The concept of seasonality definitely has some roots in our coffee culture (U.S.) though its not exactly how we’d prefer it to be: Pumpkin Spice lattes, Eggnog lattes, Frappuccino Season, etc. Starbucks customers even know when to expect Guatemala Casi Cielo and Gazebo Blend so this concept rings true with a lot of … clients.

Starbucks has re-imagined the concept of seasonality in our culture through repeatedly getting their message out and committing to that message through their operations… year after year after year. Obviously, Intelli is no Starbucks but the concept of seasonality can be re-re-imagined and this is something that all can be involved with. We can surely go back and forth on what constitutes an in-season coffee but I think we can all agree coffee harvested this year is preferential to coffee harvested last year?

I say great for Intelligenstia for getting their message out. Great for Intelligentsia for committing to that message through their operations by putting the info on the bags. And great for Intelligenstia for calling us all to action.

I’m in… once we sell the remainder of our Costa Rica (packed in GrainPro, at least)

Hooray! Absolutely pleased to hear this.

I’d be careful about saying when a coffee is fresh and when it’s not. I’ve tasted just 3 months old coffees that were flat and woody because of storage in jute in a room with varying temperatures. I’ve seen roasters store their green coffee in the same room they roast in and consequently the temperature in that room would go up and down in the course of a day. But I have also tasted 2 year old coffees that were surprisingly fresh. We still offer the last bit of the Idido mill’s Aricha microlots that are now 2 years old. It’s been vacuum packed at origin and kept in a cool storage room since then and it’s still have heaps of strawberry aromas and does not taste like such an ‘old’ coffee. If it should suddenly cup out disappointingly we’d remove it in an instant. But until that happens I have no issue serving it. Now, this isn’t to say I don’t think seasonality is important or that I don’t fully support Intelligentsia’s move on making customers aware of it, but I think Rich Westerfield’s comment above sums it up quite well.

Anyhoooo, this kind of thing is exactly why I wish we could afford to attend the SCAA Symposium – to be able to have this kind of talk in person.

In Season! Excitement! Integrity! Intelligentsia!

If we (meaning those of us who sell coffee to the retail client) are serious about our craft, then I think it is our responsibility to vet the coffees we sell and ensure that the coffees pass muster.

I think of the approach of the revered restaurants of the world. These are outfits that are pursuing quality at any price. They taste and work with their suppliers to source the best quality possible. Should we not pursue similar?

James questioned how we make this important to our customers – I think that we have to make it important to us first before it can be important to our customers. They need to feed off of our passion and excitement over the product before it can germinate in their own minds.

But I think the truth is that we need to realize that we cannot convert everyone. Take tomatoes in the United States, for example. I can buy and eat tomatoes year round, if I desire. But I don’t. I don’t because I recognize and love the seasonality of fresh tomatoes. They’re amazing. But the stuff you buy now are bland and insipid. Why bother?

While I think that way, most people do not share that enthusiasm. They’re perfectly content with the bland tomatoes at the supermarket.

It’s a shame but we should also recognize that converting the masses will take time. Twenty years ago, no one thought much about their food. Today, there’s a growing awareness of food and dining that never existed in the 1980s. Should many of us continue on our path of passionate advocacy of coffee, perhaps the public awareness will increase for coffee.

The concept of seasonality definitely has some roots in our coffee culture (U.S.) though its not exactly how we’d prefer it to be: Pumpkin Spice lattes, Eggnog lattes, Frappuccino Season, etc. Starbucks customers even know when to expect Guatemala Casi Cielo and Gazebo Blend so this concept rings true with a lot of … clients.

Starbucks has re-imagined the concept of seasonality in our culture through repeatedly getting their message out and committing to that message through their operations… year after year after year. Obviously, Intelli is no Starbucks but the concept of seasonality can be re-re-imagined and this is something that all can be involved with. We can surely go back and forth on what constitutes an in-season coffee but I think we can all agree coffee harvested this year is preferential to coffee harvested last year?

I say great for Intelligenstia for getting their message out. Great for Intelligentsia for committing to that message through their operations by putting the info on the bags. And great for Intelligenstia for calling us all to action.

I’m in… once we sell the remainder of our Costa Rica (packed in GrainPro, at least)