New Growth

There are some buds forming on the main plant. So far it looks like there are more than last year, but still no great amount. The plant is growing pretty fast and I wonder if the less mature branches aren't able to bud.

I picked cherries from the trees in a guys house that lives near by a couple months ago. I crammed some of them in the soil of another houseplant. Low and behold, two sprouts popped up. They are so close together I can only assume they are from one cherry. I didn't remove the skin before putting them in the soil. The plant they popped up from is on a table in the living room away from any windows. The area is bright during the day, but gets no direct sunlight. I have another couple pots all crammed with cherries that I have been keeping in the sun. Needless to say I moved them over near the plant with the sprouts.

So this has nothing to do with growing coffee, but I saw this neon sign in Manhattan a couple weeks ago. I love shit like this, it cracks me up.

Let It Rain!

Spring is in the air, the sun is shining warmly, and the rains they are a coming. Well not in drought ridden North Carolina, but the wet season has begun at Finca Nueva Berlin. After several months of very limited watering I have begun a new regimen.

I began watering the plants much more often, and more water each time. A spray bottle for misting also appeared on the windowsill. I figure it is pretty humid in the jungle, so a quick spraying of the leaves a few times a day is now the norm.

Organic bone meal in a nice heavy dose, along with some compost, were mixed into the soil to promote flowering. The plants are all looking as beautiful as I can remember. The leaves are a deep green and lustrous. New leaves are popping up constantly and in places on the existing branches where I have never seen them grow before.

Just so happens there are a few other trees in my neighborhood. Unknown to me a guy a couple miles away has a half dozen mature trees he brought back from Venezuela about ten years ago. They produce fruit on occasion, and he allowed me and a friend to come pick the cherries. The plants are big, but don't look especially healthy. He also uses miracle grow regularly, so I still lay claim to Durham, NC's only organic coffee farm. I took about 30 cherries and buried them a couple inches down in a pot of nice rich soil. Don't know if anything will sprout, but what the hey. Last year the same guy mentioned above gave away small plants from his sprouts at a local store. A couple of them made it to Counter Culture, but they got left out in the cold. I took them home and tried to revive them. One survived, and with a new neighbor in the pot. It would seem a tomato seed from my compost decided the pot would make a good home. Can you say poly culture?

Finally, A New Post!

Okay, so I dropped the ball. I don't know why really, I just stopped posting and got lazy about it. Sorry.

So, last spring I received a handful of beans straight from some friends in El Salvador. 100% bourbon, they sat in moist starter soil doing nothing for close to a month. Just before I was ready to toss them in the trash, I decided instead to put them under my deck outside and ignore them. I honestly forgot they were there. One day while mowing the lawn I saw the tray sitting there and noticed something. Three little sprouts!
























So, the three sprouts proved to be one male and two female. The first leaves that emerge from the seed show that. I coffee talk at CCC led by the Caballero family of El Puente fame taught me how to tell the difference. Three leaves emerging mean the plant is a "macho", and two means they are an "empressa". Fast forward to present day and I am happy to say the three are doing great. After about sixty days I carefully transferred each sprout to a small pot with an organic soil mix that is high in nitrogen and my own compost mixture.

So, how is my old friend you ask? Well the separation to three plants proved to be a good thing. All three are thriving in their indiviual (much larger) pots. I have been watering them much less through the winter, imitating the dry season. There has been quite a bit of leaf loss, but I have learned over the years that is natural and not to be worried. They are hearty and happy, and when spring comes I will begin the rainy season. Lots of water, and misting the leaves regularly. I heavy dose of bone meal to encourage flowering, and fingers crossed for a new crop of Finca Nueva Berlin. Rest assured it would be a Microlot!

There ya go, a new post. I want to apologize to all my fans (both of them) for the long gap in between. I am going to make a concerted effort again to keep this thing going. I mean, I am paying 30 bucks a year for the friggin URL!

Still Growing

Spring has been a good season. The re-potted plants continue their journey outward and upward. The big plant has proven to be a real fast mover. It reminds me of a conversation with Aida Battle of Finca Mauritania fame that occurred last fall. She had done a significant pruning at her farms that year and was very pleased with how fast the trees had been growing since.
I am also happy, but cautious, to report that the one newly sprouted seed that resulted from my germination attempt is still around. The way you see it in the picture is how it has been for a couple weeks now. The seed has not fallen off and there are no leaves yet, but it seems to be growing a bit and maintaining its strength. I continue to be amazed by coffees patient nature. Just when I have started to think things would never happen (flowers, cherries, sprouted seed) is when they do.

I Love Spring.

