Coffee Beans from Sumatra

Coffee was brought to Sumatra by the Dutch in the 1700s. It is thought that the original trees were from Yemen or Ethiopia.

Sumatran coffee is not thought to get its flavor from unique soil or weather conditions, but more from the unique picking, preparation and processing the beans experience.

Sumatra uses a unique semi-washed process on the beans. After picking the beans are washed and then only partially dried. The outer layer is then removed exposing a swollen grean bean. These are then dried on a patio or in the dirt. Often times, they are dried multiple times - when the outer layer is removed, by a middleman, and then once again prior to shipping. This unique drying method gives it the "forest funk" taste that Four Beans' roastmaster refers to.

Four Beans on Sumatra:

"Heavy body with a syrupy chocolate after tone. Earthy, deep, complex, full-bodied, low acidity, smoothness with a touch of forest floor "funk". Creamy richness adds to the tough of butterscotch, spice and mustiness. This stuff goes with anything, but you gotta like funk."

 Try some - go to our online store and order some today.

Roasting

Well it's 10:30 Monday the 23 and I'll be roasting for the next couple of hours if you want to stop by....

Storing Your Coffee

The coffee bean's enemy is air and moisture. Coffee beans are at their peak within 24 - 72 hours after roasting. Coffee starts loosing its freshness as soon as air hits it along with light, moisture and heat. That's why it's so important to get your beans packed and in your house as soon after roasting as possible.

The most direct and simple way to store your coffee is to buy your coffee in small quantities as needed, WHOLE BEAN , and store it in an airtight canister (ceramic is best) or vacuum canister, in a cool shady spot on the counter or in the cupboard. Coffee should never be stored in the refrigerator or freezer unless absolutely necessary. All our coffees are shipped in bags with degassing valves, zip-lock, and heat sealed.

If you get your coffee shipped ground, be aware that ground beans don't stay fresh as long as whole beans because more surface area is exposed. Keep your ground beans in an airtight container at room temperature, in a dry, dark place. They should keep for approximately two weeks.

Four Beans House Blend Coffee

Blends are what makes a coffee roaster special. The coffees are chosen to complement each other and sometimes the combination yields a mixture that has a flavor beyond what any of its components has on their own.

Today's blend is simply called the "House Blend". Four Beans' has combined the Ethiopian Harrar bean with beans from Sumatra. Let's look at the individual bean flavor profiles:

Ethiopian Harrar:

 "Wild Coffee - Experience blueberries, cocoa, and a touch of cinnamon and cardamom. Medium body - low acidity."

Sumatra:

"Heavy body with a syrupy chocolate after tone. Earthy, deep, complex, full-bodied, low acidity, smoothness with a touch of forest floor 'funk'. Creamy richness adds to the touch of butterscotch, spice and mustiness. This stuff goes with anything, but you gotta like funk."

Four Beans describes the combination as:

"A combination of Sumatra and Ethiopian Harrar gives this coffee its uniqueness. A "forest funk" to "wild coffee" and this is what you get, a unique taste that's easy to drink pot after pot after pot."

Try this blend, or any of their other blends, today. Order some at the online store.

Roasting

Just to let you know we will be putting our roasting schedule HERE.  It will probably happen on the day and time that we roast  but at least it's something to let you know what's up.

I will be roasting today (Sat) at about 10:30 am.

Roasting Day at Four Beans Coffee House

It was roasting day at Four Beans and we just happened to have our camera ready. Take a look at our latest video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYod8BJzj0I

Brazilian Daterra Coffee Beans

Most Brazilian coffee exports have consisted of robusta beans, a lower quality bean commonly used in supermarket shelf coffees. However, some Arabica beans are grown in Brazil and Daterra is an example of the very best.

Daterra was Brazil's first sustainable coffee farm, becoming Rainforest Alliance certified in 2003.

Daterra's beans are grown at an altitude around 3800 ft and at a fairly constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and ideal environment for coffee trees.

Daterra has spent considerable resources on quality control. They call it their Penta System®, which they implemented to ensure quality consistency through rigorous inspection.

Four Beans’ Daterra beans come from the estate of Villa Borghesi.

The Four Beans roastmaster’s comments:

"This is the only coffee we buy already blended and it’s called “Sunrise Blend”. Coffee is brought into the consortium and several blends are created. This one is the best we've found. Soft, nutty, low acidity with a nice bettersweet chocolate aftertaste. Another all day coffee."