3 lbs of loose-leaf tea packed in ¼ lb bags was recently delivered to my office in Halkett Place. Apart from the Imperial weight measure, you’re probably wondering “So what”?
Well, what is remarkable about this is that the Tea was supplied by Cooper & Co. to “Ballarat stores” on Trinity main road which was run by Mr. and Mrs. Marett. It was probably delivered to them sometime in the late 1950’s, or early 1960’s and has never seen the light of day since. Ballarat stores traded on the main Trinity road and was located next door to what is today a garage. It has long since been converted into a family home but still retains the name.
We have Sarah Marett a relative of the original owners to thank for this find. So much of what Cooper’s did has been lost in the annals of time but one person who still remembers the store is the ex-Constable of Trinity, John Gallichan. He recalled that he and his wife went shopping there on many occasions and used to get their Gammon delivered from town on the bus for collection from the store. He also recalled that the shop would be open from 5am to 8pm to accommodate the demands of the French farm workers who at the end of the working day would sit down with a bottle of wine or a beer.
Turning to the packet of tea. As well as being “Quarter pound net” it has been pre-priced at 9 ½ D. “old money”, that’s around 4.5p in “new” money. It also has the original telephone number “352”. Although the packaging doesn’t say so this would have been the old central exchange, on other packaging I’ve seen the term “central 352”. Today our telephone number is 733352 which reflects how the population has grown and how popular the telephone has become. Finally, the address is “47 Halkett Place”, today we trade from 57 Halkett Place. The company moved to its “new” address in 1971.
This package of tea is like a time capsule. How Jersey once worked, when life was a lot simpler.
]]>Has it really been 4 years since Cooper's sponsored a Durrell Gorilla? Back then we used the empty space of what is now our IFC5 coffee shop as a studio for multi award-winning artist MrASingh who painted our Gorilla and has returned to paint our co-sponsored Tortoise; trust me it looks amazing. We have selected a design that uses a pattern of dots. It’s a nod to Aboriginal art from the 1970s. Storytelling using the medium of the humble dot; huge complexity delivered through such a simple form.
But isn’t this the case with so many things in life? I was running a coffee training session recently with a group of people who told me they were “passionate about coffee”. They knew what a “good” cup of coffee tasted like but had no concept as to how that was achieved. An hour and a half later and we had managed to scratch the surface. It is enjoyable though to explain by starting with a completely blank canvas and having that precious commodity called time.
In our sound-bite world it is increasingly difficult to communicate truly complex issues. I should know I’m in the world of politics and nothing could be more political and complex than putting a secure roof over someone’s head. When did we start believing that all this stuff is easy and summed up in 180 characters?
I was reflecting how interesting it is that a hugely thoughtful work of art should be applied to a tortoise, an animal that is in no hurry to go anywhere. Maybe there was something subliminal in the choice!
The concept of Jersey Zoo's Tortoise Trail is brilliant and more so because of the size of our Island with all its different land and seascapes so tightly packed together. Appreciating our Island whilst at the same time enjoying art and exercising will be such a positive experience for so many. You might even find time to enjoy a cup of Cooper's coffee along the way!
]]>Highlands College Arts students will be staging a Sustainable Fashion Show celebrating their creative talent, this evening at Cooper's International Finance Centre coffee shop.
It’s the culmination of a project initiated by an article I read in a Sunday Times magazine. It was about the enormous amount of clothing being dumped in the waterways of a West African country. Clothing that had been discarded in Europe. Despite all efforts to re-cycle as much clothing as possible, the quantities were so overwhelming that containers were literally rusting away full of unusable clothing left to rot out of sight of those who had once worn them.
I reflected on this abomination - what if those very containers could be seen on our coast? What would happen if container after container disgorging their contents onto the beach of St Ouen started to appear.? Would we simply shrug our collective shoulders in the belief that nothing could be done? I don’t think so, there would be an outcry and very quickly solutions would be found. This Times article highlighted the old adage “out of sight, out of mind”.
By coincidence soon after reading the article I was emailed by a company called Teemill. Initially I thought they were just another company promoting personalised t-shirts, but after research I discovered this truly original idea whereby you design your own t-shirt which when worn out gets sent back to them for re-purposing. Genius!
Cooper's coffee business is very much community led and although we sell significant amounts of coffee, I’ve always thought of ourselves in a much broader sense. Who can we work with that creates something that is bigger than the sum of its parts? Whilst promoting our products can we also tell stories that raise our customers' awareness of subjects that are of local and international importance?
Here was a great example, working with young people in education. Not only telling a very important story but also developing their talent and exposing them to the world of commerce.
To make matters more complicated I’m also on a political journey. As Housing Minister in the Government of Jersey I’ve become very aware of the corrosive effect of empty homes. In a society where homes have become unaffordable it has struck me as bizarre that we have so many long-term vacant properties. An example this time of wasted resource in full view.
I approached Highlands College, and they enthusiastically took on board my suggestion that students design t-shirts with a message around sustainability and market them using the Teemill platform.
I’m really looking forward to the Show; the students have come up with some amazing designs and demonstrate the depth of talent that exists in our tiny Island. The story moves to their generation and maybe just slowly we will change hearts and minds. As they say, there is no Planet B.
]]>As the band Fairport Convention once wrote “who knows where the time goes?” I find myself back again at the London Coffee Festival. It seems only yesterday since I was last here.
Once again, it’s packed with all the chaos caused by an apparently random set of rooms over a number of floors. It’s one of the most unconventional sites in the coffee calendar, but what else would you expect from this East End Über cool part of London on Brick Lane in what once was Truman’s brewery?
Trends and fashions change over the years as the latest geeky kit is rolled out. It never ceases to amaze me how last year’s hot idea can end up in this year’s trash. I’m sure that will resonate with more regular visitors!
However, the one trend that never goes away is the artistic element of the show and it’s something I now always look out for. James Daw was commissioned by the show organisers to come up with some posters for the show. His colourful representations of the classic Bialetti stove top coffee maker are truly joyful and will soon be hanging on the walls of Cooper's cafés here in Jersey.
I was sorry to see no artistic connection with the Waterfall project this year. I managed to purchase a wonderful painting at last year’s show knowing the money was going to a truly worthwhile cause. However, I did think that this year’s very interactive offer by “Hopefully made”, a Shrewsbury based designer and print maker was inspired. It was called “Tethered”, and you were encouraged to make your own mark on what effectively was a blank sheet of wallpaper. Having never done any screen printing before it was a novel experience learning the process.
The concept of “Tethered” is based around re-connecting in a post COVID world where so many connections were fractured and broken. Your print overlaps with the previous print and then the next person overlaps their print onto yours. It’s beautifully simple but deeply resonates. A young woman “tethered” to me, could this be a future form of hitching up!? (I didn’t get her name in case you were asking!)
This surely is the essence of traceability, something I’ve written so much about over the years. That human connection that turns an anonymous commodity into something so much more human. Sharing prosperity, we rather than I.
So on to the show itself which once again did not disappoint and is such a reflection of all those trends you read about in the week-end press. The “home” barista was particularly strong this year. Domestic coffee grinders which have historically been cheap and cheerful are having a make-over; sleek designs and properly constructed internal mechanisms to assist the home brewer get the most out of their coffee. There’s a price tag, however it seems working from home without access to your usual café has prompted many to re-access their own coffee making skills.
The other significant offers this year were around sustainable packaging and alternatives to traditional dairy and gluten based products. There seems to be an infinite variety of options in what is becoming an increasingly crowded marketplace. I only have to look in our own cafés to wonder where it all ends. Infinite choice can be infinitely expensive, both in monetary and space terms. No doubt we will see winners and losers and plenty of consolidation over the coming years as consumers start to settle down on their particular favourites. I do worry that the quality of the core beverage namely coffee is in danger of being forgotten.
And so the day ended with a DJ pumping out a healthy beat over the crowds. Artistic creativity and coffee make happy bedfellows. À la prochaine London Coffee Festival.
]]>Many years ago I travelled to Brazil as part of a fact-finding mission to understand why it was that some producers could sell Fairtrade certified coffee whilst others could not. I was trying to explain traceability but wasn’t getting anywhere. The “mark” was all that was of interest.
I discovered that the Fairtrade movement only supported co-operatives whilst stand-alone farms were considered big enough to fend for themselves. I wasn’t too sure about this at the time, however it was on a subsequent trip to Colombia that made me appreciate the importance of the concept. World coffee prices were on the floor and it was literally costing small producers money to grow their crop. I recall Oxfam’s publication at the time “Poverty in your coffee cup” was a real eye
opener. What I saw in Colombia made me realise how the poorest farmers were beholden to prices over which they had no control and which at that time was making them destitute.
The key to the Fairtrade movement is that it organises small producers and gives them a level of influence that can’t be achieved by the individual. They also set a floor price for coffee which gives a return to producers that world markets are not prepared to pay.
The challenge of “adding value” to your coffee crop in the winds of a global market is challenging. In Peru I discovered “Café Femenino”. A project to support women in farming. Then there is the organic movement as well as “bird friendly” marks. The coffees became known as “triple seal” coffees, each element adding a small premium to the price paid to the producer.
