Michael & Manuel discuss the 2022 Coffee culture trends: from new fermentation processing methods to global warming and the daily coffee ritual at home that help you enjoy Coffee just a little bit more.
1) Trends at Origin
2) Trends in Cafés
3) Trends at Home
Michael Harms 0:07
Alright! Hey, welcome back everybody to another episode of Hebron Talks. My name is Michael Harms. I'm the head roaster here at Hebron, alongside one of our our lead barista, Manuel Alejandro.
Manuel Gonzalez 0:20
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode. It has been quite a long time since we recorded our last episode. And we are here again, we hope you'll like this new episode.
Michael Harms 0:34
Is not the same thing we said last time?
Manuel Gonzalez 0:37
I think it is kind of like our thing, which is not really good one, but hey, we're doing our best. Yeah.
Michael Harms 0:44
Hey quick. Talk about the talk about the coffee I just brewed up here. It's a Jairo & Fatima that we offer here. It's a washed coffee from Nicaragua. So this coffee has this very vibrant acidity, what do you perceive about the coffee Manuel?
Manuel Gonzalez 1:08
It has a citric acidity, very clean, has a lot of sweetness, and it starts getting better as it starts cooling off, which is a great coffee that I do really like. And remember that you can get this coffee here at Hebron just ask your friendly baristas to brew it for you. It's pretty good coffee and give it a try.
Michael Harms 1:29
You bet. I definitely like this brew that I use for this one. We're gonna post the brew a little while later yet on Hebron, so you guys can try to replicate that brew at home. But yeah, let's dive right into this podcast. Would you like walk us through for that Manuel.
Manuel Gonzalez 1:41
Yes sir! So what we're gonna be talking about today is the 2022 trends for the coffee culture world. And whenever that comes around. So we're going to be talking first about trends at origins: Whatever the coffee growers are doing around the world, in Mexico of some fermentations and innovations that there doing. We're also going to be talking about coffee shops, the trends are waiting for us. And last, but not least, we're going to be talking about the brewing at home. So if you want to hear more about it, just stay tuned.
Michael Harms 2:23
Yeah, let's go right into this one. So first off, let's go into like trends at origin. What we've been seeing over the past couple of months, and probably maybe last couple of years, now more than in the in before is different processing methods. So we haven't had as much chance yet to really try out all of these different processing methods. Although we've done our research on it, we've read about these processing methods. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring one of those unique processing methods to you as a consumer here at Hebron. Starting with one of the most popular ones. What have you been reading so far?
Manuel Gonzalez 3:10
Well, so far there was this one that you talk to me about a few weeks ago, was it the one from koji fermentation? What do you have to say about that?
Michael Harms 3:20
I mean it sounds interesting, for sure. For those that don't know what koji fermentation is, it's basically the same type of bacteria that is used to create soy sauce. Just keep in mind that your coffee will not taste like soy sauce, it's just going to really gonna draw out like some of the more like sweetness out of it, we've seen a producer that we work with, at Gold Mountain Coffee Growers. They have been doing quite a bit more different processing methods as well. We actually went ahead and ordered a lot from them of an anaerobic washed Coffee from Nicaragua, as well. There's a bunch of different processing methods coming into play. So what is your take on it? Are you looking forward to it? Are you excited for it? Or are you leaning more towards like the natural, you know, like the the old style of processing? What would your take be on that?
Manuel Gonzalez 4:27
Well, you know, I'm the kind of guy who would like to go for some naturals or some honeys, those are my kind of coffees. But fermentation processes are a thing that is always involved in the coffee processing. So what you were saying before is that these koji fermented coffees are well, it was first experimented in Japan. It is well, it's actually a mold.
Michael Harms 4:51
Oh, really?
Manuel Gonzalez 4:54
Well, yeah. It has been used since I don't know what a long time I guess. It is used to make some fermentation in some traditional Japanese meals.
Michael Harms 5:09
So yeah, just to clarify like cookie isn't something that is new in general, because it's been used for longer time.
Manuel Gonzalez 5:15
But it is new in coffee fermentation. What you were saying, I am kind of excited to try this fermentation process, because it brings out a lot of the cleaner, a lot of the cleanest notes in the coffee, like it cleans the acidity, it brightens up the sweetness. It enhances your cup. So that's what I was reading, and I'm really excited to try this coffee.
