mycuppa May 2015 Newsletter
India Tiger Mountain - under the radar
He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount. (Chinese Proverb)
It was just over seven years ago when I ordered my first bag of India Tiger Mountain Plantation A.
Thought the name of the coffee was way cool.
The description of the cup appealed to my inner sledgehammer - "strong, inky, dark currants, spice and a chocolate finish".
In loading the bags from the pallet on the truck, I was immediately struck by the beautiful image of a large Bengal Tiger on the front of the bag.
Wow - this one's a keeper in the years since many Richmond AFL supporters have begged me to give them the empty bag for framing.
What I was surprised to find out, however, was how easily that bean was to roast, and it soon became my favourite.
I also came to appreciate how beautiful it appeared roasted - a perfectly formed bean shape with a consistent monk-brown hue - no scorching or tipping marks that can be present on semi-washed roasted coffees.
The flavour was also something quite mystical.
A dark golden crema, good body, superbly balanced, and the finish delivered rich milk chocolate that lasted forever with a hint of spice.
It was one of those memorable moments in coffee - completely unexpected and, at the same time, unforgettable.
India does fly under the radar when it comes to coffee.
Their Arabica and Robusta coffees are some of the finest in the world, and there is a very good reason the Italians have been big buyers of quality Indian coffees for more than 40 years - they work a treat in espresso-based coffees and make an ideal complement to Brazil coffees in a blend.
Plantation A is a type of definition relating to quality Indian Arabica coffee.
It is highly sought after, and generally speaking, India Plantation A lots tend to sell almost as quickly as Ethiopians - they sell out so fast.
What we have seen over the last few years is a dramatic shift in the farming methods employed on Indian coffee estates - the specialized growing of disease-resistant varietals, shading to protect crops from excessive sun, and improved processing conditions.
The varietals such as S795, SL9 and Cauvery make excellent milk-based espresso coffees.
We have been buying around 8 - 10 tons of Tiger Mountain each year - we also purchase specialty grade arabica Plantation from other Indian estates.
However, Tiger is a staple for us as some Indian estate coffees have not been available for years.
The real superiority of Plantation A is its soft acidity and chocolate finish - appealing to customers.
Regarding Arabica coffees, Tiger punches well above its weight in the flavour stakes and leaves many other origins behind.
Quite a few of our customers that who prefer a stronger-tasting coffee will religiously purchase Tiger on every order.
Over the years, we have developed a considerable following of Tiger devotees, and some of the cafes we supply prefer to use just straight Tiger Mountain instead of blends.
One of my observations about Tiger Mountain is that every crop is different - those differences can be dramatic because of the climate where the coffee is grown.
The 2014 crop was, in my opinion - just OK.
I was very close to dropping it last year because it only passed our QA by a slim margin of 1 point - but there was so little coffee available then, and therefore, the risk of dropping it meant I could not find a suitable substitute.
My view of the 2014 Tiger exhibited too much "spice" and lacked a degree of sweetness - although some people prefer this.
The key challenge with coffees, and Tiger Mountain in particular, is that you need to be in the "pipeline" well before the coffee lands in Australia.
As an example, two months ago, I contracted another 5 tons of Tiger Mountain, and I am still determining what that coffee will taste like as it will be at least another month before the first lot arrives in Australia.
It's a case of grabbing it three months beforehand or simply missing out.
The good news is that in the first week of May, we received a pallet of a 2015 crop "marked" Tiger Mountain.
When I put my scoop into that new bag and pulled out a pile of raw coffee, I was quite surprised to see a dark green mound of beans.
That's strange; Plantation A's are normally a lighter shade of green.
The other distinct aspect I noticed was the sweeter aroma instead of the standard funky smell of raw coffee and hessian sacks (Tiger is lined with Eco-Tact film to preserve the quality).
In the roaster, the new crop needed quite a bit more heat, which meant those beans were full of goodness - 10.2% moisture and 72% density.
I've roasted this new crop Tiger 7 times in the last ten days, as well as used it in some of the blends.
This Tiger Mountain lot is good and superior to what we have used in the last 2 - 3 years.
