Category: Coffee
New Coffee of the Month from East Africa
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| Get a bag of Uganda Rwenzori from the Deli |
Category: Coffee
Trying to minimize the amount of time you spend out and about? Love really good food, but not up for going from stop to stop to find it right now? Always up for a little culinary adventure in your kitchen?
We have an answer for you—our new ZingShare box!
Every week, we coordinate the best of the latest from Zingerman’s Community of Businesses to feature in our ZingShare box, available for $95. Once the week’s bounty is finalized, we carefully pack them into one big box, along with a possible surprise or two. You pick it up, unpack and eat well all week. And, then, if you like it, you do it again, the next week!
Here’s what people are saying:
“A great selection of awesome Zingerman’s products.” — Todd N.
“ZingShare! Absolutely brilliant!!” — Julie R.
“Hey guys…. I just tried the red beans and rice from the ZingShare kit. It’s really good. Something that we wouldn’t have thought to eat but now want more of. Well done” — ZingShare Guest
“ZingShare—best idea EVER!!! we’d be doing this if we lived in the area! TOP 5 is STUPENDOUS!!!” — Marcie F.
Let’s take a peek into a few of our ZingShare boxes thus far.
May 8
May 1
April 24
April 17
Check out this ZingShare unboxing video from our friends at Culture Magazine.
How to get your ZingShare
Are you intrigued? Place your order at the Zingerman’s Creamery online shop. Order by 1 p.m. Wednesday, every week, to pick up at Zingerman’s Creamery on Friday, between 1 and 5 p.m. Swing by Zingerman’s Southside on Plaza Drive Friday to pick it up. When you get to the Cream Top Shop, you’re welcome to come in—we can have three people in the shop at a time and there’s hand sanitizer on the counter. If you’d rather just have us bring the box to your car, that’s easy too—just call the shop ahead and let us know your name and what kind of car you’re driving and we’ll bring it out! If you’re local, opt for delivery and it will show up at your doorstep!
Category: Coffee
An update from Steve at Zingerman’s Coffee Company on coffee trees being cultivated in Brazil just for us.
I’m thrilled to be giving this update! We previously shared our excitement about an ongoing long-term project with our close coffee partners Daterra Estate in Brazil, cultivating the Pacamara varietal. I had been struck by the immense size of the Pacamara coffee bean after discovering it during my first-ever origin trip to El Salvador many years ago. I knew I had to do something special with this varietal. Pacamara has not traditionally been grown in Brazil, therefore our coffee trees endeavor is rather experimental.
Our three-acre plot is on a high, flat plain in the Cerrado region near the city of Patrocínio. Daterra’s farms are located at an average altitude of over 3,000 ft and some terroirs are around 4,000 ft. The wind, sun and soil there are exceptional for Arabica trees. The diverse altitudes and microclimates on the farm make it one of the best coffee-producing areas in the country. With dry winds on pleasantly hot days and refreshingly cool nights, conditions are perfect for amazing beans to be grown.
Checking In On Our Coffee Trees
Although much of the world has slowed down, our little coffee trees continue to grow and thrive. We are more committed than ever to continuing this work to bring you the most exceptional coffee varieties we can find. Given the circumstances around the world this year, it’s not in the cards for us to make our annual trip down to Brazil to see the farm in person. However, updates continue!
I received some photos from the farm and had a chance to video-conference with Gabriel Agrelli Moreira. He is Daterra’s head of international sales. We spoke about the status of our project and the current health of the trees on our experimental plot. An interesting observation they made is that Daterra’s agronomists are seeing a marked difference from other coffee trees on the farm. In the rest of the crop, Daterra is beginning to see maturation, which means the coffee cherries will be ready to harvest soon.
However, the Pacamara plot is actually about a month behind the rest of the farm! Our coffee cherries are still super green. Daterra is attributing that to both the trees still being quite young. The typical coffee cherries of the Pacamara varietal being twice the size of a normal coffee cherry. These trees will be ready for picking by the end of this month, or beginning of June. Our estimate is that we’ll yield just 7 to 10 bags (132 lbs. or 60 kg. each) in total this year. However it is likely just 5 to 7 of them will be usable. After picking the coffee is processed, milled, and sorted, there is always a loss of volume.
