Methyl Bromide Is a Dangerous Chemical

Although MB completely disappears from the final roasted product, it is a very dangerous chemical, and its use is strictly regulated to reduce risks of human contact. Therefore, this gas is far from being allowed in the chain of organic certifications, and no organic coffee can ever be fumigated using MB, or it will lose its certification and added perceived value.

But there is more to the problem, especially for the state of Hawaii. Since Hawaii is the only coffee producing place in the world where Broca and leaf rust don’t occur, the state is very keen on protecting its crops, and all green coffee imported to the islands must be fumigated with MB. Since the Montreal Protocol designated MB as a toxic gas for the environment, a reduction of its use is encouraged, and Hawaii’s coffee importation is at stake. The coffee roasting and blending industry over there provides around 500 jobs and is worth over $116 million annually. If importations have to decrease due to the Montreal Protocol banning MB fumigation, a whole industry might perish, and its workers may lose their income.

Studying Ozone Fumigation

The United States Department of Agriculture(USDA)’s Agriculture Research Service (ARS), along with the University of Hawaii, have been prompted by the Hawaii coffee industry to develop an environment-friendly treatment that would efficiently kill coffee pests an that could even be certified organic. The research is oriented toward Ozone (O3) vacuum fumigation combined to 3 to 6 weeks quarantine.

Preliminary tests have been made on different stages of the Broca’s development, from egg to adulthood, and these tests have shown very efficient in killing the insects. Cupping tests have also been realized to make sure the ozone process didn’t impact the taste of coffee. The results indicated no significant difference in taste between the ozone-treated and the control samples. Further testing took place in order to balance the ozone concentration, vacuum level and exposure time of the process.

Similar mortality tests have been initiated on the coffee leaf rust, and this project, started in January 2007 and taking place in Tahiti, French Polynesia, will end July 31, 2008. If the results are as good as they were for the elimination of Broca, then ozone fumigation will be recommended by the ARS as an alternative to MB fumigation of raw coffee.

But What Is Fumigation?

It is a process in which the green beans are sealed in a container and a fumigant is inserted in the chamber. The gas usually used for coffee is called methyl bromide, and is considered a category 1 ozone depleting gas under the Montreal protocol of 1992. Methyl bromide is highly toxic and humans may absorb it by inhalation and by skin exposure.

Fumigation can take place either in the country of origin or upon arrival to the receiving country. If a shipment is fumigated just before being sent overseas, it must rest for 24 hours to make sure there are no gas leaks that may harm the staff before it can be loaded on the ship. A warning sign must also be placed on the container.

Once the fumigation process is over, sufficient aeration must be undertaken to release the toxic substances. In the specific case of coffee which needs venting during transportation, the vents must be unsealed prior to the container being loaded, so it already has to be fully aerated.

Inspections and Phytosanitary Certificates

But do all coffee importations need to be fumigated when they cross borders? The answer is no. For example, Hawaii’s production is sure not to be contaminated because the pests that are killed by methyl bromide don’t exist on the Islands. Hence, no Hawaiian beans are fumigated when leaving the state for the first time. (In the case they are exported to be decaffeinated and are reshipped to Hawaii still raw, they may be fumigated for the trip back home.)

Also, it is important to know that each green bean shipment comes with a phytosanitary certificate from its origin attesting that the product is pest free. Visual inspections are performed on some samples. It is sometimes judged necessary to fumigate some, but not all of them.

What About Methyl Bromide in the Coffee I Drink?

There is no need to worry. Any trace of chemicals used in fumigation – if any are left – will have completely disappeared during the roasting process, and none of it will get inside your cup of coffee or espresso.

However, being such a bad gas for the environment, methyl bromide is called to be replaced as the fumigant of choice, and lots of research is under way to attain that goal, in compliance with the Montreal protocol. Anyway, being a chemical, methyl bromide can never be used on certified organic products.