I spoke to the broker about this new Tiger Mountain crop three days ago.
Then I was told (disappointingly) that this was a one-off lot - the remaining lots for the next few months will be AB screen (smaller) due to the drought-affected coffee-growing regions in India involving the harvested volumes.
So folks, here's the deal: we have a really good Tiger Mountain with less than 800 kilos remaining.
Like the PNG Highlands AA, we ran two months ago, this Tiger is a unique lot-worthy candidate as May's feature coffee.
If you need a break from the caramel in your cup, try nut and spice from the Tiger.
Cup Profile - a lovely nutty cup with a silky mouthfeel and a bright lingering orange acidity.
The finish is sweet and clean, with toffee, hazelnut and cocoa.
NOTE: As of 15 May 2019, we no longer stock Indian Tiger Mountain coffee.
coffee blend myths
There is a predictable moment in every coffee lover's journey of discovery where they reach a critical junction - the dilemma of single origins versus blends.
You will need clear answers to the questions to reach a point.
Unfortunately, it's not helped by the abundance of information available; some of it is intended to confuse you.
Should I stick with my reliable and relatively easy-to-work-with blend, or do I walk on the "wild side" with some flirty, fruity Ethiopian naturals?
#1 - Blends consist of beans that need to be better to be sold as Single Origins.
We don't need to prove the fact that real estate costs big $$.
Heck, our new factory costs more than a Toorak mansion, so it begs the question, why would I waste precious floor space and resources on crappy beans just for blends and then have another space just for those uber-single origins - space is gold for any roastery.
Our combinations consist of the beans we also sell as Single Origins.
Handling represents a hefty 30% of costs.
#2 - A blend is how roasters use cheap coffees to make more margin.
The coffee industry has something wrong with pricing models - Single Origins coffees are priced at premiums to blends.
There are situations or cases where this can be valid, but there are also other arguments to be made against this practice.
Given the high labour and space impost, blends should carry a 10 - 20% price premium over single origins.
Yet blends are sold at up to 30% cheaper than single origins.
The only logical answer to this is good old marketing of single sources, considering the exclusivity of the coffee versus the ubiquitous availability of a blend.
#3 - blending is used to provide consistency.
Coffee never stands still.
It is a strange and diverse beast that when you think you have everything under control and stabilized, something will change, causing a huge effort to get back into balance.
Curve balls are constantly being thrown at us.
We run out of coffee every week, and it's challenging to keep all the new arrivals "fitting" within our "standard".
Coffee blends rarely taste the same over three months - it's a reason so many coffee roasters now refer to their blends as "seasonal".
#4 - blends are easier to use than single-origins
Finally, it is a myth that makes sense - partially.
Single Origins can be more difficult to dial in the grinder and your corresponding dose for the very simple reason that the coffee you are trying to set up may be dramatically different, in terms of density (hardness) and cell structure, from the coffee you had in the grinder previously.
Blends typically contain beans with different moisture and density levels or are naturally processed (sun-dried) and soft versus washed and hard.
This diversity allows you to calibrate your equipment quicker and easier than using a single-origin coffee.
Even after hundreds of thousands of grinder dial-ins, I still experience the occasional single origin that "does my head in", trying to get the espresso shot right.
It must be said that when you do get the shot dynamics right for Single Origin coffees, it can be amazing - the clarity is magnificent.
#5 - Blends create something that Single Origins can never achieve
The theory of blending rarely achieves the result in practice.
It's impossible to prepare a coffee blend that realizes the true sum of its parts. People blend with eternal hope - thinking that a bit of this and that will mean 1 + 2 + 3 = 6.
Alas, that's just a dream, and if you are lucky to hit 4.5, you are doing very well.
When you blend coffees, there should be complementary actions occurring.
Still, many people fail to account for the cancellations (if post-blending) and reactions that occur during roasting (interchange or fusion during pre-blending).
In the finished product, you have different types of acids inherent in the beans, and these can effectively "mute" each other out of the equation - creating one-dimensional cup outcomes.
Blends serve a very useful purpose, and a good mix should exhibit at least two types of basic experiences: flavour and finish.