The Details Matter In The Final Coffee Cup
Something interesting to note in coffee trees that’s perhaps not discussed often in the coffee world, is the difference between vegetative trees versus productive trees. Vegetative trees have lots of branches, leaves, tree structure, but not a lot of production. With mature, productive trees, it’s the opposite: we see lots of flowers, seeds, and cherries. From what we can ascertain thus far, our plot seems to be more vegetative. Even when fully grown, likely these trees will produce a “medium” amount of cherries. This may not sound ideal, but actually vegetative trees, while they produce less, tend to produce better quality cherries and coffees!
Low production for this year means our focus will be on determining a processing method(s) for the Pacamara. Of the dozen or so processing methods Daterra Estate is able to offer, we have asked that they use the honey, natural process on the tree (called “raisin”), natural processing on raised beds – a traditional African processing method, washed, and anaerobic.
Another aspect of our experiment is determining taste differences between coffees grown under shade as well as full sun exposure. The mahogany trees planted alongside the Pacamara trees are still young, so shade hasn’t been quite established. We have learned that those trees may still take a few years of growth before we see any tangible benefit. We hope our patience will be rewarded!
Love At First Sip
I fell in love at first sip with the Pacamara coffee (see the short video). It has an intense plum flavor that is really pleasant. I really can’t wait to invite you in for a taste, and share the fruits of our growing experiment with you in the future.
Stay tuned! Subscribe to our enews or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, so you be alerted when this very special coffee is released!
Warmly,
-Steve
Steve Mangigian, Zingerman’s Coffee Company Managing Partner
Category: Coffee
Female farmers cooperative offers up superb coffee.
Back in 2004, Isabel Uriarte Latorre co-founded Café Femenino, an organization dedicated to empowering women on the front lines of the coffee industry. Very much like the folks at Ziba in Afghanistan that I wrote about earlier this year, she’s built the business to support women—financially, spiritually, and socially—in the work world. The folks at Café Femenino share that,
Women in remote and rural coffee communities face a host of challenges that keep them trapped in poverty. Many of these isolated women live in male-dominated societies and have very little financial control or decision-making power. Four-hundred-sixty-four women farmers in northern Peru decided to change this dynamic by separating their coffee production from the men’s. At that moment, for the first time, this group of women created their own product and income . . . to support social justice and empowerment for women coffee producers worldwide.
Erlita’s farm is near the village of Nueva York, a small coffee community in the Amazonas region of northern Peru, east of the Andes Mountains. (Intriguingly, there’s also a town Peru, New York, in the far northeast corner of New York state.) The Amazonas is a high-elevation area, typically 5,700 to 6,500 feet above sea level—ideal for high-quality Arabica coffee trees.
Does the work of Café Femenino make a difference? Steve Mangigian, managing partner at the Coffee Company made the trip down to Peru last summer. He quickly offered that, “the dynamic is completely different than traditional male-run farms.” Every article I’ve read about them details outstanding results: increased local recognition of the work the women are doing, both in the fields and on the home front; a reduction in abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual); an increase in income; more men participating in child care and housework, and upswing in school attendance among local girls. It’s hard to argue against any of that! In addition, because the female coffee producers in the area now have the potential to get a better price for their coffee, many men are signing the deeds of their land over to their wives so their coffee will be eligible for Cafe Femenino designation.
Of course, the key question is, how does the coffee taste? Steve Mangigian is particularly high on Erlita’s beans: “This coffee has so many delicious layers! On first sip, it has a deep fruitiness that reminds us of plum. It also has a rich, toffee-like sweetness and a full, creamy body.” I say, it’s pretty darned tasty! Darker than last month’s Peruvian Peaberry. Smooth, a bit of dark chocolate, maybe even like a piece of toasted Country Miche bread from the Bakehouse. The coffee has a surprisingly clean finish and modestly full mouthfeel. All the brew methods have been good, but I’m stuck on the smoothest flavor of the bunch, which I found to be Chemex.
Erlita’s Lot is available at the Coffee Company, Next Door Café, and at the Roadhouse. Or buy it online.
