La Minita Coffee ? It?s in the Green Beans
La Minita; Spanish for "The Little Gold Mine" says it all. La Minita is arguably the best coffee in the world and is sipped by the who's who in the specialty coffee industry as well as by those of us who have access to it in our businesses. Similar to the wine industry, the best coffees are not always the most expensive. There are many factors involved in determining the final price of a coffee, unfortunately the quality of the bean is only one of them. La Minita comes from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica in Central America. This region has long been known for it's quality coffee and remains one of the finest growing regions in the world. The La Minita Estate is located at the pinnacle of this region on a spur between two rivers 5700 feet above sea level. The farm actually has several "Micro Climates" within the farm which effect the crop in different ways. The meticulous way in which coffee is grown, pruned, fertilized, shaded, and weeded all add to the final product. Long before "Organic" was popular, this farm was using machetes to cut back weeds rather than chemicals. Long before "fair trade" was popular this farm was treating it's employees with respect, providing dental and medical resources right on the farm, paying above local scale, providing household items at below cost prices, and encouraged a coffee workers association to promote fair, safe and equitable conditions. When the "new crop" is in, samples are taken from each of the micro growing regions on the farm and cupped to determine the years mix. The pickers start at daybreak and finish picking about noon. The days harvest is measured from each picker then at a central pick up point and again at the mill. Every La Minita coffee bean arrives at the mill the same day it is picked which is essential in producing the world's best coffee. The milling process is more meticulous than other mills and the beans are watched at each stage of the preparation. When they have reached the point where most beans would be bagged up and exported, LaMinita enters its final stage. Every bean is looked at by trained coffee sorters who go over and over the beans removing any bean that may taint the final cup. Unlike the other "exotic" coffees of the world, La Minita is in this category for one reason: QUALITY! I once spent a few days with a farmer from Jamaica who wanted to increase his crop. When he was told how to make his coffee better, he replied: "I can sell every bean I can grow for $17.00 a pound; all I want to do is get more production". Unfortunately this is often the case in the exotics. Jamaican Blue Mountain, Hawaiian Kona and other exotics demand high prices but way too often do not deliver the cup. LaMinita sells for far less than Jamaican and Kona and is always a superb coffee at a reasonable price. Visit the La Minita web site at: www.laminita.com. This article is written by Jim Cameron without the permission of La Minita and expresses only the opinions of the Author on what he believes to be the best value coffee in the world. To purchase this coffee green to roast at home, contact: http://www.u-roast-em.com. To purchase this coffee roasted, contact your local coffee roaster or coffee shop. Jim Cameron is a semi retired Specialty Coffee Roaster who now shares his love of coffee and his love of Costa Rica. His company in the USA which searches out and buys the great coffee of the world sells these beans in raw "green coffee" form to the home roasting trade. In Costa Rica, Jim helps people realize the dream he is living by having a little piece of this un-discovered paradise. He has a home and a small real estate business in the Southern Pacific side of Costa Rica on the OSA Peninsula.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Heating Vegetable Oil to Frying Temps Forms Toxic Compound
New research by a University of Minnesota professor and a graduate student shows that when highly unsaturated vegetable oils are heated at frying temperature (365 F) for extended periods?or even for half an hour?a highly toxic compound, HNE (4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal) forms in the oil.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Espresso Machine
Buying an espresso machine is an important decision ? choose a wrong one and you've wasted a few hundred dollars; choose a good one and you will be rewarded for years to come.
11 Effects of Caffeine on The Body
Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping up
all over the place. You can't go far without running into a
Starbucks. "Let's get together for coffee. Time for a coffee
break. Coffee pot goes off before my feet hit the floor. Travel
mugs for sipping coffee on your way to work. I'll just have this
chocolate bar to pick me up this afternoon." Caffeine - It's
everywhere! It's everywhere!
What is Sustainable Coffee and How Does it Affect My Wake Cup?
Gourmet coffee lovers have been seeing a few new terms in the
local premium coffee shop as they file past the seasonal retail
displays of roasted whole bean bagged coffees. Phrases include
eco-friendly, organic, shade grown, fair trade and certified
sustainable. Most often those beans seem to the casual buyer to
be simply more expensive than the corporate mega-brands.
Does Your Morning Coffee Cause You Pain or Discomfort?
Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated when
a night out dining with friends ends in discomfort instead of
relaxed conversation? Do you carry antacids with you every day?
Extracting the Coffee Flavor
The beverage called coffee is the result of mixing dry coffee with water. The combination can be done by one of many methods - ranging from the very simple, with the minimum of equipment - to the use of complex coffee machines which can cost thousands of dollars. Understanding a few facts about coffee brewing can help answer some of the questions which arise when wondering which brewing method to use.
Coffee Roasting De-mystified
How many different names have you run across for different types of coffee roasts? Light, Medium, Dark? Espresso? Continental? Vienna, French, Italian, Spanish? City? Full-City? C'mon, who's thinking up these things?
Coffee and Asthma?
Here are some facts about the relationship between coffee and asthma. Regular coffee drinkers have about 1/3 less asthma symptoms than those of non-coffee drinkers according to a Harvard researcher who studied 20,000 people.
Brazilian Coffee
Adultery, deceit and politics, all the makings of a modern-day best-seller, yet this story is over 250 years old and what ultimately led to brazilian coffee. In 1727 a Brazilian official named Francisco de Melho Palheta was invited to mediate a heated border dispute between French and Dutch Guiana. Both governments were actively growing coffee in Guiana and closely guarded their financial interests by not allowing the exportation of viable coffee seeds.
Coffee and Health
From the year dot, my mother taught all her children that coffee was not bad for you. But of course it is. As a result, I managed to keep away from coffee, at least until the difficult age of 10, when, as I recall, I was allowed to join my mother and her neighbors in their regular gossip sessions at the coffee table.
Make the Switch! Coffee to Tea
Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of coffee each day? Evidence shows by switching to tea you can add some significant health benefits. The health benefit of drinking tea is chalked up to one explanation, antioxidants. Research shows that green and black teas have up to 8-10 times the antioxidants as fruits and vegetables which can add significantly to your health.
Caffeine & Low Birth Weight Babies
These studies begin to point the way to the more permanent
damage that coffee drinking can inflict on the unborn. The use of caffeine during pregnancy has been widely studied. There is much evidence to suggest that caffeine is associated with low-birth weight and related problems.
Tips For Choosing The Perfect Travel Mug
A good travel mug is a must when you need to take your coffee or tea with you on the road. There are many different types of mugs available, so here are a few tips to consider before you purchase one.
Does Coffee Make You Fat or Help with Diabetes?
Who the heck knows?
Home Coffee Roasting
Home Coffee Roasting ? Makes all the difference
Choosing A Coffee Maker - Tips On Finding The Right Features
Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to be taken for granted. If you are going to spend money on your favorite coffee, you will want to make sure the coffee maker you choose is of good quality and has the features you want. The majority of coffee makers are generally quite good and you will notice no difference in the taste of your coffee from one brand to another. There are some basic features to look for when choosing a coffee maker and some luxury features that may give you a better tasting cup of coffee
Mr. Coffee Versus Bunn-o-Matic - The Coffee Maker Battle Heats Up
For coffee lovers, there are few things more appealing than being met in the early a.m. hours by a perfectly brewed pot of coffee. That first cup sets the mood for your entire day, doesn't it? If it's brewed up right, you'll feel that extra zing in your step from morning till night. However, if that first cup is too strong or too weak, too hot or not hot enough, you quickly find yourself spiraling into a first-class coffee crisis.
Tea at Sea
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of Tea once said that, "World Peace would be with us if politicians drank tea at meetings" ? or something to that effect. And she was very true in her words, very true indeed. A cup of Tea does wanders to all that drink it.
Coffee, A Brief Overview
The coffee plant has two main species. There is the Coffea Arabica, which is the more traditional coffee and considered to be superior in flavor, and the Coffea Canephora known more commonly as Robusta. Robusta tends to be higher in caffeine and can be grown in climates and environments were Arabica would not be profitable. Robusta is also typically more bitter and acidic in flavor. Because of this Robusta tends to be less expensive. High quality Robusta is also used to blend espresso for more bite, and to lower costs.
Gourmet Flavored Coffee
Coffee tastes great by itself, but for an extra special taste sensation, try gourmet flavored coffee. There are many flavoring substances which can be added to coffee to give your daily cup of Java an out of the ordinary flavor experience.
|
