maui pic

Here is a pic from the Kaanapali coffee farms that happened to be just up the road from where me the girlfrien were staying in Maui. The pic was taken by my girlfriend who is vastly more talented at taking pictures than I am. This is a Red Catuai varietal, at least according to the sign. Long considered the "cabernet" of coffee, I was so impressed with it, I decided to buy a big old ten pound bag of it right after I was served sample cup of it at the Maui Grown Coffee store in Lahaina (right next to the historic smokestack).

Of course, the first thing I did when I got home is roast up a batch of this stuff. I kept it safe, doing 8 oz at P3 for 15:15. It turned out nice, a pretty full city and tasted great. The guy at the shop told me that the Red Catuai is a hard bean to screw up in a roaster and he was right. Hopefully, I can tweak it a bit and get it tasting just right. My first attempt at the the roast turned out ok. I appreciated the strong earthy undertones as well the intense bitter after taste. There is nothing sweet or "brown sugary" about the Maui Grown Red Catuai, and that is just fine by mean. Next time, i might try to stretch the roast out a bit longer to see what happens.

The Maui Grown Coffee company is best known for being the exclusive grower of the Maui Mokka, that tiny little bean I reviewed previously. They also had a few big bags of this first sale, but since I can only roast this in my little Nesco, I opted out of getting a big bag of that one.

The guy also got me excited by telling me that they had an annex open at the Port Of Oakland where I might be able to pick up a hundred elbows or so, if I wanted. I haven't done any research on it-yet, but if the Red Catuai grows on me, I just might have to look them up.

liquid crack

Yeah, I still find myself going there. I get the occasional craving for the bucks. Actually, its the only place near my job. I really prefer peets.

diamond in the rough

The newest coffee shop to open in the bay area, decided to choose an unusual name in location. You reach it by walking up the urine soaked stairs and tapping three times on the wire fences.

You wait five minutes then A 600 lb gorilla named Tim comes to pick you up. He literally picks you up and carries up the the rest of the pee stained steps then up a giant oak tree that has been growing in the area since before the " white man" came took it away from the indigenous peoples.

The shop is located up high within the giant tree's trunk and is run by an elf named Keepler. Keepler, who hates it when people mentioned the coincidence to the other oak tree dwelling elves, has been roasting and brewing coffee as a sort of hobby slash occupation for the past 500 years. He first became interested in coffee when his former employer brought some back with him after a business trip that took him to the far corners of the earth.

From his first taste of the arabic elixir, Keepler was hooked made it his sole preoccupation outside of the toy business. After retiring, Keepler decided to set up a small coffee shop up on a very old tree that catered to a select group of discriminating clientle who did not mind being carried by a 6000 pound gorilla.

Keepler decided to call his shop Coffee Up Native's Tree, but could not fit it all the wall, so decided to use an acrynom instead.

His coffee is strictly single origin and roasted within a magical drum roaster that was built by Keepler himself and improved upon for the past half of a millenia.

Mogiana

"Come and get a little taste of my hot wet Mogiana,' She said from the balcony.

The way she said made me feel shy and excited. Like a hormonal schoolboy I clambered onto the balcony where she and her Brazilian Mogiana were waiting.

"MMMmmm, yesss," She moaned, "Taste my Mogiana Papi, Drink it all up."

Everybody knows that their is almost nothing better that that brazilian Mogiana, especially when its hot, wet and dry processed.

I savored the nutty texture and creamy body and marveled at its powers of stimulation.

Sure, some acidic undertones would have been nice perhaps the mogiana would be interested in a little three way action with a saucy Ethopian. Perhaps, once I got to know it a little more, I would dare broach the subject.

I drank it down well it was still hot and wet, and savored every drop.

The best mogiana I ever had...