Welcome to Wicked Joe!

Coffee roasting company in Brunswick brewing success
Special to Business
By Patrick Gabrion, Times Record Business Editor
Published: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 2:02 PM EDT

BRUNSWICK — There’s no doubt that Americans love their coffee. And a provider of this important beverage is located right here in Brunswick — Wicked Joe Coffee Roasting Co.

“Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, making America the world’s largest consumer of coffee,” said Bob Garver, who owns the Water Street business along with his wife, Carmen. “Clearly, Americans love coffee and for many this is the most relaxing and enjoyable part of the day.”

The Times Record recently conducted a question-and-answer session with the Garvers to talk about, among other things, the art and science of coffee roasting, the important connections with their direct-trade partners in Central America and other places, the special project coffees they offer, and how the success of their small company is tied to their dedicated team of employees. Read the full article here

Pura Vida - This is Living!  Costa Rica Style. February 5, 2011
I spent the first week of February in Costa Rica, both strengthening long term relationships and building new ones.   The week began in the up and coming Naranjo region with our long time partner CooproNaranjo, a Cooperative of Rainforest Alliance farms.  We have purchased a number of great coffees from this cooperative over the years, most notably our "Pepe"  microlot of honey-processed yellow catuai from the farm of Jose Francisco Aguilar.  This farm was the focus of my trip to Naranjo this year as we had already arranged to purchase this coffee  going forward as a "Direct Trade - Relationship" coffee.  We were delighted when our "Pepe"  was the standout each time it was on the table during "blind cuppings" (blind meaning we did not know what the coffees were until after we had evaluated and scored each coffee).  Especially impressive given the overall quality of the coffees we were sampling.  My cupping notes on Pepe included "bright and sweet, nicely balanced with notes of orange and peach up front and finishing with chocolate and hints of walnut".   Mid-week we moved on to the famed Tarrazu region and visited some of the most beautiful farms imaginable and cupped a number of remarkable coffees.  Our big "find" in Tarrazu is our new "Direct Trade - Relationship" with Finca Las Gravileas.  Finca Las Gravileas is a picturesque Fair Trade and Organic farm run by farther and son Roberto and Fabrizio Marin, with whom we have segregated a great microlot.  This coffee was also a standout on the cupping tables of Tarrazu.  Bob's  tasting notes on this coffee include "nice acidity and sweetness with a creamy mouthfeel and notes of cherry, apricot, vanilla and lemon".   Both our Rainforest Alliance Certified "Pepe" and our Fair Trade Organic certified "Finca Las Gravileas"  coffees should be arriving at our Roastery in late May or
early June.  - Bob

Honduras gets Wicked! February 12, 2011
I spent the 2nd week of February trekking through the mountains of Honduras.  What a revelation -  staggeringly beautiful and at the same time incredibly soulful.    I started the week in the Santa Barbara region at the San Vicente Mill where an inordinate number of past Cup of Excellence National Champions have emanated from.   We set out with the goal of developing  a Direct Trade Relationship with one of these exceptional farmers.  To this end we cupped table after table of  remarkable coffees and visited some of the most beautiful farms imaginable........I know.......but somebody's got to do it!    The one coffee that really stood out from the rest was from Finca Los Portillos in El Cielito.  This coffee was delightful.  My cupping notes included "floral, very sweet, bright citrus, peach, dried fruit, very complex."  After spending time with Bertillio Reyes Portillo and his family, we knew we had the right fit.  We are proud to be the exclusive roaster of Bertilio's coffee, the 2009 Honduras Cup of Excellence Champion.

Next I set off for theMarcala region to visit and strengthen our relationship with Comsa one of our top Fair Trade Organic Cooperatives.  Marcala was beautiful and we began by cupping several tables of fine coffees loaded with the bright citrus and floral notes that the region is famous for.    We then spent the  next few days visiting a number of our producer farms in the area as well as the mill.  What a pleasure it was to spend time with farmers and their families who are so committed to Organic and Sustainable practices.  The farms were models of biodiversity with lush shade and an abundance of varied plants and animals.  One of the highlights of the trip was my final farm visit to Finca Los Cascabeles, home to Mario Perez Manueles, his wife Donna Linda and their children Mario Rudolpho and Linda Carlota.  We began by touring the farm and I was blown away by the state of the art organic farming practices employed by Mario on the farm.  It came as no surprise when we sample roasted and cupped his coffee on site that it was very good - nicely balanced with a medium body and lots of bright citrus, primarily orange.  The visit culminated with the most delicious impromptu meal of chicharrones, tortillas, goat butter, and fruit - every tasty element coming directly from the farm.  The best part is that upon my return, I met with Brunswick's own Seth Kroek and his wife Maura who operate our local CSA Crystal Spring Farm.  I to ld them about my experience on this farm and we are now working together to establish a "sister farm" relationship between Crystal Spring Farm and Finca Los Cascabeles, the purpose of which is to foster an exchange of ideas and techniques  for the benefit of both farms.  Cheers!  - Bob