Michael Harms 5:52
I'll have to see if we can get our hands on like, at least a small batch of Koji.
Manuel Gonzalez 5:57
We should try it definitely. I was also reading about these new innovating farms in Mexico. There is this one that really catch on my mind. It's from Chapas, from San Antonio, it's just on the borderline with Guatemala? I think it is something really cool what they're doing there. Especially in Mexico, because you don't see a lot of farmers or people trying to innovate in this kind of area.
Michael Harms 6:36
We don't do a lot of new stuff in Mexico here.
Manuel Gonzalez 6:40
Obviously, there's a lot of people out there that are doing great stuff like Finca El Chelin.
Michael Harms 6:45
Well Finca El Chelin would be considered a very innovative Finca, but when you think of innovative in Mexico, it's basically the only one that really comes to mind, right? If you think innovative, you're like: Oh, well Finca El Chelin and Enrique Lopez. Yeah, they're definitely like, he's definitely on the forefront of it all. So what what about this other one? I haven't heard of this one before. Sounds quite interesting.
Manuel Gonzalez 7:10
It is very interesting, honestly. The Finca is called San Antonio Chicharras, if you guys want to look it up, it's very good. So it's located in the remote mountains of Southern Mexico. And it's revolving the Mexican specialty coffee. It's owned and operated by Eduardo Esteve, who also operates the ECOM trading, which is one of the largest coffee mills in the world. And it has served the coffee industry for over five generations.
Michael Harms 7:44
Okay, so that is also right there on the border right there in Chiapas and Guatemala. You were saying?
Manuel Gonzalez 7:48
Yes. All right there. So yeah, I was reading about what they're doing right now. And they're trying to get involved into this kind of fermentation processes doing from 36 to 40 hours of from fermented coffees. Apparently, they're doing very good. They're also working on, you know, some sustainable ways of producing coffee, trying to be more friendly with earth, the ecosystems and everything. So I think that is a thing that people should talk about.
Michael Harms 8:21
Definitely. That's something that, it doesn't come easy, right? There's a lot of hard work and attention to detail like required for that. Also, what we were mentioning earlier, there's a lot of innovative things happening in Mexico. What do you think the reason for that is, though, what do you think like, what we like as a Mexican coffee culture? Why is there not as much innovation happening here?
Manuel Gonzalez 8:44
I think Mexico is a very traditional country in a lot of ways. And coffee is one of those. So I think the Mexican people like their coffee as it is, you know, might be good might be bad. They just like it as it is. I feel like we are afraid of trying new stuff. Because we already know what we have and we don't want to change it. We don't want to get beyond that. But still, it has been for a lot of decades now, that the processes that you would see around would be just natural and washed. Honey was not around until recently, like the last decade or so, but there's still not a lot of innovation and I'm thinking it's just because we're afraid.
Michael Harms 9:41
Also trying new stuff, it's gonna be like a lot of trial and error. And so for a lot of Mexican coffee farmers out there, they don't have the opportunity to go ahead and risk maybe losing one of their high-end quality coffee lots that they might have. It's a lot of time and money involved and trying to ferment the coffee to the right stage. At the same time, it's a lot of work, you know, there's so much work that goes into fermentation. Because you have to make sure that you don't over-ferment. Mold happens really easily with fermentation.
Manuel Gonzalez 10:28
PH, temperature, oxygen...
Michael Harms 10:30
Exactly. There's a lot of factors that come into it. So I just think, to be able to really do that you need access to information. But, there's also people like Enrique Lopez, he offers a lot of that. He offers a lot of courses, a lot of information. And he is like a person that has all all of that experience about fermenting coffees, and whatever the care that it needs to get the right flavor out of the coffee. What is your take that on different processes: Are they here to stay or just a wave coming through right now, that'll sway eventually, and that will go back to the traditional naturals and washed?
Manuel Gonzalez 11:19
I think processes are a thing that are here for stay, for good. It's just the start of something that we're gonna be seeing. And 20 years from now, probably the anaerobic fermentations, the koji... These fermentations are gonna be our naturals or honey.
