Coffee co-op and roaster Equal Exchange has embarked on a journey to source coffee from deep within the world’s protected biospheres. Recently, a group of three Equal Exchange worker-owners traveled to Peru’s Bahuaja-Sonene Biosphere, and explored farms that are part of the CECOVASA co-op. Their journey was captured on film, a glimpse into what it’s like to grow and pick coffee in these rugged and untouched regions.
It’s a beautiful and exciting journey, providing these farmer’s a fair opportunity to share their beans with the rest of the world. Enjoy the two-part documentary below. (To read more about their journey, click here.)
The French Press is my favorite way to make coffee, yielding a rich, strong — if not a bit gritty — cup. It’s fairly simple and takes little time; everyone has their own way of making it; some like it strong, others a little lighter. Some extract the grounds prior to pouring, others enjoy the fullness of the grounds in the mouth. It definitely takes some finessing before one finds their perfect ratios.
I consulted Brooklyn Roasting Company’s Michael Pollack on how to make the perfect French Press, as their DUMBO cafe features French Presses on the menu. He gave me some advice, such as pumping the grounds to distribute, rather than stirring. He also recommended a helpful coffee to water ratio, which I found created the perfect strength of cup; he recommended 18 grams of coffee for a three cup pot, 30 grams for a four cup, and 60 grams for a large eight cup French Press. I used this advice when I made my morning french press, and here’s how it went!
So it’s been a while since I went to Costa Rica, but upon my return I put this promo together of all the footage I took on my iPhone. Recently, I rediscovered it and thought I’d release it from the vault because, well, I filmed an entire Costa Rican sunset and I couldn’t not share it with the world. It also features some footage from the trip to the coffee plantation! It gets me all excited for my upcoming adventures overseas in Italia.
Speaking of films, if you didn’t notice the new website feature, click the FILM icon (to your left) to access The Coffee Experiment promo created by Andrew + Carissa of VsTheBrain. I think it’s quite lovely.
Oh, and yours truly was photographed by SwaggerNewYork last week, and they featured it on their blog here. Just sayin’.