It was however in northern Sumatra that I discovered some degree of frustration. Rather than staying together as a co-operative some producers who were signed up to the Fairtrade movement were found to be selling directly to processors as they were being offered more money than the co-operative was getting. It was an era when coffee was in short supply but world coffee market prices remained depressed. The lure of extra money was turning some producers' heads.
This is the insanity in which the commodity market now finds itself. Whereas in the past prices were dictated by simple supply and demand issues commodity prices today are now beholden to “Exchange traded funds”. This means that if the equity market falls major pension funds for example will look to the commodity market to achieve a return. The price of basic food stuff is now treated like gambling chips in a high stakes casino. A new moral low.
Today the irony is that the war in Ukraine has pushed coffee prices way above any Fairtrade minimum price and thus begs the question why pay a premium for a product that has increased in price so dramatically? It’s certainly something that challenges coffee roasters like ourselves in a market where all costs have risen so dramatically.
We must always remember that Fairtrade certified coffee no matter what the price offers stability to the producer. From planting the first coffee bush to production takes around 3 years. That’s a long term investment, that’s a commitment to the future. The Fairtrade premium also goes back into the community and helps producers gradually build resilience. That should mean that no matter what happens in the short term we will still have coffee to sell to our customers in the long term. Producers need stability, only then will they invest in the future.
]]>The coffee capsule is a genius invention; it solves so many problems in one tiny package however it comes at a huge environmental price. We’re trying to change that.
Making a great cup of coffee is all about managing the variables. It starts with the coffee itself, but on the basis that you have a decent product, that is only one issue amongst many. In many ways it’s why I envy wine makers. Once they’ve got the taste profile they want, they simply pop the wine in a bottle and then stick a cork (or screw lid) in the top and hey presto that is the wine the consumer gets. With coffee it’s not so simple.
If you the consumer buys some perfectly roasted coffee from your local specialist and take it home, the roaster no longer has any control over what you do next. Have you ground it to the correct coarseness? More importantly are the blades of your grinder fit for purpose? Getting this part wrong will impact on the contact time between coffee and water. Too fine and you might get an over extracted flavour, too coarse and everything’s a bit wishy washy.
Then of course there’s the water temperature, too hot, too cold, freshly drawn or stale. Finally, the level of dosing for the volume of liquid you are using. All these variables ultimately impact the taste in your cup for good or ill.
The coffee capsule has removed so many of these variables. The container is sealed therefore the coffee grounds which are also probably gas flushed will feel fresh. The coffee is ground to the right consistency so that the water flows through the coffee consistently. No wonder Nestlé have made a fortune with their Nespresso pods. The consistency they produce probably out does many a coffee shop.
The problem though for me has always been about the environmental impact. In 2016 the German city of Hamburg banned coffee capsules from state run buildings in an environmental drive to reduce waste. “These portion packs cause unnecessary resource consumption and waste generation”. It’s hard to argue with this statement; a combination of plastic, aluminium and organic waste is very costly to recycle. Although a collection service is provided by Nespresso that simply creates a greater carbon footprint. Back in 2020 it was estimated that of the 39,000 capsules created every minute, 29,000 will end up in landfill.
On top of the landfill problem, there is the environmental costs of producing aluminium in the first place. Mining a tonne of aluminium can produce about 10-12 tonnes of waste, including 2-3 tonnes of toxic alkaline red mud.
That begs the question, so what if you could simply compost the capsule? This is where Halo™ step in with their fully compostable capsules made from sugar cane and paper pulp. Once you’ve made your cup of coffee the spent capsule can be simply be put on the compost heap where it will compost naturally with all other organic waste.
It’s taken us a while to get to this point but today we have partnered up with Halo. Using their incredible technology and Cooper's coffee we’ve selected four different single origin coffees for your enjoyment. We recognise there is a cost to going green but we believe that in the long run we’ll be handing over a planet that will be enjoyed for generations to come. How do you put a price on that?
]]>There’s a Taoist saying “the journey is the reward”. I mention this because our journey to the London Coffee Festival this year was a combination of endurance and reward. The endurance element saw our plane to London cancelled at 22.00 hours and was followed by a “red eye” plane before getting on a series of trains and eventually walking to the show held in the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. To say that we felt we’d earned our day off the Island would be an understatement.
London is an amazing city and when I can I try to start at Borough Market and my favourite café “Monmouth”. A hand poured filter coffee with a freshly baked almond croissant is a combination from the Gods.
The walk from Borough Market to Shoreditch is an education in itself. You are surrounded by great architecture and hundreds of years of heritage. Vlad, our Romanian Café Manager commented that he always hears a Romanian voice in the city which demonstrates what a global village it has become.
As usual there was a queue to get into the Festival, the excitement is palpable even on the street. This year all COVID restrictions had been lifted and normality reigned. For those who have not been to the show before it can feel overwhelming. The energy, the sheer number of people and the noise combine to blunt the senses.
There is a huge amount of hype around the show, exemplified by one particular brand of coffee machine called “Slayer”! Another extraordinary coffee machine had a series of controls that reminded me of hi-fi systems of 30 years ago. The ones where you’d make a wave shape with the controls because it looked cool. Then there are the “modbars” where the only part of the coffee machine visible are the “group heads”. You could be pulling a pint rather than making a coffee.
The show though does have its serious points. Project Waterfall looks to raise money for the provision of clean drinking water in producing countries. Sales from an art exhibition at the show were going towards the project.
The most bizarre stand was probably the one selling animal snacks. What an original idea to add value to your coffee sale. No doubt appreciated by many a dog owner.
So where is the world of coffee headed? Apart from the latest anaerobic, heirloom varietal only available seasonally, it’s difficult to say. There was a notable absence of Nitro-brew coffee, last year’s hot trend and far fewer alcoholic combinations. The equipment is becoming increasingly sophisticated and one piece of kit does reflect the current recruitment pressures on today’s coffee shops. It goes by the name of Wally - La Marzocco - it’s an amazingly sophisticated system for perfect milk texturising. It, of course, comes with an appropriate price tag but in today’s market it will maintain the quality of the great vanishing Barista.
Finally, I see coffee has now reached a 5th wave. Please don’t ask me what the previous 4 were as I was vanishing down a rabbit hole at the time. Anyway trust me, the 5th wave is now the “Biophilic” coffee shop. It apparently promotes wellbeing, decreases stress and enhances productivity. Isn’t that the difference in impact of regular and decaff coffee?! No, apparently it’s helping the “urban jungle” turn over a new leaf…… For once we’re on trend here in Jersey. Those 10 year old trees at Cooper’s Castle Quay and the 3 year old green wall at our IFC café are now “de rigueur” apparently. We were just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up!
And finally, finally we were intrigued by an exhibition of bendy mirrors. Thinking it was a new trend in coffee shops we made enquiries only to be told that it was an installation for the show. Duh!
And so home, it had been a very long day and the steam was rapidly running out of our collective cappuccinos, but of course it wouldn’t be memorable without one final flight delay. Not only is there a world shortage of Baristas but there also appears to be a world shortage of cabin crew. Just the hour delay this time on the last flight of the evening and of course you’ve guessed it not a taxi driver in site when we landed. Plus ça change!
]]>Coffee is really interesting, no I mean it; it really IS interesting. Although I’ve been in this business for more years than I can count I still find it fascinating that there are so many different ideas around how a good cup of coffee should taste.
I was recently in London on a short break being a tourist in this extraordinary city and visited far too many cafés and restaurants for the good of my credit card. I pick three cafés out not because of the wonderful coffee I had but more because of the different taste profiles they were serving.
The first café that came in for scrutiny is situated beneath the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich. My first observation was one of sympathy for the sole member of staff expected to take orders, make coffee and serve. It’s a sign of the times that so much pressure is put on so few.
I ordered a “flat white” more out of curiosity than anything and was delivered something tolerable with an attempt at a latté art heart. The coffee was one of those dark roasted varieties that seem to be all the rage at the moment. Overwhelming as an Americano but does the job when softened with some reasonably well steamed milk. There was probably some very sensible story around sustainability etc. but it’s a reminder to those of us in the industry that sometimes there can be too much story and not enough thought given to the delivery. Not giving marks out of ten as this style is so prevalent and to be honest extremely boring.
Another coffee stop found me opposite the Lyceum Theatre in a small Italian family run café. I avoided the two coffee chain stores just to have something different. In appearance the café is very unpretentious and the coffee they serve is an unfamiliar Italian brand. Why do people think that coffee roasted and packed in Italy is somehow more authentic? They don’t even grow coffee!
I used the word “authentic” because the one thing I would say about many Italian brands of coffee is that there is a very definite “house” style. It’s so distinctive that I reckon I could pick out this coffee style blindfolded. It’s interesting though that Lavazza, the leading “Italian” brand seems to have abandoned its house style in favour of something much more darkly roasted: trend followers rather than trend setters these days.
