ROAST

Coffee gets both taste and aroma from a soluble oil which is trapped inside the bean. Roast is the single most important factor affecting the way that a coffee tastes. It is very important that you know how each different roast level affects coffee. There are three roasts that you need to be informed about: medium roast, dark roast and French roast.

Medium Roast – This is the roast used by professional cup-testers. They use a medium roast because it allows them to taste everything the coffee has to offer and thereby make an informed evaluation. If the coffee is flawed and has imperfections, they will be able to detect the imperfections. Alternately, if the coffee is superb, they will be able to taste all of the subtle characteristics that set it apart from other coffees. These subtle characteristics are masked or hidden when a coffee is roasted darker than a medium roast. A medium roast also brings out the acidity in the coffee.

Dark Roast – Although when coffee is roasted darker than a medium roast some of the more subtle characteristics are removed, some coffees such as aged Sumatra Mandhelings which are very rich and full-bodied, lend themselves to a dark roast. Dark roasting a full-bodied coffee lowers the acidity and giving the cup a smooth, rich taste.

French Roast – When coffee is roasted to a French roast the soluble oil which gives the coffee taste and aroma is brought to the surface of the bean. There are two important things to know about French roasted coffee. First, when the oil is on the surface of the bean it comes in contact with the air and oxidizes. Nothing deteriorates or stales coffee more rapidly than oxidation. Second, French roasting eliminates or masks all of the subtle characteristics of the coffee and replaces them with a bitter aftertaste. People frequently mistake bitterness in coffee for strength. This is a misconception. Strength is a function of the quantity of coffee in relation to the quantity of water used to prepare the brew.

Nota Bene – Coffee lovers should keep the following information in mind with regard to BITTERNESS. We human beings are creatures of habit. If our palate is accustomed to a bitter aftertaste and we do not get this bitter aftertaste when we drink a cup of coffee, our brain tells us that something is "wrong". In fact, nothing is wrong, it is simply that our palate is craving something which it is accustomed to and is no longer getting.

This is why we offer only our least expensive coffee in a French Roast.

GRADES

Most people are not aware that coffees are available in a number of different grades. Although there is no universal system each producer nation has standards by which their coffees are graded and most of these national standards typically have five grades. The nomenclature for these grades varies from country to country as do the specifics by which the coffees are graded. All grading systems however use the following criteria: the size of the bean and the number of defects.

J. Martinez & Company sells only the top or premium grade of each coffee that we offer.

LABELLING

U.S. labelling regulations specify that a package must contain 100% pure coffee. If a package does not contain 100% pure coffee the regulations state that the label must specify the other ingredient/s. Therefore, a manufacturer of a New Orleans style blend of coffee and chicory must specify that the package contains chicory and state what percentage of the blend it constitutes.

These labelling regulations apply to the entire coffee industry in America. The question that we ask is "How effective are these labelling regulations when applied to the Specialty Coffee Industry?" So let us look at that.

What happens when a retailer sells a pound of coffee labelled Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee to a customer for $40.00 but the bag instead of containing sixteen ounces of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee actually contains two ounces of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee and fourteen ounces of Brazilian coffee? Legally, the labelling regulations have been met for the bag does in fact contain sixteen ounces of 100% pure coffee. However, as a pound of Brazilian coffee might cost $8.00 per pound and a pound of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee typically costs $40.00 per pound, or more, two things happen. The consumer is duped and the reputation of one of the world's premier coffees has been seriously damaged.

Most coffee producing countries are developing nations which depend in some measure on coffee export earnings for sustaining their economies and for supporting their socio-economic advancement. For this reason export coffee worldwide falls under statutory regulations. These statutory institutions range from the giant I.B.C. in Brazil to the Coffee Boards found in the former British colonies such as Kenya and Jamaica.

Because Jamaican coffee fetches the highest prices in the world it is particularly vulnerable to fraud. When unscrupulous vendors "water down" Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee by blending it with a cheap coffee, then sell the blend as Jamaica Blue Mountain at the top prices that straight, un-blended, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee commands -- the reputation of the coffee is seriously damaged.

J. Martinez & Company guarantees customers that we will not blend our premium coffees and this guarantee is printed on our packaging.

John Martinez has been calling for stricter labelling regulations for a long time.

In November 1991 his address, as a guest speaker at the 5th International Sintercafe Conference in Costa Rica, called for stricter labelling regulations. (Sintercafe is a prestigious forum for both producers and buyers hosted by Costa Rica's respected national coffee authority, the Instituto del Cafe.)

Growers in Hawaii took up the banner and lobbied the State legislature for labelling regulations to protect Hawaii's world renowned Kona coffee. In January 1992 the Hawaiian Legislature passed a law requiring that a package of coffee labelled Hawaiian Kona must contain 10% Kona beans in order to use the name Kona. Previously there were no minimum requirements. Unfortunately the Hawaiian regulation is not enforceable on the mainland.