SERC 2010

Wrap-up

russell — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:52:23 +0000

Sunday’s schedule was light. We cupped coffees from the Saturday roasting workshops. Cupping at these roasters group meetings is a lot like having a sit-down meal with your family. It gives us a chance to gather around a table and sample the same coffees, discuss our impressions and learn from each other. The coffee from Laos was presented in three different roast levels and served in standard cupping method, filter drip and French press. It was a good opportunity to familiarize ourselves with coffee from an origin country none of us had roasted before and will give us a reference point when we encounter this coffee in the future. We’ll try to get samples we can roast in our shop and play around with some different profiles. Thank you to Michael Hancock for providing the coffee for this workshop and for spending time with the Cult.

After the cupping, Ricardo Pereira of BRASC announced the winner of the Brazil coffee roasting competition and we lingered in the cafe saying goodbyes and making promises to keep in touch until the next gathering. The crew at Leopard Forest (who worked incredibly hard all weekend and were essential to pulling off a great event) prepared box lunches for everybody to take on the road. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Do the Dogs Like It?

russell — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:02:10 +0000

Meet Lexington Ave. Brewery, shining beacon of beer in Asheville, NC. And, if you are lucky, you’ll get a chance to meet Ben Pierson, Brewmaster. Ben shed light on some outstanding beers, taught us much about how our industries are different, and hopefully learned a little about coffee in the process. We finished Saturday’s events with a focused beer tasting with Trish directing us to hone our sensory skills while we sampled a Pilsner, a Wit, an American Pale Ale and a Chocolate Stout. Steve Franklin of JavaVino brought along an Abbey Ale from our friends at Twain’s (SERC 2008, Atlanta).

Ben Pierson, like many coffee people, is dedicated, opinionated and very detail-oriented. A spirited discussion evolved over issues like knowing your audience, knowing your ingredients, recording your results and perfecting your processes. When all was said and done, a slogan for SERC was born:

“Do the dogs like it?”

A Full Slate

russell — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:20:18 +0000

After breakfast we split into smaller groups to better accommodate the large turnout for this year’s SERC gathering. Our group jumped right into Trish Rothgeb’s sensory skills class including a brief overview of the Q-Graders certification process and how Q helps bridge the gap between the producers (farmers) and consumers (us). We tested ourselves on our ability to recognize aromatic taints, dry distillation, enzymatic and sugar browning aromas using the Le Nez du Cafe kit.

Ildi Revi then did a fantastic job of marshaling the herd of cats on to the next presentation, an introduction to Laotian coffee by Michael Hancock, followed by a profile roasting class taught by Brandon Riggs of Stockton Graham and Todd Arnette of Williamsburg Coffee and Tea Company. Friday night, when Michael Hancock polled the roasters in attendance at the Brazilian dinner, not one roaster present had ever roasted Laotian coffee. After this weekend, all of the roasters in the profile roasting class will have had the opportunity, using Todd’s mobile Ambex YM-2. We will cup the results Sunday morning.

Before lunch our group cupped the coffees in the Brazil competition. There were more than a couple of stand-outs, but across the board the coffees displayed classic Brazil sweetness, nuttiness and balance in the cup. One of the most enjoyable cuppings I have ever participated in. The complexity of aroma in these roasts of Alta Mogiana, dry and wet, really impressed me. Can’t wait to see the final results.

While we ate sandwiches and recovered from a busy morning of training, Felipe Croce from Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza entertained us with a DVD presentation of sustainability efforts around Mococa, Brazil. The film was a perfect preview of the area of Brazil (see map below) that we will visit in June.

A busy morning packed with great training.
View Larger Map

Travelers Rest

russell — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:29:47 +0000

We arrived at Leopard Forest Coffee Company in time to meet with Ricardo Pereira of BRASC and hear the itinerary of our Brazil trip. Our hosts have prepared an amazing spread of traditional Brazilian dishes. We are catching up with good friends from the coffee world and enjoying the hospitality of Ildi Revi and Rob Boswell Brown, owners of Leopard Forest Coffee Co.

According to Ildi, there are 13 roasters submitting Alta Mogiana for the roast competition. Because we wanted to get the most out of this exercise and learn from the talented people assembled here, we submitted our signature roast profile. (Alta Mogiana from the same production is in our bins at the shop now.) Because we want to win, we sabotaged the samples from the other roasters. I’m kidding, Troy Lucas.

No Pressure

russell — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:19:15 +0000

As part of this weekend’s SERC gathering, the Nova Roast/Easy Chair crew will be participating in a Brazilian coffee Roast-Off. We have featured this coffee on our menu and in our espresso blends over the past year and are anxious to see how we stack up against dozens of other roasters.

Here are the rules:

Turn in 5 lbs of Alta Mogiana Cocapec Brasil roasted coffee (whole bean) by 01/22/2010.
Roast it how you think it tastes best, of course. You ARE allowed to roast the Alta Mogiana different levels and blend them.
No blending with any other coffees allowed.
You must be present on site to enter competition.
All participants of SERC will blindly cup the coffees and turn in their scores. All scores will be added up to give a final number. The highest number wins.
Winner will take home a full 60kg bag of Brazil Alta Mogiana coffee.

That is quite a prize.

Maxed Out.

russell — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:16:46 +0000

South East Roasters Cult
3rd Annual Gathering Weekend
January 22-24, 2010
at
Leopard Forest Coffee Co.
Travelers Rest, South Carolina

Schedule of Events so far:
Friday:
5 – 7 pm Check-in at the Hampton Inn
7pm Welcome reception at Leopard Forest sponsored by BRASC: Full blown Brazilian Celebration— Food and Live Music

Saturday:
8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast
8:30 – 9:45 Brazil Cupping Competition
9:45 – 12:15 Q-Class Information and Le Nez Prep with Trish
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch
1:15 – 3:15 Roasting with Brandon and Brad
3:30 – 6:00 Beer Tasting with Brewmaster Ben and guided discussion with Trish
6:00 – 7:00 Do what you gotta do
7:00 Thaicoon Dinner—A super spread by the “Best Thai Restaurant” of Upstate South Carolina. Live music with Jacob Johnson .

Sunday:
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast, use the wi-fi
9 – 10:30 Cupping with Brandon and Brad—Cup the coffees we roasted the day before
10:30 – 11:30 Weekend Wrap-up
11:30 – Lunch, dine and dash. Or take it with you if your flight is leaving…
All of the above for a mere $75 registration fee (payable by check or online).

Hampton Inn, Travelers Rest, SC. Block of only 30 rooms reserved under Leopard Forest– The agreed rate is that of $89.00 plus 10% tax per night. For reservations please phone: 864-834-5550.

For more information and a detailed registration form please contact:
Leopard Forest Coffee Co.