Posted Fri Jun 6, 2008, 10:32pm Subject: Stumptown Esmeralda Especial on TV
Our local CBS affiliate had a story on the evening news about Stumptown's incoming Esmeralda which they say will be $100 for a half pound roasted. They interview Stumptown's coffee buyer and a few customers. It can be seen by clicking here.
Its obviously a different lot but we'll see how different it is. I believe we discussed this last summer when PT's was selling their pre auction lot Esmeralda for $48 lb while others were charging much more. That same PT's Esmeralda drew a 97 point review on Coffee Review & I don't recall seeing any of the later more expensive lots besting that. I'll take my chances.
RobertKWFL Senior Member Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Key West, Florida Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Elektra Semiautomatica Grinder: Mazzer Major & Super Jolly Vac Pot: Cona
Posted Sat Jun 28, 2008, 3:29pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Esmeralda Especial on TV
I'm confused about what it means to have different lots and batches from the same farm, and how to know which is the best buy. I seem to remember that Mark Prince, in one of his recent podcasts, warned about the difference between auction lots of Esmeralda and lesser but still good non-auction lots. But how do we compare one lot to another, especially when there is a huge price difference?
The results of the May 2008 auction are posted on Hacienda La Esmeralda's web site: http://www.haciendaesmeralda.com/Placesyoucanbuy.htm , but I don't know how to interepret the auction results as an end consumer. How are the batches defined? Are they different parts of the farm, or different pickings from the same trees, for example? Are the batches numbered in order of quality? If so, are the cupping results available for consumers to review? Stumptown bought batch 2 for $105/lb and batch 3 at $50/lb. I'm guessing that batch 2 isn't twice as good as batch 3, but is there any way for the cunsumer to know how much quality difference there is beween these batches? What about the other batches selling for $6-13/lb? Are these still going to be marketed as Esmeralda Special? Is PT's retail price of $32/12oz a bargain, or is PT's Esmeralda Special a knock-off pretending to be something it is not?
I used to think the wine world was confusing, but I'm beginning to think the high-end coffee market is even more confusing.
walkingmiller Senior Member Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Lawrence, KS Expertise: Professional
Posted Mon Jun 30, 2008, 5:52pm Subject: Re: Stumptown Esmeralda Especial on TV
Hopefully I can shed a little light on this conundrum. One of the aspects of the specialty coffee industry that I love is that so many people are never satisfied with the status quo. There is always a push to improve the quality of the coffee, the fairness and transparency of the process, and to educate everyone involved in the process. Occasionally, this push to improve can leave some people scratching their heads. The Petersons, the owners of Hacienda La Esmeralda, are very much a part of this push to improve the industry. Their decision to hold the auction in the way that they did is a great example of this push.
The Petersons divided their Geisha variety coffee harvest into 10 different batches, based upon the coffee's location/elevation on the farm, type (ie: Peaberry), and date of harvest. They sent off samples of these batches to various roasters that were interested in participating in the auction. In previous auctions the "North of the Creek" harvested coffee has received the highest cupping scores. To our knowledge, this area is also the highest point at which the Petersons have Geisha planted. The batches that received the highest price were from this area; this result is consistent with previous auctions. We agreed the "North of the Creek" harvested coffee (batches 1- 3) cupped ever-so-slightly better than the lots we purchased (a mixture of North of the Creek and South of the Creek) at the time of cupping. But we also knew those lots would sell for more than we could justify for our customers because they were listed as #1, #2 and #3 in the auction. In our cupping we found the lots we purchased to be within 1-2 points of the highest priced coffee in the auction. The value judgments we make when purchasing any coffee is not simply based on price, name or even quality, but rather a combination of quality and price. In 2007 we made a similar purchase and it was scored as a 97 by Coffeereveiw.com. If anyone would like to see the results from the auction that list where each batch is from on the farm and the harvest dates, here is the link:
You can see the progression of the prices in the auction if you click on the little graphs. You can tell that there was a decently big bidding war going on for these top lots. As in any auction, such bidding wars can have a huge impact on the end price. We bought coffee from batches six and ten, two of our favorites from the samples that we received. We are very happy with the results, and antsy for the coffee to arrive.
Now, does this give the consumer any idea about how the various coffees will compare when roasted? Probably, but only a little bit. So much of it depends upon how well the coffee is roasted. So, I would say that any comparisons at this point are a little premature. Once the coffee arrives and we can cup them blind, then we can start making judgments. Just my two cents. The roasters who bought the high priced lots are great roasters and cuppers and may have different opinions. Hopefully this explanation clears things up a little and doesn’t just muddy up the waters even more.
RobertKWFL Senior Member Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Posts: 30 Location: Key West, Florida Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Elektra Semiautomatica Grinder: Mazzer Major & Super Jolly Vac Pot: Cona
Posted Tue Jul 1, 2008, 4:36am Subject: Re: Stumptown Esmeralda Especial on TV
Thank you for this information. It's very useful and, really, fascinating. I envy the pros who got to cup all of the batches!
The auction results on the farm's website suggested that around two dozen roasters in North America will be selling coffee this summer called "Esmeralda Special" at very widely varying price points. (Auction prices ranged from $6/lb to $105/lb.) It seems like there is a lot of opportunity for consumer confusion. I guess explaining the differences will be a challenge for the marketing folks as the high-end coffee market develops.
I put in a pre-order for PT's Esmeralda last week without knowing any of the details about the batches and the auction. Knowing more about the process has convinced me that I made the right choice -- coffee from the best Esmeralda batch I can afford.
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