All the above said, I returned to my coffee of choice, a black Americano. The coffee that came had that interesting classic bitterness of so many Italian brands; they hadn’t abandoned their roots. It was also blended with some Robusta coffee which, rather than making a disagreeable beverage, actually made it more distinctive and more “Italian”! I’m not sure whether I liked or disliked the drink, it’s probably a little more challenging for me as someone who doesn’t have sugar in their coffee but that aside it delivered the taste profile I expected from the branding on the cup.
Finally, I visited the extraordinary development that was once Battersea Power Station. Thankfully there is still a green space called Battersea Park. Concrete and brick can be overwhelming on this scale. In the park there is a quirky café that goes by the name of “Pear Tree café”. I warn you now that the toilets don’t work at the moment because they are apparently waiting for the council to fix the drains. Surprised they’re still allowed to operate, but hey this is London not Jersey! Coffee is all sold in “to go” cups and they politely ask you for your name when you place an order. I wish I’d thought of something wittier than giving my real name although I did notice that some people refuse to give their name unless, that is, they are called “flat white with oat milk”; this is London after all.
]]>It’s been a really interesting past 12 months at the “coal face” of coffee. There’s a sense that the consumer is becoming bolder in their willingness to experiment. We’ve seen an increasing interest in “naturals”, that is coffees processed in such a way as to deliver a more fruity note in the cup. It’s taken a while but I think our customers are now willing participants on the journey.
We’re currently stocking one of my favourites, Gems of Araku from south east India. As a medium roasted coffee it’s the very definition of a naturally processed coffee and is also wonderfully consistent. Another “natural” came to us from El Salvador – Finca San Ernesto earlier in the summer. Central America doesn’t usually come to mind when you think of this style of processing however it turned out to be a delicious coffee, but just as soon as it had arrived it was gone. That’s the frustrating part about the speciality world, it can be very fleeting.
The world famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has once again proved a popular seasonal coffee. We’ve done a little experimenting this year with our roasting style. Going into December we roasted the coffee just past “first crack”. For our market that’s quite light however it does highlight the lovely soft creaminess and gentle acidity of this coffee. Post Christmas we’ve taken a slightly different approach. We’ve pushed the roast a lot fuller which has developed an interesting molasses note but still retaining the softness of the lighter style. It’s proven to be a surprisingly versatile coffee and maybe makes the price a little more palatable.
I visited Myanmar in February 2018 and have written extensively about this extraordinary country. What is happening there today is history simply repeating itself in all its true horror. When I was there, there was a real sense of hope for the future. The bad times of the military junta were seemingly over and a bright new future seemed possible. We continue to support the people of Myanmar and privately owned co-operatives such as Shwe Ywar Ngan. We’ve even developed a special label #savemyanmar to keep their plight front and centre and are pleased to see so much support from our customer base.
We developed a new “espresso” blend in 2021 that combine a couple of what are now very unfashionable “heritage” coffees. These are aged coffees from Malabar and Java. The combination was developed by our shop manager Josh who had got bored of our more traditional blends. It took a bit of trial and error but eventually blending the darker roasted Java with the much lighter roasted Malabar he came up with this wonderfully deep rich coffee. It makes the most incredible cappuccino.
Yet again though it’s our Sumatra Mandheling Grade1 coffee that continues to out sell everything else. Something about the dark heavy roast seems to appeal to the taste buds of so many of our customers. It is of course a great coffee and handled with so much care by the producers.
Finally we recently successfully bid for an aerobic processed coffee from our friends at Daterra in Brazil. It’s part of their “Masterpieces” collection so is extraordinarily exclusive with only a few kilos being produced annually. In addition this particular coffee is made using the “Laurina” varietal which is almost rice like in its shape. There’s a lot of interest in this form of processing at the moment. By restricting the amount of air during the fermentation process the coffee develops an almost boozy character. The laurina varietal also challenges the roaster as it’s a coffee that develops very quickly in the drum and requires more art than science to achieve the best results. It’s a pricey coffee but worth giving a try. This could be the future of speciality coffee.
In summary 2021 has been a year of experimentation reflecting in many ways the lack of coherence we’ve collectively experienced. Maybe in years to come we’ll look back on it as a golden age of innovation in the world of coffee. Happy New Year!
]]>No I haven’ picked three random words from an “A” level botanical text book, this is in fact the latest in coffee processing techniques which is gaining a good deal of interest around the globe.
Historically there have been just two processing techniques, washed and natural. Here in the UK we only ever saw “washed” processed coffee, and because of that the consumer became very accustomed to this clean bright coffee flavour. The fruity notes that are developed under the “natural” process were not at all familiar to our collective pallets.
Before I get too carried away I need to paint you a picture of the farm to cup processes. We start out with the ripe coffee cherry being picked and collected. Under the washed process the whole cherries are placed in a “pulping” machine that removes the outer soft pulp of the coffee cherry. From here the “parchment” coffee is placed in large vats of water where they stay for around 24 hours. This removes the sticky “mucilage” from the coffee bean. The wet coffee is then spread out on a patio and allowed to dry. There is a final process whereby the parchment skin of the coffee is hulled off to finally deliver the “green” coffee bean that goes on to be roasted, ground and then drunk.
The “natural” process leaves out the pulping element. Instead the whole coffee cherry is spread out on the patio where it dries. Once dried the outer skin is hulled off leaving you with the green coffee bean. Because the skin is left on in this process the fruit taste of the skin makes its way into the green coffee bean. This taste profile ultimately makes its way into the cup.
We’ve subsequently seen some major developments in coffee preparation at origin. The next “halfway house” process is called “honey”. The pulp is removed as under the washed process but instead of washing the coffee to remove the mucilage, the coffee is spread directly onto the patio. The result is a sweeter finish to the coffee in the cup, but less emphasis on the fruity notes.
There are plenty of variations in the “honey” process but best not to disappear down that rabbit hole just now.
Finally I turn to this “natural anaerobic process” which adds a whole new dimension to the taste profile. Once the favoured initial preparation has been selected (washed, natural or honey), the coffee is placed in a large container which is then sealed and made airtight. This restricts the amount of oxygen which in turn affects the rate at which the coffee ferments. As the coffee ferments it releases CO2 which causes the pressure to rise inside the container and in turn forces the flavours into the coffee. The pressure within the container is carefully controlled and gases released as necessary. The whole process takes anywhere between 120 and 240 hours depending upon the taste profile required. It is still a very experimental process and I guess until the end consumer has voted with their wallet producers will continue to innovate in search of the best outcome.
Daterra and micro lot D25
This is probably one of the most sophisticated coffees to have ever passed through the doors of Coopers. Not only is the processing of the coffee extremely novel, the coffee varietal itself is also pretty special.
Laurina is a sub-varietal of Arabica coffee and looks more akin to rice than coffee. Originally discovered in the island of Réunion near Madagascar, it is also naturally low in caffeine.
Turning to the coffee farm itself; Daterra is found in the Cerrado region of Brazil. They are one of the most innovative farms in the world right now. Their tag line “It is not only about producing the best coffee in the world, it is about producing coffee for a better world” sums up their ethos. Although they are inherently one farm, they have in fact split themselves up into 3 farms. One produces their “Classics”, one their “Collections” and one their “Masterpieces”
We have stocked their “Classics” for many years now and decided for the first time to add one of their Masterpieces to our selection. To quote Daterra, “This very “small farm” is a lab, where we test new ways of producing coffee. The lab is rich with new and unusual varietals, processing methods, drying techniques and limitless experiments. They have unique cup profile and score 88+, fully traceable, and are planted and grown with history and can never be replicated.
We successfully bid for micro-lot D25 that consists of just 8 boxes of 24kg. Of the 8 boxes produced only 2 have made it to the UK and one of those is with us here in Jersey.
We’ve now roasted the first batch of this truly original coffee. With its notes of nectarine, peach and honey it truly is a magical combination.
To taste this process yourself see our Brazil Daterra Laurina. (While stocks last)
]]>I’ll aim to keep this blog fairly short and sweet as it’s very easy to get caught up in the long grass when it comes to the different decaffeinating processes and the impact it has on your cup of Joe. There are plenty of websites out there who will go into the chemistry but few talk about what really matters and that is the taste.
In simple terms there are 3 decaffeinating processes:
All are challenging to roast as it is clear that something happens to the cell structure of the coffee during the removal of the caffeine which impairs its original flavour.
I’ll start with the MC or methylene chloride (CH2Cl2), process or dichloromethane (in Europe) MC is a solvent and before I go any further its use as a decaffeination agent is not considered a health risk.
Although the word “chemical” can sound scary, the colorless liquid is highly volatile and vaporizes at 40 degrees C. If you take into consideration that coffee is roasted at a minimum of 190 degrees C for at least 10 minutes, and that proper brewing temperature lies between 88-92 degrees C, it seems unlikely that much if any methylene chloride would end up in your coffee cup. The taste though is a very different matter. Personally I find this method is the least forgiving when it comes the resultant taste. The final coffee lacks character and compares with alcohol-free wine or beer. It appears that it isn’t just the caffeine that is lost.
This is another brilliant addition to our “private collection” of coffees from around the world. Unlike many if its Central American neighbours Costa Rica has benefitted hugely from political stability. According to the “Freedom of the world” index it is the 37th most democratic country in the world, and the 12th happiest country in the World Happiness report.