Michael Harms 11:44
So it's gonna be the, your average cup of joe. Right? It's gonna be your average coffee. You know, I like that honestly, I look forward to it.
Manuel Gonzalez 11:52
Yeah, more variety.
Michael Harms 11:54
I'm looking forward to being able to source one providing it for our customers. So yeah, stay tuned. Hopefully, we get to get that one out for you, like, probably within the next year or two.
Manuel Gonzalez 12:04
So moving on. What do you think about the new varieties that are?
Michael Harms 12:10
Definitely you see a lot of varieties, especially talking about all these different varieties coming into the scene. I think it's really beneficial. Like, when you've seen the Mexican government has done a lot of these programs where they're trying to bring these more disease resistant varieties to a lot of the farmers. Keep in mind coffee is first a cherry and then later a bean. It very easily gets affected by all the conditions surrounding it. You know with the bore beetles, which have been a huge problem in the past. Leaf frost, that's another one. If you have leaf rust, you'll get this potato taste defect. That's definitely something you don't want to taste in your coffee don't want to taste potatoes in your coffee. So, there's so many factors as well that go into it. It's like all of these new hybrid varieties that I think they're super beneficial.
Manuel Gonzalez 13:08
Have you heard about the f1 hybrid varieties?
Michael Harms 13:11
I have not, no. Walk me through that.
Manuel Gonzalez 13:15
There is a thing that has been worked on in the last 10 years. It is a innovation from the WRC, the World Coffee Research. They're working on making some hybrid varieties that can help with all these problems that we have nowadays with the varieties that you were saying about. We need varieties that are more resistant, more resilient to these plagues or these kinds of sickness and diseases that they are con fronting now. We need varieties that can produce more and also that are higher quality.
Michael Harms 14:09
Exactly! That's definitely something where you see from a lot of these original sort of varietals, that take back to the sort of more ancient bourbons and before that even the typica and all of those really old varieties. You're starting to see a little bit less and less of those, yet they're very sought out for their quality. With these new varieties, that's something that's definitely gonna be a factor. Trying to preserve all these qualities of the coffee.
Manuel Gonzalez 14:41
The attributes of all those ancient coffees but better.
Michael Harms 14:47
Exactly. Because you see these different varieties pop up recently. We have one here actually, that is a mutation of a Robusta and an Arabica coffee: TimTim, the one we sourced from Indonesia. That's already super interesting to have one of those. To still preserve a perfectly great coffee. Although, it's considered to be an Arabica variety, but it is a mixture of Timor Leste and Caturra or Catimor. I'm not even quite sure right now. But we'll circle back to that one later.
Manuel Gonzalez 15:24
It's probably Catimor.
Michael Harms 15:26
Yeah, probably, anyway. That is a variety that we have here, which it's been really enjoyable. I've loved having that coffee. Sadly, we just sold our last bag of that one this past week. So let's see what else we get. It was great. Honestly, I really enjoyed it.
Manuel Gonzalez 15:45
I'm definitely looking forward to see what these new varieties can offer to us? Keep trying new stuff.
Michael Harms 15:55
Definitely, try new stuff. If you have the opportunity to, go out and try new stuff. That's something that we want to do. And now third on our list. Something that's really going to be pop up to the 2022, I think coffee chain, that's going to be... Well not coffee chain, but like coffee at origin, is sustainability. Something when we've talked to producers these past couple of years, that's something that most of the producers that we were working with, they really, really strive to do things sustainably. Because they know how it has evolved over the past couple of years. I was talking to Benjamin Weiner at Gold Mountain Coffee, which I mentioned previously already. I was talking to him a while ago. And he said that in some lower altitudes in Nicaragua, where they used to grow coffees, they don't grow coffees anymore, because it's not possible. So they've switched to, every year elevating, trying to find like higher and higher elevations due to global warming. What can we do to help them to contribute to that, right? Like sustainability. Speaking of sustainability at origin, what comes to mind?
Manuel Gonzalez 17:14
Well, first off, is taking care of environment you're working on. You have to be very careful that you're not damaging whatever the species are, that are living there. Not only floral, but also, animals that are contributing to the ecosystem living there. Coffee nowadays, is about taking care, of your work.
