- 11/19: Another big day! ...We are offering two Geshas together as the Panama Garrido Gesha Collection: 1/2lb Panama Garrido Gesha Traditional Wet-Process and 1/2lb Panama Garrido Gesha Pulp Natural Process ... look for effervescent jasmine in the Wet Process and a fuller body with stone fruit in the Pulp Natural. Check out Tom's full write-up on this very limited offering. We are also happy to re-stock our Mandheling standard Sumatra Takengon Classic, as most of you know is a heavy-bodied chocolate and spiced cup, good for darker roasting too. Maria
- 11/18: It's a big day! We are listing El Salvador Peaberry "Aida's Grand Reserve" (1lb limit)! Please click through to Tom's full review. Some of you remember this from previous harvest,... juicy mouthfeel with semi-sweet chocolate and Monukka raisin in the cup, this time ranking at a 93 overall score! ! Next is another special preparation coffee, Costa Rica Peaberry-Petite Bean Experiment (2lb limit), with a shifting flavor profile from cherry and plum to brown sugar and syrup. Again, don't miss the full reviews for details. Last up is a great espresso blend component, the return of Panama Guyami Indian Robusta Rustico with baker's chocolate in the cup. Also great in a French Press !
- 11/12: We have officially run out of Hearthware i-Roast 2 machines today, which leaves us in a funny situation of having a very limited choice in small air roasters, just in time for the holidays! So I wrote a little bit about that, The Year without Small Air Home Roasters?!- Maria
- 11/12: Three new coffees to announce: Guatemala Palo Blanco WP Decaf with apple notes, raspberry and clean and bright finish. Next up is the Peru FTO Aparm Coop Typica, a balanced cup with Dutch cocoa and almond. Lastly, we have the new Ethiopia DP Haile Selassie Sidamo, a cleanly fruited cup with cardamom hints. Check out the full review for details on a slightly different dry-process method resulting in a sweet profile with peach, vanilla and mango sweetness.
- 11/10: This day has been a long time coming ... I am very happy to announce the availability of The Unofficial 2010 Dogs of Coffee Calender!! Tom and I had the idea to print a calendar of all the great dog photos he has taken at origin, but alas, that great idea occurred to us last March. Not a good time to sell a calendar. But November is! The calendar has 15 full color images of dogs from all parts of the coffee producing world. (We even slipped in a photo of our old dog Francy under one of the Typica trees in our backyard in Oakland.) The price is $6 and $2 of that will be donated to a number of charities active in coffee producing countries, including Coffee Kids, Grounds for Health, Doctors without Borders, etc. Check it out! (Can you tell I am excited about it?)- Maria
- 11/9: There is a post on the Washington Post website about the Clever Coffee Drippers. We are just happy to have them back in stock! You can read our review of them here. Maria
- 11/6: Three more coffees... ! ! ! Check out the reviews, here's the rundown: Brazil Cerrado DP Fazenda Aurea... a straightforward Brazil profile, chocolate-laced at darker roasts. Good as a blend base or for espresso preparation. We are adding a new Nyeri coffee: Kenya AA Nyeri Tambaya with grapefruit, jasmine tea and a complexity that gives it very high marks indeed. Last but not least is Yemen Mokha Harazi, a high-grown and fairly clean coffee with rustic accents and dried fruit. This is sweet and for fans of the Ismaili especially. Try it dark as espresso too!
- 11/4: Wait, wait, there's one more. We're adding an exciting coffee that we had decaffeinated ourselves: Kenya Nyeri Ndiaini-Kiagundo WP Decaf. Read Tom's blurb for the full review. It's a combination of Kiagundo and Ndia-ini farm coffees, an effervescent cup with a great fruit aroma and changing fruit tastes in the cup. We're very excited about this offering and Tom ranks it alongside the non-decaf Kenyas. Check it out!
- 11/3: Happy Election Day! We are adding 3 Brazil coffees today. Here they are: Brazil Daterra Farms - Sweet Yellow, a mix of Bourbon and Icatu cultivars, with a sweet and savory balance of aroma and taste. Try it as a single-origin espresso! Second up is Brazil Organic Nossa Senhora de Fatima, a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors and aroma; fans of Poco Fundo take note. Lastly, we have Brazil Fazenda Vista Alegre Natural Dry, a natural process coffee with a big beefy body and marked low acidity. Check out Tom's full notes for more.
