Coffee Nerds Invade Seattle! Fundamental Hosts Epic Tasting Event!

April in Seattle this year meant another massive influx of coffee people from all over the globe. Growers, exporters, importers, roasters, processors, machine dudes of all imaginable ilk, packaging people, baristas, syrup guys, cup sellers, hipsters, poseurs, latte artists and others all joined together to attend the phenomenon known as the Specialty Coffee Association Global Expo. If that sounds like fun to you, you've not been in this business long enough.

I've been to about 20 of these things and at the risk of sounding like the curmudgeon geezer I am, I must confess I'm kind of done with it. The notable good part is seeing old friends from the industry who I don't see often enough. For the uninitiated,  the trade show portion of the show is an exhausting parade of people trying to sell you crap you really don't need. You may want that new $45,000 shiny espresso machine that has variable pressure, water temperature control, grind analyzer, led mood rings, Blu-ray player, tube amplification, and Bluetooth garage door opener but you really don't need it.

This year Fundamental Coffee and yours truly hosted a great event highlighting new crop coffees from various regions in Mexico. In partnership with AMECAFE, we tasted over 30 high scoring specialty coffees. Mexican coffees are often overlooked in the super premium, super nerdy, third-wave world because of their history of usage as a commercial grade coffee. The coffees we shared with interested and enlightened industry professionals were from the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz. Each region had a few unbelievable coffees with old varieties like Tipica. Mondo Novo, Boubon and even the heirloom Geisha.   

Some of these lots, especially from the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca were floral, acidy, complex and had great body. These coffees would challenge even the most coveted twenty-five name Ethiopian or Rwandan cask aged, sun-dried, honey processed, shade grown, biodynamic, micro lot. They were truly specialty coffees! Great for a complex dark roast or as a component in a high-quality blend. These coffees were enlightening and showed Mexican coffees are on the rise!

Coming to a Fundamental offering soon!

Saludos,

Scott