Coffee Origins Trip and CoCo
Hey Trabanteers,
There are two very exciting things going on right now, and you can be a part!
1) Trabant is going to visit coffee farms at the end of the year! We will be starting in El Salvador, renting a van, and driving through Guatemala to Chiapas. We’ll be visiting farms, cooperatives, non-profits, and even the beach and some Mayan ruins!
This is a two week trip (December 13-27) and we are trying to plan this to be budget but not ghetto. Plans are still in the works, but we are aiming for $1000-$1500 a person all inclusive (includes donations to the places we visit, transportation, food, and lodging). Airfare should be around $1100. Anyone can come! We have a few more spots available. Email tatiana@trabantcoffee.com
2) You may have noticed the big screen TV with photos on it over the condiment bar at our U District store. This is a pilot project of a new software created by a start-up up the street. The project is called “Community Collage,” CoCo for short. The idea is that social networking as we know it (like myspace and facebook) have taken away some from in person interactions. What if social networking could go full-circle, and encourage in-person interactions?
Baristas and customers are signing up for CoCo accounts. It’s very easy: just go into the café and grab a card from the left hand side of the screen. There’s an invitation code on the back that you can use to sign up. The account is a lot like a myspace account… you can upload photos and quotes. You can even send messages to the screen real time! We’ve been having a lot of fun with that feature.
The CoCo team has been in Trabant nearly every day, helping people sign up for accounts and also doing a survey. If you participate in the survey, they’ll give you a free $10 Trabant gift card.
Anyway, don’t take my word for it. You can go to www.coffeestrands.com/trabant and check out the live stream!
There are two very exciting things going on right now, and you can be a part!
1) Trabant is going to visit coffee farms at the end of the year! We will be starting in El Salvador, renting a van, and driving through Guatemala to Chiapas. We’ll be visiting farms, cooperatives, non-profits, and even the beach and some Mayan ruins!
This is a two week trip (December 13-27) and we are trying to plan this to be budget but not ghetto. Plans are still in the works, but we are aiming for $1000-$1500 a person all inclusive (includes donations to the places we visit, transportation, food, and lodging). Airfare should be around $1100. Anyone can come! We have a few more spots available. Email tatiana@trabantcoffee.com
2) You may have noticed the big screen TV with photos on it over the condiment bar at our U District store. This is a pilot project of a new software created by a start-up up the street. The project is called “Community Collage,” CoCo for short. The idea is that social networking as we know it (like myspace and facebook) have taken away some from in person interactions. What if social networking could go full-circle, and encourage in-person interactions?
Baristas and customers are signing up for CoCo accounts. It’s very easy: just go into the café and grab a card from the left hand side of the screen. There’s an invitation code on the back that you can use to sign up. The account is a lot like a myspace account… you can upload photos and quotes. You can even send messages to the screen real time! We’ve been having a lot of fun with that feature.
The CoCo team has been in Trabant nearly every day, helping people sign up for accounts and also doing a survey. If you participate in the survey, they’ll give you a free $10 Trabant gift card.
Anyway, don’t take my word for it. You can go to www.coffeestrands.com/trabant and check out the live stream!
July 24 Coffee Tasting at out University District Store
Thursday July 24
5:00 - 6:00 PM
University District store
(1309 NE 45th St)
Come get serious about coffee with us. We have many exciting new coffees starting to come in, including fresh crop Ethiopia and Kenya auction lots (but dont worry, we still have plenty of that delicious Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga Co-op). Join us as we brew coffee on our Clover coffee brewer and discuss coffee history, processing techniques, and of course our exciting new coffees.
Vote for your favorite coffee shop on NWSource.com People Picks!
It's time to make your favorite coffee shop known at the 5th annual NWSource.com People Picks. You can vote once per day, per computer. The poll closes on June 1, so vote as many times as you can by clicking on the image to the left.
Thanks so much. If we win we receive a fancy A-frame board, and we'll do our best not to let this one get hit by a bus!
Finca La Montaña Update
Raúl Ochoa has received much support after losing his entire crop to high winds earlier this year. The intensity of the winds was severe enough to defoliage shade trees and blow away top soil, leaving Raúl without hope of a harvest until 2010. Luis Rodriquez from El Salvador sends thanks to Trabant for our support of La Montaña:
"I've been trying to get a moment to deeply thank you and Trabant for helping support La Montaña during these hard moments. Café de El Salvador really appreciates your help to our growers! You rock!
Luis Rodriguez
Café de El Salvador"
"I've been trying to get a moment to deeply thank you and Trabant for helping support La Montaña during these hard moments. Café de El Salvador really appreciates your help to our growers! You rock!
Luis Rodriguez
Café de El Salvador"
Chocolate Tasting this Thursday at our Pioneer Square Shop
602 2nd Ave (Pioneer Square)
Thursday April 10
8am to 2pm
OK who doesnt like chocolate? Come down to our Pioneer Square location location this Thursday for a free taste of Claudio Corallo's handmade chocolates from São Tome.
Claudio Corallo has found that the cacao pods behind excellent chocolate require careful attention at every stage, from pruning of the fledgling plants to the final, carefully hand picked harvest. Much like caring for olives that produce great olive oil, or grapes that yield fine wine, tending to cacao from the ground to the finished product is essential to making a chocolate of exceptional quality. Corallo spent years growing coffee in the middle of the Congo jungle, and through that experience cultivated his exceptional talent for producing agricultural excellence in the most difficult of growing conditions.
Corallo has spent nearly a decade on the tiny African island of Principe converting the abandoned Terreiro Velho plantation that once grew superb cacao into a world-class estate producing cacao unlike any other. The harvested cacao is then transported to the neighboring island of Sao Tome where it is fermented, dried and sorted, where only the finest cacao moves on to being crafted into chocolate. Through careful study and meticulous experimentation, Corallo personally developed innovative techniques that transform his cacao into unforgettable chocolate.
Thursday April 10
8am to 2pm
OK who doesnt like chocolate? Come down to our Pioneer Square location location this Thursday for a free taste of Claudio Corallo's handmade chocolates from São Tome.
Claudio Corallo has found that the cacao pods behind excellent chocolate require careful attention at every stage, from pruning of the fledgling plants to the final, carefully hand picked harvest. Much like caring for olives that produce great olive oil, or grapes that yield fine wine, tending to cacao from the ground to the finished product is essential to making a chocolate of exceptional quality. Corallo spent years growing coffee in the middle of the Congo jungle, and through that experience cultivated his exceptional talent for producing agricultural excellence in the most difficult of growing conditions.
Corallo has spent nearly a decade on the tiny African island of Principe converting the abandoned Terreiro Velho plantation that once grew superb cacao into a world-class estate producing cacao unlike any other. The harvested cacao is then transported to the neighboring island of Sao Tome where it is fermented, dried and sorted, where only the finest cacao moves on to being crafted into chocolate. Through careful study and meticulous experimentation, Corallo personally developed innovative techniques that transform his cacao into unforgettable chocolate.
Have Some Tasty Coffee at Trabant in Support of Dine for Darfur on March 4
On March 4, 2008, Trabant will donate 25% of proceeds to aid relief efforts in Darfur. By choosing to eat at participating restaurants on March 4th you are choosing to support your neighborhood restaurants in their effort to make a difference in the world. In its first year, operating solely in Seattle, Dine for Darfur raised $70,000 and brought thousands of people out of their homes to show their support for the cause. This year, with the participation of restaurants throughout Washington and Oregon the event is sure to grow exponentially. Please join the effort for Dine for Darfur and help us show the world what our community can do.
El Salvador coffee crop damanged
This month Trabant is featuring coffee from El Salvador's La Montaña in order to help support the farm, which lost 90% of its crop to a recent storm. Heavy winds and low temperatures hit La Montaña harder than most farms in the Chalatenango region; the average farmer lost 60% of his crop. This comes at a tragic time for La Montaña, as the farm had just begun garnering international attention for its high quality.