The next article will talk about an alternative to methyl bromide that may, in the future, give birth to a certified organic way of eliminating pest importation issues regarding green coffee beans.

Coffee plant enemies

There are mainly two kinds of parasites that are a nuisance to coffee crops. The first one is usually called Broca, which is the Spanish name for Coffee Berry Borer. This tiny black beetle drills holes into the coffee cherries and their seeds which are supposed to become the coffee beans. They end up looking like Swiss cheese full of white larvae.

The other problem best known to coffee farmers – found in all growing regions of the world except Hawaii – is called Coffee Leaf Rust and is caused by a fungus that makes leaves look like an old rusty car. Yellow-brown spots form on the green leaves and less and less cells are left for the photosynthesis process to take place. The plant ends up losing those leaves, and its growth can be significantly impaired by this premature defoliation.

How dangerous is it to introduce these nasties in coffee producing lands?

Actually, the world-renowned tea-growing region of Ceylon was a coffee-only agricultural area in the 1840s. It was wiped out entirely by Coffee Leaf Rust within 15 years of the disease being introduced in Ceylon. In order for the local economy to survive, tea culture was introduced and fully replaced the dead plantations.

In general, Broca causes around 14% loss in Central America every year, and losses due to leaf rust over the world is usually 15% - 20%. Hawaii being the only state in the world where leaf rust hasn’t yet struck, it is understandable that their import laws are extremely strict in order to keep it that way, since they grow one of the most renowned coffee in the world.

Hawaii says no to untreated coffee bean importation

Hawaii is a “clean” state, and its production is free of those two undesirable problems. Hence, coffee being exported outside of it never needs to be fumigated.
On the other hand, all green coffee that comes into Hawaiian Islands, even for personal home roasting use, must previously be treated to eliminate all possible chances of spreading diseases, in addition to which other pests may find their way inside the bags and containers, such as moths and rodents: even more reasons to fumigate raw beans before letting them in.

The next article will address fumigation of coffee as an efficient way to eliminate pest.

The 2007-2008 season honored 10 semi-finalists for the national event, each one being the winner of one of the 10 regional SCAA contests. They are :

• North West: Billy Wilson, The Albina Press, Portland, OR
• Southwest: Jason Calhoon, (No Company), Tucson, AZ
• Mountain: Jon Lewis, Long Story Short Coffee, Coeur d’Alene, ID
• Great Lakes: Mike Phillips, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Chicago, IL
• Midwest: Pete Licata, PT’s Coffee Co., Overland Park, KS
• South Central: Patrick Adam Pierce, Caffe Medici, Austin, TX
• Mid-Atlantic: Belle Battista, Aldo Coffee Co., Pittsburgh, PA
• Western: Chris Baca, Ritual Coffee Roasters, San Francisco, CA
• Northeast: Amber Sather, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, Brooklyn, NY
• South East: Lemuel Butler, Counter Culture Coffee, Durham, NC

I will further report next week on the final ranking order and signature drinks that will most have fascinated the judges. We will then know where to plan a trip to over the summer to taste America’s best espresso!

His hybrid espresso machine incorporates an Arduino Microcontroller board which is used to modify different variables of the brewing process, such as the temperature of the water.

Inside the Silvia, Hirzel installed a capacity sensor for the water level, a temperature sensor, a real time clock and three buried solid state relays. On the outside, he has integrated an LCD display which lets him see the water temperature, the shot time and the low water alarm. It serves as an iterface for him to set those variables via the Wii Nunchuck.

My favorite part of the video is when Hirzel uses the Wii Nunchuck to start brewing his espresso and stop the water flow.

Wow! An espresso prepared by a Wii Nunchuck: I SO need to get my brother to set that up for me!

See the video by Tim Hirzel:

Arduino and Silvia: A Tangled Affair

A few months ago, I tried a new product that intrigued me at the supermarket. It came from the Coca-Cola Company, and it looked like Coke, but with coffee in it. It’s called Coca-Cola Blak and I have to say I was impressed with the mix’s taste! It was kind of sweet, fizzy, with a full-body aromatic twist to it. I don’t know if we could call this an energy drink, because of the caffeine, but it was a pleasant surprise.

