Recently, it seems everyone has leapt into the roasting business, jumping on the trend of artisanal coffee. It has been Mountain Mudd’s philosophy that our coffee is exceptional because we leave it in the hands of a true artist and master roaster. It would be absurd to believe we could replicate the complex flavor without the knowledge, skill, and attention to detail our roaster has gained over many years of roasting discriminating coffee. His experience includes his time spent learning traditional, all-natural, small batch, high altitude roasting near Glacier National Park in Montana. We could never replicate his vast knowledge of buying the finest green beans, and all of the relationships he has built with coffee growers all over the world. Our roaster uses a method during tasting process of bean selection, using espresso instead of an infused coffee to taste.
What does fair trade mean?
In the simplest terms, it is an innovative approach to the traditional coffee supply chain aimed at returning a greater share of profit to the grower. Fair Trade certification guarantees that coffee producers receive a fair price for the coffee and in turn have opportunities to invest in education, housing and community infrastructure. By displaying the Fair Trade Emblem, 2% is paid directly to the organization. Our roaster continues to source top-quality beans that meet these standards “with an eye towards widening our selection of Fair Trade certified coffees.”
What does organic mean?
Organic refers to an agriculture process which strives to strike a balance with our natural environment. It accomplishes this goal by employing methods and materials that will minimize our impact on the land. Organic farmers do not use pesticides in an effort to maintain the soil’s fertility and decrease harmful exposure to farm workers and the coffee consumer.
What is shade grown?
Shade grown simply refers to an agriculture method which seeks to preserve the natural habitat of coffee plantations. For many years, coffee beans have been grown on plantations shaded with a diverse array of trees. These trees are habitat to many birds, they protect the topsoil from erosion, and they produce the oxygen that helps clean the air we all need to survive.
Why does Mountain Mudd support Rainforest Alliance?
The goal of the Rainforest Alliance is to integrate productive agriculture, biodiversity conservation and human development. The end result is a concerted global initiative which will reduce the impact on ecosystems around the word. Certification of coffee plots and plantations by the Rainforest Alliance is a stringent assessment of the facilities, the land, the product and the worker’s lifestyles. Once certification is achieved, annual inspections are conducted to maintain the certification. The Alliance strives for both “greenness” and sustainability of the land, the product and the multitude of families now thriving in this economy.
Where does coffee come from?
Coffee cherries come from an evergreen coffee plant, and although many varieties exist, the two major commercial varieties are Arabica and Robusta. A coffee plant takes about 4 years to reach maturity and is grown in the Equatorial belt between the Tropic of Capricorn & the Tropic of Cancer. Coffee plants require fertile soil, no frost, and thrive between 4,000 & 6,000 feet above sea level.
Coffee is harvested during the dry season, and each tree is picked several times over the course of the harvest, only the ripest cherries are chosen each time. The cherries are then processed to remove the bean from the hull, by either wet processing, semi-washed, or dry processing. Wet Processing uses pressurized water to remove the skins and after a fermentation period, the remaining pulp. The coffee beans are then dried to a specific moisture level prior to being shipped for roasting. The semi-washed process uses the same method for removing the skins, but is then dried before removal of the pulp hulls. Dry processing simply requires a place to dry the entire cherry prior to removal of the remaining hull from the bean.
An additional step sometimes used is to “Monsoon” the coffee. This requires aging in locations that allow the moist air to circulate through the coffee, giving a distinct flavor, not always appreciated by the average coffee drinker.
What is the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans?
Arabica grows at higher altitude, usually above 2,600 feet; it can grow at altitudes of 8,000 ft. It is characterized by fine aroma, less body and pleasant acidity. Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Central America, Mexico, India, Eastern Africa are among the best-known Arabica producing countries.
Robusta is less expensive, grown at low altitude, from sea level to about 2,600 ft and is characterized by a strong body and very little acidity. It has greater caffeine content and is often used as the major component of inexpensive commercial coffee. It is mainly grown in Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia. A ground coffee with high Robusta content can be identified by the presence of noticeable amounts of larger particles of husk.
What kind of beans does Mountain Mudd use in their coffees?
Mountain Mudd’s coffees use blends of different Arabica beans as they fit our flavor profiles and overall desired complexity. We pledge never to sacrifice quality for cost.
Our proprietary blends/flavor profiles & grind types of coffees
Our coffee is blended after each variety of bean is roasted separately over oak wood to get the taste of each unique flavor in the cup, avoiding the mediocrity of pre-blending results in.
- Whole Bean Espresso
- Ground Espresso (Espresso Grind)
- Decaf Espresso (Espresso Grind)
- Whole Bean Villard Viennese
- Villard Viennese (Drip Grind)
- Mountain Blend (Drip Grind)
What is Cupping?
Cupping is the term for the method of tasting coffee to measure flavor profile. Cupping is started by grinding beans in a clean grinder, usually a fine espresso grind. Then, after adding boiling water it is set to cool for 2-4 minutes or so. The next step is “breaking the crust”, or agitating the grounds, and skimming back the foam. You then get your nose close to the grounds to smell the aroma and prepare to taste. In the tasting process you are also using your nose to smell the aroma. You want to taste for acidity, complexity, flavor, and body. When tasting, you slurp the coffee hard from the spoon to atomize it, getting the flavor all around your mouth to taste, and then spit it out to help keep the palate clean. Several people repeat this for several rounds to taste the difference between rounds as the taste & body does change.