Coffee industry research at Texas A&M

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A NEW addition to the lab: Toper Coffee Roaster and Grinder

The Center for Coffee Research and Education, nestled in the heart of Texas A&M University would like to thank TOPER for their generosity and continued support. The Cafemino Coffee Roaster and the TKS-30 Coffee Grinder will support our efforts in the creation of the Coffee Science Lab that will incorporate innovative learning and training programs. TOPER‘s commitment was incredibly helpful and has allowed us to set the basis for upcoming roasting classes.

Toper roaster and grinder
Here you can see the Roaster in action! It made the lab smell amazing! We want to thank TOPER again for their support of the Center!

Do you want to learn more about coffee?

The Center for Coffee Research and Education is offering a 2-day course for anyone interested in learning more about coffee, its origin and the processing methods to get the best cup of Joe!

In this course, participants will learn topics which include coffee history, varieties, production, processing, roasting, consumption and cupping. The course also includes the opportunity to learn and practice basic coffee roasting skills and distinguishing between coffee profiles.

The course will be offered on November 12-13, 2018 on the Texas A&M University campus.  Registration is open to anyone interested: REGISTER HERE

2 day course poster

 

Coffee Test Farm in Laos

The country of Laos is now home to a Coffee Test Farm. The founder, Brian Brewer recently visited us at the Coffee Research Center and shared about his organization with our staff as well as collaborated information. The organization’s name, Ban Hao Agriculture (ບ້ານເຮາ) means “Our Village/Local”. Ban Hao strives to introduce new genetics as well as wet/dry mill to the local region in Laos where it is located. Brian works with smallholder farmers to improve their coffee. “Currently we’re doing this through a seedling distribution program where we give them new genetics to own and then in 3-4 years they give us back seedlings once their coffee is producing”, quoted Brian. After this, the coffee is distributed to local farmers. The farmers then have the right to sell the coffee for whatever profit they choose, because Brian says it was theirs to begin with. Ban Hao will buy the coffee at a much higher price (last year the price offered was almost double the average rate in their area) as long as they have the right varieties and are picked correctly.

Due to these factors, Brian’s organization is also instituting trainings for the local farmers regarding the best practices for coffee growers and picking the coffee.

Brian.Brewer

We look forward to hearing more of what all they are doing and hopeful to begin collaborating as well.

IKAWA Pro Sample Roasters find a new home at Texas A&M

We, at the Center for Coffee Research and Education, are excited to announce our partnership with the roasting company, IKAWA. Our partnership was solidified through a sponsorship loan of an IKAWA Pro Sample Roaster. Features of the IKAWA Pro include a small batch size to fine-tune roasting with minimal waste. The addition of two IKAWA Pro Sample Roasters to our Coffee Science Laboratory means that we will be able to roast in tandem which is ideal for our research, training, and education. Two IKAWA Pros will be especially useful in our undergraduate coffee course: Coffee Processing and High-value Food Crops. We are excited for future growth opportunities between IKAWA and the Coffee Science Laboratory in the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas A&M University.

Updates from the Study Abroad course in Guatemala

It is the peak of the holiday season and all of us at the Coffee Center wish you a very Merry Christmas. However, at this time of year, harvest season is also in full swing in most producing countries. One of our Ph.D students, Taya Brown, has been investigating the lifestyle of several small coffee farmers (cooperatives) in Yepocapa, Guatemala about the beans produced and cup quality.

On Dec 7, 2017, Brown conducted a workshop in which she was able to document and study the stories of these cooperatives to define specific issues between the process of harvesting the bean and processing the drink.

“Right now, once the coffee [beans] leave [the cooperatives’] sight, they have no further connection to them,” Brown says. “It’s important that the farmers are better represented along the supply chain. Telling their story can also add something to the coffee as a product.”

Brown and her Guatemalan research partner, Daniel Dubon, address the farmers of six smallholder coffee farming cooperatives.

One concern is that “no farmer currently has the ability to sell by quality or variety so, though they want to have high quality coffee, there isn’t a lot of incentive to change varieties or farming methods.”

Another obstacle lies in the course of payment for the farmers.

“The processed coffee is sold to larger contractors who don’t pay until the season is over, sometime in April. That means the farmers have to wait two to six months for payment,” Brown says.

The project is based on six smallholder farmer associations in and surrounding San Pedro Yepocapa, Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Brown has been seriously conducting research on it since June 2017.

“My research is to uncover these issues so development projects can better suit the needs of smallholder coffee farmers in the future.”

Speaking of the future, the new year is approaching and the Coffee Center is excited to enter its fourth year of establishment. To read more about the different departments of research the we explore, click here. Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Coffee Center.