Michael Harms 17:44
Taking care and making sure that you'll be able to continue doing that work for years to come. And small contributions can be made. For instance, our friends at Gold Mountain Coffee, they'll use machetes to cut off the weeds that have herbicides. And then they'll use a natural mushroom you can use to fight off, the boarer beetles. All of these things, if you have the possibility to try go the extra mile and just make sure that you do your best to not harm the environment you're around.
Manuel Gonzalez 18:27
At the end of the day, all the extra mile is gonna be well recompensated. That's for sure.
Michael Harms 18:33
And that's definitely something that we can tell even from the coffees that we're drinking from there. It's really delicious coffees that we've enjoyed over the last year and a half that we've worked with them. They're really great coffees.
Manuel Gonzalez 18:45
They are indeed. Not only we are saying that, but a lot of people are doing that. And a lot of producers now are just going straight to the point. What are your sustainability things? That is, what a lot of people are looking for. And I think that's something we need to pay attention to.
Michael Harms 19:11
And it's often something that doesn't have to be too costly too. Like weeding with machetes. It takes energy that's basically all it needs. Giving it more effort to try and do things the right way. That's definitely something that we are seeing that's happening more and more every year in and year out. People are starting to, I guess take notice a bit more. And, trying to do better.
Manuel Gonzalez 19:47
Weren't they the ones that just bought a rainforest to protect it?
Michael Harms 19:51
Yeah, exactly. We didn't even mention that they bought an entire rainforest just to protect it. At the same time the rainforest also provides shade to their coffee. Shade grown coffees are always better because the maturation takes longer, which develops into a lot sweeter, softer, and a lot more complex. The forest there is unnecessary, you know, for the coffee to, to grow and to produce, like great coffees. And at the end of the day, they will be rewarded for the work, right? That's what we want to make sure, that's what we also as a coffee collective here at Hebron, want to make sure that the producers get rewarded for all of their hard work that they put in. At the same time, you know, they're trying to go the extra mile. Like, what are we doing? Well, we want to walk that mile with them, right?
Manuel Gonzalez 20:47
As you were saying a couple episodes before, we are together in all of this, so we need to move forward. Not backwards. Producers, roasters, baristas, final consumers and stuff.
Michael Harms 21:08
It's all a big community. It's a community. It's like a chain that needs to be linked all throughout. To create that nice community. And then moving from origin to cafe, we would just continue with sustainability. Talk us through, what have you seen with, sustainability at a cafe? How is it possible? What are things that we can implement that will make things more sustainable?
Manuel Gonzalez 21:35
Well, that is something that I'm actually intrigued about, and I've talked to you about. That is also a trend for 2022, like a lot of coffee shops are trying to find more ways to be sustainable with the environment. And I was reading before this morning about some ways you can implement this sustainability. Well, that basically resumes to try to reuse, recycle, and reduce. Also, I was reading about how sourcing your ingredients for your meals or dishes can actually do a big impact on all you know, how much trash are you doing. Well just try to reduce your carbon footprint. For instance, here at Hebron we do you have or own strawberries?
Michael Harms 22:37
Yeah, exactly. We have our own we have our own strawberry greenhouse, that just this year is already starting to produce fruit. So basically, instead of buying them like package and stuff. Yeah, just bring them in from home. Yeah, we bring them from our own little greenhouse that we have here at Hebron. And, also we use, a natural compost, to try to add to the strawberry.
Manuel Gonzalez 23:03
From the same coffee that we use here, right?
Michael Harms 23:04
We've even used like our coffee, the coffee grounds that have been used up, we've used them as compost for our greenhouse. So there's like small steps you can undergo to try to become a little bit more sustainable. We are recycling all the boxes — we started doing that this year. We're recycling all of the boxes that we're using here. So we go through quite a few boxes, actually. Because if you think about the milk that we buy in cartons. So the cartons come in a box. So we try to recycle all of the cardboard that's already there. That's already making an impact, right? It's just trying to make it where you can. It doesn't have to be huge. Sometimes it's just the smallest of things will make a big difference. So that's something that we've definitely seen a lot. And so also, while moving on to other topics as well, like in cafes, what is work trends that we're seeing for 2022. Aside from sustainability, what else are we seeing in 2022?
