenia. Next week we'll be preparing for the first ever "Mejor de Monserrate" micro-lot competition in the department of Huila. This means that, come autumn, we'll have all manner of tasty Monserrate micro-lots for you to choose from! Stay tuned for more info about a cupping of the "Mejor de Monserrate" winners at Atlas HQ here in Seattle.

¡Lo Mejor de Monserrate!

Team Atlas recently spent a few exhilirating days in the village of Monserrate, Huila, Colombia, cupping samples from each of the 42 producer families who contribute to our Monserrate relationship coffee. Several roaster friends accompanied us on our adventure, which kicked off with a rollicking horse-back ride up to the village itself, continued with a cupping of the top ten ranked coffees, and concluded with an awards ceremony, and the first annual "Copa de Monserrate" soccer match. Photos and videos are available online, and stay tuned for our action packed trip report.

Market Update

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Workshop Calendar

Atlas - Diedrich 3-Day Roasting Workshop (max 15 people) Registration = $1,000/person

Back by popular demand, this three day intensive roasting and cupping workshop, held at Atlas' facilities in conjunction with Diedrich Roaster Manufacturers will cover a broad range of coffee roasting and cupping topics. A few of the subjects covered will be:

Seed to Cup Presentation

Intro to SCAA Cupping Form

Cupping of 5 Major Coffee Growing Regions

Understanding Heat Transfer Theory

Cupping of Different Green Coffee Processing Methods

Roast Profile Development

Cupping of Differing Roast Profiles & Degrees

Roasting Decaffeinated Coffees

Blending for Espresso

Single Origin Espresso Tasting

A more colorful & detailed itinerary for the workshop may be downloaded here.

Dates: Tuesday, Sept. 9th - Thursday, Sept. 11th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We regret that the August 29th Atlas Barista Workshop has been cancelled. Please contact Atlas if you would like to schedule a private Barista Workshop, and keep checking the Workshop Calendar for more scheduled sessions.

Registration for these workshops is limited, so please call or email to reserve your space. We're looking forward to seeing you soon!

Cupping Calendar

Thanks to all of you who joined us for our Cup of Excellence cuppings this Spring! Summer will probably be a pretty relaxed cupping season, but check back soon for an updated calendar listing our Autumn and Winter cuppings.

If you'd like to join us for any or all of these cuppings, please RSVP and we'll put you on the list. Our lab can accommodate up to 15 cuppers, so please get in touch soon to reserve your space. We're looking forward to seeing you soon!

News Archive

Pacamara Roasting Guide Now Available!

The El Salvador Coffee Council was kind enough to send along an absolutely brilliant document they've put together on the genetic history of the Bourbon and Pacamara coffee varietals, which includes their recommended roast profiles for both sample roasting and production roasting Pacamara coffees. Check it out! Most of the Pacamara-specific info is from page 6, onward. Also be sure to take a look at the results of our cupping of the Pacamara and Maracaturra varietals from the El Salvador and Guatemala Cup of Excellence competitions below.

Pacamara Cupping

On Thursday the 19th of June, Atlas hosted a cupping of the Pacamara and Maracaturra varietals from the Guatemala and El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition. These "elephant bean" varietals have puzzled cuppers for years with their complex, multi-dimensional flavor profiles. The purpose of this cupping was to isolate these profiles on the cupping table, and discuss trends and consistencies in cup characteristics that might vary depending on growing conditions and roast degree.

Elevation was one variable that we noticed differed considerably between coffees, from as low as 900 meters to as high as 2,400 meters, with the average elevation being around 1,500 meters. Cup profiles were so varied coffee to coffee, though, that it was impossible to make a positive corrolation between elevation and sweetness or complexity. We also noticed that subtle differences in roast degree can absolutely affect the cup profile of these varietals; lighter roasts tend to reveal some herbal, vegetal qualities, while darker roasts often play up the sweeter fruit and caramel characteristics.

One thing's for sure, the list of descriptors for these coffees were some of the most unique and exotic flavors and aromas that we've ever seen in a cupping of like origins. In case you're not able to read some of them off of the whiteboard in the photo on the right, I'll make a list of them down below.

clove, cinnamon, licorice, herbal, hops, sage, pine, rosehips, sandalwood, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, black cherry, dry grape, green banana, peach, green apple, melon, bell pepper, onion, tomato soup, chive, sweat, rose, tobacco, pistachio, pine nut, spumoni, Raisinets

This cupping is the first that I know of its kind, and was a terrific experience. Thanks to all of the cuppers who attended!

Atlas Barista Workshop Wins!

Atlas' first ever Advanced Barista Workshop took place in our lab on Friday the 6th of June, with wild success. The goal of this workshop is to give baristas an opportunity to learn in depth about green coffee cultivation and processing, cupping and the physics and chemistry of espresso brewing, as well as the practical skills of espresso preparation, milk steaming and latte art. Champion Latte Artist Reid Hickman joined us as a guest instructor for the afternoon, and wowed the barista students with his pouring prowess. Check out youtube.com for a video of Reid & the class, and read the glowing testimonials from our students below:

baristatraining1

"Very Knowledgable and helpful!"

"Would/will send other employees. Eight hours well spent."

"It's nice to see common theories and practices shared across the industry. Thank you for a fun and informative day."

"The course seemed to cover all aspects of necessary knowledge for a barista."

"Awesome!"

"Chris rules!"(actual quote)

New Spring Arrivals

On Friday, May 30th, Atlas hosted a cupping of our fresh, new crop spring arrivals at our lab in Seattle. Check out what our guest cuppers had to say about our recently arrived coffees:

Malawi Mzuzu Khanga - black pepper, herbal, bloody mary, citrus
Kenya AB Fairview Estate - mandarin orange, silky, currant, complex
Guatemala Trapichitos - juicy (orange/lime,) toffee, perfumed, complex, cinnamon, rich, cocoa nibs
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe G.2 Kochere - hoppy, delicious, floral, white grape, bergamot, lemon, honeysuckle
Tanzania AA Blackburn Estate - marmalade, orange, peach, blackberry, floral, jasmine
Organic Honduras Corah - toasted bread, buttery, cozy, sweetened condensed milk, clean finish
Rainforest Alliance Honduras Capucas - chocolate, nice structure, cools well, balanced, sweet, caramel, buttery, green apple, cantaloupe
Costa Rica Tarrazu Santa Elena Estate - "classic Tarrazu," hazelnut, honey, lemon, creme brulee, cools well

Congratulations (and Thanks!)

We are happy to announce that our own Al Liu has been elected to the SCAA Board of Directors for 2008-2010. Click here for the full election results. Thanks to all who lent their support.

The Lab

Lab Those of you who have visited Atlas HQ pre-2007 know that half of our building, until very recently, was practically useless to us. Six months of noise, dust, demolition and renovation have given rise to a state-of-the-art roasting, cupping and brewing lab. Like a Phoenix from the ashes, our new lab is one of a kind, and prepared to handle any challenge.

Contact us for information about upcoming training courses or to schedule a private or group training on the topic(s) of your choice, from green coffee to barista skills.

Thanks for stopping by!

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