Friends in Greece, Veronika is coming to Athens! Spaces in these cuppings are strictly limited to 15 people. Email Veronika to reserve yours.
CCS Tour de France
Retrouvez Nico et notre vieil ami Thomas de Belleville Brulerie, pour ce nouveau CCS Road Trip!
Au programme: Cuppings, ateliers roast et plus...!
Septembre 7 Paris @ KB Coffee Shop
Septembre 9 Lyon with Placid Roasters @ Slake Coffee - 16h00
Septembre 11 Marseille @ Deep Coffee Roasters - 17h30
Septembre 12 Montpellier @ Café BUN - 18h30
Septembre 13 Toulouse @ Café Cerise - 9h00
Septembre 13 Bordeaux @ Oven Heaven - 17h00
Septembre 15 Paris @ Belleville Brulerie - 13h00
Plus d'information: nicolas@collaborativecoffeesource.com
Prague Cupping
Join Veronika at Alf&bet cafe/roastery in Prague for a cupping of new crops from Kenya, Ethiopia and Guatemala. Spaces are limited, so email veronika@collaborativecoffeesource.com to reserve yours.
Summer's End Celebration & Cupping
Join us for a huge 2-day event to celebrate summer crops from Colombia, Burundi and Brazil. We’ll be cupping coffees from our innovative partners Long Miles Coffee Project, La Palma & El Tucán, and CarmoCoffees. Special guest, producer Luiz Paulo Pereira, will present his exciting project in Brazil, Santuario Sul, plus there'll be roasting and brewing workshops, and your chance to win LPET Heroes Series coffee.
Agenda
Tuesday 4th September
9:30 AM Introduction
10:00 AM Cupping Long Miles Coffee Project - Burundi
11.30 AM Ikawa Roast Workshop
12.30 PM Lunch
2:00 PM LPET Neighbors & Crops Cupping
3.30 PM Discussion: the LPET approach to pricing and quality
4:00 PM La Palma & El Tucán Tasters Challenge Part II
Wednesday 5th September
10:00 AM Cupping Brazilian coffees from Carmo Coffees
11.30 AM Presentation by Hugo Silva of Carmo Coffees
12.30 PM Lunch
2:00 PM Competition Coffee Cupping
3.30 PM Discussion: selecting coffees for competition
4:00 PM Roasters' Cupping - bring your roasted coffee
5.30 PM Beers and other refreshments
CCS events are kept small and intimate to ensure our roasters have the best experience. Spaces in our Summer's End Celebration are strictly limited to 16 guests. Make sure you're among them - email bjornar@collaborativecoffeesource.com to reserve your place.
Valle Cafetero competition, 2018
August 1 – 3, 2018
Tulua, Valle del Cauca
Discover the enormous potential of Valle de Cauca, and uncover some hidden gems.
CCS and Fairfield Trading invite you to the 14th annual Valle Cafetero competition in Valle del Cauca, organized by the department’s five FNC coffee cooperatives, and CAFEXCOOP mill.
Valle del Cauca is an innovative yet lesser-known coffee growing department of Colombia. This is a rare opportunity to be part of a region’s coffee development, and add some unique and delicious coffees to your menu.
Itinerary:
July 31: Arrive in Cali, Colombia. Transport to Tulua.
August 1 to 3: Cupping and collaboration with producers
August 4: Return to Cali
Transportation to and from Cali airport, and accommodation in Tulua will be covered by the event organizers.
Agenda:
1. Cupping:
Assessing the top 30 micro-lots selected from 115 “micro-cuencas” in Valle de Cauca.
2. Business round:
A time for buyers and growers to connect, discuss, network, build relationships, and possibly trade coffee.
About Valle del Cauca:
Valle del Cauca is a department located on the Pacific coast, bordered by Chocó, Tolima and Cauca. This department is named after the Cauca river that runs through it, and this river is the basis of their unique approach to coffee cultivation.
The National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) divides Colombia into 86 “ecotopos” (ecotopes in English) within seven different coffee growing regions. These ecotopos are geographical areas that share the same soil and climatic conditions. Using this guide, the FNC create sustainable development programs, technical and crop forecasting models, and study the relationship between climatic conditions of the ecotopos and the cup quality they produce.