- 10/29: Lo and behold, there are three new coffees today. Here they are: Kenya Nyeri AA Gichatha-ini with some plum/chocolate sweetness and could be considered for Single Origin espresso. Sumatra Lintong Blue Batak has been a big favorite in the past with hints of spice, molasses sweetness and versatile at a light to dark roast. Last up is another familiar, Costa Rica Don Mayo "La Ponderosa" Bourbon with nut flavors and a sweetness that varies in light to dark roasts. This is also good as a SO espresso.
- 10/22: This is not a big deal, but it is a big deal. After using burlap to make our 20# bags, we are switching to cotton. Burlap is still fine, and we receive most of our coffee packed in burlap, the traditional material. But we had a choice, and we thought cotton was a better alternative since there is less odor and it breathes well. So if you do happen to hold onto the coffee for a few months, there ought to be less taint imparted by the bag. And now we printed our logo on them. So from now on all orders for 20#s of a coffee in a cotton bag, instead of burlap. Just so you are not surprised when you open your order. And we sell them separately too - Tom can take a better photo when he is back from Ecuador! Maria
- 10/22: We're adding two decafs that were so great caffeinated, we sent them off to be de-caffeinated! Ethiopia Organic Guji Sidamo SWP Decaf and Guatemala La Maravilla SWP Decaf . Note also that Finca La Maravilla is in the Huehuetenango region, and Tom notes a more expanded body in the decaf version of the Guji in the full reviews. Click on through.. Switch to Decaf !?
- 10/16: New to Sweet Maria's, we now have the Hario Skerton Hand Crank Coffee Mill, a fairly compact manual mill that works well. It has a ceramic, conical burr set and produces a very good quality grind. It also makes a handy travel mill since it is so compact. - Tom
- 10/14: Happy World Standards Day! We're adding two new coffees, a workshop espresso, and a parchment coffee today. Check out the full reviews, but here's the rundown: 1) a new crop from Costa Rica "Cafe Sin Limites" farm with large mouthfeel and cocoa powder. 2) Nicaragua Mama Mina Microlot with mild brightness and mild fruit from this mostly Caturra farm. 3) Espresso Workshop #8 - Waw, Bukan Main! ... Just say Bukan? Yes, it's another workshop espresso blend, this time with an Indonesian basis in blend and name; well-rounded with nice body and a fruited overlay. 4) Costa Rica R.I.P. 2009 ... Please read the full review and the linked tutorial. This coffee is semi-processed and must be roasted carefully to attain rustic fruit without scorching the flavor.
- 10/14: We've got two new sets of closeup coffee images: Sweet Maria's Macro Coffee Images, Part 2 and Part 3. This time, we've got some detailed pictures of various bean defects and some pictures of coffee plants.
- 10/7: We are now offering the PINO Digital Kettle Pro. It might seem silly, but I am really excited about this kettle. I need a lot of hot water for cupping and brewing so having a kettle that works as well as this does makes a big difference in my day-to-day life. It is pricey, but this paired with a Clever Coffee Dripper makes a great brewing set-up. - Tom
- 10/7: I posted a new set of Macro Images of Coffee Beans --- just some neat closeups of beans in their various stages, from cherry to green to roasted.
- 10/6: We're adding four new coffees today: Nicaragua Limoncillo Pacamara Dry-Process with fruits flavors and a profile not unlike Ethiopia DP or Yemen. Check out Tom's review!... Next is the Colombia Finca Buenavista -Carlos Imbachi Microlot - the return of an all-around favorite farm, this is a sweet coffee with guava and strawberry tones. Takes a wide range of roasts and is on the brighter side, being Huila-grown. We are adding the Costa Rica Tarrazu -Montes de Oro, a versatile coffee with graham cracker and lemon with chocolate at a darker roast. We've also blended up the new Espresso Workshop #7 - La Tessitura, ... another tongue-twisted name choice with fruits and a bright finish. Maybe the analogy to choral music is a bit much but once you try it, you'll be singing about the great cup along with us! Stay tuned for news about a new electric water kettle on the way.