The first reference to the commercial production of coffee in Costa Rica is 1779 and coffee from this origin first appeared in the UK in 1843 when a Guernseyman, William Le Lacheur sent the first shipment. Up until World War 2 the UK was the principal importer of Costa Rican coffee.
Today there are eight recognised coffee growing regions in the most famous of which is Tarrazu. The coffee we have selected is from the Dota canton and in particular the district of Santa Maria which is located in the South West of the country. Finally the name Batamba is the part of the Santa Rosa farm on which this coffee is grown.
So why does this coffee achieve such a premium in comparison with other coffees from Costa Rica?
As with most premium coffees demand significantly outstrips supply. In the case of the Batamba coffee, rarity is just one factor, however just as significant is the coffee varietal and how it is processed.
Most coffee aficionados will be familiar with the term “Arabica” and “Robusta” as the main coffee species, however beneath these headline names are a significant number of varietals.
In the case of the Batamba coffee the varietal is “Geisha”. Originally from the Kaffa region of Ethiopia and in particular the Gori Gesha forest. The varietal has almost legendary status and achieves incredible prices when offered at auction. It is noted for its floral and intense fruit notes.
I turn now to how the coffee is processed once the coffee cherries have been picked. Historically there have been two main process types, washed and natural. The washed process sees the outer pulp of the coffee cherry being removed immediately after picking followed by a “washing” of the coffee bean to remove the sticky “mucilage”. The coffee is then dried and the final layer of “parchment” is removed. The result is a very “clean” taste profile and is the version most commonly found on the Supermarket shelf.
Natural process is far simpler. The whole coffee cherry is dried and at the appropriate time the outer shell is removed. These coffees have an intense fruitiness as a result of the flavours in the skin of the coffee cherry seeping into the coffee bean.
So far so good! Today how coffee is processed is a big deal as it is recognised as being an inherent part of the quality of the final beverage. Today there are many options between washed and natural, each of which delivers a different taste profile.
In the case of the Batamba coffee the process selected is known as “Red honey”.
The Ripe cherries are monitored and only picked with a brix (sweetness) content of 20% or greater. They are then taken to the micro mill where the whole cherry is fermented for 18 hours before being de-pulped, which is the process of removing the outer skin and flesh of the cherry.
The de-pulped coffee is then taken to the drying patios where it briefly rests under full sun for a couple of days before moving to the raised beds of the greenhouses where the beans are constantly turned for 15 days until dry thereby achieving their distinctive taste profile.
As with all the coffees in our Private Collection the Costa Rica Batamba, Red cherry makes one appreciate just how complex is the world of coffee. We’re really excited to offer you another soupçon of coffee greatness!
I was on-site with a café customer the other day when the owner turned to me and said. “I think it’s time we changed the coffee to something that gives a better crema”. Immediately alarm bells started ringing. Crema is nothing to do with the type of coffee, you can get a crema on pretty much anything as long as the coffee is fresh, the water temperature is correct and the coffee is ground correctly.
So much mythology builds up as to why coffee looks / tastes the way it does for a host of other reasons than how it has been roasted. In this short blog I’ll focus on freshness.
The particular site is typical of so many relatively low volume coffee users. The challenge is how to keep the coffee fresh and deliver an acceptable product to the end customer.
So how do you know if the coffee is stale? In the first instance the taste will be very flat and faded. You might even get a papery taste. Simply put it’s a very unenjoyable experience. The problem though isn’t immediately obvious. The grind of the coffee may well look fine, even the timing of the pour may appear fine, however what won’t be fine is the look of the liquid at it comes out of the group handle.
In this case there was just a black liquid when in fact there should have been a dark caramel appearance to the liquid. This is before it even hits the cup. Just to mention I had eliminated any water temperature or grinder setting issues already.
In this instance the grinder was designed with a holding hopper for the ground coffee from which you dispensed the dry product. Again as happens so many times this holding hopper was full of ground coffee. This occurs because café owners are busy people and they see grinding coffee ahead of time as the equivalent of prepping food. It isn’t.
A hopper full of beans and a lower hopper full of pre-ground coffee is a recipe for disaster in a low volume outlet. The beans will be staling in the hopper if left there in the heat for a few days. The ground coffee will be staling even quicker due the amount of surface area the oxygen has to attack. We’re talking hours rather than days, some would say minutes. In simple terms what you smell is lost from the cup.
To demonstrate this issue I made an Americano with the existing ground coffee prior to emptying both beans and ground coffee. Next I took a small amount of coffee beans (circa 250g) placing them in the hopper and switched the grinder on. I made sure that any coffee still sat within the grinder discs was cleared before attempting to make a fresh cup of coffee.
It’s all a bit more painful to make a cup of coffee when you only grind up small volumes. The dosing arm no longer dispenses the correct amount of coffee and you have to watch carefully as you fill the group handle. Really important the group handle is properly filled (see soggy coffee blog).
Tamp coffee and then lock handle into machine et voila! The change is transformational, the coffee produced a beautiful thick crema, the very lost crema that almost resulted in the coffee blend being changed.
I can’t overstate the importance of managing coffee in the same way you’d manage fresh fruit or veg. It is after all an organic product and as we know oxygen is the enemy when it comes to maintaining freshness. The less exposure to oxygen the better the shelf life of your coffee.
If your coffee supplier is willing ask for your coffee to be packed in 250g bags rather than kilo bags. That will help preserve freshness. They may consider doing this if the volumes are low but you may have to pay more for the privilege.
When pre-grinding coffee. Keep it to a minimum. Recognise which are the busiest trading periods and if you have to, grind some additional coffee ahead of time. The best case scenario is to grind coffee only when a drink has been purchased but sometimes reality takes over!
There are many reasons as to why your coffee may not taste as great as it should, this is just one of them but because it’s a common issue in lower volume sites I felt it worth a topic for discussion.
]]>
My opinion piece a couple of weeks back around the subject matter of developments impacting local beachside cafes elicited a good deal of interest and comment. Publically anyway there were few dissenters however I thought I’d expose myself to the white heat of a Planning committee meeting where disagreement with planning decisions are given more airtime.
I haven’t attended such a meeting in over a decade and had forgotten just how long and protracted the process is. There are some big impactful decisions being made here and if you are a member of the general public with a day job it’s a huge investment in time should you wish to object strongly to a particular scheme on the day. My Thursday morning came and went but the whole process left me feeling quite uncomfortable, let me explain.
First up was the redevelopment in Kensington place of the Stafford and Revere hotels into desperately needed housing. On the surface of it an admirable scheme although concerns were raised as to what it might be like to live in such a development with young children where in some cases shared spaces get virtually no sunlight. Such are the challenges of complying with an island policy of presumed non-development in the countryside which in turn results in relatively high density building in town. A debate for another day.
The biggest issue for me though was a far more strategic one. If we want to grow our visitor economy how is this possible if the bed nights available continue to be removed from the existing stock through this type of development. The owners of the Savoy Hotel made the point recently that’s it’s difficult to compete in the market with an asset that is no longer fit for purpose. An issue for many local Hoteliers in the face of competition from the likes of Premier Inn.
Shouldn’t there be a policy that if bed nights are being lost in one development then they need to be recouped on another. If nothing is put in place before the next series of closures could we reach a tipping point where airlines no longer have viable numbers of visitors and we end up in some kind of death spiral? Sadly it’s not an issue that the planning committee appears able to resolve.
The second item on the agenda was the “controversial” external seating area put forward by the owners of the Portelet Bay café. This has drawn a lot of on-line comment and due to its sensitivity it’s important that there were no conflicts of interest. It was interesting therefore that whilst committee member Mary Le Hegarat, deputy for St. Helier no.3 district removed herself from the voting on the Kensington Place scheme, Deputy Graham Truscott of St. Brelade No.2 district did not when it came to the vote on the Portelet Bay application.
Now I don’t know what exactly the rules are around conflicts of interest but surely in a contentious application Deputy Truscott seemed a bit too close to the action. No doubt he was well within his rights to vote but to an independent onlooker it didn’t feel right.
That matter aside it was a pretty brutal affair which is sad when you have café owners endeavouring to improve their customers experience pitched against homeowners concerned about the impact this will have on their enjoyment of the area. Much of the argument is around illegal parking, something over which the business owners have no control. It seems extraordinary to me that a café that is held up by Visit Jersey as one of the jewels in the visitor economy crown isn’t worthy of any Parish provided public parking infrastructure.
In two completely different planning applications we saw just how fragmented and lacking is the vision for the future of this Islands visitor economy at both State and Parish level. A Parish unable or unwilling to provide appropriate infrastructure for one of the most spectacular beaches on the Island and a State unwilling to create any type of policy around protecting bed night provision on this Island.
In case you are interested both the Kensington place and Portelet Bay café developments were passed. Hopefully the issues I’ve raised here might result in a little introspection, they should do.
]]>This line came from a discussion I was listening to about the economic future of Singapore and what pieces of the jigsaw need to be put in place to future proof her economy. For those who don’t know, Singapore has a population of 5.7 million people in an area of 270 square miles. Jersey meanwhile is 45 square miles and has a population of 105,000. For purely comparison purposes, if we increased the land mass of Jersey to that of Singapore and multiply the existing population by the same proportion, Jersey’s population equivalent is a mere 630,000.