Last year La Montaña’s coffee was named #1 in the prestigious Cup of Excellence competition. Its coffee, a Pacamara heirloom, beat out hundreds of other El Salvadorean coffees in a blind taste test scored by a panel of international coffee experts. That winning lot of coffee fetched $15.55 per pound green during the auction following the competition. That's more than 11 times the Fair Trade Price. These prices allow farmers like La Montaña’s Raúl Ochoa Hernández not only to invest further in quality improvements, but to improve the standards of living for his family and the families of the farm’s pickers. With 90% of his crop lost this year, things will be tough for those that depend on the farm for a living.
We received an email from our friend Luis at the Consejo Salvedoreño de Café (Salvedorean Coffee Council) about the devastation at La Montaña, and immediately put in an order for that coffee. What farmers like Raúl are doing in terms of quality is cutting edge. We want to make sure that Raúl can overcome his loss this year and keep pushing up the quality standards, while at the same time taking good care of his family and the families of the pickers that work on his farm.
Last year La Montaña’s coffee was named #1 in the prestigious Cup of Excellence competition. Its coffee, a Pacamara heirloom, beat out hundreds of other El Salvadorean coffees in a blind taste test scored by a panel of international coffee experts. That winning lot of coffee fetched $15.55 per pound green during the auction following the competition. That's more than 11 times the Fair Trade Price. These prices allow farmers like La Montaña’s Raúl Ochoa Hernández not only to invest further in quality improvements, but to improve the standards of living for his family and the families of the farm’s pickers. With 90% of his crop lost this year, things will be tough for those that depend on the farm for a living.
We received an email from our friend Luis at the Consejo Salvedoreño de Café (Salvedorean Coffee Council) about the devastation at La Montaña, and immediately put in an order for that coffee. What farmers like Raúl are doing in terms of quality is cutting edge. We want to make sure that Raúl can overcome his loss this year and keep pushing up the quality standards, while at the same time taking good care of his family and the families of the pickers that work on his farm.
Record setting Panama Hacienda Esmeralda Especial available at Trabant
Seattle, Washington – December 21, 2007 – The Best of Panama 2007 Auction Lot #1 winner, Panama Esmeralda Especial, sold at auction earlier this year for $130 per pound, 100 times the Fair Trade Price and more than 11 times the price of the auction’s next-highest-earning coffee bean. This year marks the third time in four years that the Esmeralda Especial sold for a world record-setting price. So what’s the big deal?
The Esmeralda Especial is a very sweet, delicate, almost tea-like coffee with notes reminiscent of apricot jam, jasmine, and orange blossom. Coffee gets its nuances in much the same way as wine- through factors like varietal and terroir- and Esmeralda is no exception. The Esmeralda Especial comes from the rare geisha varietal of the Coffee Arabica tree. This varietal was brought to Central America in the 1950s due to its disease-resistance, but was for the most part scrapped due to its low yield. In fact, up until a decade ago, Esmeralda was pretty much just using its Geisha stand as a windbreak.
Fast forward about fifty years, when the son of the grower discovered a distinct and pleasant taste from the Geisha’s beans. He had some planted at a higher altitude – 5400 feet. It turns out that the soil and climatic conditions were perfect for the Geisha, and the stars aligned for a perfect cup. It won Best of Panama 2004 – an extremely competitive, blind taste test – and every Best of Panama competition since. It debuted at $21 a pound after winning the first auction, and has been bid higher each year.
Trabant is offering Panama Esmeralda by the 8 oz cup ($15) for a limited time. Each cup is brewed fresh to order on the Clover coffee brewer. Come see for yourself what makes this coffee one of the most highly regarded and expensive cups in the world.
Panama La Esmeralda available at:
Trabant Coffee and Chai
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Trabant Coffee and Chai
1309 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA
For information, please contact:
Tatiana Becker
tatiana@trabantcoffee.com
cell: (206) 234-9145
The Esmeralda Especial is a very sweet, delicate, almost tea-like coffee with notes reminiscent of apricot jam, jasmine, and orange blossom. Coffee gets its nuances in much the same way as wine- through factors like varietal and terroir- and Esmeralda is no exception. The Esmeralda Especial comes from the rare geisha varietal of the Coffee Arabica tree. This varietal was brought to Central America in the 1950s due to its disease-resistance, but was for the most part scrapped due to its low yield. In fact, up until a decade ago, Esmeralda was pretty much just using its Geisha stand as a windbreak.
Fast forward about fifty years, when the son of the grower discovered a distinct and pleasant taste from the Geisha’s beans. He had some planted at a higher altitude – 5400 feet. It turns out that the soil and climatic conditions were perfect for the Geisha, and the stars aligned for a perfect cup. It won Best of Panama 2004 – an extremely competitive, blind taste test – and every Best of Panama competition since. It debuted at $21 a pound after winning the first auction, and has been bid higher each year.
Trabant is offering Panama Esmeralda by the 8 oz cup ($15) for a limited time. Each cup is brewed fresh to order on the Clover coffee brewer. Come see for yourself what makes this coffee one of the most highly regarded and expensive cups in the world.
Panama La Esmeralda available at:
Trabant Coffee and Chai
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Trabant Coffee and Chai
1309 NE 45th St. Seattle, WA
For information, please contact:
Tatiana Becker
tatiana@trabantcoffee.com
cell: (206) 234-9145
Home Coffee Brewing Demonstrations at Trabant's Pioneer Square Location
Home Coffee Brewing Demonstrations
All day, Friday December 21 and Saturday December 22
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Last week we conducted hands-on demonstrations of popular home brewing
methods. Participants had the opportunity to taste the differences in
brewing methods (French Press, Melitta, Chemex, and Vacuum Pot) and learn
step-by-step how to use the brewing device of their choice. Perhaps the
most impressive was the Vacuum Pot, which looks like something straight
out of a high school chemistry class. As the water boils in the bottom
chamber, pressure causes it to rise to a top chamber containing the
coffee. Once it cools, the liquid – now a delicious cup of coffee – falls
back to the bottom chamber, which now doubles as a carafe. The class
culminated in customers jumping behind the counter to learn how to
properly prepare espresso and steam milk, so they can make better lattes
on their home espresso machines.
Due to the success of this class, and further demand from customers,
Trabant will be offering demonstrations of home brewing equipment all day
on Friday and Saturday. Coffee brewers, as well as freshly roasted coffee
beans, are available for purchase at Trabant. They are great for
entertaining, and make lovely gifts for the coffee aficionado on your
list.
All day, Friday December 21 and Saturday December 22
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Last week we conducted hands-on demonstrations of popular home brewing
methods. Participants had the opportunity to taste the differences in
brewing methods (French Press, Melitta, Chemex, and Vacuum Pot) and learn
step-by-step how to use the brewing device of their choice. Perhaps the
most impressive was the Vacuum Pot, which looks like something straight
out of a high school chemistry class. As the water boils in the bottom
chamber, pressure causes it to rise to a top chamber containing the
coffee. Once it cools, the liquid – now a delicious cup of coffee – falls
back to the bottom chamber, which now doubles as a carafe. The class
culminated in customers jumping behind the counter to learn how to
properly prepare espresso and steam milk, so they can make better lattes
on their home espresso machines.
Due to the success of this class, and further demand from customers,
Trabant will be offering demonstrations of home brewing equipment all day
on Friday and Saturday. Coffee brewers, as well as freshly roasted coffee
beans, are available for purchase at Trabant. They are great for
entertaining, and make lovely gifts for the coffee aficionado on your
list.
Make Great Coffee At Home
Ever wonder what’s the big deal about the French Press, Chemex, and Melitta? How these methods compare to Mr. Coffee, and to each other? Come on down to Trabant Pioneer Square this Friday for a hands-on workshop to taste coffees prepared by each method side-by-side, and learn how to properly prepare each at home. A fun alternative to happy hour.
Friday December 14, 5:00 PM
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Complimentary admission
Friday December 14, 5:00 PM
602 2nd Ave. Seattle, WA
Complimentary admission
Trabant barista Lorrie competes in Northwest Regional Barista Competition
Stop by our Pioneer Square location mornings this week where you can get the chance to experience Lorrie's competition signature drink.
Follow Lorrie's performance!
Trabant presents Cup of Excellence coffee tastings in November
Join us this month for a very exciting coffee tasting featuring all Cup of Excellence coffees. The Cup of Excellence is a strict competition that selects the very best coffee produced in that country for that particular year. Come experience the coffees and learn how the Cup of Excellence improves coffee growers' lives.