- 10/1: Happy first day of October to you! We're adding three new coffees today: First is the clean and sweet Sulawesi Tana Toraja Ke'pe, with raisin and dark berry in the cup; a true Toraja offering. Next up is Ethiopia Gr.3 Dry Process Yirga Cheffe. Look for hints of blueberry, passion fruit, and a lemon citrus. It's an excellent Gedio region coffee, check out the full review! Last but not least is a new Nyeri: Kenya Nyeri Peaberry Kagumo-ini with refined sugar, lemon brightness, and a very nice finish. Let it cool for an extended flavor profile with caramel and vanilla.
- 9/23: New arrivals today: First up is the eagerly awaited El Salvador Finca Kilimanjaro. We received a reduced amount and have limited sales to 1 or 2 pounds. Read the full review but expect a bright Central with almost African character; mint, winey fruit, and tea-like tastes. Next up is the Guatemala Antigua Puerta Verde Bourbon. Want to find out what's behind the "green door/puerta verde"? You'll find an Antigua with apple notes in the profile and a nice balance of aroma/flavors ranging from caramel to malt. Lastly we are adding Honduras Organic - Daniel Ordoñez III Microlot, a balanced Central and a crowd-pleaser with nuts flavors at light and dark roasts, cola sweetness at a darker roast.
- 9/23: Tom recently returned from a week-long trip to Peru. Some thoughts and photos are here.
- 9/16: Three new coffees to get you over hump day: Panama Las Flores de Volcan is a high-toned yet balanced cup, Sumatra FTO Aceh Arinagata has rustic sweetness with a dense body and spice notes, and the second of our vacuum packed Kenya lots Kenya Nyeri Ngunguru Peaberry a zesty, dynamic cup with complex herbal notes and unique sweetness.
- 9/8: We had a problem with email today - since about 6 am until 1:30 pm PST we did not get messages. If you sent a message during that time, please resend it. We are able to send messages out - and are still catching up to emails from the weekend. Orders are totally uneffected- we are receiving and processing orders just fine. If you have any doubt - if you need a response to an email and have not seen one, please resend the message. - Maria
- 9/4: Just a reminder that we are CLOSED for shipping on Labor Day, Monday September 7th. The cart stays open though and we will ship orders in the order received starting Tuesday. Happy long weekend everyone! - Maria
- 8/31: We're adding two coffees to close out August: Ethiopia Moplaco Yirga Cheffe, a sweet wet process peachy Yirg with silky mouthfeel, and Honduras FTO Ocotopeque WP Decaf, a caramel sweet organic decaf yet mild and crisp in the cup. As always click-through to the full review for farm notes, cupping notes, and roast suggestions.
- 8/28: Today we are adding a new Kenya from the Gikanga Farmers Coop and a new Chiapas Decaf. Check out the full reviews but here are some notes.... Kenya AA Nyeri Ndaro-ini has berry and vanilla in the flavor profile; also, try it as single-origin espresso! We have a nice Organic Fair Trade Decaf we're adding: Mexico Santa Cruz WP Decaf, a medium cup with mild nut, apple, and brown sugar finish.
- 8/26: A couple of tiny things: We are updating the sale page much more regularly now (now that Erica does it - not me!) There are always some good deals on odds and ends - so be sure to check it out. And we now offer free shipping on the HotTop models -both the Basic and the Programmable. -Maria
- 8/19: Three Central American additions today! ... We have the return of Mexico Organic Nayarit Dry-Process, an unusual offering we've enjoyed before with intense chocolate and dense body. Next up is a new cultivar from one of our fave auction-winning farms: El Salvador Siberia Estate Pacamara, with excellent raw sugar and hibiscus tones. Lastly it's Honduras Fair Trade Organic Lempira -Cosagual Coop from a new farm/location. It's a crisp wet-process from a new farm with allspice, almond, and apricot hints.