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PERU ELITA’S LOT
This coffee has so many delicious layers! On first sip, it has a deep fruitiness that reminds us of plum. It also has a rich, toffee-like sweetness and a full, creamy body.
- Creamy and complex, notes of toffee and plum.
- We liked this coffee prepared as the v60 pour over and Chemex best — both produced cups that perfectly balanced the coffee’s fruity and sweet elements. The siphon also made a memorable cup — dense, caramelly, delicious!
- Nueva York area of the Amazonas Region, Peru
- Catimor & Villa Sarchi
- 1,500 meters
- Washed
Learn More About Peru Elita’s Lot
Category: Coffee
Looking for a cozy Ann Arbor café? Here’s an insider’s guide to Zingerman’s Coffee Company on Plaza Drive. Get the buzz on why it’s a top choice for caffeine cravers of every kind.
6 Unique Hand Brewing Methods
Zingerman’s Coffee Company baristas expertly prepare a full menu of espresso drinks and drip coffees from fresh roasted beans. But the real coffee clout in this Ann Arbor café is their hand brew methods: Pour Over, Clever, Chemex, Aeropress, French Press, and Syphon. Each one is like a cool science experiment, that you can drink.
The Big Brew Board Experience
Managing Partner Steve Mangigian developed the Big Brew Board, a caffeine chess board of sorts, that hangs in the café. It displays how each bean type and blend has a slightly different flavor profile when put through each of the six hand brew methods. The board encourages the exploration of coffees from around the world and expert techniques for preparing them. Each presents a unique flavor opportunity. Coffee is as nuanced as wine. And the Big Brew Board at Zingerman’s Coffee Company is like a charged up game of checkers. Coffee can be fun!
Coffee Knowledge Served Daily
Our friendly and knowledgeable baristas are thrilled to answer any questions you may have about coffee! From the difference between an Americano and a Macchiato, to coffee roast flavor profiles, to relationships with coffee growers, they have the answers. You can also pick up educational coffee books or attend a coffee class. Monthly formal coffee tastings called “cuppings” are offered in the classroom at the café to get your palate on its way to expert level!
Responsibly Sourced Beans Roasted Before Your Eyes
Through the café window you can see the skilled coffee roasters in action, taking each small batch of beans to the correct specifications for desired flavor. Green coffee beans are sourced directly from growers all over the world and treated with care to maintain freshness and maximize flavor. Coffee Company staff even travel to visit some of the growers throughout the year to develop close relationships with the coffee farmers, learn about the process and select which bean crops to purchase.
Your 3rd Place
You’re welcome to hang out and enjoy the café space. There’s ample free parking, plentiful indoor and outdoor seating, and power ports throughout for powering up your electronic devices while you get powered up yourself. They just ask that you are open to sharing your table with other Ann Arbor café goers if you plan on staying a while.
The Food Is As Good As The Coffee
The toast bar menu features artisan bread, cheese, spreads, and spices from the Zingerman’s community of businesses. There’s also fresh fruit, roasted nuts, candy bars and pastries from Zingerman’s Bakehouse. You can find something that satisfies every taste and every time of day.
There’s More Where That Came From
The Zingerman’s Coffee Company café is located at Zingerman’s Southside on Plaza Drive in Ann Arbor. So you’re steps away from other artisan food makers and teachers- Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory, Zingerman’s Creamery, BAKE!, Zingerman’s Bakehouse and ZingTrain. It’s quite the food and education destination.
No Caffeine? No Problem
A selection of herbal tea, fruit smoothies, craft soda, sparkling water and hot cocoa is served in the café. They also take great pride in the flavor of their decaf coffee, Detroit Street Decaf. Great decaf can be done! Ask for a sample and taste for yourself.
Insider Deals
You’ll be entered into a monthly drawing to win a free coffee drink of your choice if you complete a comment card in the café. Swing by on your birthday and enjoy half off a coffee drink. Sign up for the enews and you’ll be the first to know about upcoming classes, monthly specials, and limited release coffees.
Now you’ve got all the buzz worthy info on the café at Zingerman’s Coffee Company in Ann Arbor!
Category: Coffee
When we stand in our kitchens, bleary-eyed with coffee pot in hand, it’s unlikely that we’re reflecting on how this beverage—which we ritualistically consume—is made. Perfectly understandable, given that most of us don’t have any synapses firing until after the stuff hits our lips.