Trabant University District
Friday November 16, Noon
Friday November 16, 5pm
Trabant Pioneer Square
Thursday November 15, Noon
Saturday November 17, Noon
Meet The Coffees:
Brazil #16 - Fazenda Cachoeira Da Grama
Colombia #4 - Llano Grande
El Salvador #18 - Las Mercedes
Guatemala #1 - El Injerto
Nicaragua #8 - Prodecoop, Luis Alberto Vasquez
See you there!
Trabant University District
Friday November 16, Noon
Friday November 16, 5pm
Trabant Pioneer Square
Thursday November 15, Noon
Saturday November 17, Noon
Meet The Coffees:
Brazil #16 - Fazenda Cachoeira Da Grama
Colombia #4 - Llano Grande
El Salvador #18 - Las Mercedes
Guatemala #1 - El Injerto
Nicaragua #8 - Prodecoop, Luis Alberto Vasquez
See you there!
Trabant Pioneer Square open October 11
It's confirmed... we've got all the necessary sign-offs... and we will be open tomorrow, October 11!
The store is located at 602 2nd Ave, which is at the corner of second and James. This is one block east from Pioneer Square proper.
Our hours to start out will be 6 AM - 6 PM weekdays, and 10 AM to 5 PM weekends. We will eventually extend these.
We look forward to seeing both new and old faces tomorrow! Lorrie will be on the bar in the morning, and Tom in the afternoon. Now all we need is you!
The store is located at 602 2nd Ave, which is at the corner of second and James. This is one block east from Pioneer Square proper.
Our hours to start out will be 6 AM - 6 PM weekdays, and 10 AM to 5 PM weekends. We will eventually extend these.
We look forward to seeing both new and old faces tomorrow! Lorrie will be on the bar in the morning, and Tom in the afternoon. Now all we need is you!
Team Sweden wins the Nordic Barista Cup!
The cappuccinos have been poured and the barista bucks have been exchanged-Team Sweden is the winner of the 2007 Nordic Barista Cup in Gothenberg!
Today's non-stop action began with a coffeeshop crawl throught the streets of Gothenberg, where we had the opportunity to visit coffee bars featuring everything from old school over roasters to new age modern cafes featuring high end chocolates and wine. We then witnessed each national team's vision of the future manifested in their coffeeshop which they built from scratch. They then sold coffee, tea, spirits, and food to both NBC attendees and the Gothenberg public. In the end, team Sweden came through with the most barista dollars, thus earning them the title of Nordic Cup champion. Jätte bra Sverige!
A world record was set with over 35 cappuccinos poured in 10 minutes and world champion was serving delicious espresso in the team Norway coffeeshop. Team Finland won the competition for overall coffeeshop design, helped by 2007 Finnish barista champion Jon Niemimma who served me the best cappuccino I had so far in Scandinavia.
The day ended with a gala dinner, an awards ceremony, and of course, socializing, dancing with the folks from Clover, and consumption of non-coffee beverages. On top of a world of knowledge and experience exchanged, new friendships were made and the global coffee community grew a bit more united and strong in Sweden upon the conclusion of the 2007 Nordic Barista Cup. It was to say the least a life changing experience.
Although I have been around coffee for a week now, I truely miss being behind the bar and serving customers at Trabant. After a vacation in Copenhagen and Stockholm, I look forward to seeing you all again in mid-October.
Till then, hej då from Gothenberg!
Skål,
Jeff
Today's non-stop action began with a coffeeshop crawl throught the streets of Gothenberg, where we had the opportunity to visit coffee bars featuring everything from old school over roasters to new age modern cafes featuring high end chocolates and wine. We then witnessed each national team's vision of the future manifested in their coffeeshop which they built from scratch. They then sold coffee, tea, spirits, and food to both NBC attendees and the Gothenberg public. In the end, team Sweden came through with the most barista dollars, thus earning them the title of Nordic Cup champion. Jätte bra Sverige!
A world record was set with over 35 cappuccinos poured in 10 minutes and world champion was serving delicious espresso in the team Norway coffeeshop. Team Finland won the competition for overall coffeeshop design, helped by 2007 Finnish barista champion Jon Niemimma who served me the best cappuccino I had so far in Scandinavia.
The day ended with a gala dinner, an awards ceremony, and of course, socializing, dancing with the folks from Clover, and consumption of non-coffee beverages. On top of a world of knowledge and experience exchanged, new friendships were made and the global coffee community grew a bit more united and strong in Sweden upon the conclusion of the 2007 Nordic Barista Cup. It was to say the least a life changing experience.
Although I have been around coffee for a week now, I truely miss being behind the bar and serving customers at Trabant. After a vacation in Copenhagen and Stockholm, I look forward to seeing you all again in mid-October.
Till then, hej då from Gothenberg!
Skål,
Jeff
Nordic Cup Day 2
Hello again to everyone in the world of Trabant.
Jeff here from Gothenberg, Sweden where the Nordic Barista Cup is in full swing and the action has been non-stop. In the past 24 hours, my coffee-consciousness has exploded thanks to exposure to a drip and espresso cupping presented by all 5 Scandinavian teams, where they prepared coffee and espressos for over 150 people simultaneously, a lifesize barista tic-tac-toe played on the floor of a fine dining cafe, a lecture from a Nicaraguan Cup of Excellence farmer, a burlap sack barista race, Swedish folk songs, a chartered boat ride through Gothenberg's archipelago, and some world-class mingling...mostly with the sweetest Norwegians in the world. Yes, the times are fun in Sweden.
Coffee culture is truely a global phenomenon, and nobody knows that better than the Scandinavians.
For up-to-date details on the competition, please visit baristamagazine.com and click 'blog.' Sarah and Ken are working non-stop to keep the world informed about standings and the specifics of each stage. Just a hint: nobody can drive to the nation in the lead.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's update. A world record will be attempted and the teams will fight to the finish and the grand prize: a paid trip to Nicaragua where they will donate time and money to help improve the lives of families working on coffee farms.
Until then, have some coffee with a friend and thank them for their valuable time as the Scandinavians do: Tack Tack Tack Tack!!
Cheers,
Jeff
Jeff here from Gothenberg, Sweden where the Nordic Barista Cup is in full swing and the action has been non-stop. In the past 24 hours, my coffee-consciousness has exploded thanks to exposure to a drip and espresso cupping presented by all 5 Scandinavian teams, where they prepared coffee and espressos for over 150 people simultaneously, a lifesize barista tic-tac-toe played on the floor of a fine dining cafe, a lecture from a Nicaraguan Cup of Excellence farmer, a burlap sack barista race, Swedish folk songs, a chartered boat ride through Gothenberg's archipelago, and some world-class mingling...mostly with the sweetest Norwegians in the world. Yes, the times are fun in Sweden.
Coffee culture is truely a global phenomenon, and nobody knows that better than the Scandinavians.
For up-to-date details on the competition, please visit baristamagazine.com and click 'blog.' Sarah and Ken are working non-stop to keep the world informed about standings and the specifics of each stage. Just a hint: nobody can drive to the nation in the lead.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's update. A world record will be attempted and the teams will fight to the finish and the grand prize: a paid trip to Nicaragua where they will donate time and money to help improve the lives of families working on coffee farms.
Until then, have some coffee with a friend and thank them for their valuable time as the Scandinavians do: Tack Tack Tack Tack!!
Cheers,
Jeff
Nordic Barista Cup Gothenberg, Sweden
Hello and Greetings from Sweden!
The 2007 Nordic Barista Cup is underway here in Gothenberg, a lovely old world city on the Western coast of Sweden. The NBC is in essence the Scandinavian coffee olympics: teams from Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden compete in team events related to coffee, tea, and running a business. This year's theme is "Future." Each team is pitching a business plan to open a coffeeshop that represents visions into the future in terms of new ideas and designs, sustainability, modern technology, and holding on to an ever-changing consumer market.