There are certain commonalities between the two jurisdictions. Both are major off-shore finance centres. Both import over 90% of everything they consume. Space is at a premium and both have little in the way of natural resources. Singapore is known as the garden city, St. Helier, Jersey is not.
In a world of finite resources, an ever growing global population and the added spice of climate change, the pressure is on to innovate if we are to maintain our current standard of living without destroying the planet. It’s so easy on a small Island to simply wait for others to come up with solutions to these immense problems, but as Greta Thunberg, the climate activist has already demonstrated you don’t have to be big to have an impact you just need to be motivated.
To help give strategic direction to their economy the Singapore Government has set up The Future Economy Council from this has sprung Skills future. Effectively life-long learning recognising that it’s not just the young who need to keep up with technology. This is Government funded and reinforces this “40 years ahead” approach.
Such forward thinking has resulted in the development of wireless power transfer, vertical farms (see Appharvest), home delivery robots (Otsan digital) and developments in drone technology. The possibilities are endless and it’s all built around the future needs of the citizen.
Can you imagine if we had this desire to push the boundaries what could be achieved? Could we be leaders in re-thinking engine technology? With over 90% of all we consume being imported we have a very large collective and unsustainable carbon footprint.
Clearly a massive change of culture is necessary. Dedicated Government funding; rethinking educational provision for all ages and a collective sense of purpose will all help to create the jobs of the future. That combined with a Finance industry looking to invest in the next Apple or Microsoft completes the ingredients that could make Jersey a world leading centre of innovation and protector of the planet.
It’s a hugely ambitious vision but remember from little acorns grow giant oaks.
]]>What a spectacular Bank holiday week-end it has been. Jersey at its best, wall to wall sunshine combined with the hustle and bustle of our favourite beachside cafes that gives added personality to each cove around the Island.
I was therefore saddened by a conversation I had with one such café owner, namely “Mad Mary” of Bouley bay fame. Like the Hungry Man at Rozel or Colleens at Greve de Lecq, these businesses have almost legendary status amongst the local population.
Her issue lies with the long awaited re-development of what once was the Waters’ Edge Hotel. It’s a site that’s been in need of TLC for some time now. Plans have changed over the years and now it appears that the site will be turned into a private dwelling. The problem from Mary’s perspective is that her business does not appear to be part of the plan.
It struck me that she is not unique in her concern. This week-end I also visited Greve de Lecq. It was packed and almost impossible to park anywhere. This is the bay where the Seaside café (formerly Café Romany) is currently up for re-development. Under the scheme a significant number of parking spaces will be removed. If this week-end is anything to go by this will have a significant impact on the economics of those businesses providing services to the many beachgoers. Fewer customers equals less custom and will impact the long term viability of these service providers.
The Portelet Bay café is another business that faces a hugely hostile residential audience as they attempt to develop an additional terrace for their customers. They have done much to bring this beautiful bay back to life for the enjoyment of so many people yet have to battle daily for their very existence.
This leads me on to an initiative being launched by the Assistant Chief Minister, Deputy Carolyn Labey. “The Island Identity Project seeks to understand how members of the public, parishes, businesses and organisations value Jersey: what makes it special and why it matters; and seeks ways to improve, nurture and promote the Island as it positions itself for the future in a globalised world”
These are fine words but what exactly do they mean and what are they attempting to deliver?
I’ll endeavour to apply the IIP initiative to my three examples. Whilst I do not wish to criticise people who are willing to invest significant sums of money in this Island there has to be a balance between what is good for that individual and what is good for the Island. There will always be tensions but if we are to hold on to our Island’s identity it’s important that we accommodate all those quirky traits we all know and love and which add to the rich tapestry of our Island.
In the case of Bouley bay why would you destroy a business that is so distinctive to that bay simply because to some it’s an irritation and now there is an opportunity to kick it into touch? If we start thinking like this then we really will have lost our soul.
As for Greve de Lecq, it’s chaotic, but it works. Trying to find a parking space can sometimes be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack but whilst there is plenty of available parking there’s always a chance of a space. Cut parking opportunities down and you simply turn away custom. For those who want to see fewer cars on the road try cycling out of Greve de Lecq! Electric cars are on their way, so where is the infrastructure plan to provide spaces for individuals wishing to charge their vehicles whilst visiting the beach? We need good solutions to ensure that we retain this nebulous “Island Identity”
Finally to Portelet Bay which has been transformed by the re-introduction of a cafe. This little gem had been lost to the general public for many years before being taken on by the current owners. Despite the complete lack of public infrastructure in the form of a carpark or any assistance with the clearing of the smothering Hottentot fig on the cliff face this business has been a magnet for Islanders and visitors alike. Yet despite their public popularity, private investors who live above the café have been withering in their criticism of any external development of the café.
As I said earlier I have no wish to criticise those who invest in this Island, after all many a near derelict farm has been saved by individuals with the resources to turn them into spectacular homes. However if we are to maintain an Island identity, room has to be made for those hundreds of small businesses that are the backbone of our economy; they make Jersey, Jersey.
To plagiarise a famous saying “I don’t know what the Island’s identity is but I sure as hell know it when I see it”, long live the “Mad Mary’s” of this world.
]]>Since we opened our IFC café in 2019 I have given many tours to friends interested in understanding the different elements that form the fabric of the café.
The design was created by Oscar Warr an alumni of the Royal College of Art in London. He was born in Jersey and is very interested in its heritage. The resultant café not only tells the story of Cooper’s, a business that first appeared in Jersey in 1890 but also endeavours to give the café a sense of place. As Oscar says “there’s so much more to Jersey than Granite, Cows and Potatoes”
And so in this series of mini blogs I’ll explain the different design elements found within the café starting with the concrete fascia of the counter.
Like it or not concrete is part of the material fabric of Jersey. Upon invading the Island in 1940 the German army using forced labour to build the defensive network of bunkers, anti-tank walls and observation structures we see today. Approximately 484,000 cubic metres of concrete was used in the Channel Islands, quite extraordinary for such a small archipelago.
Unlike many earlier invading forces no remnants of German culture remain. What we are left with are the ghosts of that invasion, megaliths to history. The proof that the bunkers have been assimilated into our culture is demonstrated by how many have been repurposed. The Gunsite café at Beaumont is the most public example. Coffee and cakes have replaced guns and the jack boot.
So I return to the building of our own concrete counter, built by artisan Hilton Hugo in St. Mary. He poured concrete into wooden shuttering which was then removed once the concrete had dried. The result is almost sculptural in nature. The grain of the wood has marked the concrete in such a way as to make one question as to whether the structure is actually made of concrete. The outline of the planks evidence of the human hand.
As a material concrete used in this way can appear cold and unwelcoming. The term Brutalist architecture coined in the 1950’s sums up many people’s views around buildings where concrete is the main design feature. It’s only in recent years that these buildings have started to be recognised for their innovative design and have achieved protected status.
In the next blog I’ll talk about the “green wall” that juxtaposes the concrete counter. This combination of man-made material set alongside nature was partly inspired by the Barbican centre in London and is a heady mix.
]]>Every time we graciously welcome a new coffee into our collection here at Cooper & Co., we like to dig around a bit. Usually, this involves us seeing how well a coffee performs at different roast levels in order to get the best out of the beans, scrutinising the espresso for tasting notes and little surprise hints of flavours we didn’t expect. We also look at the background of the coffee, the origins of the beans and the processes they go through from coffea arabica to roasted bean, and the communities that produce these wonderful coffees.
For this particular coffee, I wanted to dig a little deeper. What we’ve got this time around is a spectacular example of great Kenyan Top AA coffee from the Thangaini Cooperative, a collective of farms based around Mount Kinangop in the Nyandarua mountain range. This is one of those coffees that doesn’t pop up too often, and we’re particularly lucky to be able to bring it in to our island for you to get to grips with!
In researching the background of this coffee I was reminded of the insecurity faced by many in the developing world, especially when these economies are trading in cash crops. The dependency on climate conditions in particular is cause for concern, but what caught my eye in the case of coffee from Thangaini was the vulnerability to organised crime, corruption and theft. The issue arises from the incredible quality of coffee that Kenya produces, and the higher the quality, the more susceptible to theft the cooperatives become. This trend in stolen goods has cost lives, ruined livelihoods and seriously affected the trust farmers place in the cooperatives and government officials. The thefts occur in the cooperative’s factories, where the farmer’s produce is stored and processed, prompting calls for extensive security measures to protect the goods and even the farms in which the coffee is grown.
The head of the Thangaini Cooperative, Hiram Mwaniki, agrees with this, hiring poorly equipped security to guard the factories against attacks from criminals. More often than not however, the thieves are well-armed, carrying weaponry such as guns or machetes to either frighten, or in some cases cause serious damage to the hired guards.