Manuel Gonzalez 24:04
Well, there's this sustainability. And there's also a lot of coffee shops are trying to get into the third wave. They're trying to do that by being more involved with the community that surrounds them, trying to be more in contact with their producers, trying to do direct trading, trying to hear more from their customers, see how they're doing. What do you want them to do.
Michael Harms 24:32
Yeah, they create that community that we were talking about earlier. So I have a quick question for you. So what do you think? A local cafe, let's just say any local cafe, they roast their own coffee, they brew their own coffee. Are they automatically a third wave coffee shop?
Manuel Gonzalez 24:47
No!
Michael Harms 24:48
No, no, definitely not. So this is something that a lot of people will assume that, it's a local cafe, they roast their own coffee, or maybe they don't even roast their own coffee. You know, they buy their coffee, but that automatically would make them a third wave coffee shop. So under third wave, what is it that you would take away from that? You know, what is a third wave coffee shop really about?
Manuel Gonzalez 25:09
I think that third wave, it's not a title you can put besides your coffee shops name. It's not a title. It's a state of mind. Being in third wave coffee is about being conscious and being aware of what your responsibility with your community is. Third wave coffee is the hard work results of a lot of people.
Michael Harms 25:48
I like the way you said that, the hard work results of a lot of people not just sort you, but at the same time it's trying to, display the hard work, and give credit where credit is due at the same time as well. That's something I think we should talk about third wave coffee shops, a little more yet in some other podcasts. Hopefully, we can do that some other time, to really try to explain the boundaries that are within third wave, coffee shops. We'll talk about third wave a little bit more. And you'll hear us like, say that like, throughout podcast. So if you come visit us here at Hebron, or even I saw this — this was kind of I crazy, — I saw this ad on YouTube. I was looking at YouTube the other day, and there was an ad for Breville, the Breville Espresso Machine. They used third wave coffee in their ad. It was like Cafe de Tercera Ola, and I was just like, whoa. Even like, Breville, you know, that company, they're huge. They're a huge company, righ? And like, they mainly focus on home baristas. They focus on that home brewing thing as well. And they used third wave coffee in their ad. So it's definitely something that's here to stay, I think, the third wave, coffee culture. I was just very taken aback by that. It's out there, you know, people are taking notice. I think people are time and time again, they're focusing on the quality. And also they want to, I think, with third wave as well, what you understand with that, quite often is, it tells a story. It tells a story about how the coffee was grown. How it was transported. And then roasted.
Manuel Gonzalez 27:29
Harvested. All, the people that are behind that work.
Michael Harms 27:33
Yeah, exactly. Which is oftentimes the most rewarding when you drink your coffee. And you know, who grew this coffee, he grew it, out dedication, right?
Manuel Gonzalez 27:48
If you think of it this way, when we drink a coffee that is from the third wave, if you take the time, you're drinking the coffee that someone puts a lot of effort in, just for you to try it and enjoy it. You know? So you're basically drinking all the hard work of all of the people that make that cup possible.
Michael Harms 28:16
Exactly. So which is like what really separates third wave from any of the other, I guess, cafes or coffee. That's definitely a trend that you're seeing. Even in our community, there's more and more brands that are trying to zero in or focus on, getting into that. It's a good thing, honestly.
Manuel Gonzalez 28:45
You did mention something about, people being more interested in brewing at home?
Michael Harms 28:52
We took a quick cut there. On to our next little subject, here, brewing at home. What can you tell us about bringing home? What are the changes that are coming into 2022? Or, how's it gonna evolve in 2022?
Manuel Gonzalez 29:07
I think people are starting to pay more attention to the sourcing of their coffee beans. I think they're trying to stay away from all those retail and stock coffees that you can see on any big superstore. So they're just trying to go with their local coffee shops or your local grocery, trying to get a very well sourced coffee beans, high quality. They're trying to get these same experience that you would get at any coffee shop, but home, by themselves. So I think the best thing about, you know, having good coffee culture at home, is you can do it by yourself. You're getting involved in all this stuff. We're talking about getting involved more with the community, with your roasters, or baristas looking for tips, for suggestions, comments, just whatever you can find out they're helping to get this high quality experience at home.
