The three new offerings; organic and Fair Trade® Ethiopia Yirgacheffe (YCFCU), Papua New Guinea Onaka Agoga and Brazil WP decaf are outstanding examples of terroir. All cup beautifully, and the PNG Onaka is a rare treat which my importer sold out of completely in just a few days. It has gotten increasingly difficult in today's crazed, frenzied-buying green coffee market (prices have been through the roof!) to procure even small amounts of great coffee, but this is Badbeard's mission.

Check in the week starting Feb. 7 for some more delicious new crop offerings from Brazil, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea!!

Thanks to Max Fuller of Royal Coffee in California (one of my key and esteemed purveyors of green beans) for his succinct and tragically-right on appraisal of where coffee "is" right now and the near-future.  If your cups of favored coffee are costing more these days, read this blog post to learn why.

    Badbeard's is trying to rein in pricing fluctutations with existing inventory but will be joining the ranks of the price-increasers soon enough.  The superior quality we are offering across the board makes your dollar spent-to-pleasure experienced ration even higher!

A simple necessary rebranding to avoid massive confusion with another operation I'm involved with called Deep Cello, Inc.

The espresso formerly known as Deep Cello now goes by Stradivarius Espresso, after my ultimate hero from Cremona, Italy.  

Crema=Cremona? You bet, having played on a few Strad cellos in my day, and the color of our Stradivarius coffee gets some inspiration from the varnish on the instruments of the arguably greatest violin maker of them all.

Nothing could thrill a Portland coffee roaster more than seeing his coffee being so lovingly served in another city. Wicker Park's Buzz:Killer Espresso opened with a bang last January and in the intervening months has winnowed its guest roaster offerings to a scant few. You can be sure that "Agnes of Godshot" Otworoski and her crackerjack staff will give you the most lovingly and expertly-prepared cup (no 'spro to go---stay and enjoy it!) of java for miles around.  We're proud to be teamed up with such pros!  A brief pictorial of my trip here

I was rather surprised to see a new kitschy coffee maker on the market bearing the moniker of one of my automotive heroes, Carroll Shelby.  Remembering  my friend Lou Milinazzo's little Dodge with the Shelby engine tearing to the Benito Juarez Mexico City airport from Toluca in 17 minutes, faces pressed to the windows in cartoon-like schmushedness as the gas gauge steadily ran down.

I would think that devotees of fast car motifs would more likely (especially if they can afford Veyrons and McLarens) might prefer to please their aesthetics with something like this.  Better bang for your RPMs, fellow Ghostriders!

Two awesome, seasonal coffees....smokin' fresh and ready...Ethiopia Guji Sidamo Natural DECAF (Mountain Water Process), still berry-bursting nose and great body.  We thought this fabulously fruity caffeinated coffee was excellent as well...doesn't lose much in the decaf process! Actually came in at a higher 2nd crack temp in the roaster than the caffeinated version.  A real treat for you decaf drinkers...I never thought I'd find a WP coffee THIS good.

New territory for us in Northern Sumatra with the Sidikalang-Dairi" Tabu Jamu", a special project of developer/partner/importer Royal Coffee.  I was thrilled to have this call out to me from the cupping table, as it's not your average joe...the volcanic area around the massive Lake Toba holds some amazing terroir for spicy, heavy-bodied semi-washed coffees without the funk you get in most Mandheling- and Lintong-category offerings.  The Tabu Jamu is a proprietary development between exporter Syahrial and Dody and Royal.  They're both committed to offering a non-earthy Sumatra alternative, and this crop, the third one (since '07)is a fine example.  Wine and coriander and berry notes for the exotic nose, syrupy body with a long and even finish, nice mild acidity.  This'll make a few blends as well, which excited my alchemical side.

Buzz: Killer Espresso, 1644 N. Damen Ave in Wicker Park nabe in Chicago will be serving a special Badbeard's all-Brazil espresso this week as well as Kenya Kiambu-Riuki peaberry at the Clever drip station.  For social media savvy and newbies you can follow the feed at www.twitter.com/buzzklrespresso

Great coffees from the current crop cycles seem few and far between but our first will be in-house on Thursday...microlot Mexico Terruño Nayarita natural, certified organic and direct trade, farm- and lot-traceable!  This coffee keeps improving every year, thanks to the assiduous overseeing of Jim Kosalos of Kirkland, WA exclusive  importer of all the coffees from this amazing agro-centric project in Tepic, State of Nayarit.  This year even some Mexico City roasters got a shot to buy it and jumped on some lots.  Other novelty this season for the co-op will be the Mexican Barista Champion appearing at the PortaCafe (complete, self-contained lab for growers, which has also taken off in the industry) to pull shots of espresso for the farmers.  They do need to see and taste the coffee they've labored so hard to produce, rather than just immediately shipping it out after full processing and resting!

To you faithful who have waited for this at Badbeard's I'll be roasting it from Friday on, picking it up Thursday.  It's the most amazing Mexican natural java ever to appear on our shores, and in small quantities.  Quality counts big-time.

Willamette Week contributing journalist and coffee-lover Hanna Neuschwander spent a lot of time trolling the burgeoning microroaster movement here in Portland to give a nice overview of true coffee geekdom The article here.  Nice job Hanna!  We hope her caffeine jitters have calmed down by now....my only emendation as far as Badbeard's is concerned is her incorrect lumping me in with the "NW-style" espresso crowd, since I pointed out to her quite fervently my adherence to Northern Italian-school, Brazil-based blends a la Spella Caffe.