Archive for April, 2010
Gimme Coffee Guatemala Asobagri
This coffee from Gimme Coffee of Ithaca, NY, demonstrates one of the reasons that I’m so drawn to coffees from small(er) roasters such as this. Take a quick glance at Gimme’s page for the Guatemala Asobagri and you’ll see a plethora of information about all of the initiatives that the Asobagri Cooperative is undertaking to improve the lives of its farmers and to their effect on the environment. This is a common theme among many of the producers that Gimme works with, as well as roasters such as Stumptown, Barrington, and others. A big part of the reason for this, is the effort these roasters are making to work with producers who are undertaking these initiatives.
It’s a circle of sorts. The smaller roasters are drawn to the efforts of these cooperatives to produce better coffee, lessen their effect on the environment, and improve the lives of their farmers. In turn, by working with them, and in many cases being willing to pay higher rates for their coffees, the roasters are helping to ensure that the cooperatives can continue these efforts. This is even more explicit in cases where the coffee is sourced directly by the roasters.
The case of Guatemala’s Asobagri Cooperative is especially interesting. The cooperative was founded in 1989 by 20 farmers, and has since grown to encompass 686 members spread throughout four communities. The coop runs workshops in organic production methods for its farmers, and is certified Fair Trade, Organic Crop Improvement Association, and Smithsonian Bird Friendly. The coop offers literacy classes to its member communities, and at this time over 100 members participate in reading and writing workshops, while at the same time the coop invests money in a health fund for its members. And the coop seeks to lessen its members’ impacts on the environment by offering workshops in sustainable agriculture, crop diversification, and apiculture.
That’s an impressive array of initiatives that the coop is undertaking. But, in the end, how does the coffee pan out?
Tasting Notes
The Asobagri Cooperative is located in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. The coffee was grown in volcanic soil, under the shade of banana, guava, and plantain trees, and planted among cardamom, banana, and citrus plants. The varietals include bourbon and caturra, that were washed and sun-dried.
The nose has delicate, enticing notes of vanilla, jasmine, and bakers chocolate. The texture is soft and balanced, with a light acidity that stacks up well against the coffee’s flavors of whole wheat toast, table grapes, orange pith, and a hint of rum. The finish is vibrant with citrus rind and and fruit flavors.
Very drinkable, enjoyable coffee. I liked it best in the morning, when its soft texture and weaving of flavors played well together in waking my senses up for the day.
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Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn 30 Year
This Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn was one of the whiskies that we featured at last weekend’s tasting at Amherst Coffee. The event came off really well, full of great whiskies and great people. I definitely think fun was had by all. In the end, each whisky showed very, very well – even the “palate warmer” that we threw in to start things off. But then, a Murray McDavid 11-year Isle of Arran is no slouch!
I was very excited to include an old Longmorn in the tasting. All of the older specimens of Longmorn that I’ve been lucky enough to try have been outstanding. It’s undoubtedly a whisky that ages very gracefully, which is no surprise given its pedigree as a top-class malt.* And so it was with no lack of excitement that we placed this whisky next-to-last in the tasting, in order to give it some room to shine. (Our last whisky was a cask-strength, 25-year Strathisla. But more on that later…)
This whisky was distilled in 1979, and bottled in 2009. It was bottled at 40%, which I can’t help but feel is really a shame. It’s the one downside to Gordon & MacPhail’s otherwise excellent lineup of single malts, most of which are wonderful bargains given their great quality. But their tendency to bottle at such low percentages, 40-43%, is a disappointment. They also chill filter many of their whiskies, this one included. You can’t help but wonder how the whisky would have tasted otherwise, how much flavor and character was lost.
But, that being said. What we’ve got here is a very fine whisky nonetheless.
Tasting Notes
The whisky is the color of light gold. The nose has lemon drops and pears alongside sweet, grainy, floral notes. The palate is soft and delicate, with a buttery, mouth-coating roundness. Lightly sweet, oaky flavors of resin, honey, and vanilla are balanced alongside warm, malty notes of beeswax and brioche. Subtle citrus notes float around in this mix of flavors. The finish is dry and only lightly sweet, with prominent flavors of beeswax and bread. The finish is quite long and smoothyl transitions from initially subtly sweet to very malty and mellow.
All in all, this is a very balanced whisky, with it’s age showing in the combination of oaky dryness, balanced sweet and malty flavors, and buttery, mouth-coating texture. Actually, the thing I liked best was how dry it was. The flavors of brioche, bread dough, and beeswax were wonderful, and those were the ones that really lingered on your palate.
I would love to see this whisky bottled at a few points higher, and not chill-filtered, but in the meantime have to say that this is another good bargain from Gordon & MacPhail.
*In his Miscellany of Whisky, Charles MacLean cites a small group of top-class malts, whiskies that were highly regarded by blenders for their ability to add that last little bit of something to their blends. The full list included: Aultmore, Benrinnes, Cragganmore, Glen Elgin, Glen Grant, Glenlivet, Glenlossie, Glenrothes, Linkwood, Longmorn, Macallan, and Mortlach.
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