Points are awarded (and taken away) via "barista bucks." Each event is scored and the teams earn bucks by how they place; there is also a large Swedish guy in combat boots walking around with a whistle and a red penalty card, and the teams can loose bucks from such things as being rude, being late, not speaking English at all times, cheating or stealing, or by annoying the judges. Despite his presence, everything is jovial and fun at the NBC!
There is a very lively sense of community and passion alive and well here in Sweden. There are familiar faces from the North American coffee world, both the 2006 and 2007 World Barista Champions, Klaus Thomsen from Denmark and James Hoffman from the UK, respectively, the crew from Barista Magazine who are doing text and video blogging, and almost 200 others from 20 nations gathered around to celebrate coffee. It is quite an amazing experience thus far.
I'll have more details and competition results as they unfold. For now, Denmark won the first team event, a tea cupping, so they are at the top of the barista bucks standings.
Cheers,
Jeff
The 2007 Nordic Barista Cup is underway here in Gothenberg, a lovely old world city on the Western coast of Sweden. The NBC is in essence the Scandinavian coffee olympics: teams from Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden compete in team events related to coffee, tea, and running a business. This year's theme is "Future." Each team is pitching a business plan to open a coffeeshop that represents visions into the future in terms of new ideas and designs, sustainability, modern technology, and holding on to an ever-changing consumer market.
Points are awarded (and taken away) via "barista bucks." Each event is scored and the teams earn bucks by how they place; there is also a large Swedish guy in combat boots walking around with a whistle and a red penalty card, and the teams can loose bucks from such things as being rude, being late, not speaking English at all times, cheating or stealing, or by annoying the judges. Despite his presence, everything is jovial and fun at the NBC!
There is a very lively sense of community and passion alive and well here in Sweden. There are familiar faces from the North American coffee world, both the 2006 and 2007 World Barista Champions, Klaus Thomsen from Denmark and James Hoffman from the UK, respectively, the crew from Barista Magazine who are doing text and video blogging, and almost 200 others from 20 nations gathered around to celebrate coffee. It is quite an amazing experience thus far.
I'll have more details and competition results as they unfold. For now, Denmark won the first team event, a tea cupping, so they are at the top of the barista bucks standings.
Cheers,
Jeff
Bienvenidos a Colombia!
Lorrie and Tatiana here from Colombia! It has been a jam packed week. Our first day in Bogota was exciting. We met up with our hosts from ACDI/VOCA, Luis Alberto and Alvaro, and they took us on a tour of the ACDI/VOCA office. They took us to a Juan Valdez coffee shop near the university, and then we went to Amor Perfecto to meet Luis Fernando. We toured the office there and then had lunch. While at Amor Perfecto, we bumped into our good friend, Ellie from Intelligentsia. She was doing some competition training down here.
ACDI/VOCA is a really awesome organization. They are an agricultural NGO. They work really closely with farmers here in areas such as plantation renovation, improvement of farm infrastructure, food security, quality improvement, enviornmental protection, and commercial promotion. To learn more about what they do in Colombia and worldwide, click here.
Our second day here, we hopped a flight to Neiva, which is a city in the department of Huila. From Neiva, we traveled to Pitalito. We ate lunch, and then began our visits to fincas. We visited 3 fincas on this day. The first was the Finca Los Nogales. Ricaurte Hernandez is the owner of the Finca, and it won the 2005 Cup of Excellence in 2005. It was really amazing to see how winning the Cup of Excellence, or even being a finalist, can change the quality of life on the finca. As a result of the prices paid for his award winning coffee, Ricaurte was able to build a new house, and a road to his house that he was told couldn't be built. We visited Javier San Juan at the Finca Bella Vista, where Tatiana and I took a stab at picking coffee. We weren't very good at it. Everyone was laughing at us, but I just said that it was a good thing that picking coffee isn't our job.
The next day we did a cupping with El Grupo San Isidro. We cupped 8 colombian coffees, plus 5 other coffees that we brought with us. The groups are working really hard to involve the younger generation in coffee production and quality improvement, and as a result most of the cuppers were young people. Most of the cuppers were also children of cafeteros. After the cupping, we went to another finca, La Perla Del Otun, where we had lunch with Luis Alberto Jojoa, 2007 Cup of Excellence winner. This was an exciting moment for us, as we had gone to a cupping at Stumptown and cupped Jojoa's coffee (thanks Duane!). We were excited to tell Luis Alberto about our experience cupping his coffee, and he was excited to learn that we were familiar with it. After our almuerzo and visit, we left to visit El Grupo Asociativo Cafe Andino Especial, and the tostadora Robles del Macizo.
In the evening, we partied with the young cuppers from San Isidro. They took us to play Tejo, which is a national sport here in Colombia. It was very fun. We got to throw UFO shaped rocks at clay boxes. The point of the game is to hit these little paper triangles full of gunpowder with your rock so that it blows up. Playing tejo takes a lot of the same skills as bowling, so I'm pretty good at it already. Look for a tejo speakeasy coming soon...
We need to get out of here and see some stuff, so stay tuned! More to come...
Adios!
Lorrie and Tati
ACDI/VOCA is a really awesome organization. They are an agricultural NGO. They work really closely with farmers here in areas such as plantation renovation, improvement of farm infrastructure, food security, quality improvement, enviornmental protection, and commercial promotion. To learn more about what they do in Colombia and worldwide, click here.
Our second day here, we hopped a flight to Neiva, which is a city in the department of Huila. From Neiva, we traveled to Pitalito. We ate lunch, and then began our visits to fincas. We visited 3 fincas on this day. The first was the Finca Los Nogales. Ricaurte Hernandez is the owner of the Finca, and it won the 2005 Cup of Excellence in 2005. It was really amazing to see how winning the Cup of Excellence, or even being a finalist, can change the quality of life on the finca. As a result of the prices paid for his award winning coffee, Ricaurte was able to build a new house, and a road to his house that he was told couldn't be built. We visited Javier San Juan at the Finca Bella Vista, where Tatiana and I took a stab at picking coffee. We weren't very good at it. Everyone was laughing at us, but I just said that it was a good thing that picking coffee isn't our job.
The next day we did a cupping with El Grupo San Isidro. We cupped 8 colombian coffees, plus 5 other coffees that we brought with us. The groups are working really hard to involve the younger generation in coffee production and quality improvement, and as a result most of the cuppers were young people. Most of the cuppers were also children of cafeteros. After the cupping, we went to another finca, La Perla Del Otun, where we had lunch with Luis Alberto Jojoa, 2007 Cup of Excellence winner. This was an exciting moment for us, as we had gone to a cupping at Stumptown and cupped Jojoa's coffee (thanks Duane!). We were excited to tell Luis Alberto about our experience cupping his coffee, and he was excited to learn that we were familiar with it. After our almuerzo and visit, we left to visit El Grupo Asociativo Cafe Andino Especial, and the tostadora Robles del Macizo.
In the evening, we partied with the young cuppers from San Isidro. They took us to play Tejo, which is a national sport here in Colombia. It was very fun. We got to throw UFO shaped rocks at clay boxes. The point of the game is to hit these little paper triangles full of gunpowder with your rock so that it blows up. Playing tejo takes a lot of the same skills as bowling, so I'm pretty good at it already. Look for a tejo speakeasy coming soon...
We need to get out of here and see some stuff, so stay tuned! More to come...
Adios!
Lorrie and Tati
Grand Opening Party - Pioneer Square
Food, drinks, and a sommelier!
Everything on the house
Thursday September 27, 2007
602 2nd Ave, Seattle
5 – 8 PM
Experience coffee like never before, developing your coffee palate with professional sommelier David LeClaire. Not all coffees are created equal! Done right, roasted coffee can contain 1,500 flavor components, three times the number found in wine! At Trabant, we serve only coffee that has been treated with the utmost care at every step in the seed-to-cup journey: from selection, to picking, processing, and roasting.
At the tasting, known in the industry as a “cupping?, we will be enjoying five coffees from around the world. These were all selected and roasted by 49th Parallel Coffee, one of the world’s most selective coffee buyers. They cup all coffees before purchasing, and will only accept beans that score at the top of the 100 point evaluation scale. This score evaluates many facets of the coffee, similar to a wine score.