But what is happening to the stolen coffee? Such high-quality coffee is not usually sold within Kenya itself, and is set aside for export, so the internal market is not the destination. Instead, there is considerable evidence for the Kenyan coffee being smuggled into Uganda, where the quality of coffee is far below the standard set by its neighbour to the East. Once the coffee has arrived in Uganda, it is blended with the local, cheaper coffee, and exported out of Uganda to the wider global market. The stolen coffee is tremendously difficult to trace, and often the cooperatives and in turn the farmers are not compensated for the loss. The Ugandan government remains relatively quiet on the allegations of smuggling.
The distrust in Kenya surrounding this issue has risen to such high levels that Mr. Mwaniki of Thangaini Cooperative accuses government officials, border control and even members of his own cooperative of collusion with the thieves. Concerns about the criminals’ knowledge of the factory locations, police indifference and non-adherence to crime reporting, and an unusually porous border point to a culture of corruption amongst Kenya’s coffee industry. Ultimately, as pointed out in Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime’s Risk Bulletin, ‘as long as Kenyan coffee remains in high demand both globally and regionally, criminal actors will continue to carry out targeted heists in search of quick money.’ This issue is clearly not disappearing overnight, then.
The issues around premium quality Kenyan coffee is an interesting case study in the vulnerabilities that we, as consumers, do not necessarily take into account when we order that cappuccino or grab a cup of filter. What I’m saying with this post is that we need to have an awareness of the world around us and the things that happen thousands of miles away really do affect us all, even if we live on a tiny island in the English Channel.
We’ve managed to get one of the top coffees from Kenya, and we’re so excited to share it with you. We’ll be roasting the beans shortly, and it’ll be available on our website and in our store in St Helier, with a full breakdown of profile, and a little bit of information on the journey that your cup of coffee has taken to get here.
Kufurahiya!
I had the privilege of visiting Myanmar back in February 2018. That visit resulted in me writing a book “The politics of coffee”, a series of blogs and images that attempted to unpick my experience and also to put it into some kind of context. As I re-read my book one can see how the seeds of today’s great tragedy were sown. The question is will those with the power to stop this incredible injustice do so, or will they simply stand by as another chapter of carnage and human misery gets written with the blood of those trying to uphold democracy?
My opening prologue spells out the core issues that face our very divided world today. “Huge migration issues, the fear of the stranger and extreme wealth discrepancy”. Myanmar has this but in addition “a volatile political situation, religion, a global 24 hour press with the attention span of a goldfish and the echo chamber of the internet and you have a Molotov cocktail of issues waiting to explode”. Sadly the Molotov cocktail just exploded.
Myanmar or Burma as it was under British rule (1885-1948) once produced 75% of the world’s teak. It is a country rich in oil, gas and gemstones yet 25% of its population lives in poverty. Like DR Congo in Africa millions have been made by those whose only desire is to exploit these resources and of course there have been plenty of corrupt Governments only too willing to help.
Whilst Aung San Suu Kye has been blamed in the west for the tragedy of the Rohingya Muslims, this issue has been fomenting since the days of empire. A few vociferous critics need to read their history books before becoming keyboard warriors.
Aung San is an extraordinary individual, a hero in the eyes of most Myanmar people which is why her party the NLD won a landslide victory in 2020. However in an echo of what happened in America recently the military decided that the election was somehow rigged, because their people didn’t get in. Unlike those who unsuccessfully attempted to storm the White House to change the outcome of the American election the military in Myanmar simply rolled out their tanks and arrested Aung San Suu Kye. It demonstrates how fragile democracy can be when you don’t control the guns.
Aung San also has previous. Her father was assassinated just as the fledgling democracy was about to kick off. She in turn has lived under house arrest at 54 University street, Yangon for in excess of 17 years prior to becoming leader of her country. So many times she could have walked away and lived in exile but she didn’t, no wonder she is a heroine to so many.
Strategically Myanmar is in a very complicated part of the world. Huge amounts of trade is done with China. When we were in Mandalay we were staggered by the vast quantities of goods travelling along the main road to and from Yunnan in China. Those in the west who think goods embargoes work without international assistance need to wake up and smell the coffee. It’s a well known fact that the military are heavily involved and a lot of international trade would not happen without their authority. I think the Chinese know on which side their bread is buttered as it were.
The military have done some mad things over the years, demonetising a particular note in 1987 which rendered 75% of the country’s currency worthless. Changing the direction of travel on roads literally overnight, no wonder their local credibility is in tatters.
We saw plenty of “USAID” stickers helpfully pronouncing “from the American people”. Just as we had a “cold” war in Europe for so many years so today’s superpowers play out their “cold” war in places like Myanmar. Everyone is trying to buy influence, frustratingly the lolly doesn’t tend to end up in the pockets of the poor.
We met some truly courageous people who I hope remain safe. I have recounted so many of their stories and I’m sure they too can’t quite believe what is happening today. Maybe they had the audacity to think that today’s events were consigned to the history books. Clearly though there are some who can’t let sleeping dogs lie.
Many now call on the UN to step in not realising that the very term United Nations is an oxymoron. This institution is a busted flush incapable of changing the hearts and minds of the Myanmar military. The only people and only person who will ever achieve anything are those within Myanmar who have tasted democracy and are willing to die or be imprisoned in order to achieve a brighter future.
In our way we are trying to ensure that their plight is not forgotten. The people of Myanmar need trade to survive which is why we are selling their great coffee. We are also labelling each and every packet of coffee that we sell with a drawing created by the protest movement #SaveMyanmar. Lest we forget.
View "Myanmar - Shwe Ywa Ngan Coffee"
Jon passed away a couple of days ago in the presence of his loving daughters at Hospice after a short illness. There’s nothing particularly memorable about his passing he didn’t after all die of COVID. His death however is memorable to me because of the last words I heard him speak.
Jon was a regular at our coffee shop at Castle Quay. He was famous for his order of 3 flat whites and would sit on the outside chairs, smoking, reading his Kindle and giving seeds to the small birds that inhabit this part of town. He would occasionally be joined by a couple of other regulars but mostly he kept to himself.
Jon lived alone in one of the myriad stylish flats in this area and his daily routine always included a visit to our café that was until COVID struck. He seemed to get through the first lockdown like many of us without too many scars and appeared to slip back into his old routine. He had regularly asked on Facebook as to when we were going to re-open. It was however towards the latter part of the year that we could all see his health was deteriorating. He started to complain about feeling terrible and had been prescribed some pretty strong drugs for a lung condition. But still he came down for his coffee, smoke and birds.
Then the second lockdown came and I was asked by the local Television Station to give my reaction as to what was happening. I was totally frustrated at not only the short notice we’d been given but also that I believed our cafes were probably safer than many people’s homes. On top of that what would be the impact on those whose only social interaction in a day was visiting a café? I was fuming!
During that interview Jon appeared. He was struggling and against all the rules we gave him a seat whilst his coffee was prepared. On the way past with coffee in hand he said to the journalist “all I want is to sit and have a coffee, where is the harm in that?”. We all looked at each other not knowing what to say. I could have cried but managed to keep it together.
Now I have received the sad news that Jon is no longer among us and I’m angry. I’m horrified at the indifference of our society to Jon’s simple request. It’s ironic that in America when an individual is about to be executed by the State, he or she is entitled to request a last meal. Jon who only had weeks to live couldn’t have his “final” request because of the risk of catching COVID.
Boris Johnson famously said (due to Corona virus) “more families will lose loved ones before their time”. We are continually reminded that those people who die of this disease are “not a number” they have become “Nostris mortuus est in Gloria” – our glorious dead. Their number will be remembered forever. The only list Jon’s death will appear on is the statistic of people who died in 2021. His kind of death doesn’t make the evening news.
Yet in a way I believe Jon did die before his time. His single pleasure removed must have made him feel even more isolated. State sanctioned loneliness eviscerating the last remnants of” joie de vivre”.
Jack Hall a local short story writer had a piece entitled “The bus stop” published in the Jersey Evening Post which highlighted our need for human contact. He tells the story of a man who goes to the bus stop every day, not to get on the bus but simply to be among people. It could have been written for Jon.
“all I want is to sit and have a coffee, where is the harm in that?”. Rest in peace Jon.
]]>]]>
Talking of coffee, it’s about time I returned to the subject! We closed 2020 selling record quantities of Jamaican Blue Mountain from the St. Cloud’s estate. The question we’re always asked is “is it worth it?” It’s not so much about worth, more about are people willing to pay the £165 per kilo price tag? The answer is a simple “yes” on the evidence of our sales. Throughout December I dipped in and out of this coffee. In a weird way I’m waiting to be disappointed but to date it always surprises me. It’s not a hugely dynamic coffee like some super fruity natural, it’s actually quite gentle and soft in nature with a creamy character. Following some roasting experimentation, it doesn’t take well to being overly dark roasted nor at the other extreme too light. I enjoy it best as a filter coffee and it makes a very decent Americano. If you can, drink it black without sugar. Ultimately, it’s a superb coffee with a mythical price tag. At least try it - it’s still less than the price of a cup of coffee in your local café.