So, right now, in this very moment, we’d like to invite you to reflect on the laborious process and lengthy journey that those tasty, life-giving beans endure. From seedlings tended to in a nursery, to a ripe red cherries expertly plucked and processed, carefully stored and shipped across oceans. The many hands, many moons, and many miles involved to get the coffee stateside.
And that’s just the start! A coffee guru lovingly roasts those green guys into something delightfully drinkable, and packages them just so to preserve the flavor as long as possible. Then, finally, it’s yours.
Perhaps, like me, you find the long, laborious journey that coffee takes to get to you humbling, and want to introduce care and expertise to your role in it. Or, you simply have an interest in knowing the inside scoop (pun intended) on keeping and preparing your coffee so it’s as fresh and tasty as can be! Either way, read on.
As you may have gleaned, freshness starts with your friendly neighborhood roaster (hey, that’s us!). Coffee is a perishable good, so, fresh coffee equals good coffee. Coffee flavor peaks mere days after being roasted, and definitely should be consumed within a month of its roast date. Does the coffee you buy have a “best by” date as opposed to a “roasted on” date? Buyer beware! This can be totally arbitrary and result in purchasing a coffee that’s stale—lacking the aroma and depth of its formerly fresh self.
In addition to the roasting, how a coffee is packaged makes a huge difference. If your coffee is vacuum-sealed, it was likely aged before being packaged – this is because coffee releases CO2 gas after being roasted (in a vacuum-sealed bag, well, it would go ka-boom!). One-way valve-sealed packaging is the way to go, as it lets gas from fresh coffee out, but no oxygen in.
And what about the beans themselves? Do you buy them pre-ground or whole? Pre-ground coffee loses its freshness much faster, given that more surface area is exposed to oxygen and moisture, elements that are none-too-kind to coffee. Some coffee folk say that pre-ground coffee starts losing its freshness within 30 minutes of being ground! Compare that to whole bean, which will stay fresh for nearly a month.
Your local roaster will likely grind your coffee beans for you if you don’t want to invest in a home grinder. Grinding your beans at home, however, is not only a great way to tell if your coffee is fresh or not (if the coffee aroma fills the kitchen as you grind the coffee, it’s fresh. If not, it’s stale!), but it allows for you to properly calibrate the fineness of the grind needed for your particular brewing method(s), and to get the freshest possible coffee. We recommend getting a grinder that uses burrs rather than blades, because burr grinding produces more uniform coffee particles, and improves the quality of flavor extraction you get from your grounds when you brew.
Here in the café, we sell the Rocky Rancilio Grinder, which, unlike many home grinders has replaceable burrs. It’s ideal for espresso, but can be set to accommodate a full range of brewing methods. We also carry the Bodum Bistro Grinder which, conversely, is not ideal for espresso but accommodates all other brewing methods. Furthermore, this grinder crushes beans between stainless steel conical burrs rather than slicing them. This preserves the bean’s intrinsic flavor and aroma while providing a consistent grind.
Whether you buy pre-ground or whole bean, how you store your coffee is an important aspect to maintaining freshness as well. Again, light, oxygen, and moisture are enemies of coffee! If you can’t keep your coffee stored in a pantry, make sure it’s in an opaque container. And, regardless, air-tight storage is ideal. We also don’t recommend freezing your coffee. Thawing and refreezing coffee can cause freezer burn, affecting flavor. If you have a lot of coffee on-hand and and want to keep vibrant for as long as you can, make sure to divide it into pre-portioned bags before putting it away in the freezer. This way, you’re taking the coffee out of the freezer just once!
Finally, when is the last time you cleaned your coffee gear? Coffee oils can build up on your equipment, and minerals from hard water can form scale deposits that can affect how your equipment functions. We carry coffee equipment cleaning products in our cafe. If you are curious about what cleaning your gear needs, come chat with us!
We know you love (or at least need) your morning cup o’ joe, and would like to invite you to consider the preparation and storing of the stuff to be as much a part of your daily ritual as brewing and drinking it. Our coffee is a labor of love from around the world, and its journey ends in your hands!