In our cupping, David will discuss how each step of the seed-to-cup journey influences the flavors you are experiencing. Along the way, you’ll gain an understanding of your coffee preferences. You may fall in love with the almost tea-like qualities of the Sidamo, with its jasmine and orange blossom notes backed with chocolate. Or, you may find that the India is more your style, with its caramels, hints of pepper, and nuttiness. And does the $250 per pound Panama La Esmeralda live up to its hype? There’s only one way to find out, and it’s not through computer modeling.
Trabant’s new Pioneer Square location is a revolutionary coffee bar concept, designed to remove the barriers between you, your barista, and the artisan process of crafting your coffee. The counter, a 27 ft long stretch of exotic zebrawood, stands below waist-level to facilitate interaction between you and the professionals hand-crafting your drink. You won’t see smoothies or frappes on the menu; it’s all about the coffee.
The tasting party will be a perfect after-work wind down. No previous coffee knowledge necessary… just an appreciation for the culinary.
About Trabant: Established in 2003, Trabant Coffee and Chai is one of Seattle’s premier “Third Wave? coffee bars. Trabant is committed to quality and fairness in all aspects of its business. It purchases only coffee beans that have scored extremely high in rigorous taste tests. Baristas undergo several months of rigorous training, culminating in a hands-on exam, before they are allowed to make drinks for customers. As a result, it was named Seattle’s best coffee house in the 2005 and 2007 citysearch.com vote.
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters: http://www.49thparallelroasters.com
Everything on the house
Thursday September 27, 2007
602 2nd Ave, Seattle
5 – 8 PM
Experience coffee like never before, developing your coffee palate with professional sommelier David LeClaire. Not all coffees are created equal! Done right, roasted coffee can contain 1,500 flavor components, three times the number found in wine! At Trabant, we serve only coffee that has been treated with the utmost care at every step in the seed-to-cup journey: from selection, to picking, processing, and roasting.
At the tasting, known in the industry as a “cupping?, we will be enjoying five coffees from around the world. These were all selected and roasted by 49th Parallel Coffee, one of the world’s most selective coffee buyers. They cup all coffees before purchasing, and will only accept beans that score at the top of the 100 point evaluation scale. This score evaluates many facets of the coffee, similar to a wine score.
In our cupping, David will discuss how each step of the seed-to-cup journey influences the flavors you are experiencing. Along the way, you’ll gain an understanding of your coffee preferences. You may fall in love with the almost tea-like qualities of the Sidamo, with its jasmine and orange blossom notes backed with chocolate. Or, you may find that the India is more your style, with its caramels, hints of pepper, and nuttiness. And does the $250 per pound Panama La Esmeralda live up to its hype? There’s only one way to find out, and it’s not through computer modeling.
Trabant’s new Pioneer Square location is a revolutionary coffee bar concept, designed to remove the barriers between you, your barista, and the artisan process of crafting your coffee. The counter, a 27 ft long stretch of exotic zebrawood, stands below waist-level to facilitate interaction between you and the professionals hand-crafting your drink. You won’t see smoothies or frappes on the menu; it’s all about the coffee.
The tasting party will be a perfect after-work wind down. No previous coffee knowledge necessary… just an appreciation for the culinary.
About Trabant: Established in 2003, Trabant Coffee and Chai is one of Seattle’s premier “Third Wave? coffee bars. Trabant is committed to quality and fairness in all aspects of its business. It purchases only coffee beans that have scored extremely high in rigorous taste tests. Baristas undergo several months of rigorous training, culminating in a hands-on exam, before they are allowed to make drinks for customers. As a result, it was named Seattle’s best coffee house in the 2005 and 2007 citysearch.com vote.
49th Parallel Coffee Roasters: http://www.49thparallelroasters.com
August 24 Coffee Cupping and Tasting
Friday Aug 24
5-6 PM
Get serious about coffee with us. We'll be cupping and brewing on the Clover brewer 8 wonderful coffees. Learn how to evaluate coffee like the professonals do. This is a free event and no coffee knowledge is required.
Guatemala Finca La Perla
India Elkhill Estate Arabica Peaberry
Ethiopia Yergacheffe Grade 1
Kenya Lelana AA
Ethiopia Sidamo Gerbicho Lela Grade 1 Auction #3
El Salvador Finca Las Margaritas
Costa Rica El Indio
Papa New Guinea Siherini Pulped Natural
All coffees roasted by 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters of Burnaby, BC
5-6 PM
Get serious about coffee with us. We'll be cupping and brewing on the Clover brewer 8 wonderful coffees. Learn how to evaluate coffee like the professonals do. This is a free event and no coffee knowledge is required.
Guatemala Finca La Perla
India Elkhill Estate Arabica Peaberry
Ethiopia Yergacheffe Grade 1
Kenya Lelana AA
Ethiopia Sidamo Gerbicho Lela Grade 1 Auction #3
El Salvador Finca Las Margaritas
Costa Rica El Indio
Papa New Guinea Siherini Pulped Natural
All coffees roasted by 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters of Burnaby, BC
Trabant Baristas travel on International Exchange
Trabant Coffee and Chai is sending three baristas on business trips this month to learn about international café cultures. Lorrie McCullaugh and Tatiana Becker will visit Colombia from September 2-17 on a USAID funded barista exchange (through ACDI/VOCA Colombia). They will visit coffee farms in the growing regions of Huila and Armenia, learn about growing, processing, and roasting, and experiencing Colombia's emerging cafe culture. Colombian barista Luis Fernando Velez will accompany Lorrie and Tatiana back to Seattle for intensive barista training to help improve the quality of Colombia’s emerging café scene. Luis will also tour around Seattle to get a better understanding of an established café scene. Watch for him behind the bar at Trabant in the week beginning September 18.
Trabant barista Jeff Webre will visit Sweden and Denmark from September 17 - October 10, to volunteer at the Nordic Barista Cup competition and to experience Scandinavian café culture. Nordic Barista Cup is one of the most innovative barista competitions in the world, where competitors from five countries face such challenges as roasting their own coffee or milking cows to obtain milk for making cappuccinos. It demonstrates to the public the skill involved with the barista profession, and challenges top baristas to hone their skills even further. After Nordic cup, Jeff will tour cafes in Scandinavia with the 2006 World Barista Champion, Klaus Thomsen.
World Barista Competition: http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com/
Nordic Cup: http://www.nordicbaristacup.com/
ACDI/VOCA: http://www.acdivoca.org
For additional details email tatiana@trabantcoffee.com, or stay tuned right here! We will all be blogging regularly from our trips. ; )
Trabant barista Jeff Webre will visit Sweden and Denmark from September 17 - October 10, to volunteer at the Nordic Barista Cup competition and to experience Scandinavian café culture. Nordic Barista Cup is one of the most innovative barista competitions in the world, where competitors from five countries face such challenges as roasting their own coffee or milking cows to obtain milk for making cappuccinos. It demonstrates to the public the skill involved with the barista profession, and challenges top baristas to hone their skills even further. After Nordic cup, Jeff will tour cafes in Scandinavia with the 2006 World Barista Champion, Klaus Thomsen.
World Barista Competition: http://www.worldbaristachampionship.com/
Nordic Cup: http://www.nordicbaristacup.com/
ACDI/VOCA: http://www.acdivoca.org
For additional details email tatiana@trabantcoffee.com, or stay tuned right here! We will all be blogging regularly from our trips. ; )
July 27 Coffee Tasting
Come learn how Fabio Antonio Caballeros earns at least 25% above the Fair Trade price for his beans, just like all of our farmers. Block off an hour for this exciting event.
This event is free, so come on out!
This event is free, so come on out!
Vote Now!
It's "Best of" season again in Seattle, so be sure to visit CitySearch.com and vote for Trabant as your favorite Coffee in Seattle. You can vote once each day, so do Seattle proud and vote early and often.
Vote Here.
Vote Here.
June 29 Coffee Tasting
No, Agtron is not a character from this summer's Transformers movie, and First Crack is not the newest Halo sequel for your Xbox.
Come take a journey with us through coffee roast levels. From a light roast just barely past first crack all the way through to the ubiquitous french roast weighing in around Agtron 20, we will witness the changes that occur in body, flavor, and acidity as coffee tumbles through the roaster. So come on out this Friday at 6pm for this summer's hottest
event, Trabant's Roast Level Review.