In Valle del Cauca, the flowing waters of the Cauca River unite the people, so instead of using ecotopes to determine their coffee sustainability strategy, the department uses “Micro-Cuencas” or micro river basins. Micro-Cuencas are the epicenter of the community and the source of coffee quality. Everyone, whether they work in coffee or not, must do their part to ensure the water is respected, because contamination flows downstream and negatively affects everything: the environment, the people, and ultimately, the coffee quality.
Sustainability programs in Valle del Cauca work with the unique ecosystem of each Mirco-Cuenca. They encourage coffee cultivation in harmony with the natural resources, maintaining the balance of the local insect population, stimulating natural fertility of the soil, and conserving the river basin for the future of both coffee cultivation, and the community.
Our partners in the region, Fairfield Trading, have worked with the group of cooperatives (organizers of this event) since 2002, serving as judges for the Valle Cafetero competition and purchasing winning lots of coffee. Alejandro Renjifo, founder of Fairfield Trading, is from this department, but that is not the only reason for his belief in its coffee growing potential. The exceptional coffees he has recently bought, coupled with the department’s unique approach to community and sustainability, has him convinced that Valle del Cauca will soon be one of the most highly regarded departments on Colombia’s coffee map.
YOU'RE INVITED
Roasters, green coffee buyers and QC managers are invited to join us as judges of the Valle Cafetero 2018. For more information, and to register your interest, fill in the form below.
LPET Tasters Challenge Recap
Nine roasters from all over Europe joined us for this exciting challenge, with a few late entrants who cajoled the judges into letting them in on the fun. The prize had to be good in order to coax so many great cuppers away from the RAI Amsterdam to the considerably more stylish surrounds of the La Cabra pop up cafe. And it was an awesome prize indeed: an exclusive LPET Fermentation Pack from our friends La Palma y El Tucán.
The competition had three rounds:
1. Tasting
Cuppers were presented with the four coffees that were part of the competition and given a chance to get to know the fermentation profiles:
Geisha Acetic
Sidra Natural
Typica Honey
Sidra Lactic
2. Triangulation
It was all-in for Round 2, with nine cuppers at the table at once. They all had ten minutes, but time mattered, and the fastest cuppers would move on to the finals. Nikko from Andante in Helsinki, Finland, flew through to the finals, while Tomas of Rebel Bean in Brno, Czech Republic, earned his place with a stellar time.
All in for Round 2 of the LPET Tasters Challenge
3. Fermentation
In this final round Tomas and Nikko had to identify the fermentation method of the coffees: Acetic, Natural, Honey or Lactic. An informal round followed, as the cuppers gathered at the table to compare their thoughts with the selections of the finalists.
The winner:
Despite Nikko's prowess in the triangulation, it was Tomas of Rebel Bean who won the day! In a lightning quick time of 48 seconds, Tomas correctly identified two of the four fermentation methods. He left Amsterdam with a bag 4kg heavier than when he arrived. We can't wait to see what Rebel Bean do with these exclusive coffees.
An enormous thank you to all who came for this fun event, and an extra special hug for La Cabra who provided the perfect venue. It was an ideal space, away from the craziness of the Roasters Village, to appreciate great coffee (and hear each other speak).
How to get your hands on these coffees
Want to know how these innovative processing methods affect the cup? Looking for a unique coffee for your next competition? Check out our Competition Coffees page on Cropster Hub, and read this guide on buying greens for competition.
World of Coffee Sideshows: Nico Roasts on an Ikawa
Our Ikawa roasters are indispensable tools both at origin and in the lab. Nico will show you all the features while roasting some exceptional Burundian coffees from our partners Long Miles Coffee Project at World of Coffee, Amsterdam. See you there!
And don’t miss our packed schedule of cuppings at the CCS stand, Booth 30 in the Roasters Village. See our full cupping schedule and all our sideshows for the next fun-filled three days.
WORLD OF COFFEE SIDESHOWS - Veronika Brews Finca Elida
Veronika Gálová Veselá, five-time Slovakia Brewers Cup champion, and the latest member of the CCS team, will be brewing at the WB.coffee Booth, Roasters Village, World of Coffee, Amsterdam.
Join Veronika and enjoy her award-winning brews of this delicious coffee from our friends at Finca Elida, Lamastus Family Estates, Panama.
Friday June 22, 11.30am - 1pm.
Plus, we'll be cupping every day at our stand, Booth 30 in the Roasters Village. See our full cupping schedule.