- 8/12: We are adding a new Standard espresso blend today that we plan to keep in stock. Note that this Standard is lower-toned than our brighter lighter-roast Workshop series. This is a second take on our Classic Italian Espresso blend. Tom is calling this Sweet Maria’s New Classic Espresso blend. Thick body, almond, chocolate; it’s a classic Euro-style espresso profile but it’s Robusta-free. A mix of traditional and modern = New Classic. Check out Tom’s review
- 8/10: Our coffee from the Hacienda Esmeralda auction arrived late last week and it is making its appearance on the list today: Panama Esmeralda Gesha -Lot 2 Caballeriza, a 1500 meter coffee from Jaramillo Boquete ... Please read Tom's full review but expect layers of floral and fruit tastes. We bought just the one lot in the auction this year; we are limiting this coffee to 1lb so everyone can get to try it. Don't be surprised if it runs out quickly - Maria
- 8/6: We're adding 5 very different coffees today, some very interesting new offerings and some old favorites. First up is the oft-requested and in-shop favorite Guatemala Finca San José Ocaña. This is a classic Bourbon-like wet process coffee with chocolate, concord grape, and spice. We also are adding an unusual dry-process Moka offering: Hawaii Ka'anapali Estate DP Maui Moka. Look for maple syrup, honey, oily body. We have roast suggestions in the full review. Next is a rare find from Indonesia: Sulawesi Wet-Process Toarco Peaberry, different from a wet-hulled Toarco, with a sweeter and cleaner profile and brightness. Another new Kenya to add: Kenya Nyeri AA -Kagumo Coop, a sweet, floral, bright, yet balanced coffee vac-packed at origin for freshness. And finally, it's Brazil Dry-Process Mogiana, a thick-bodied mild fruited coffee we've loved in the past, check out the full review for this and the others. We made new t-shirts! A new Logo T-shirt and a revised version of the Brave the Smoke t-shirt (the last one was from over 9 years ago, so if you have one of those - you are an old-timer! And there is more new stuff on the sale page!-Maria
- 7/30: We've written a short recap and put up a few photos of our recent Homeroasters' Dream Camp. If you couldn't make it, check it out for some comparisons of roasts between roasters.
- 7/28: Finally! We have a new Ethiopia Sidamo Dry Process to offer: Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Guji Sidamo, fruited and spicy, nice balance of flavors and can take a dark roast. And we're adding two excellent coffees from Panama Carmen Estate First it's Panama Carmen Estate 1900 Meters, a new high in both flavor and altitude level for this great varietal. Look for a rounded mouthfeel and some sweet caramel tones. Secondly, it's Panama Carmen "Siete Dias de Bellota" a versatile dry-process offering that also makes a nice SO espresso!
- 7/24: There's a new espresso grinder in town! Well, not exactly in your town, not yet; it's in our town, our warehouse to be exact...but I digress. The important thing is that we now carry Compak K3 Espresso mills - the K3 Touch and the K3 Elite. We have been testing mills for 6 weeks or more, and have found that the Compak are some of the best out there. The mills are listed for sale on this page and there is a detailed review with photos and comments on this page. -Maria
- 7/23: Five new coffees today: First off are two Lintong-region Sumatras: Sumatra Lintong Dolok Sanggul with rustic sweetness and black tea and Sumatra Onan Ganjang Cultivar which is a thicker body cup with tobacco and clove. Next up are two centrals: Costa Rica Helsar de Zarcero from the West Valley region- with chocolate milk and hazlenuts and the Costa Rica Genesis "Miel" from the Naranjo region- a bright honey-process coffee with dried red berry flavors. Lastly, we are adding the India Organic Jasmine Estate Yellikudige a mildly rustic wet-process coffee with molasses-like sweetness.
- 7/21: Tom wrote a summary of his cupping results from the Cup of Excellence 2009 auctions - with notes about what we will be getting (or not). Maria
- 7/14: Again! another four coffees to add! What's with the number four?! I am not sure, maybe we should play the lottery. In any case, here are the coffees: First is the return of Australia -Mountain Top Farm, a Fancy grade semi-washed coffee with a juicy sweetness. Next is a national auction winner from Bolivia, Bolivia Juan Coaquira Mamani Microlot, with brown sugar and stone fruit tastes. And the return of the classic El Salvador Finca Matalapa Peaberry versatile for light or dark roast with an orange brightness, And finally it's a change in the naming conventions for our espresso blends, from geology to acoustics: Espresso Workshop #6 - "Treble Response", keep your cups (and ears?) clean to enjoy this high pitched blend.