Come take a journey with us through coffee roast levels. From a light roast just barely past first crack all the way through to the ubiquitous french roast weighing in around Agtron 20, we will witness the changes that occur in body, flavor, and acidity as coffee tumbles through the roaster. So come on out this Friday at 6pm for this summer's hottest
event, Trabant's Roast Level Review.
June 1 Coffee Tasting
Join us at Trabant this Friday, June 1, to taste and talk about some exciting coffee. This will be Seattle's first taste of Intelligentsia's new Direct Trade coffee from Rwanda, where they have been traveling 7 times a year since 2003 to teach, taste, and help in the effort to build momentum of their coffee industry.
We will also depart from our usual french presses this time around and brew the following coffees on our Clover coffee brewer.
Flor Azul, Nicaraqua
Tres Santos, Columbia
Zirikana, Rwanda
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Fazenda Vista Allegre, Brazil Natural Dry
See you there!
The Trabant Crew
We will also depart from our usual french presses this time around and brew the following coffees on our Clover coffee brewer.
Flor Azul, Nicaraqua
Tres Santos, Columbia
Zirikana, Rwanda
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Fazenda Vista Allegre, Brazil Natural Dry
See you there!
The Trabant Crew
University District StreetFair
This weekend marks the 38th Annual University District StreetFair. Crafts people and food vendors from around the country gather to offer their unique goods, but where's the coffee?
Trabant's got you on that. Visit our booth at University & 43rd for the best coffee around. We will be sampling and selling cups and pounds of Idido Misty valley DP Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Fazenda Vista Allegre Natural Brazil, and Sumatra Lake Tawar.
And don't forget to check out our Clover coffee brewer.
booth at University & 43rd
This Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Trabant's got you on that. Visit our booth at University & 43rd for the best coffee around. We will be sampling and selling cups and pounds of Idido Misty valley DP Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Fazenda Vista Allegre Natural Brazil, and Sumatra Lake Tawar.
And don't forget to check out our Clover coffee brewer.
booth at University & 43rd
This Saturday & Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Meet Joe Molina, coffee grower extraordinaire from El Salvador
Here are your opportunities-
Joe talks sustainability: Tuesday May 8th, 6:00 P
Joe rocks the Clover: Wednesday May 8th and Thursday May 9th, 8:00 AM - noon
Side-by-side tasting of Joe's coffee with coffee from other places: Thursday May 10, 6 PM
A little more about what's going on:
Joe Molina, manager of El Salvador’s award winning coffee farm Bosque Lya, will be visiting Trabant Coffee and Chai from May 8th – 10th. Bosque Lya’s coffee was voted #1 in El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence 2004, beating out several hundred coffees in a blind taste test conducted by an international jury of experts.
On both May 8th and 9th, he will be behind the counter serving Bosque Lya coffee to customers from 8 AM to noon. On May 9 at 6 PM, he will give a presentation about the social and environmental responsibility he feels as a coffee farmer, and the care he takes towards the environment and his staff. This event will be a wonderful opportunity to hear about the relationship between responsible production and quality coffee, and how winning Cup of Excellence has affected the pricing and relationship he has with coffee buyers, particularly Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters.
Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters buys its coffee in accordance with a unique model called Direct Trade in which their green coffee buyer forms strong relationships with farmers to insure responsible practices, quality coffee, and high wages for farmers. In turn, Intelligentsia guarantees farmers at least 25% above the Fair Trade price, scaling up with cupping score. (Like a wine score, but for coffee.) Joe will share his personal experience with Direct Trade and its benefits to farmers like him.
Trabant is proud to serve exclusively Intelligentsia coffee.
Learn more about Cup of Excellence and Direct Trade at:
http://www.cupofexcellence.org
http://intelligentsiacoffee.com/about/press
Joe talks sustainability: Tuesday May 8th, 6:00 P
Joe rocks the Clover: Wednesday May 8th and Thursday May 9th, 8:00 AM - noon
Side-by-side tasting of Joe's coffee with coffee from other places: Thursday May 10, 6 PM
A little more about what's going on:
Joe Molina, manager of El Salvador’s award winning coffee farm Bosque Lya, will be visiting Trabant Coffee and Chai from May 8th – 10th. Bosque Lya’s coffee was voted #1 in El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence 2004, beating out several hundred coffees in a blind taste test conducted by an international jury of experts.
On both May 8th and 9th, he will be behind the counter serving Bosque Lya coffee to customers from 8 AM to noon. On May 9 at 6 PM, he will give a presentation about the social and environmental responsibility he feels as a coffee farmer, and the care he takes towards the environment and his staff. This event will be a wonderful opportunity to hear about the relationship between responsible production and quality coffee, and how winning Cup of Excellence has affected the pricing and relationship he has with coffee buyers, particularly Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters.
Intelligentsia Coffee Roasters buys its coffee in accordance with a unique model called Direct Trade in which their green coffee buyer forms strong relationships with farmers to insure responsible practices, quality coffee, and high wages for farmers. In turn, Intelligentsia guarantees farmers at least 25% above the Fair Trade price, scaling up with cupping score. (Like a wine score, but for coffee.) Joe will share his personal experience with Direct Trade and its benefits to farmers like him.
Trabant is proud to serve exclusively Intelligentsia coffee.
Learn more about Cup of Excellence and Direct Trade at:
http://www.cupofexcellence.org
http://intelligentsiacoffee.com/about/press
The Clover Revolution is Here
April 26, 2007 goes down as a momentous day in Trabant history. Our Clover was installed on our front bar!
The Clover is a coffee brewer which brews coffee one cup at a time, in less time than it takes to make a latte. What this means is that you get to choose any beans on the menu (not just 1-2 choices at a time... more like half a dozen!), then watch your barista grind them and brew them right in front of you.
This makes a tastier cup for a few reasons. First of all, the coffee is ground and brewed to order - it's never seen the inside of an airpot. Second, it was brewed in a manner that specifically brings out each unique coffees subtle nuances. Like wine, a coffee's flavors are influenced by factors such as varietal, region, and processing - and also by roasting. Each coffee is unique, and its uniquenesses will be best highlighted at different brew times, different temperatures, etc. The Clover gives us the power to change these settings for each cup.
People are raving about the Clover from Seattle to Stockholm. And hey - buy local - it was built in Ballard! Read more at cloverequipment.com.
The Clover is a coffee brewer which brews coffee one cup at a time, in less time than it takes to make a latte. What this means is that you get to choose any beans on the menu (not just 1-2 choices at a time... more like half a dozen!), then watch your barista grind them and brew them right in front of you.
This makes a tastier cup for a few reasons. First of all, the coffee is ground and brewed to order - it's never seen the inside of an airpot. Second, it was brewed in a manner that specifically brings out each unique coffees subtle nuances. Like wine, a coffee's flavors are influenced by factors such as varietal, region, and processing - and also by roasting. Each coffee is unique, and its uniquenesses will be best highlighted at different brew times, different temperatures, etc. The Clover gives us the power to change these settings for each cup.
People are raving about the Clover from Seattle to Stockholm. And hey - buy local - it was built in Ballard! Read more at cloverequipment.com.
April 13 Coffee Tasting
Hi again coffee lovers,
For our next free coffee tasting we will be offering a selection of coffees with varying acidity. Sometimes called brightness, acidity is what adds life to a coffee, and is not to be confused with pH level. So join us this Friday at 6PM as we enjoy these exciting coffees:
Nicaragua, Flor Azul
Bolivia, Anjilanaka
Bolivia, Anjilanaka Micro-Lot Angelita
Kenya
See you there,
Michael
For our next free coffee tasting we will be offering a selection of coffees with varying acidity. Sometimes called brightness, acidity is what adds life to a coffee, and is not to be confused with pH level. So join us this Friday at 6PM as we enjoy these exciting coffees:
Nicaragua, Flor Azul
Bolivia, Anjilanaka
Bolivia, Anjilanaka Micro-Lot Angelita
Kenya
See you there,
Michael
Clover on the way!
