- 2/5: Today at Sweetmarias, TGIF means Thank God It's Four new coffees! Let's start with Honduras Cup of Excellence -Finca Fernandez from a somewhat remote and small family farm. Look for sweet fruit tastes with ripe apple, red berry, and a cinnamon note. Next up are a couple a favorite farms we've stocked before: Brazil Cachoeira Yellow Canario Bourbon and Colombia Finca Buenavista -Carlos Imbachi Microlot. With the Brazil Canario, expect a special auction-quality offering with light body, malted chocolate, bright peach. It's a limited lot that would even please the non-fans of Brazil. With the Colombia Imbachi, one can expect a fruit combo with guava, strawberry, peach and a taste of honey. This Colombian is another special lot from one our favorite farmers. Last but not least is Java Kajumas Organic Wet-Hulled with a low bass note profile, dark chocolate, butterscotch, and a marked low acidity. For even more verbose descriptions, ... check out the full reviews!
- 2/3: I just posted a travelogue from a short trip I took to Costa Rica in January 2010.
- 1/27: Say hello to four new arrivals today! From Central America we're adding two coffees... the Costa Rica Brumas Finca El Centro wet-process from Central Valley (with thick mouthfeel, plum tastes and winey finish) and Nicaragua Finca San Jose Java Longberry which is an atypical Java-type grown in Nicaragua. Look for great body and balance along with a chocolate roast taste in the Nic. Java and both these centrals can handle a dark roast nicely. From across the water we've received new crop Lintong, the Sumatra Blue Batak Tarbarita Peaberry with spice, sarsaparilla, and a light body. We're rounding out the additions today with Kenya Nyeri Peaberry Kieni. Fans of Kagumoini and Kiamabara should take note of this new farm in the same collective. Look for sharp fruit taste balanced out with dark brown sugar. Check out the full reviews for these coffees!
- 1/21: Happy National Hug Day! We're seeing the return of some customer favorites today. We have two smaller lots that we are limiting to 5lb per order. The first, El Salvador Los Luchadores Pacamara, is mix of fruit and chocolate flavors with mango, mexican hot cocoa and a sizable body. Second is another favorite, the Hawaii Kona -Kowali Farm Typica, a mild island profile coffee with a refined sweetness and floral aromatics. This is one of our favorite Konas and folks will be happy to see it's in. The third coffee we're adding today is the Costa Rica Herbazu Red Honey. Look for savory sweet aroma, wine-like tastes of fruit and flowers. The Red Honey makes a great single-origin espresso too! Stock up if you like, there is no limit on this one.
- 1/12: We're adding new coffees today! First are two very fine Colombian offerings: the Colombia "Dos Payasos de Tolima" with caramel and spice tastes. It's a customer favorite that stays sweet from light to dark roasts. Also being added is the Colombia Huila -Finca El Junin, Humberto Diaz, a bright cup with aromatic fruits and syrup-like body. Next, from one of our favorite coffee farmers, is the Costa Rica Guillio Francesca -Finca El Espino with milk chocolate, sweet molasses and fruit in the finish. Lastly, it's Guatemala Bourbon -Finca San Diego Buena Vista from the Acatenango region. It has a classic Guat. profile with vanilla, caramel, and red apple finish. Click on the reviews to learn more about the flavor profiles and particular farms.
- 1/11: At long last we have new air roasters to sell, the Fresh Roast SR300 and SR500. Both are an improvement over the Fresh Roast +8, though imperfect machines. The units work fine as is, and with a bit of technique (either stirring the coffee with a spoon or switching to cool to slow the roast) you can get a good even roast. We have more details on this page and some videos. Why take these extra steps? Well, if you have not noticed, we are sort of perfectionists when it comes to coffee. We have high standards, and want the coffee our customers drink to be everything it can be, every bit as wonderful and delicious as what we taste. From our perspective, this is basically the story of home roasting, adapting equipment and techniques to get the results you want.
- 1/7: We're adding the first three arrivals for '10 today. First off is El Salvador Cup of Excellence La Montañita Pacamara with hints of cinnamon stick, sweet rhubarb and caramel. Second up is the Peru Organic Cusco Canelon -Tomas Ovalle, a balanced full-bodied cup with nut tastes and milk chocolate. Last up is a favorite we've had before, the non-traditional Brazil Moreninha Formosa "Raisin" Coffee. The special drying process here leads to chocolate tastes, a thick body, and a very atypical Brazil profile. As always, click on in and check out the full reviews!
- 1/5: At the close of shipping today we shipped all orders placed up to Monday 1/4/10 morning - up to and including order # 457734. So we are a bit off the 48 hour turnaround. But after tomorrow - we ought to be caught up. Just in time for the Fresh Roasts which ought to be here Friday! -Maria
- 1/5: We are catching up through orders placed while we were closed last week - yesterday we shipped orders up to and including about order # 457175. That was about 1/1/10 - New Year's Day. Today we ought to ship out more and catch up through the weekend. I will post the update so you know when your order is likely to ship. You will get a shipping confirmation by email (provided you gave us the correct email address) when the order is shipped out. - Maria
- 1/4: Happy New Year's! We're back at work and catching up on orders from the weekend as fast as we can. We're packing orders from the holidays in the order they were received, starting with December 29; we'll post an update at the end of the day as to how far we've gotten. Also, I put up travelogues from my recent trip to Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.
