**Update!** Political turmoil & protests in Nicaragua means the coffees are not able to leave the country. We send out thoughts and hopes for Peace to our friends there. Meanwhile, We will be evaluating the El Salvador COE Top 10 instead!
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This year CCR President Scott Conary was the Head Judge for the Nicaragua Cup of Excellence program. For 3+ weeks he guided the process that took 214 initial entries from farmers all over the Country, to narrow it down to only the best 40, of the highest quality and unique character the harvest had to offer this season.
To celebrate the efforts attained by these hard working and innovative coffee producers; and to give a glimpse into what to expect when the coffees are on the live auction on June 19th; CCR is hosting a cupping of the Top 10 coffees from the auction, including a few other select coffees Scott wants to highlight from his experience guiding the National & International panels.
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Cup of Excellence is the most prestigious competition and award for high quality coffees. The level of scrutiny that Cup of Excellence coffees undergo is unmatched anywhere in the specialty coffee industry. The Cup of Excellence competition has pioneered integrity and transparency in the coffee industry, ensuring the value of winning coffees. A competition with 300 entries yields an average of 9,000 analyzed cups, with each “Top 10” coffee being cupped at least 120 times.
We’re excited to announce that Scott at CCR recently completed the CQI Coffee Processing Generalist Certification taught by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI)!
We’ve been working closely with CQI for various industry quality programs around the world, and take every opportunity to continue to learn and evolve our knowledge base to better help our farmer partners and the industry at large, with the goal of improving quality through the entire supply chain. You can read more about it here.
Dar Williams recently published a book detailing her experience touring through small-town America, and we’re excited to see the coffee scene in our very own Carrboro, NC featured! Be sure to grab a copy to read up on her experience.
We have some new and exciting merchandise to share! Check out our new enamel camp coffee mugs, the perfect gift for all your outdoorsy friends and family.
Carrboro Coffee Roasters’ Green Bean Totes are local, NC handmade totes crafted from the green coffee bean bags we receive from our farmers at origin. Each is one of a kind and features the artwork of our farmer partners. We’re all about re-using these cool coffee bags and making them into an awesome, lined tote. They are the perfect size for shopping, picking up groceries, and all your other carrying needs!
To kick off the holidays, we are rolling out our 2017 Holiday Featured Coffee!
This limited quantity, Direct Relationship coffee comes to use from the Veracruz region of Mexico.
For over 200 years the family of Francisco Caraza have grown coffee & sugar cane along the slopes of Sierra Madre Oriental mountains. At Finca La Cuesta, their experience and attention to detail at all steps of their in-house process shows in a consistent and delightful cup. This special lot, Los Cedros, is a Cup of Excellence National Award winner, & features a mouthwatering juicy citrus, with notes of brown sugar and balanced with a coca nib finish.
Get into the holiday spirit with the Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 3rd from 12-5pm! Located at the 140 West Franklin Street Plaza in Downtown Chapel Hill, there will be handmade crafts and creations from local makers, and of course food and drink! Carrboro Coffee will be providing coffee, so make sure to come stop by!
Carrboro Coffee Roasters, has announced a new Direct Relationship with coffee farmer Nancy Hernandez.
Hernandez’s Coffee ‘Finca El Jazmin’ is grown on her farm in Marcala, Honduras, and is available by the cup at Open Eye Café and Caffe Driade, and retail locations. This new Direct Relationship coffee adds to Carrboro Coffee’s impressive list of Direct Relationship coffees.
The Direct Relationship coffee fosters personal relationships between coffee growers and Carrboro Coffee Roasters. Through frequent visits, the farm and farming practices are personally known and the farmer’s crop is purchased and sent to Carrboro Coffee Roasters where it is roasted, ground and served to customers. This Direct Relationship removes the middle-man and ensures coffee farmers are fairly compensated for all their hard work.
“While we have many more examples of our hard-earned Farmer Direct Relationship coffees available, says Carrboro Coffee owner Scott Conary, “this one has an amazing, full-circle quality that really epitomizes our mission statement of economic development for producers, as well as all the years of effort, travel, and actual blood, sweat & tears invested in what we lovingly call ‘work’.”
Over 10 years ago Conary sponsored Hernandez’s trip to the United States to train at Carrboro Coffee Roasters in coffee roasting, espresso preparation and coffee brewing.
Since she visited, Hernandez has opened 3 coffee shops in her home country, Honduras, and continues to grow and sell the highest quality coffee from her farm to select roasters around the world.
“For us this started as an investment with a young Nancy, and now extends to her daughter, family and community at large,” said owner Conary. “Our tagline is ‘Coffee Unites the World’ and we strive every day to make that true.”
Hernandez’s coffee is amazingly balanced with tropical fruit sweetness and lovely floral brown sugar qualities. Carefully grown and processed, this high quality coffee’s flavor is teased out with expert roasting by Carrboro Coffee.
Finca El Jazmin is now available at Open Eye Café and Caffe Driade.