So when I read about the new joint venture announced on Thursday by Coca-Cola and IllyCaffe, I was thinking they were trying to improve on Coca-Cola Blak – which is not the case.

It turns out Coca-Cola will be used as the distribution network for three new ready-to-drink cold coffee beverages that are being launched by the Illy Company. They are coming out in Hellenic countries at first, but will spread over the world in 2008 and 2009.

There will be the pure version, dark espresso with no milk added, the cappuccino version with milk and dark cocoa, and the latte macchiato version with milk only. I will be testing all three of them when they come out, and I’m curious to see how different they will taste from a homemade chilled Illy coffee I would prepare myself.

Of course, those products will be leaving out crema and milk foam. But they’re sure to be convenient while travelling!

That’s where my motivation came from. I found some amazing ideas at CoffeeGeek.com in a report about the 2005 South East Regional Barista Championships, complete with photos and descriptions of each finalist’s performance.

Every competitor was required to pull and serve 4 espressos, 4 cappuccinos and 4 signature drinks in 15 minutes. Signature drinks are espresso based and flower from the imagination of the barista and may very well be the turning point to win the judges’ favor. Here are my findings. They’re sure to have my friends coming back for more!

From: Lena Abed
Theme: Middle East
Signature Drink: Kiva Han

Served in demi-tasse, alongside baklavas and pistachios, Kiva Han incorporates half-n-half, lemon zest, cardamom and sweetened condensed milk. It is topped with cinnamon.

From: Ryan Goodrow
Theme: Ninja Barista
Signature Drink: inspired by Washigton Post food column

Start by pulling an espresso in a tall shot glass. Pour orange syrup and sparkling water in a water drop shaped glass. This looks spectacular as « beer foam » forms when the espresso shot is poured into the water drop glass. Served cold.

From: Elizabeth Gray
Theme: Wonder Woman
Signature Drink: Wonder Woman

Banana syrup and half-n-half are mixed and chilled with espresso in a shaker. Presentation is Queen : a fluted glass is rimmed with unsweetened coconut flakes, raw sugar, and coconut powder. The shake is poured in and topped with frothed milk. Going the extra mile includes banana chips on the side.

From: Lemuel Butler
Signature Drink: Good Morning On The Go

Pulling the shot of espresso along a cinnamon stick adds spice to this maple syrup-based drink. Simply put, it’s maple syrup, coffee and frothed milk, presented in a glass cup with a leaf design on the side made in chocolate and maple syrups.

1. Crema: only a pump-driven machine can generate the required pressure to create crema, the foamy layer wich is the signature of a well-prepared espresso.
2. Easy maintenance: the fully automatic espresso machine cleans itself at the touch of a button, removing oily residue that might alter the taste of future shots. The stove top models have to be cleaned by hand.
3. Cleanliness: a high-end super automatic model will discard the used coffee grounds in an internal bin needing to be emptied only once in a while, whereas you will have to remove stove top grounds yourself, and this does tend to get messy.
4. Taste: for true home espresso amateurs, nothing will beat the consistent close-to-perfect taste a fully automated machine will provide, and the stove top maker just can’t get close to that bitterless espresso shot.

Obviously, there’s the possibility that you don’t even like coffee, in which case you would still pick the super automatic model. Why? Because it’s more expensive and you can probably sell it on eBay and buy that indoor fountain you really wanted.

But it’s not every day you get a free espresso maker. The reality is most of us have to shop around and wisely spend those hard-earned dollars. An article published on March 10 by BusinessWeek.com proposed an “Is It Worth It” comparison between a Bialetti Moka Express and a Krups fully automatic espresso machine comparable to the Gaggia 90500 – Titanium.