The air is warm and breezy, the sun shines longer, and the plants start growing! I am so excited by what I have seen recently with my trees. All three are showing strong signs of growth, and the largest of them is growing so fast I swear I can almost see it happening. Now that I have faith the the big, traumatic pruning and separation was a success, I choose to offer the trees a bit of organic love. A healthy dose of organic blood meal and organic bone meal were their first feedings of any kind since last fall. I am looking forward to outdoor nighttime temperatures continuing to rise, as I feel an prolonged al fresco stint will do them well.

I have also been obsessively checking the germinating seeds. I was about to give up on them again, when a little sprout gave me hope once again. Of the twenty seeds I have planted, it is the only one to do anything so far, but I imagine at least a few more should offer some hope. The sprout is changing very slowly, and I not sure how long to leave it in the covered tray on a warm heating bad. I don't want to remove it to soon.

New Life, a Long Time Coming

I am pleased to announce (after a long absense from blogging, sorry), that my beloved trees have all sprung back to life. The photos here are of the largest of the three. I waited patiently for a couple months, and our first sunny spring days and lots of water brought forth these pleasing results. The leaves are a beautiful deep green, and are growing so fast now I can see obvious results every week. When the fear of sub 50 degree weather withers away, I will be giving the trees their first extended outdoor experience. I hope an outdoor spring excursion helps continue this fitful growth spurt, and maybe even leads to a summertime crop.

Sadly, I must report that the little progated plants that I started after the big pruning experience did not survive. However, a friend was kind enough to bring some beans in parchment back from a recent trip to El Salvador. I started to germinate them over a month ago. I was close to giving up, but just this evening a little white stem seems to have pop out of one of the seeds. Maybe time to build that greenhouse sooner than I planned. Don't tell my wife.

Wah?

One little, two little, three little glass pots....four little five little six little glass pots....


Sometimes I have to take a step back, and think about how much coffee we aficionados are really responsible for roasting, serving, and selling. I love living the little white lie in my head that tells me most people want better. Then I remember brands like Old Milwaukee Beer, Popov Vodka, and Sam's Choice Cola. I know the balance is shifitng, but boy do we still need a lot of ballast. Keep your head up Daryn, I say to myself.....

A Little Green

I was very happy to see a touch of green peaking through the bark of one of the pruned trees yesterday. I check it everyday, and admit it is hard to look the stumps of my once tall coffee tree not knowing if I had done the right thing by pruning them.

Today I noticed the stump of the main tree also has little green leaves pushing their way out. I wish I could say the same for the little propagated plants. They are looking pretty sad. I am not ready to write them off just yet, but it doesn't look good I am afraid.

Deep in the Heart...

....of Texas. I just completed my first ever visit to the Lone Star State. I few days with good friend and coffee pro Mike McKim was a great way to first check out the state.Mike is an up and coming roaster (hmmm...4th wave?) in Houston.

Passion and professionalism shine through in everything he does. His roastery, Cuvee Coffee, reminded me of a once little wholesaler I am partial too in North Carolina. His desire to serve his customer partners was apparent, and the proof really was where it is needed the most, in the cup. Keep fighting the good fight Mike!

A road trip together to Austin was coffee-centric as well. I was impressed by the city, from the rolling brush hills down to the hipster college town culture. The coffee seen is big, but not very mature. We visited several shops, and I was not surprised to see lots of flavored syrups, super-size menus, and more food choices than necessary in most shops. There did seem to be interest in producing good espresso, so that was nice to hear in the conversations I participated in.

One shining star was Caffe Medici Espresso and Coffee House. The beautiful La Marzocco FB-70 draws your eye the moment you walk in the door. The hand made wood counters and tables showed the love of the owners, and were probably stained with some of their sweat. No pre-fab anywhere, the cafe reeked of quiet comfort and personal energy. As I stood at the counter waiting for my very tasty espresso, the quick and arbitrary flickering boiler light of the FB-70 gave away its little secret to me immediately. La Marzoccos first go at a temperature stable espresso machine, the Hybrid, was the delivery agent for my sweet brown nectar. The staff was interested and friendly, and it was clear the the patrons were in a place they felt welcomed and recognized. They also passed my ridiculously illogical test of a truly good independent coffee house, great t-shirts. Only open since last September, Caffe Medici is a maverick in Music City, sure to tempt a change for the best all over town. Kudos.

All told, the trip great. I love to see new places, and I love to drink espresso. I also learned that I love something new to me....Tex-Mex Food.

VIVA LUPE TORTILLA!!!!!

