Olympia is a hub for all kinds of different types of people, interests, and holes in the wall. The intellectual conversations found here are not like any other in the world, and the best places to find them are in the large number of coffee shops downtown. Each shop in Olympia has its own vibe set by the decor, the people, theme, and types of products served. The shop a person decides to get their coffee from says a lot about who they are and what experience they are hoping to get out of their cup. I feel that Olympia Coffee Roasters is a place people go if focused on flavor, for example, while someone looking more to meet people of similar interest would go to Traditions, or looking to get a lot of work done might better enjoy the homey setting of Cafe Love. There are many great ways to explore the taste of place, I feel that the coffee shops here in Olympia do a great job in expressing the variety of people and perspective we have in this amazing place.

Upon putting a cup of coffee up to your lips, there’s a certain anticipation of what the flavor will be like. Personally, I always assume a bitter taste, leaving your mouth feeling tangy and astringent. This changed for me while visiting Olympia Coffee Roasters. They have an Ethiopian heirloom variety called Banko Natural, this was the first time I’ve had a coffee that doesn’t taste like coffee. As the liquid entered my mouth, the strong sensation of a sweet berry overwhelmed my senses. All I could think about while drinking this unique variety was blueberry pomegranate flavored drinks with a slightly smoky chocolate under tone. The mixture of berry sweet and rich smoothness of chocolate coffee creates a beautiful balance and quite the unforgettable flavor.

Coffee is a ubiquitous beverage that is one of the most traded commodities next to petroleum. According to the International Coffee data, 100 million Americans drink coffee everyday.(citation) In 2013 alone, Americans spent 30 billion dollars drinking coffee, making the United States the largest consumer in coffee by a huge margin and the demand continues to grow. If you were to place every Starbucks coffee shop next to one another, it would be larger than Central Park in New York City. Some would even suggest that America’s demand for coffee is egregious. In order for this enormous demand to be fulfilled, a vast network of people from all around the world work tirelessly to provide the American consumer their morning jolt. Coffee is grown by 50 different countries around a small band of the equator. Although only 50 countries are able to grow good coffee, they account for the largest agricultural industry in the world. These countries are responsible for 60 million hectares of coffee producing land. After coffee is farmed, harvested, de-pulped, dried, and sorted it’s bagged and sent overseas where it’s traded on the international market at a premium price and sold at an average of 300% increase at local coffee shops.(citations) Despite the nearly unbelievable amount of coffee that is traded and consumed by the United States and other 1st world nations, its rare that farmers in developing nations have an adequate income. The disparity between consumers and farmers is shocking. (et al. citation)

1. Olympia Coffee Roaster does direct trade. This means that OCF pays three times market value to ensure a livelihood for the farmers.

2.  Batdorf and Bronson will consistently buy beans from the same farm. This gives farmers economic security despite seasonal changes in crop.

3. At Batdorf and Bronson, we cupped the same farm, but the beans had been washed in three different methods, and had three distinct tastes. This showed the impact of bean processing on the coffee cupping.