After writing some previous posts on my coffee experiences here in Costa Rica, I have been contacted by multiple people asking if I could help them buy coffee direct from the farms I had worked on. They had heard my story and the story of the farmers, and they wanted to buy coffee with a story too. To the first few, I was excited to make it happen. Now that my pockets have been cleaned dry of all the coffee (and not without enormous shipping costs), and now that I've moved on with my travels away from its source, my dream role as coffee trader has come to an abrupt end. Along with the real world are exportation fees and transportation costs that make buying direct between the consumer and producer almost impossible unless you plan to pay tenfold.
If you don't already know them, let me introduce you to Verve Coffee Roasters, an amazing coffeehouse based out of Santa Cruz. This link will take you to them, http://www.vervecoffeeroasters.com/collections/latin-america/products/finca-salaca and specifically to a coffee they are selling right now from the same region of Costa Rica that I was in. They have some information about Maria Elena, the grower of the coffee, who is a neighbor and friend of the Montero's. It can be ordered whole bean at $20 a pound, but it's totally worth it and incredibly special to know who you are supporting when you buy it. Because Verve has a direct relationship with Maria and her son, they are able to give them a significant amount of the money you'll spend. There is another coffee roaster in Ontario called Klatch who have a really nice storefront as well. The direct trade they practice is the best that I've seen by far, and they have done a great job in promoting it. They have a lot of Costa Rican coffees right now that you can see here http://www.klatchroasting.com/Cafetal_Honey_p/cos_ric_caf_tal_hon.htm along with detailed descriptions of the coffee's source. Your pound will be a little cheaper at $15, but you'll have the same satisfaction about the
farmers you are supporting.
For those in Orange County, if your any coffee drinker at all, you must have already heard about Portola Coffee Lab in Costa Mesa. If not, do yourself the favor and make a trip because if you don't, then your not hip. Seriously though, if you can see past the trends you will find some amazing selections of coffee along with various options of how you would like it prepared. You'll find yourself wanting to throw on a lab coat and some goggles (or RayBand glasses) and jump behind the counter for some crazy coffee experiments. The owner himself, Jeff Duggan, realizes that the only way to move coffee forward is through relationships - "One of my favorite things about coffee is the relationships. It is about the farmer whose hand I shake after buying a phenomenal coffee that he worked so hard to produce. It is about the coffee professionals behind Portola Coffee Lab that I geek out with at the roaster, the cupping table, and behind the bar. It is about the curious customer I end up talking her ear off as I take her on a coffee journey from seed to cup. Simply put, coffee is fascinating. It's not just a beverage - it's an experience. As much as we want to dazzle your palates with coffee made great by the hands of many, fews things are more gratifying than sharing our knowledge and experience with others - you - our customer." -Jeff Duggan, Owner http://www.portolacoffeelab.com/index
If your further up in LA then Intelligentsia is undoubtedly one of the best shops to support where you can buy direct trade coffee. They are located in Silverlake, Venice, and Pasadena, and sell their coffee online. Personally, I think they may have won the title for best coffee shop in Southern California years ago, setting the standard for all others that are now booming up. They have trained award winning-barristas who view coffee-making as an art and career - their direct trade practices insure the famers get paid well over international standards. http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/content/history
And finally, to all my friends back home in San Diego, one of my favorite coffeehouses in town is Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. These guys do what no one else in San Diego does - travel the world to build relationships with the people who grow their coffee. http://www.birdrockcoffee.com/ Besides, who doesn't want to escape the inland heat for a drive down La Jolla Boulevard?
So here are some options from coffee shops that I had known already. There is no doubt that many other coffee shops are sprouting up who also pursue direct relationships with coffee producers. Buying direct coffee really is easier than you would think. And when you realize that the quality is so much better for just a little bit more, you are left without a reason, or an excuse, why not to buy sound coffee.
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