World's Greenest Coffee Roaster built for Wicked Joe March 1, 2011
We are proud to announce that a Kestrel S35 Loring Smart Roaster is being built to our exact specifications and should be arriving at the Wicked Joe Roastery in June 2011.  The new Loring Smart Roast System  is considered the world's greenest roaster and addresses many shortcomings of current roaster technology using a unique and ultra efficient recirculating process.  The Loring Smart Roast concept is a unique hybrid roasting technology that cuts greenhouse gas production by up to 80%, lowers emissions and reduces oxygen during the roast.  The smokeless process seals off the coffee from ambient conditions and gently roasts the coffee beans in an atmosphere virtually free of oxygen, the enemy of great taste resulting in both a cleaner cup but also in dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emmisions and dramatic reductions in energy consumption.  Most importantly the Loring Smart Roast system relies on convection for heat transfer which will enable us to continue to produce the clean,  bright, coffees of distinction that is our signature.

Welcome Joe DelaTerre -  the newest member of our team! April 11, 2011
Our Roastmaster and newest team member Joe Delaterre started roasting coffee  and subsequently  began his lifelong coffee journey in 1995 at Allegro Coffee in Boulder, Colorado  under the guidance of Roastmaster  Kevin Knox.  Since then,  Joe has participated in just about every facet of coffee  including founding Boulder Organic Coffee Company.  He has run a coffee house, and done everything from bagging coffee to cupping coffees to sourcing green coffees along the way.  The one thing though that has remained constant throughout these past 16 years is that he has been roasting coffee the entire time.  He is the proud husband to Amy and father to his two sons Isaiah and Quinn.  He moved to Maine to live "life the way it should be" and to keep on roastin'!  On a final note,  It is a great relief to the rest of the staff to finally have someone to point to when we are asked "which one of you is Joe?"!

Wicked Joe adds new Manual Brewing equipment to offerings. May 1,  2011
If you want to insure that you are bringing out the best attributes in your coffee when you are brewing it each morning  then you're in the right place!  Wicked Joe has just received our initial inventory of  Chemex, Siphon, Clever, Hario and Aeropress alternative brewing equipment along with all of the accessories you will need to keep up with the pros and make your coffee sing.  Also coming soon but not yet in - Kalita.   We will get all of these items up and available in our offerings as soon as possible, so please bear with us!

What a great start to the New Year!
GAIA ESTATE, NICARAGUA ‘Gaia, Goddess of the Earth’
Carmen & Bob Garver began the New Year traveling to Nicaragua in the company of renowned birders Kenn & Kim Kaufman in an effort to expand Wicked Joe's Direct Trade relationships; develop equitable relationships with the farmers; continue to support the preservation of migratory birds through the purchase and sale of exceptional 'Birds & Beans' coffee; and continue to conserve wildlife habitat. See Wicked Joe Special Projects for additional information.

In pursuit of these goals, we begin with certified SMBC shade grown, Arabica beans, because they ripen slowly and are full of the rich flavor and subtle nuances we love to taste. Then we want to make sure our farmers are getting fair prices, that they are being good stewards of their farmland, and that the cultural integrity of the indigenous communities are protected. That is why we travel to far reaching independent farms like the Gaia Estate in Nicaragua and why we are continuing to develop ‘direct’ relationships with the farmers to ensure that they are adhering to strict Organic/Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center standards of cultivating and farming, that avoid use of pesticides & protect tree canopy, while making every effort to preserve old growth shade trees and wildlife habitat.

Therefore, Carmen & Bob have partnered with Jefferson Shriver & Gabriela Navarez, owners/farmers of the Gaia Estate, to bring all of the 2010/2011 coffee harvest to Wicked Joe.  We are looking forward to many more wonderful crops/years to come of epic Gaia coffee and therefore have provided advanced funding to the farm in an effort to ensure the pickers & farmers are supported during the “growing season”.

This year’s Gaia coffee harvest begins with a lovely floral aroma with a lush and silky mouth feel. One will discover notes of Swiss chocolate, butter & caramel; with a sweet balance of lemon acidity in every cup. In addition to this wonderful coffee, Wicked Joe is also working with the farmer to separate several micro-lots of Peaberry, Bourbon, and Yellow Catuai. We can’t wait to cup!!!

As a special bonus, Bob, Carmen, Kenn, & Kim enjoyed hours of bird watching on their trip to Nicaragua. Approximately 85 bird species were identified. According to Kenn Kaufman, it is safe to estimate that during migration movement the Gaia Estate hosts approximately 150 bird’s species annually. Special thanks to Jefferson and Gabriela Navarez for their tireless efforts to protect the habitats of these birds while growing exceptional coffee!