Tastes Great, Less Filling

It is a great privilege as part of my job to experience the coffee house scene in an assortment of U.S. cities. The dichotomy of consumer preferences, as well as differences in the criteria supporting quality in each market is remarkable. As a coffee professional I have been preaching the virtues of small and special, over those of big and ubiquitous for quite some time. While the main ingredient remains primarily the same, the care it is shown from seed to cup has become increasingly apparent and with greater results. When asked by coffee shop owners why they should make sometimes very difficult changes, I try hard to justify my recommendations with information that is relevant outside the fanatical coffee sub-culture to which I proudly belong. You see, as much as I want to see the end of the 20oz latte, it is hard for a business owner to swallow the rational of my opinion when it is merely based on “because it is better”. Common arguments from sometimes struggling proprietors include statements like “my customers demand it”, or “I have to compete with Starbucks”.



I try to respond in a constructive and supportive way, explaining how the preparation and subsequent taste satisfaction of a much smaller drink will almost certainly quell any concerns a customer may have about overall size. If explained with deft and a touch of charisma, it is not too difficult to share how a smaller, better pulled shot of espresso will carry with it much more flavor, and all of the caffeine, than one can expect from a long, thin, or over extracted one that merely fills up a larger portion of the bottom of a big gulp cup. If given a spoonful of sweet, silky, foamed milk, a barista or owner can easily taste for themselves the benefits of preparation over volume. And what owner isn’t happy to learn that it could be possible to eliminate an inventory item that is otherwise unnecessary, and instantly increase the profit margin on their most popular drink?

Taking chances is scary. Making recommendations is easy. Palpable results are satisfying. I have grown more certain every month about the ability for customers to respond to positive changes, whether they know they are or not. Better is better. If a coffee house makes taste improvements, one of three reactions can frequently be expected from customers.

1.They notice the changes and care why, therefore increasing their awareness, support, and patronage of the shop.

2.They notice the changes and don’t care why, but know that their freakin’ latte has been awfully good lately.

3.They don’t notice anything, but find themselves craving a drink more than before. Thereby securing in their minds the desire to patronize the shop regardless of competition.





Any way you look at it, the experience has benefits for everyone involved. Please remove 20oz drinks from your menu. Pretty please...... And what about those16 ouncers? Do you really need those either?

Little Changes

I noticed a week or so ago that some of the precious leaves on the propagated coffee plants were turning yellow around the edges and falling off. I was a bit concerned at first, but then I thought about it a bit. It must take a lot of energy to support leaves of that size, and of course the new plants have very small roots. It must be very hard for those roots to get water and nutrients into the leaves. I also thought that the mature leaves are probably taking away from the new growth. I let it go a few more days. I returned from a trip to see the remaining leaves wilting and dry.


It was time. I carefully cut the mature leaves off, as close to the new sprouting leaves as I could. I had recently removed the small plants from the "greenhouse" I built. I think now that was a bit premature, so back in they are go.

The larger transplanted and pruned trees had been worrying me for a while. They show no signs of sprouting any leaves, and I was growing concerned that the major surgery was just too much, and maybe they were dying. I was very happy to see when I picked a touch at the bark with my thumbnail, that a soft and moist layer of green flesh was just below the surface. Seems I should be a bit more patient, and remember that it is winter. Although inside my house the plants are safe, the dry 68 degree air is not conducive of new growth. Yet another reason to put the small plants back in a warm, moist environment.

Major Surgery

I went to Home Depot the other day, and came home with a couple giant new pots, a butt-load of dirt, and some rooting hormone. Four hours later my beloved tree had become but one of 13. A massive pruning session was a bit scary, but I really feel like it was the right thing to do. I used up all my compost in the new mix, worms and all.

I knew the three plants in one pot had to be root bound, but what I say did surprise me a bit. Their new homes are MUCH larger, and the queen tree of the trio is enjoying a new life in a pot 30" across. It took over 100 pounds of the new soil mix to fill.

The best looking tops became my first attempt at propagating. I am happy to report that all 10 of the new plants are thriving. A few of them were rife with the buds of my fly crop, and they continue to develop. I built a mini-greenhouse out of wood dowels and saran wrap, and it has been living in a sunny spot on an old heating pad.

One of the new little plants sprouted the nicest flowers yet. It is clear that the wet and humid environment of the little greenhouse has been a real treat for the new additions. It allowed me an opportunity to get some great photos of the jasmine fragranced gems.

Some of you may remember in the SERBC this year I used a little pumpkin that grew in my compost pile as a centerpiece. Well, some of those same seeds made it into my plant's new pots, and a few sprouts have appeared. Just for kicks I think I will see how well they develop.