Trabant's Clover coffee machine is on it's way! With this in mind, Jeff and mike trekked down to Ballard this past Wednesday to take the Clover tech class. Having dismantled and reassembled the Clover, we're ready to rock it the moment it arrives.
Free Coffee March 15
March 15
10am to noon
You’ve had their coffee. Now’s your chance to try ours. Trabant offers a complimentary small cup of our award-winning coffee to all our friends in the neighborhood. One per customer, please.
10am to noon
You’ve had their coffee. Now’s your chance to try ours. Trabant offers a complimentary small cup of our award-winning coffee to all our friends in the neighborhood. One per customer, please.
Explore 4 beautiful Columbian coffees bright and early this Saturday at ten a.m.
Hi there,
this is Adam from Trabant, writing to let you know that this Saturday at ten in the morning we will be tasting four fantastic Columbian coffees. There will be Intelligentsia's Tres Santos, and three different micro-lots; Conoas, El Portal, La Planada. It will be a free and exciting opportunity to explore the differences of great coffee from one country.
this is Adam from Trabant, writing to let you know that this Saturday at ten in the morning we will be tasting four fantastic Columbian coffees. There will be Intelligentsia's Tres Santos, and three different micro-lots; Conoas, El Portal, La Planada. It will be a free and exciting opportunity to explore the differences of great coffee from one country.
Lorrie and Tatiana at Intelligentsia
Greetings from Chicago! Lorrie and I have had a productive and caffeinated day in our first day of a week long visit to our roaster, Intelligentsia.
We cupped (taste tested) a table full of candidates for the La Tortuga Honduras. While these are all from the same country, the tastes ranged from chocolatey and tobaccoish to fruity and zingy. Intelligentsia will only buy the coffees that receive the highest scores, blend them in a balanced manner (which requires more cupping), then determine how to best roast them (even more cupping!). Those with the very highest scores will become micro-lots. It is impressive how choosy Intelligentsia is. Out of the 10 coffees on the table (all, of course, specialty grade), they will select two at most. By the mid-afternoon, the cupper EJ had tried 20 more samples.
I've got to cut this short, now, as Lorrie is about to do a run through of her competition route. Matt Riddle (United States Barista Champion for 2006, 3rd in the World) is giving her advice on refining her techniques. I'm going to go listen in now....
Miss you guys,
Tatiana
We cupped (taste tested) a table full of candidates for the La Tortuga Honduras. While these are all from the same country, the tastes ranged from chocolatey and tobaccoish to fruity and zingy. Intelligentsia will only buy the coffees that receive the highest scores, blend them in a balanced manner (which requires more cupping), then determine how to best roast them (even more cupping!). Those with the very highest scores will become micro-lots. It is impressive how choosy Intelligentsia is. Out of the 10 coffees on the table (all, of course, specialty grade), they will select two at most. By the mid-afternoon, the cupper EJ had tried 20 more samples.
I've got to cut this short, now, as Lorrie is about to do a run through of her competition route. Matt Riddle (United States Barista Champion for 2006, 3rd in the World) is giving her advice on refining her techniques. I'm going to go listen in now....
Miss you guys,
Tatiana
We've extended our weekend hours
Starting this Saturday, February 10, Trabant will open at 9AM on weekends. You can now get delicious coffee and chai a whole hour earlier -- what could be better?
Trabant caught geeking out
Last Thursday we were met by a pleasent surprise - our friends from Olympia's EspressoParts.com stopped by while on a Seattle cafe crawl. Trabant was caught red handed geeking out with espresso machine lights and personal tampers.
pictures here... scroll half-way down page
pictures here... scroll half-way down page
February 3rd Direct Trade Coffee Tasting
Our coffee roaster, Intelligentsia, has gained recognition for sourcing some of the best coffees in the world through their Direct Trade program. Come taste 5 exceptional Latin American coffees and learn how Direct Trade goes beyond price support in furthering social, economic, and environmental sustainability coffee-growing communities.
Saturday february 3rd, 5:30PM
Los Delirios, Organic Nicaragua Micro-Lot: Ojo de Agua
La Perla de Oaxaca™, Organic Mexico
Cruz del Sur™, Peru
Flecha Roja™, Costa Rica
La Tortuga™, Honduras Micro-Lot: Santa Clara
Did we mention these coffees are tasty?
Saturday february 3rd, 5:30PM
Los Delirios, Organic Nicaragua Micro-Lot: Ojo de Agua
La Perla de Oaxaca™, Organic Mexico
Cruz del Sur™, Peru
Flecha Roja™, Costa Rica
La Tortuga™, Honduras Micro-Lot: Santa Clara
Did we mention these coffees are tasty?
Thanksgiving Pies for John
Many of you remember the lovely shortbreads that we used to carry, baked by Sugar in West Seattle. The reason we have not had these for several months is that John, one of Sugar's owners, is battling with testicular cancer. He has racked up over $75,000 in medical bills so far, and does not have insurance. Sugar is having a fund raiser for John, selling pies on their website for $20 each. You can help (and get a pie!) by visiting http://www.sugardelights.com. You may also make a donation there, as well.
For your convenience, you can also order your pie at Trabant. The price will still be $20, as all proceeds will go to Sugar. You must place your order by Sunday, November 19 at midnight. Pies will then be available for pickup at Trabant in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 22.
Get a delicious holiday pie, and help out our friends at Sugar!
For your convenience, you can also order your pie at Trabant. The price will still be $20, as all proceeds will go to Sugar. You must place your order by Sunday, November 19 at midnight. Pies will then be available for pickup at Trabant in the afternoon of Wednesday, November 22.
Get a delicious holiday pie, and help out our friends at Sugar!
October 13 Coffee Tasting
Friday October 13
Noon to 1 pm & 6 to 7 pm
Traditionally, daily harvests from a region's coffee farms are combined. Sometimes a particular day's yield from a single farm produces extraordinary results. Trabant presents these preserved micro-lots for your enjoyment.
Flecha Roja, Costa Rica
Flecha Roja micro-lot: Coope Dota
La Tortuga, Honduras
La Tortuga micro-lot: Santa Clara
Los Inmortales, El Salvador
Los Inmortales micro-lot: Malacara
$7.50 advance (in store or via paypal) / $10 day of
includes 1/2 lb to take home
Noon to 1 pm & 6 to 7 pm
Traditionally, daily harvests from a region's coffee farms are combined. Sometimes a particular day's yield from a single farm produces extraordinary results. Trabant presents these preserved micro-lots for your enjoyment.
Flecha Roja, Costa Rica
Flecha Roja micro-lot: Coope Dota
La Tortuga, Honduras
La Tortuga micro-lot: Santa Clara
Los Inmortales, El Salvador
Los Inmortales micro-lot: Malacara
$7.50 advance (in store or via paypal) / $10 day of
includes 1/2 lb to take home
Trabant Best-Of CD Release Party
September 22 Coffee Tasting
Last change to pre-register for Friday's Latin America coffee tasting
Spots remain in both our tastings tomorrow, noon to 1pm and 6pm to 7pm. Stop in our store or sign-up via PayPal for only $7.50. Please note if you will be attending the Noon to 1pm or 6pm to 7pm tasting. This will be our most exciting tasting yet, as we will be featuring Direct Trade™ new crop coffees.
Day-of tasting price is $10.
Spots remain in both our tastings tomorrow, noon to 1pm and 6pm to 7pm. Stop in our store or sign-up via PayPal for only $7.50. Please note if you will be attending the Noon to 1pm or 6pm to 7pm tasting. This will be our most exciting tasting yet, as we will be featuring Direct Trade™ new crop coffees.
Day-of tasting price is $10.
Intelligentsia named Roaster of the Year
Congratulations to our coffee roaster, Intelligentsia, for being named 2006 Roaster of the Year by Roast magazine. We knew it anyway ;)
September 22 Coffee Tasting
Hello coffee-lovers,
Fresh crop Latin American coffees are coming in, and what better way to celebrate than joining us in our next tasting on Friday September 22. Each coffee present will be part of the DirectTrade program, whereby our roaster Intelligentsia goes beyond the price supports of Fair Trade to develop individual, exclusive relationships with the world’s finest coffee growers. On the table will be the following:
- La Tortuga™, Honduras
- Flor Azul™, Nicaragua
- La Perla de Oaxaca™, Organic Mexico
- Los Inmortales™, El Salvador
- Los Inmortales Micro-Lot: Borbollon Reserve
September 22 tasting fee, including 1/2 pound of coffee to take home:
$7.50 advance (in store or click here to pay via PayPal)
$10 at the door.