WORLD OF COFFEE SIDESHOWS - LPET Tasters Challenge
Eight contestants will battle in this triangulation competition, with the extra challenge of identifying La Palma & El Tucán's different fermentation methods.
The winner will take home an exclusive LPET Heroes Fermentation Pack, with four different green coffees, featuring four fermentation methods from our innovative partners from Cundinamarca, Colombia.
Don't miss the action, start time 2pm this Friday June 22 at La Cabra's pop up cafe, Qunllijnstraat 80, Amsterdam.
Plus, we'll be cupping every day at our stand, Booth 30 in the Roasters Village. See our full cupping schedule.
World of Coffee Sideshows - Café de Colombia Brew Bar
Join CCS and Fairfield Trading at the Café de Colombia Brew Bar at World of Coffee, Amsterdam. We will be there with friends and colleagues from KAFFA Oslo and Nordbeans, who will brew their roasts of Maria Bercelia Martinez and the El Tesoro blend, place winners in the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018.
Saturday June 23, Café de Colombia Brew Bar, 1.15pm.
Plus, we'll be cupping every day at our stand, Booth 30 in the Roasters Village. See our full cupping schedule.
Origin Trip to Burundi
July 6 to 11, 2018
We'll be visiting our partners in Burundi, Long Miles Coffee Project, for cuppings and visits to farms and washing stations. You're invited to join us. Complete the form below and we will be in touch with all the details.
Taiwan Cupping
Join Julia and our friends at Green Coffee Gallery in Taiwan for a cupping of new crop Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees.
Email jimsburger@gmail.com to reserve your place.
LPET Tasters Challenge
Win a 4kg Heroes Fermentation Pack from La Palma y El Tucán!
Collaborative Coffee Source presents the LPET Tasters Challenge at World of Coffee, Amsterdam.
Friday June 22, 2pm at the La Cabra pop up cafe.
Correctly identify the different cup and the fermentation method in this triangulation challenge, and you could win a selection of La Palma y El Tucán's Heroes Series. This limited edition WoC selection includes 4 x 1kg packs featuring different processes from this innovative producer from Colombia.
Sign Up
Eight contestants will compete in this challenge. Register below and we will inform you on Monday June 18 if you have been selected.
CCS at World of Coffee, Amsterdam
The CCS team will be at World of Coffee in Amsterdam this June, 21st to the 23rd. We'll be hosting several cuppings a day of exciting current and incoming crops from our current offers list. Come and see at at Booth 30 in the Roasters Village.
CCS Sideshows
Thursday Jun 21, 3pm
Nicolas roasts burundi with ikawa
ikawa booth, World of Coffee
Join Nicolas and our friends from Ikawa to roast some samples from our partners Long Miles Coffee Project.
Friday Jun 22, 11.30am
Veronika Galova Vesela brews Finca Elida
Roasters Village, World of Coffee
Slovakia Brewers Cup Champion, and CCS Sales Representative, Veronika Galova Vesela, will brew Finca Elida, Panama.
Friday Jun 22, 2pm
LPET Tasters Challenge
La Cabra pop Up Cafe, QUELLIJNSTRAAT 80, Amsterdam
Eight contestants will battle it out in this triangulation challenge with an added twist: pick the odd cup out, and identify the fermentation. The winner will take home a special Heroes Fermentation Pack from our innovative partners in Cundinamarca, Colombia, La Palma y El Tucán.
Saturday Jun 23, 1.15pm
CCS Acevedo Cup Winners 2018
Café de Colombia Brew Bar
CCS and Fairfield present a selection of lots from the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018, brewed by our friends from Kaffa Oslo and Nordbeans.
CoRo Cupping June 14
Join Colleen and our friends at Bay Area CoRoasters for another cupping of CCS gems, including new crop Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees. Spaces are limited, so email Colleen to reserve yours.
CCS German Tour
Nico will be taking CCS on tour around Germany with our friends, Populus Coffee. Check the tour dates below to find a cupping near you, and email nicolas@collaborativecoffeesource.com to reserve your place.