- 12/29: On Monday December 28th we shipped out orders up until order # 456037 - basically any order placed from late on 12/22 until midday 12/26. Today we ought to ship out all orders placed from midday 12/26 up to and including those before 9 am today, 12/29.
Over the New Year's holiday we are leaving the shopping cart on and will re-start shipping Monday January 4th. Happy New Year everyone! -Maria
- 12/22: Four new coffees to end 2009 ! Up first is the Kenya Kiambu Nyaga Peaberry with ripe fruit tastes and a citric accent. Kirinyaga fans should take note. Next up is a new arrival of Sumatra FTO Aceh Arinagata, a favorite in past months for those who like a slightly cleaner Sumatra prep. Look for spice tastes and a marked low acidity. We're also adding Rwanda Gkongoro Nyarusiza, a well-balanced cup with fruit tones and a tea-like aftertaste. Lastly, we finally have the long-awaited Papua New Guinea Kimel Peaberry in stock. This is a bright Indonesian cup; clean, and well-rounded. Look for apple cider and floral tastes. It's the best PNG we've seen in over a year! Check out the detailed cupping reviews for all of these coffees! Note : we are taking a short break and orders received after 5pm 12/22 will start shipping in sequence 12/28
- 12/17: Three new coffees to take us into the holidays! First up is a classic central in the Guatemala Acatenenango -Finca La Soledad. Try this as Single-Origin Espresso and look for chocolate along the profile. Next up is Costa Rica Helsar "Villa Sarchi Solis" It's a new type for us with peach tastes and bright zest up to full city plus in the flavor profile. And finally, the return of El Salvador Matalapa "El Mirador"with bright orange taste and creamy mouthfeel. Check out the full reviews!
- 12/17: We are caught up and shipping orders the same day now - so we are in good shape for getting holiday orders out. And we are nearly out of all home roasters -more Gene Cafes and the new Fresh Roast will arrive in January, the Hearthware in March. So things are good! -Maria
- 12/15: We are shipping and packing as fast as we can! Yesterday was the cut off for UPS ground delivery to upper New England; today is the cut off for East Coast and Eastern Midwest orders (the purple area on the UPS time in transit map above). You can always choose faster shipping too. Because I am now reasonably sure that the new models of the Fresh Roast are en route, and will arrive in early January 2010, I set up Fresh Roast new model gift certificates so you can purchase one for whomever you choose. It is a gift certificate, so if the person wants something else, it is no problem - it is the same as cash. I will have lots of these arriving early January, and more in late January, so we ought to have plenty of both models.
- 12/11: Holidays seem to be in full swing here. We are shipping orders within 24 hours (mostly). Please remember that we are closed on weekends and there is no UPS pick up then either. So orders placed over the weekend ship on Monday. The beginning of next week will be hectic - so get your order in as soon as possible for holiday delivery. UPS is right on time - the USPS is running about as slow as usual for this time of year (a day or two later than other times of the year). -Maria
- 12/9: Happy Holidays! We're adding a CoE, a regular fave and some decafs today. First up is El Salvador Cup of Excellence -Villa Espana Bourbon, a classic Bourbon cup with a nice balance of citric brightness and body. Try it also as a Single-Origin Espresso! Next is the return of Sumatra Blue Batak Tarbarita Peaberry, a big favorite in the past. Look for rustic sweetness, chocolate, spice, and a lighter body overall. Lastly, we have two fine decaf additions: Peru FTO Norte WP Decaf with hints of lemon tea and brown sugar. Also we've added Mexico Organic Santa Cruz WP Decaf: this is a great caffeine-free Chiapas coffee, clean and crisp with tastes of honey and panela.
- 11/30: The Holiday Rush is On! We are back from Thanksgiving, stuffed and happy for an extra couple days of rest to find ourselves up to the eyeballs as usual. We are catching up as fast as possible, but please keep in mind that we can not ship in our usual 24 hour turnaround this week - at least not while we are catching up from the long weekend. I will post notes here and post the holiday shipping schedule soon. I think we will be able to send out most orders placed before late Saturday 11/28 today, Monday, and will catch up through the rest of the weekend tomorrow Tuesday. The large shipment of Clever Coffee Drippers is just arriving now, so we can start to take orders for those again - in case you tried over the weekend and we were out. Maria
- 11/26: Tom is off for a trip to Africa, but he finished up a few travelogues from his recent trips to Ecuador and Colombia before heading out.
- 11/26: Happy Thanksgiving! - We are closed but will start filling orders/answering emails again Nov 30!
We are listing two new coffees: Hawaii Kona XF Greenwell Farms, an early Kona offering just in time for the holidays that has oreo cookie, clove, and cinnamon tastes. Can take a dark roast well. Limit to 2lbs on this small lot. Also up is the return of Ethiopia FTO Oromia Yirga Cheffe, spicy and sweet with a trace of clove and allspice. To fully appreciate, keep it at a light roast!
- 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
- 11/6: 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.
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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.