The Bialetti retails for around $25, whereas the Krups and Gaggia are in the $1200-$1300 range. When price comes into consideration, lots of people start finding the Moka Express quite attractive. And there’s nothing wrong with that!

But for Nicole Dyer, senior editor at Popular Science and author of the afore-mentionned article, the fully-automatic machine was “fully-worth” the extra money. Although this might be true, a stove top model can still make a much better-tasting cup of coffee than regular coffee makers.

It really boils down to this: what are you after? The supreme espresso experience, the kick of caffeine, or the amazing portability of an espresso maker? Because all in all, it doesn’t always matter how good your espresso is. You can’t bring your super automatic machine around a campfire, but you can bring you stove top moka pot. Sometimes, the people you drink your espresso with and the exotic place where you prepare it would make any espresso feel like paradise.

The co-worker in question negotiated a $500 annual budget for revamping our kitchen. Unfortunately, employees voted that windowpanes, placemats, a new stylish TV shelf and a fluffy green jeté were a more important priority this year.

But in 2008, I’m working on convincing individuals one by one of the benefits of drinking GOOD coffee instead of the junk we’re getting right now. I’m not saying all drip coffee is junk, but I have seen with my own eyes some employees prepare the coffee “their own enlightened way”: some put salt in the ground coffee beans before the brewing process! They think it makes the coffee less bitter! Hello, my coffee tastes like sea water.

Others put hot chocolate powder in the coffee grounds. I’ve even seen (to my horrific surprise) some employees brew the coffee with cold water, not waiting for the green light to come on before pushing the start button. Oh, and one last thing I witnessed was a guest starting a second brewing cycle over an empty thermos without replacing the used coffee grounds with fresh ones… And he actually drank the coffee and shared it with the other guests. Help!

I think the best way to spread an espresso culture at work is to bring my own home espresso machine and offer “free samples” for them to discover the difference.

Really, most people have no clue what espresso tastes like. I know, I’ve been there. I refused to drink coffee until the day I reluctantly tasted espresso and found no bitterness, made no grimace and actually enjoyed the different aromas of the beans! I didn’t even know aroma existed before that.

And now that I’m hooked on caffeine and feel the need for it - especially when I work 12 hours straight like yesterday -, I’m condemned to the bitter, unfresh, pre-packaged, weirdly-prepared drip coffee we have here.

Until we get that super automatic espresso machine next year, I know what I’ll do. I’ll buy an electric version of a stovetop espresso maker like the DeLonghi EMK6 Electric Moka Espresso Maker. It will give me the next best thing to a pump-driven espresso. In a few minutes, I’ll prepare just the right quantity of espresso for my co-worker and me, and we’ll be through with salty coffee.

Thank you DeLonghi!

But in order to gain one extra hour of sunlight per day, we will have to suffer the process of losing one hour of sleep next weekend… I’ve read a press release earlier today about an American drive-in beverage company that will launch a new line of coffee beverages on Monday that will “give Americans a reason to roll out of bed after losing that extra hour of sleep”.

Good marketing!

Their drinks are actually fully loaded with sugar, syrups of different flavors and whipped toppings, both in hot and cold versions. Well, as much as I’d like to taste all of them (I have to admit, each picture looks like a 600-calorie dessert), my body needs more of the pure caffeine than all the extras. I’m SO happy, especially after a short night’s sleep, that my partner came fully-equiped with a semi automatic espresso machine when we moved in together…

I’ll be glad to drink an extra dose of espresso on Monday morning, just like so many other proud owners of espresso machines. I’ll even go the extra mile on Sunday evening: I will make sure I put a large jug of water in the refrigerator as a reserve, just in case the same thing that happened yesterday happens again when I most need my coffee:

They cut water for 12 hours, without prior notice, making it impossible for me to drink my morning espresso! Who cares about taking a shower, or brushing your teeth, or washing the dishes, when you can’t use your espresso machine?

You’ve been warned. Put water in the refrigerator “for a waterless day”.