Counter Culture Coffee - Coffee Driven People, People Driven Coffee (#)
„ The contest was held in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the second largest city in Bolivia. Santa Cruz was chosen as the venue for the contest for two main reasons: the altitude is more moderate than the super-high La Paz (high altitude is tough on the cuppers, roasting is difficult and water boils at too low a temperature), and the political climate is more stable (the residents of La Paz are fond of barricading main roads as a form of political protest). I was joined on the jury by a number of great cuppers from around the world. I was joined by cuppers from Japan, Malaysia, England, Norway, Holland, France, the United States and Bolivia. It was a great group. Over four days, we cupped and ranked over 50 coffees to establish the ‘Best of the Best’ from this incredible country. The coffees were surprising: some tasted remarkably like Costa Rican coffees to me! Others had a remarkable cherry-chocolate flavor, which I have come to recognize as the quintessential Typica flavor characteristic. (Typica is a strain of coffea arabica, the coffee plant. It is the oldest, and one of the greatest). We finished the contest, and declared the winners. A Cup of Excellence awards ceremony is always an emotional event, as farmers who have never been recognized for their hard work before are cheered by an audience who are celebrating their achievement. Many of these farmers had taken a 2-day bus trip just to get to the ceremony. The commitment that small, quality-oriented coffee farmers have continues to astound me. After the ceremony was finished, we all danced together, happily celebrating a successful event. The next day, a few of the judges decided to head down to the coffee growing area, known in Bolivia as the Jungas, to see some of the winning farms firsthand. Now, going from Santa Cruz to the Jungas requires going through La Paz, an incredible city, up over La Cumbre pass (over 16,000 feet!)“
http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/ index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=101&pop=1&page=0 - Cached
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International Coffee Organization
„Whereas robusta coffee can be grown between sea-level and about 800 metres, arabica does best at higher altitudes and is often grown in hilly areas. As altitude relates to temperature, arabica can be grown at lower levels further from the Equator, until limited by frost. All coffee needs good drainage, but it can grow on soils of different depths, pH and mineral content, given suitable applications of fertilizer.“
http://www.ico.org/acoff/ecology.htm
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Bolivia Coffee Competition -Cupping the Mountain's Peak 2003 - Catando
„The cupping competition was more than being locked up in a room with lines of coffee cups. It involved discussions with the producers, co-ops, and exporters. Our roundtable discussions were held out on the patio of Hotel Jazmines.“
http://www.sweetmarias.com/ bolivia2003cupping.html
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Global Exchange : Goodness to the Last Drop
„In December, Catholic Relief Services announced plans to promote Fair Trade coffee to the nation's 65 million Catholics. And during the weekend, college students converged in Santa Cruz, Calif., for the first meeting of United Students for Fair Trade to galvanize campaigns for coffee, as well as chocolate, tea and other agricultural products.“
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/ 1685.html
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„In the past two years, our tests of beans from higher altitude areas in Guatemala have yielded an exceptional flavor. The result is a taste that has a exquisite richness, balance and depth of flavor you would expect in a cup of coffee. Coffee Time provides its customers with only the highest quality products.“
http://www.timeforcoffee.com/coffeetime/ about.htm
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