Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

New Jersey Coffee Business Penalized $2,000 for Not Accepting Cash

New Jersey specialty coffee shop chain Hidden Grounds Coffee has agreed to pay a $2,000 penalty following two state law violation notices for not accepting cash. In an announcement yesterday,…


Probat Rolls Out it Largest Electric Roaster to Date, the P12 E

German coffee roaster manufacturer Probat continues to scale up production of drum roasters that avoid natural gas in favor of alternative energy sources. The company’s latest global release is the…


Heine Brothers Pays $300K to Baristas Following Labor Investigation

Louisville, Kentucky-based specialty coffee chain Heine Brothers Coffee has paid $300,000 in back wages and damages to baristas following a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) investigation. Acting on a tip…


Quality Coffee Flows in Florida at the Pumphouse Pouratorium

Pumphouse Coffee Roasters is fully primed with the opening of the Pouratorium, an approximately 7,700-square-foot flagship roastery, coffee bar, kitchen and training center in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The Pouratorium…

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Department of Labor Targets Two More Louisville Coffee Businesses

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has recovered $188,000 in back wages from Louisville, Kentucky-based small coffee chains Sunergos Coffee and Please & Thank You.  The DOL announcement comes…


Here’s The Book on Climate-Smart Coffee Production

UK-based publishing house Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing recently released what is arguably the most comprehensive and well-rounded text on climate-related sustainable agriculture in the coffee sector to date. Including chapters…


The Chemex ChemAer Swirls Into the Home Brewer Market

Massachusetts-based coffee equipment maker Chemex has launched a new brewer and decanter combo called the ChemAer. Maintaining the general shape, brewing style and borosilicate glass construction of the original Chemex…


Department of Labor Targets Two More Louisville Coffee Businesses

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has recovered $188,000 in back wages from Louisville, Kentucky-based small coffee chains Sunergos Coffee and Please & Thank You.  The DOL announcement comes…

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Middle East Coffee Marketplace and App Cofe Raises $15 Million

With global growth ambitions, Middle East-based coffee marketplace Cofe (styled as COFE by the company) has raised US$15 million in a Series B funding round.  Leading the investment is WAED…


Rui Miguel Nabeiro Named Chair of Europe’s International Coffee Partners

Rui Miguel Nabeiro of Portugese coffee company Delta Cafés has been appointed chairperson of the European nonprofit International Coffee Partners (ICP). Nabeiro, who is the CEO of Delta and its…


Study: Climate Change Increasing ‘Systemic Shocks’ to Coffee Production

The global coffee industry can expect increasing and “ongoing systemic shocks” to coffee production due to climate change, according to new research published this month in the journal PLOS Climate. …


Black Rifle Coffee Company is Being Sued by an RTD Beverage Consultancy

A once chummy relationship between an Ohio-based beverage consultancy and Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) appears to have soured, with the former suggesting in court that the latter has not…

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

HOW TO BE A BETTER CUPPER

Mar 9, 2023 |

Ahead of the launch of Prodigal, Mark and I cupped for a minimum of one hour each morning. Having such a routine allowed us to calibrate well after cupping more than 2000 samples together. Those sessions also taught us a lot, some of which I’d like to share here....

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Coffee farm harvest

[Editor’s note: This is Part 4 of an ongoing editorial series led by Verité exploring labor issues affecting the global coffee sector through its U.S. Department of Labor-funded Cooperation On Fair, Free, Equitable…

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

Column: Paying Farmworkers Based on Production Results in Labor Risks

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