Way back at the beginning of the year I had the privilege of visiting Honduras. Another Central American country with a history of political instability, too many guns and serious drug issues. It’s one thing to read the headlines, another to meet the people. I was out west on the border with Guatemala and El Salvador. It was a great pleasure to be introduced to the Honduras Capucas co-operative. The effort being made to produce an added-value coffee is extraordinary. The efforts they are making to create a sustainable environment even more so. The problem for so many of these countries is getting a sustainable price for their effort. Too many times farmers simply walk away from their farms and head north in search of a better way of life. It’s an unfolding tragedy.
Over the past 12 months or so we’ve been introducing our customers to coffees that have been processed in different ways. Washed is the classic method, however honey and natural processed coffees are increasingly peaking people’s interest. Right now we have a “natural” from Rwanda, Kinini. The whole coffee cherry is dried on the patio and when ready the “pulp” is hulled off. The resultant flavour is overwhelmingly that of fruit. For anyone who has visited a coffee farm, the aromas and flavours are all there in the cup. A really interesting coffee that brings a new twist.
From the new to the old. You couldn’t choose two more classic coffees than Old Brown Java and Monsooned Malabar, but have you ever thought to blend these coffees together? Well one of the Cooper’s team decided to do just that. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been tried before, the OBJ is roasted to a medium dark level whilst the Malabar is light medium. Both coffees are low in acidity which suggests that they’ll work well as an espresso base. And so, after some experimentation we refined the blend to around ¾ OBJ and ¼ Mons. Simply put it’s fantastic as a base for a Cappuccino. The blend brings a real depth of flavour and richness that is awesome.
Finally we’ve noticed a trend back towards fuller roasted coffees. To be honest I’m not a real fan however it’s the customer who sets the rules so we’ve taken a look at which coffees still perform when taken a few degrees darker. Our Sumatra coffee has always been roasted dark and is our number one seller but could we bring in something slightly less powerful but still with a full coffee flavour? Following an extensive testing we discovered that our Brazil Daterra semi-washed coffee was the one. Whilst we still retain this wonderful coffee as a medium roast we’ve added a darker version. The flavour has more punch without having any charred notes that can sometimes occur with these more delicate coffees.
We really are privileged to handle so many great quality coffees from around the world and there isn’t one I wouldn’t take home. In 2021 we’ve decided to look at a few super-premium coffees from some of the finest estates in the world; we’re calling it our “private collection”. They will be available for purchase individually as they come into stock, as well as by monthly subscription to experience 6 of the best: https://cooper.co.je/products/coopers-private-collection-subscription
In this maddest of years, the one thing that hasn’t let us down is our coffee. We should be thankful for small mercies, I guess!
☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕☕
]]>
Thankfully we have just one outlet that fits this category. How can you even begin to react to an overnight drop in turnover of 80%? For all those keyboard warriors screaming out for a full-on lockdown - remember livelihoods matter just as much as lives.
It may be a bit late in the day for some businesses but never has diversification been a better way to mitigate the risk of these unprecedented times. It also highlights the serendipity of a decision we made based upon the decline of the visitor economy but which turned out to be a great survival strategy in the COVID era. The proverbial ‘necessity being the mother of invention’ moment.
There will be people who’ll tell you that bricks and mortar businesses are dead in the water - they’d be wrong. There are still plenty of small local businesses that create a great customer experience with real passion, expertise and knowledge which people still hanker after in this digital age. Just like newspapers and books, their death has been greatly exaggerated. Thankfully we are getting tremendous support from the local populace but then again it could be because they’re all addicts!
Of course on-line sales have gone from a “we must get round to building a website one day” to a part of our business that is currently on steroids. One thing that has amazed me in this area is again the incredible amount of local sales. We’ve been battling for years to establish a local on-line customer base, then lock-down came and overnight the market exploded, something that may have taken 5 years has taken place in just 6 months. Reacting to this dynamic change at speed is one of our on-going challenges as the opportunities are clearly exponential.
So, what of the café businesses that dodged the liquor licence bullet? One thing’s for sure people still want to meet people. People who are working from home want to get out of that space before they go stark staring bonkers even if it’s just to watch the world go by and be re-assured that there is life out there. Maybe the next growth trend will be cafés/coffee shops in large residential areas rather than town centre high streets?
This COVID year will scar entrepreneurs in much the same way a generation was scarred by war all those years ago. Some may think that’s an overdramatic comparison but the attritional nature of this economic catastrophe will create its own PTSD, mark my words.
]]>The idea was inspired by the purchasing this year of 3 barrels of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. This is a special treat for many of our customers around the festive period. It may seem incredible but we will almost certainly sell out over the coming 5 weeks and then that will be it until November next year. So what if we could find a different exclusive coffee for each subsequent month? We set ourselves a challenge, to locate a further 5 extraordinary coffees to offer as a package or sell individually in-store and on-line. The list is truly star studded and once it’s gone it’s gone.
We’ve started with the most famous of them all - Jamaican Blue Mountain from the Parish of St. Andrews. That will be followed by the Brazil Daterra, Laurino varietal which in itself is as rare as hens’ teeth and that’s before you get to hear how it has been processed.
The list wouldn’t be complete if we omitted Hawaiian Kona, another world-famous coffee. Then there’s the infamous Geisha varietal from Santa Maria de Dota in Costa Rica with a price tag to make your eyes water!
The next two are from a couple of the most famous coffee growing countries in the world namely Colombia and Kenya. The Colombian coffee we have selected is from one of the finest estates in the country, Café Granja La Esperanza whilst the Kenyan coffee comes from the slopes of mount Kinangop, a double A grade from the Thangaini co-operative, one of the finest Kenya coffees available today.
This Private Collection is part of a rolling collection of the world's finest coffees tracked down by Coopers and roasted fresh in Halkett Place.
Please click on this link where you will be able to sign up to a 6 month package of Cooper’s Private Collection. This is not only for the connoisseur but makes a great talking point at any dinner party.
]]>As I write this blog Britain has just gone into its second lock-down and Jersey’s Chief Minister has called out our teenagers for partying too hard over Halloween. This has resulted in more COVID cases and as a result we’re all running for those dreaded masks.
]]>Christmas for us retailers forms a significant part of our trade. I think many of us thought that the £11 million pushed back into our economy in the form of the “spend local” card would see a significant rise in economic activity. We saw plenty of cards throughout our business however I wouldn’t say it set the world alight. What it probably did was to diminish the economic impact of the destruction of the visitor economy. As they say, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.
It’s a tough one to call this year; so many things have changed. Local on-line sales after a small dip have once again accelerated and we’ve learnt from our lockdown experience by investing in more and better standardised packaging. Our bricks and mortar store is effectively replicated on-line reflecting the “new normal” of 24/7 shopping whilst recognising there are many who don’t feel confident strolling the streets of St. Helier at this time.
I’m also very aware of the economic extremes many people find themselves in. We’ve seen a fall of 1,670 jobs year on year in hospitality and overall a rise in unemployment. At the same time there are many who have retained their jobs, maintained their earnings but not spent that money on the traditional family holiday. What will they choose to do?
I do believe that the shock of the March lockdown and the changing working habits has made us all a bit more reflective. A greater appreciation of our surroundings that we’ve all taken for granted for so long. How we live our life, where our priorities lie and what’s really important in our lives. All of this will inform the type of spending that takes place this Christmas.
First and foremost it’s been important for us to ensure the stock we want to sell is actually on the Island. Many supply chains are really tight with factories operating at reduced capacity due to COVID restrictions. In turn we’ve had calls from suppliers checking that we are able to trade which makes me appreciate how fortunate we are in Jersey.
As a result our buying strategy has endeavoured to capture the zeitgeist. Some spectacularly expensive and exclusive teas and coffees sit side by side with our traditional fare of good solid Colombian coffee and very affordable English Breakfast tea. We’ve gone quirky with local soap that is scented with our coffee. Bright coloured hand-made pottery. We’ve had designed metal caddies with well-known local landmarks. Importantly, everything we sell is considered for its design and affordability.
More than ever I think we’re not looking to simply fill our homes with “stuff”. There needs to be beauty in our lives and I believe the things we do purchase will be a lot more considered. Both for our physical and mental wellbeing. The challenge for us retailers is to deliver this experience not only in how we present what we sell but also in what we sell.
I find it exciting and energising, despite the hell we’ve all been through. I also think that the industry hit by this pandemic the most, the Arts, will explode in the future as a whole new appreciation of what it is to live a fulfilling life.
]]>
First, a little history. Tea, in its current form, has been around for thousands of years, connecting the modern and the historical - having a lovely cup in the morning is just one of the many similarities between myself and the Emperor Gaozu of Tang. Darjeeling tea, however, has a much more recent story. The first plantation of seeds in Darjeeling occurred in 1841 as a result of the British searching for sources of tea outside of China, Archibald Campbell of the East India Company smuggling seeds from across the border into the tiny hill station in Northern India. In 1847, after some very successful experimentation, tea nurseries were established, initially controlled by the British but later maintained locally, and the population of Darjeeling exploded to just under 100,000 in 1885, compared to the initial area population of 100 in the 1830s.
Throughout the late 19th and the 20th Century, the number and size of the tea estates continued to grow gradually, eventually reaching a yield of 14 million kilograms of tea in the 1990s. In 2004, Darjeeling tea became India’s first product to receive legal geographical indication protection under the World Trade Organisation’s initiatives.