- 7/8: Four new coffees to add today! Sumatra Organic Lampahan -Bonkawan Coop, with low acidity, raisin, fig and plum tastes. Next up is the return of Yemen Mokha Haimi, an aromatic cup from light to dark roasts; great also for SO espresso use! And lastly, we sourced some good decafs: Ethiopia Dry-Process Sidamo MC Decaf, with medium acidity, and sweet fruit notes and Nicaragua Jinotega SHG WP Decaf, a bright decaf with chocolate/malt at darker roast levels.
- 7/7: Oh lucky Seventh day of the Seventh month! More sale items listed today. - Maria
- 7/3: Happy early Fourth of July! Four new coffees!!!! Here they are in short. First is the arrival of Guatemala Acatenango Gesha: Jasmine, citrus blossoms, tropical fruit with a complex Gesha flavor profile and aroma. Click through to the review. Guatemala Finca La Bella JBM Cultivar, a balanced cup with milk chocolate, and a bit of apple spice harvested from Jamaican seedstock in Guaemala. Our third Guat. addition is the return of Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca La Maravilla: sweet fruited notes, mild sweet chocolate-dipped nuts. Last, but not least, we received new Yemen Mokha Sharasi, a Mokha coffee from a new region not usually sold as single-origin. This is a sweet Yemen and also versatile: makes a nice SO espresso!
- 6/26: Clever Coffee Dripper: I am really excited about this little filtercone; I think it greatly improves the quality of the coffee you brew. It is a simple #4 cone with a drip-stop mechanism. You can let the coffee and water infuse for whatever length of time you want, place the filter on a cup or other vessel and let the filtered coffee drain down. Maria and I have been using this to make coffee at home on the weekends for a couple of months now - and it works great. It actually does not drip! Well, not when it is not supposed to. It is an in-expensive way to make great coffee; all the body and full-flavor of french press, without the sediment. The convenience of a filtercone, with control over extraction. -Tom
- 6/25: Wait, two more coffees to add: We're excited to have the new harvest to offer from two of our regular farms: Panama Organic La Berlina Estate Typica, this lot is a creamy classic Central with caramel-malt sweet notes. and a savory tone as well. Secondly we are adding a new peaberry today: Kenya Kirinyaga -Karinga Peaberry which cups as a more balanced Kenya than recent arrivals. It has a reduced acidity and does well at dark roast levels too.
- 6/24: We are adding four coffees today: Hawaii Kona -Kowali Farm JBM Cultivar, a classic is back with sweet floral aromatics (Limit to 1lb) Next up is Costa Rica La Candelilla Guaca Bourbon, a great drinking coffee with bittersweet chocolate, thick body, dark fruits. We also got a good decaf Central, the Costa Rica La Magnolia SWP Decaf, which has with a 'fudgesicle' note. Last, we have the return of Tanzania Blackburn Estate Peaberry, a wine-like coffee with berry notes - a favorite of Kenya fans.
- 6/17: More exciting arrivals! First up is the mild return of Brazil Jacu Bird Coffee. It's a "bird-processed" natural Brazil, check out this and the other reviews for the full story. Next is Costa Rica "Cafe Sin Limites", a great Villa Sarchi miel-prep coffee from the farm. This farm has placed #2 in the CoE for the past 2 years. Big buttery mouthfeel with honey notes. Yemen Mokha Ismaili is finally back! Complex with different tastes at different roasts. Try step blending and single-origin espresso, check out Tom's full cupping review. And finally, the latest in our series, Espresso Workshop #5 - The Breccia Blend. Enjoy lemon and berry flavors at a medium roast, this is on the brighter end of the scale.
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Sweet Maria's would like to be your information source and green coffee supplier for your home coffee roasting adventures.
Home roasting is easy! It only takes 5 to 15 minutes and your reward is the freshest
coffee around. It requires no fancy equipment and green coffee from Sweet Maria's is half
the price of good roasted coffee from a retailer. We have a huge
selection of green coffees, each carefully cupped and rated
for quality.
