We’re really proud to be able to contribute to Padre Coffee’s current Good Coffee Doing Good initiative by featuring their coffee through the Sow online store. We’re also matching Padre’s commitment, and pledging a donation of $1 per 250g bag, meaning a total donation of $2 per 250g sold. All funds raised will go towards the construction of a new fermentation tank at producer Auricel Conde’s farm, Finca La Primavera.
This journal feature is written by Bessie Marks, Community Impact & Engagement Manager at Padre Coffee and Editor at Sow Coffee Project.
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While last year was challenging for so many communities across the globe, I was personally filled with hope to hear uplifting stories of the silver linings that people found inside their storm clouds. For some, the slowing of the collective pace allowed for the discovery of lost hobbies, or the blossoming of new ones. Others were able to relish the joy in everyday mundanities: the pleasures to be found in a daily walk, in an early night, in fewer decisions, in routine. People embraced their local coffee shops with a new-found fervour, and we reclaimed cafes as places to connect with strangers and grow communities. For me, one such silver lining was the launch of the Good Coffee Doing Good program.
I had the first spark of the idea for what was to become Good Coffee Doing Good very early in 2020. I was close to clocking six years in wholesale sales and account management roles, and it was beginning to take its toll. While I had - and still have - a deep love and respect for our cafe partners, the price wars, undercutting and a great shift away from a genuine demand for quality and sustainable coffee supply had me beat. So I expressed a wish to work part-time on a feel-good side project I had dreamed up and, thankfully, I was encouraged to run with it. Thus, thanks to Padre Coffee and my talented colleagues, Good Coffee Doing Good came to life.
Good Coffee Doing Good is a coffee-focused project-based storytelling and fundraising initiative, with the aim of offering support within our communities.
Our first Good Coffee Doing Good initiative featured a coffee from Burundi by The Long Miles Coffee Project, and through coffee sales we were able to raise A$5320 for their Trees for Kibira reforestation project.
We launched our second edition at the start of this year, unfortunately delayed due to Covid, but a cause for celebration nonetheless. Working with our good friends and green bean partners at Cofinet, we are proud to feature two coffees by producer Auricel Conde. Through sales of these coffees, we’re raising funds to help construct a new fermentation tank at Auricel’s farm, Finca La Primavera.
Auricel has been a farm worker his whole life and happened upon the opportunity to purchase his farm, La Primavera, taking on its debt in the process. He has since been able to turn things around for himself and his family, although working with the local co-op he was earning only a few cents above the commercial price. Auricel took part in Cofinet’s internship program in 2018 and has worked with them since, greatly improving his income. Cofinet are planning to work with Auricel more in the future, and the improved fermentation tank will mean they can start working with other neighbouring farmers.
I can’t explain how proud I am to be writing this journal feature for Sow Coffee Project, to announce our support of this Good Coffee Doing Good initiative. I am also in awe of my generous and committed friend Charlie Wade, for choosing not only to feature the coffee, but to match Padre Coffee’s donation by pledging an additional $1 per 250g bag to the project.
It’s being able to support initiatives like Good Coffee Doing Good that keeps us motivated here at Sow, and we’re excited to find more opportunities to offer support in the future.
For more information on Cofinet, their partnership with Padre Coffee, the inspiration behind this initiative and on Auricel Conde, follow the link to read the feature I wrote for Padre Coffee - link.
Bessie’s Breville Espresso Recipe
I used my Breville Dual Boiler and Baratza Preciso grinder to brew the Colombia Auricel Conde washed (espresso roast). As always, the recipe is a useful guide to get you started with brewing this coffee and you may have to make adjustments to suit your equipment or tastes.
I use a 21g basket at home, but many domestic machines come with smaller baskets. Rather than over filling your basket, adjust the dose and yield using the ratio provided! (ie. for every 1g of coffee in your dose, you’ll want to extract 1.58g of espresso).
This recipe produced a really full bodied delicious espresso, with notes of cherry, orange, and cocoa.
DOSE - 21.5g
YIELD - 34g
TIME - 31s
TEMP - 94°C
RATIO - 1:1.58
TIP: Rather than filling the hopper with coffee, I find it much better at home - where we brew relatively low volumes - to weigh the coffee and grind to order each time. This means your equipment will stay cleaner, and your coffee fresher and you also won’t waste as much coffee when you need to make grind adjustments.
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Pop a dosing cup or small bowl on your scale and tare. Weigh out the dose of coffee beans, turn your grinder on and pour in the coffee, catching the ground coffee in a dosing cup or straight into your portafilter. If you’ve ground into a dosing cup, transfer the coffee to your portafilter and tap lightly to level the grinds. Tamp the coffee with a firm pressure, keeping your wrist in line with your forearm. Place the portafilter gently into the group head, then place one or two cups under the spouts, and turn on the activation. I choose to use the manual pour button rather than the programmed buttons, for ultimate control over the yield.
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The coffee should extract in around 30 seconds. If it runs much quicker (25 seconds or less), fine up your grind to slow the extraction down; if it runs much slower (35 seconds or more), coarsen the grind to speed the extraction up. Once you’ve made these adjustments, start again. It’s best to make small adjustments in one direction until you reach the desired result. The extraction time doesn’t have to be exact, however, and within a window of a few seconds either side of the recommended time, the extraction should taste OK. If it tastes sour or really acidic, slow the extraction down. If it tastes bitter or medicinal, speed the extraction up!
Bonus - Our friends at Padre Coffee have generously allowed us to feature this short interview with producer Aruicel Conde, as he show us around his farm at Finca Primavera. Thanks to Cofinet for helping capture this amazing footage and the beautiful origin images, it's awesome to be contributing to such an impactful initiative.
Unfortunately, the honey process coffee has sold out. Shop the stunning washed coffee by simply clicking on the first image, available in espresso and filter roast options. This one's still available for a while, so there's plenty of time to get your hands on some coffee. Sow Coffee, Grow People!