But how far does this go in explaining the reason why Darjeeling tea is so highly prized and sought after? There are several reasons as to why this is the case, and its history is just the tip of the iceberg. The tea estates that surround Darjeeling are handed down through generations of tea gardeners, their enormous skill in growing the leaves as invaluable as the tea itself. Their specific practices have helped to cultivate Darjeeling’s reputation for an ultra-premium, very fine product, and has no doubt aided in the marketing of the tea at home and abroad.
If we consider Darjeeling in the same way as wine, then we must consider the terroir of the plant, that is, the specific soil and climatic conditions that affect the growth of the tea leaves. The soil of the Darjeeling area is very poor soil, it is gravelly and stony, and conversely this is the perfect conditions for growing tea. The roots of the plant are made to struggle and fight for water in the soil, which results in the tea adopting the delicate and unique flavour that it is famous for – aromatic, flowery, and subtle notes of muscatel.
Along with these positive explanations, there will always be negative and logistical reasons that push the price up – Growing Darjeeling tea incurs high production costs. The hills are so steep that machinery cannot be used, only manual labour is permitted to harvest the leaves, and a lack of infrastructure around Darjeeling means that vehicles weighing over 5 tonnes are banned from accessing the hilly roads. There is a lack of land for expansion of the tea fields, and therefore yields will remain low for a tea where there is so much demand, both in the domestic market in India and for exportation, namely to the European Union and Japan. And finally, as we see with so much agricultural practice in the modern world, there are the environmental issues to consider, and the threat of climate change on the production of the tea.
So there you have it. A concise explanation of what, where and why of some of the finest teas in the world, and a hopeful justification of why you should truly consider getting your hands on some Darjeeling. As a shameless plug, we at Cooper & Co. have three outstanding Darjeelings in stock, one second flush and two incredible, organic first flushes.
Take a sip, close your eyes and be transported to the foothills of the Himalayas, between the tea bushes and the forests, with the Balasun River meandering its way past you.
Our Grand Marche café attracts an older demographic than our other sites and has as a result taken longer to recover post lock-down. The great terror of COVID and strong Government messages of “stay home and stay safe” has had an enormous impact on the psyche of the older generation. For those who have been isolated for so long it must have felt like age apartheid.
Every day we are given the latest numbers of deaths, yet we never read about the number of people who have lived through COVID. We’re asked to remember the impact of each death on a family, yet never to consider the impact of isolation and loneliness of those left home alone. Existing not living. They remain simply as “they”.
This leads me on to the raison d’être of this blog and the danger of categorising people in our society. The word “old” is bandied about as if we all understand what this means. Old for a 10 year old is a 20 year old, yet society wouldn’t categorise someone in their 20’s as “old”. You can be 80 years old but feel 50, yet in the current pandemic you become a number because of your age.
Sitting in our café yesterday reminded me of the importance of living your life. For so many COVID has been like a thief, stealing the time we have left on this planet. As Edmundo Ross in his song “the square dance samba” reminds us just because you’ve lived a long life doesn’t mean you can’t live a little more. As someone famously said “youth is wasted on the young”
“My dancing days are over said dear old Grandma’ma but then she heard the Samba and grabbed at Grandpa’pa. They used to do the square dance and so they took a chance, that’s how the Square dance samba first started as a dance. Though Grandma’ma is 80 and Grandpa 85 the square dance samba makes them glad to be alive.
Grandma’ma, grandpa’pa love to do the square dance samba, round they go to and fro’ dancing to the square dance samba. As they glide side by side like a pendulum they’re swinging, they took an old dance added a new, stirred them up and what have you? You have a new dance you love to do, it’s the square dance samba.
If you pass Grandma’s window you’ll hear the music play, for Grandma’s giving lessons the square dance samba way. She teaches them the square dance but with a samba knack. They swing their partners forward, they swing their partners back. Grandma looks 10 years younger, grandpa feels twice as strong since they first started dancing square dance samba song.
Grandma’ma, grandpa’pa love to do the square dance samba, round they go to and fro’ dancing to the square dance samba. As they glide side by side like a pendulum they’re swinging, they took an old dance added a new, stirred them up and what have you? You have a new dance you love to do, it’s the square dance samba
They took an old dance, added a new, stirred them up and what have you, you have a new dance you love to do, it’s the square dance samba”
(From Ros Album of Sambas)
As the team in our Grand Marche café say to our regulars – “bye girls!”
]]>
I finally did it, I’ve spent my £100 spend local card with the local artist Ian Rolls. It’s been sitting in my ‘phone wallet for weeks, staring at me and constantly begging the question “what shall I spend it on”? In the end I had a moment of inspiration, I commissioned Ian to decorate a very simple mirror that has been hanging in our kitchen for years. I dropped it off and a couple of weeks later the mirror was transformed, a permanent memory of a year that will go down in living memory for all sorts of reasons. Yes, I know so bloody middle class!
The Government of Jersey has been criticised in some quarters for having the “audacity” to give us £11 million of our money, I for one would disagree with the naysayers. As the owner of a business that was forced to shut our doors at the height of the pandemic anything that assists our economy to be rebuilt following this catastrophe must be a good thing. That fact that it can only be spent locally was inspired. So, it’s been interesting to see how people spend their £100 windfall.
We’ve seen young students come into our café at Grand Marche buying a lunchtime drink, others have spent their money on a new coffee maker. I’m sure our experience is much the same as many local retailers and we are grateful for this additional spend.
The most heart-warming story I’ve heard is of an individual who has treated themselves to a full English breakfast using their card, whereas normally that would be out of their financial reach. The economists can talk all day about the multiplier effect of £11 million being launched into our economy, but can’t even begin to measure the real human impact £100 has on the lives of those for whom just for once it’s taken away the anxiety of how they will pay next week’s rent.
Chatting to work colleagues, one has decided to spend their money on a tattoo whilst another spent theirs in a shop which is normally reliant on visitors. Not all the stories will be so thoughtful or thought provoking, but wouldn’t it be a revelation if in years to come there was a collective memory of this event. Yes, money is still just money, but I never realised how thought provoking the spending of £100 of your best British pounds could be.
Pictured: Artist Ian Rolls with Cooper & Co. director David Warr
ReplyForward
|
Then COVID came along and reset the dial. Prêt à Manger and others discovered that the high turnaround “grab and go” market had vanished. The office worker, like the dinosaur, had become extinct and the resultant new “social distancing” rules has seen the retreat of a whole eco-system back into homes, bedsits and bedrooms.
So post lockdown what does the future of “café culture” look like in what only a few months ago was a vibrant cityscape?
My immediate thought is that only the best will survive. The development of the coffee shop has always been a bit Darwinian but lockdown has put Darwin on steroids. Clearly, locations reliant on major office blocks need to do something fast if they are to survive 2020, let alone 2021.
The ability to be able to get people’s attention has to be a major consideration. More so than ever before we need customers to be willing to make the effort to walk some distance to our Finance district café. There has to be a wow factor, something that makes an individual want to be in the space provided. There is a huge opportunity for great designers. Me-too designers who simply replicate every coffee shop you’ve ever seen have been made redundant. That means build out budgets need to be increased significantly. The need to create a sense of place is vital.
Product has always been important as has quality and value for money. The food offer has morphed into a combination of “grab and go” and sit in. A light brunch offer that was once the preserve of a traditional restaurant seems to be in greater demand, maybe reflecting a less intense office arrangement.
I return though to the title of this blog, the “Coffice”, which has now grown into a much more serious concept. It seems out of office meetings are a growing phenomenon as businesses rotate staff under the new rules. There is also an aspect of privacy which comes down to good design and a space in which people want to do business, a 200 year old concept!
The purpose of the coffee shop has never really gone away, people want to do business with people. Zoom, Teams and other forms of electronic meetings have their place however homo sapiens are social animals and thankfully for that reason there will always be business for great coffee shops.
]]>It made me pause for a moment and reflect upon the elemental nature of our business that of coffee roasters. It’s a century’s old occupation and one of the few “commodities” left that is still handled by many micro-businesses and whose processes remain fundamentally unchanged despite all the ingenuity of modern technology.
In so many ways little has changed when it comes to getting our essential foodstuffs delivered to the Island. We’ve recently had a major storm pass through the channel which had delayed our particular sailing something we live with as many generations have done before. I can imagine the relief when the flags at Fort Regent were raised to tell the traders that the boat had successfully docked. Our particular sailing had set off from Portsmouth at 08.30 and was due in Jersey some 10 hours later due to the heavy seas. As I said the fundamentals really haven’t changed in centuries.
Then there’s the coffee itself that has travelled thousands of miles around the globe and eventually arrived on our shores. It’s an extraordinary exercise in logistics. Today we have received coffee from Sumatra, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, and India. The effort that has gone into its production and delivery is truly humbling and the price we pay is worth every penny.
We’ve become so used to having this amazing range of coffees available at our fingertips yet its availability is all held together by a very fine thread of hard work and co-operation, a thread we really must look after if future generations are to enjoy the privilege of drinking the finest coffees in the world on this small island we call home.
]]>