Tuesday May 22, 5PM
Munich
Vits der Kaffee
Meglinger Straße 56,
81477 Munich
Wednesday May 23, 7:00 PM
Frankfurt
Hoppenworth & Ploch
Friedberger Landstraße 86
60316 Frankfurt
Thursday May 24, 5:00 PM
Dortmund
NEUES SCHWARZ Kaffeerösterei
Saarlandstraße 33,
4139 Dortmund
Friday May 25, 4:00 PM
Hamburg
Less Political
Sternstraße 68,
20357 Hamburg
Saturday May 26, 3:00 PM
Berlin
Populus Coffee
Maybachufer 20
12045 Berlin, Germany
Poland Cuppings
Nico will be part of the action in Opole, Poland, this June with two cuppings at Hard Beans Coffee Roaster, Friday June 1 and Saturday June 2.
Also on the agenda: Polish Coffee in Good Spirits and the Second Polish Commandante Championship!
Contact Hard Beans Coffee Roasters for more information about the events, and email Nico now to reserve your spot at the cupping table.
CCS Oslo HQ Spring Cupping
Spring is here and new crops are bringing sunshine into CCS Oslo HQ. Join us for a day-long workshop of CCS Acevedo Cup winners from Colombia, plus stellar selections from Ethiopia and Kenya.
Friday April 27 from 9.30am
MORNING
- Presentation on the CCS Acevedo Cup by Suzie Hoban.
Suzie lived and worked in Colombia for nearly 7 years before joining CCS in Oslo in January this year as CCS Communications Director. Suzie attended the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018 and will discuss the winning lots, and how these cupping competitions impact coffee producing communities in Colombia.
- Cupping CCS Acevedo Cup 2018 winners and other gems from the region.
- Light lunch provided
AFTERNOON
- Presentation by Nicolas Pourailly on Ethiopia.
Nico travelled with the CCS team and a large group of roasters from all over the world. He will share his first hand experience from the mother-of-all origins, and the his impressions of Ethiopia compared to his experiences in Latin America.
- Cupping new crop Ethiopia
- Cupping new crop Kenya
- Beers and refreshments
Spaces are limited! Email Bjørnar to reserve yours.
CCS at the SCA
CCS will be at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle this week from April 19 to 22. Check out our events below, and get in touch if you would like to organise a time to meet.
Friday April 20, 11am
Ikawa Demonstration Roast
Matt will join our friends at the Ikawa Booth 2624 during the SCA Specialty Coffee Expo for a demonstration roast. Matt has extensive experience as a roaster and manages QC and samples for CCS globally. He'll talk about his experience at origin with a portable Ikawa, and using it for sample roasting, while serving up some Ikawa-roasted Colombias.
Saturday April 21, 10.15am
CCS Cupping
Join us in Room 605 for a cupping of our CCS Acevedo Cup winners from Huila, plus fresh crop Guatemala, Kenya and Ethiopia.
There are just a few spaces left and reservations are essential. Reserve your place at Eventbrite.
Get to know the coffees ahead of time! Check out our origin pages for Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya and Ethiopia where you can learn about the market and our partners, check out the offers, and download hi-res photos and our coffee info sheets. Plus, you can download the Coffee Information Sheets on the coffees that will be presented on Saturday from this Dropbox Showcase.
Sunday April 22, 10.30am
CCS Colombia Tasters Challenge
Win a trip to Colombia! Sign up here.
Join Collaborative Coffee Source and Fairfield Trading at the Café de Colombia booth for this cupping competition of select Colombians from Huila and Tolima. Hosting this special event is Walter Acevedo, roaster at Amor Perfecto and Colombian Cup Taster Champion 2017, who will go on to represent Colombia at the 2018 World Cup Tasters Championship.
Café de Colombia Booth
SCA Specialty Coffee Expo
Sunday 22 April
10.30am
CCS Colombia Tasters Challenge at the SCA
Win a Trip to the next CCS Acevedo Cup!
Join Collaborative Coffee Source and Fairfield Trading at the Café de Colombia booth on Sunday April 22 for this cupping competition of select Colombians from Huila and Tolima. Hosting this special event is Walter Acevedo, roaster at Amor Perfecto and Colombian Cup Taster Champion 2017, who will go on to represent Colombia at the 2018 World Cup Tasters Championship.
Café de Colombia Booth
SCA Specialty Coffee Expo
Sunday 22 April
10am
How the CCS Colombia Tasters Challenge will work:
Before the competition commences, each cupper will taste the four coffees and learn their origins.
Round 1:
There will be four sets of three cups. Two cups in each set will contain the same coffee, the third cup will contain a different coffee. Cuppers must identify the different coffee. Cuppers have four minutes for this task. The finalists are those who correctly identify the different coffee, in the largest number of sets, in the shortest amount of time.