Visit http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/origin/directtrade to learn more about Direct Trade.
Fresh crop Latin American coffees are coming in, and what better way to celebrate than joining us in our next tasting on Friday September 22. Each coffee present will be part of the DirectTrade program, whereby our roaster Intelligentsia goes beyond the price supports of Fair Trade to develop individual, exclusive relationships with the world’s finest coffee growers. On the table will be the following:
- La Tortuga™, Honduras
- Flor Azul™, Nicaragua
- La Perla de Oaxaca™, Organic Mexico
- Los Inmortales™, El Salvador
- Los Inmortales Micro-Lot: Borbollon Reserve
September 22 tasting fee, including 1/2 pound of coffee to take home:
$7.50 advance (in store or click here to pay via PayPal)
$10 at the door.
Visit http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/origin/directtrade to learn more about Direct Trade.
Perla Del Otun
#1 Colombia Cup of Excellence coffee at Trabant
This saturday and sunday until 4:30pm (or until it is gone), Trabant will be featuring the incredible coffee of Luis Alberto Jojoa and his farm, Perla Del Otun. Offered in 16 oz. press pots for $5 each. Bring a good friend or a first date along and discover the lemony and peachy sweetness of the #1 coffee from Colombia.
This saturday and sunday until 4:30pm (or until it is gone), Trabant will be featuring the incredible coffee of Luis Alberto Jojoa and his farm, Perla Del Otun. Offered in 16 oz. press pots for $5 each. Bring a good friend or a first date along and discover the lemony and peachy sweetness of the #1 coffee from Colombia.
Slowland to play Trabant!
This is up there on one of the weirder ways we've booked a band....
I was in the car this morning, listening to KEXP, when they were interviewing Slowland. The band is playing the Crocodile on August 9, but their other tour dates had fallen through. They urged bookers to send them an email if they could give them a date. Now they're booked for tomorrow, August 10, at 9 PM!
Check out how much they rock at: www.slowlands.com and www.myspace.com/slowlands
I was in the car this morning, listening to KEXP, when they were interviewing Slowland. The band is playing the Crocodile on August 9, but their other tour dates had fallen through. They urged bookers to send them an email if they could give them a date. Now they're booked for tomorrow, August 10, at 9 PM!
Check out how much they rock at: www.slowlands.com and www.myspace.com/slowlands
Join us on August 18 and experience the coffees of Africa at Trabant's second coffee tasting. During the 1 hour event you will learn about coffee history and processing, and sample coffee from Ethiopia (Harrar and Yirgacheffe), Rwanda, Kenya, and our Red Sea blend.
$7.50 advance, $10 day of. Admission price includes 1/2 lb coffee for you to take home.
Tastings at Noon and 6PM.
Tickets may be purchased at Trabant or via PayPal
$7.50 advance, $10 day of. Admission price includes 1/2 lb coffee for you to take home.
Tastings at Noon and 6PM.
Tickets may be purchased at Trabant or via PayPal
July 21 Coffee Tasting
Ever fallen in love with a certain coffee, but couldn't put your finger on why? Wonder why our coffee tastes different each week? Sharpen your taste buds... it's time for Trabant's first coffee tasting!
Save the date - July 21! For your convenience, we are hosting one at noon and one at 6 PM. Block off an hour for this exciting event. Everyone is invited, and no prior knowledge is expected. You will get to try coffees from Yemen, Harrar, Sumatra, Brazil, and Columbia, side-by-side. We'll be talking about growing conditions and processing techniques, and showing you what makes great coffees distinct. Included in the admission price are tasting notes and a half-pound of coffee for you to take home. $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Please sign up as soon as possible, as this will help us prepare for the right amount of people.
Stop by Trabant or click here to pay in advance.
Save the date - July 21! For your convenience, we are hosting one at noon and one at 6 PM. Block off an hour for this exciting event. Everyone is invited, and no prior knowledge is expected. You will get to try coffees from Yemen, Harrar, Sumatra, Brazil, and Columbia, side-by-side. We'll be talking about growing conditions and processing techniques, and showing you what makes great coffees distinct. Included in the admission price are tasting notes and a half-pound of coffee for you to take home. $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Please sign up as soon as possible, as this will help us prepare for the right amount of people.
Stop by Trabant or click here to pay in advance.
Vote for your favorite coffee shop!
It's that time of year again to make your favorite coffee shop known. There are two votes going on right now:
1) Seattle Weekly "Best of Seattle" - You can only vote once, and have until 11 PM on July 16 to do so. Tons of categories, but you don't have to fill them all in. But make sure to fill in #25 Best Independent Coffee house!
2) Citysearch's "Best of" - Find the coffee category. You guys made us #1 in 2005! Let's go for two years in a row! You can vote once per day, per computer. Vote as many times as you can!
Thanks so much. You guys are the best ever! If we win, I promise we'll have a party.
Love,
Trabant
1) Seattle Weekly "Best of Seattle" - You can only vote once, and have until 11 PM on July 16 to do so. Tons of categories, but you don't have to fill them all in. But make sure to fill in #25 Best Independent Coffee house!
2) Citysearch's "Best of" - Find the coffee category. You guys made us #1 in 2005! Let's go for two years in a row! You can vote once per day, per computer. Vote as many times as you can!
Thanks so much. You guys are the best ever! If we win, I promise we'll have a party.
Love,
Trabant
Lorrie competes at United States Barista Championship
Our very own morning barista Lorrie competed in (and rocked!) the United States Barista Competition in Charlotte, NC on April 7-9. Competitors had 15 minutes to prepare each of four judges an espresso, cappucino, and signature drink. Her signature drink was a blended Mt. St. Helens chai charger, with hazlenut whipped cream, served in a chilled martini glass. Mmmm.
She was one of 20 competitors to advance to the semi-finals round. Stop by the shop to see pictures of her competing, and to join us in congratulating her!
Our roaster, Intelligentsia, had a really strong showing at the competition - with five competitors. Of the Intelly crew, Ellie took 4th, Amber 3rd, and Matt Riddle WON THE COMPETITION! He will be representing the United States at the World Barista Competition in Switzerland next month. As if we needed further proof that our coffee roaster is AWESOME all around
She was one of 20 competitors to advance to the semi-finals round. Stop by the shop to see pictures of her competing, and to join us in congratulating her!
Our roaster, Intelligentsia, had a really strong showing at the competition - with five competitors. Of the Intelly crew, Ellie took 4th, Amber 3rd, and Matt Riddle WON THE COMPETITION! He will be representing the United States at the World Barista Competition in Switzerland next month. As if we needed further proof that our coffee roaster is AWESOME all around
Trabant visits El Salvador to learn more about coffee
Ever wonder about the life of a coffee bean, before it gets to the cafe? So do we! That’s why we spent a week in El Salvador touring farms that grow coffee for Intelligentsia (our roaster), and also a coffee research lab!
Here are pictures of the farms and mills, and black sand beaches we visited in El Salvador. Highlights from the trip include spending time with Joe Molina, coffee farmer extraordinarily in touch with his farm, visiting a school on the premises of Finca Malacara, aided by the $10.05 / LB! they received from Intelligentsia in 2003, and cupping 14 samples from Finca Bosque Lya, whose many distinct microclimates produce incredible coffees (each partition of the farm has unique sun and wind exposure).
But you probably just want to see the pictures.
Drink up!
Maybe Pamela Anderson was on to something when she told the world she uses coffee to enhance her figure. Fay Guarraci, an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern University, and Stacey Benson, a 2005 Southwestern graduate, have reason to believe caffeine affects sexual behavior in women. Here are the details.
Trabant Tunes
Soulseek Records, an internet label featuring new artists, has released a compilation of chill music for Trabant. All tracks are available for free download under the Creative Commons license. Check out the music here.