1804 Coffee: Pine Fore |
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Rating: 8.6/10 Roast: Medium Body: Sweet, balanced Acidity: Medium Notes: Caramel, candied pecan Aroma: Buttery caramel |
The story of 1804 Coffee is the kind specialty coffee drinkers simply love to hear. It begins through the enterprising spirit of 1804's founder, Eric English, who may tell you that the company really began over two centuries ago, in the year of the company's name.
1804 was the year of Haiti's independence from France, widely considered the greatest slave uprising since the Roman Servile Wars two thousand years ago. Coffee exporting had been a key facet of Haiti's successful colonial economy before its revolution. So successful, in fact, that by the end of the 18th century, more than half of the world's coffee supply was of Haitian origin. The next two centuries saw Haitian coffee exports fluctuate in 'boom and bust cycles.' Coffee production took a sharp turn for the worse in the 50s, a decline that would last through the century. The brutal, dictatorial regimes of Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier, better known as Papa and Baby Doc, led to US-led embargoes and intranational coffee devaluation so harsh that the burning of coffee trees for charcoal became more profitable than production of consumable coffee. When the Duvalier's rule came to an end in 1986, Haitian coffee was struck again by the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement of 1989, which led to a widespread onset of lowered coffee prices. Subsequent military coups, brief periods of democracy, overall political instability did nothing to help rekindle the coffee industry, which suffered through reenacted US embargoes boycotting the Aristide regime in the 90s. Between 2000 and 2001, worldwide oversupply of coffee, largely attributable to spikes in consumer demand reflected by the attempts of the International Coffee Agreements, deflated coffee prices to the lowest they had been in a century.
All the while, traditional Haitian coffee farming and processing techniques that dated back to the seventeenth century eroded away like chaff off a coffee bean.
1804 was the year of Haiti's independence from France, widely considered the greatest slave uprising since the Roman Servile Wars two thousand years ago. Coffee exporting had been a key facet of Haiti's successful colonial economy before its revolution. So successful, in fact, that by the end of the 18th century, more than half of the world's coffee supply was of Haitian origin. The next two centuries saw Haitian coffee exports fluctuate in 'boom and bust cycles.' Coffee production took a sharp turn for the worse in the 50s, a decline that would last through the century. The brutal, dictatorial regimes of Francois and Jean-Claude Duvalier, better known as Papa and Baby Doc, led to US-led embargoes and intranational coffee devaluation so harsh that the burning of coffee trees for charcoal became more profitable than production of consumable coffee. When the Duvalier's rule came to an end in 1986, Haitian coffee was struck again by the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement of 1989, which led to a widespread onset of lowered coffee prices. Subsequent military coups, brief periods of democracy, overall political instability did nothing to help rekindle the coffee industry, which suffered through reenacted US embargoes boycotting the Aristide regime in the 90s. Between 2000 and 2001, worldwide oversupply of coffee, largely attributable to spikes in consumer demand reflected by the attempts of the International Coffee Agreements, deflated coffee prices to the lowest they had been in a century.
All the while, traditional Haitian coffee farming and processing techniques that dated back to the seventeenth century eroded away like chaff off a coffee bean.
With the work of 1804 Coffee and other Haitian coffee enterprises, these years of recession of the Haitian coffee industry may be coming to a close. A few years ago, Tulsa entrepreneur Eric English returned home from a volunteer well drilling operation in Haiti, bearing a small sample of green coffee acquired through a chance visit to a local farm. With a few more trips to Haiti and a few more green coffee samples, English was sure that he had discovered a way to really make a difference in Haiti.
" I began to understand the difference between humanitarian relief and economic development, and that what Haiti really needed was economic development to help lift them from poverty to prosperity. "
- Eric English
- Eric English
1804 Coffee seeks to put the power back into the hands of the Haitian coffee farmer. English and his budding company have identified a product that is not only capable of bringing back prosperity to the mountainous highlands of Haiti, but capable of competing alongside longstanding producers in the international specialty coffee market.
Now on to cupping notes. I sampled 1804 Coffee's Pine Fore, one of the three microlots they currently offer on their website, 1804coffee.com. They also have a subscription service if you're interested. The cup is balanced, with softer chocolate and (pecan?) nut notes. The cup is also fairly sweet, with an aroma that hints at some caramel undertones. It held up consistently across brew methods, and I particularly enjoyed it through French press, which imparted some more body and allowed the sweetness of the coffee to really shine through. The Pine Fore is not complex, but not simple; there was little to no acidity notable in the cup, and I thoroughly enjoyed its clean, subdued taste. I'm not sure I can see this one scoring crazy high numbers among the third-wave scene, but I can definitely see it as a preferred daily drinker for many looking for a simpler, solid cup of joe.
It's rare that we as coffee drinkers have access to a product with just as much propensity to deliciousness as richness of history. Thanks so much to Eric English and 1804 Coffee for their work in bringing life back to the Haitian coffee industry; I can't wait for my next cup from West Hispaniola.
It's rare that we as coffee drinkers have access to a product with just as much propensity to deliciousness as richness of history. Thanks so much to Eric English and 1804 Coffee for their work in bringing life back to the Haitian coffee industry; I can't wait for my next cup from West Hispaniola.