Round 2:
Two finalists will go head to head with eight sets of triangulation.
The winner:
The cupper who can identify the different coffee in all eight sets, and correctly identify the origin of the differing coffee in at least five of the eight sets will be awarded the prize.
The prize:
Fairfield Trading will provide the winning contestant with return flights to Huila, Colombia, to attend the CCS Acevedo Cup, 2019!
Sign up for the CCS Colombia Tasters Challenge
The ten contestant spaces have already been filled. If you would like to be on a stand by list, in case a contestant has to pull out, please fill in the form below.
About the CCS Acevedo Cup
Acevedo is a municipality located in the south-easternmost corner of the Huila department of Colombia, wedged in the fork between the central and eastern cordilleras (mountain ranges) where the Colombian Andes split into three distinct mountain ranges (the western, central and eastern cordilleras). Just beyond the central and eastern cordillera convergence is jungle and thus, moist, cool air. This cool air simulates increased elevation, and creates many different microclimates with diverse humidity, temperature and rainfalls, leading to varying and ideal coffee-growing conditions.
Our partners, Fairfield Trading, have committed to developing this region. They have a buying station in Acevedo town, and their professional and dedicated team have developed strong working relationships with producers in the region, advising on agronomic and processing improvements, lifting the cup quality considerably.
The first CCS Acevedo Cup was held in December 2016, and the second in January 2018. The intention is to hold an annual event, but of course, we must schedule the competition according to the coffee harvest, which was a little later this time around.
The impact of these events should not be underestimated. The recognition and financial reward that comes with placing in the top 20 coffees in this competition is a great incentive to invest the time, energy and money required to produce specialty coffee. The financial reward also allows farmers to invest in infrastructure and plantings that further improve their cup quality. And, above all, events like these bring a community together, which creates an opportunity for collaboration. The Acevedo coffee producing community is particularly strong, with leaders like Ciro Lugo, whose gentle guidance and experience has lifted many farmers into the specialty market.
The top twenty lots from the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018 are already in Europe, and arriving soon in the US. To discover these varied and delicious coffees for yourself, see our Colombia offers list and order your samples.
The coffees
Get a head start in the competition. Read all about the coffees we'll present for the CCS Colombia Tasters Challenge. Full farmer information sheets can be downloaded from this Dropbox folder.
Astrid Medina with Eduardo Urquina (left) and Alejandro Renjifo of Fairfield Trading, and Robert W Thoresen of CCS.
Astrid Medina, Planadas, Tolima
We are in awe of Doña Astrid, both as a producer and as a person. Growing up in a part of Colombia that was one of the worst affected by the country's internal conflict, Astrid suffered, like most of her friends, family and neighbors. But Astrid found purpose in coffee and family. Her dedication to her finca and her coffee inspires us.
Download the Astrid Medina Farmer Information Sheet.
Jair Caicedo, winner of the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018
Jair Caicedo, acevedo, Huila
Jair was the winner of the CCS Acevedo Cup 2018. The announcement of his name elicited a gasp from the audience, as the young producer is only 26! We are obviously watching this producer very closely.
Download the Jair Caicedo Farmer Information Sheet.
Julio Olaya, Ibague, Tolima
Julio is a second generation coffee producer who inherited his lot of land from his parents. He was inspired to work towards producing specialty coffee when his neighbor, José Arangel Rodriguez, won a specialty competition organized by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC). Realizing the potential for the region, Julio and his wife Yanet Rincón requested training in cultivating, collecting and processing for quality, and sold their first specialty lot to Fairfield Trading in 2017.
Download the Julio Olaya Farmer Information Sheet.
Julio Olaya, a new entrant to the specialty market.
Maria Bercelia on her farm, Los Angeles
Maria Bercelia, Acevedo, Huila
Another rock star of specialty coffee, Maria and her family stand apart from most coffee producers, possibly because they are all first generation farmers. Previously the family ran a hardware store in a part of Colombia badly affected by the internal conflict. For their safety, and to build a more stable financial future, Maria and her husband Jose Erazo purchased a plot of land in Acevedo, and the entire family began cultivating coffee. Maria's farm, Los Angeles, has a set up unlike any other. Without generations of knowledge and tradition, the family approach each challenge with a fresh perspective, a difference that can be tasted in the cup.
Download the Maria Bercelia Farmer Information Sheet.