News articles tagged with 'Origin Trip'
-
From cup to origin — part 1
Five Senses’ own Ben Bicknell has been on an epic adventure from the cafes of Montreal, to the rigorous challenges of a week’s training at Coffee Lab International and the exhilaration of judging at the World Barista Championships in Atlanta. Here’s a peek at his adventures, couched in an inimitable Ben-style …
-
What is ethical coffee?
How can you be sure that you’re buying a coffee that doesn’t exploit the people who grew it? The good news is that it’s actually easy to support the farmer who has laboured for many hours to grow and process your coffee.
-
From Small Beginnings
I can still remember my first meeting with the farmers of Tri Karya quite vividly. We met them under the lean-to of a ramshackle little roadside shop a few miles past Bedugul. The rain was pouring down outside and I watched as Santosa made the customary small talk that precedes any “business meeting” in Bali. With some ceremony, they handed over a small plastic bag containing the most motley assortment of green beans I’ve ever seen. With my best poker face I said I would take it back to Australia for further assessment.
-
The Many Facets of Colombia
Do you remember those funky, printed, refracting images you had as a kid that changed to a different image depending on the angle you looked at it? I know I had a few – mostly comprising superheroes in a “ready for action” pose. Then, with a tilt of the page, they adopted a body-busting “Ka-pow!” pose. Colombia reminds me of those images for the simple reason that from pretty much whatever angle you look at the country, you see something very different.
-
PNG: So Close, Yet So Far Away
Every time I visit somewhere new, I am humbly reminded that the complex journey from seed to cup has its own set of unique challenges and opportunities which are particular to each country. My first visit is always an exercise in listening, observing and trusting my instinct. Whilst I never know what to expect, against all odds, the results are often new relationships, lasting friendships and precious life experiences. My first visit to PNG was all that and more.
-
Do Good, Feel Good
Well, this was supposed to be a story about a little coffee nursery in the Highlands of Bali, but a few different events have conspired to convince me to take a slight left turn. Bear with me; it’s still a coffee story at heart, just one with a slightly philosophical detour!
-
New Era for Indian Coffees
Five years ago, I ummed and ahhed over Monsoon or Tiger Mountain branded coffees. They were savoury, dusty, baggy and cigar-like — and I wasn’t quite sure whether I liked them or not. All I knew was that they blended poorly, had a very bubbly crema and required a very different grind setting to most of the other coffees I was using. Fast track forward five years and I’m no longer a fan of these coffees. Sounds harsh, but those coffees were just that: harsh! Now that the global quality standard has rapidly increased, the old-style Indian coffees just don’t stand a chance against the super sweet and refined coffees of today. That’s pretty much all I knew about Indian coffees, until my recent visit to India, that is.
Follow Five Senses ...
