So, now I'm back from Sri Lanka where I went with my wife,The Jungle Woman, to visit the family and relax. My plan was also to get some raw coffee beans for me an my mom. Coffee is not a big thing in Sri Lanka, they're known for and very proud of their tea. And rightfully so, it's a great tea. The coffee they brewis very weak an sweet and tastes terrible but the powder they make it from isn't bad, the stuff you can buy in stores.
Anyway,to get tothe main point. We got some beans (most likely Arabica beans but I can't be sure since they also have some sort of hybrid beans that's grown everywhere and I'm no expert) in Kandy from the guys we buy tea from whenever we're there. Cheap as hell, not very clean thoguh so I have to rinse it a lot. That is worth it though cause this is an excellent coffee. Reminds me of Monsooned Malabaar an Old Brown Java. There is this Asian taste, meaning that there's very little acidity. This is not my favorite taste by any means but I see it's value. It makes for great cappucinos and it's of course good for blending.
The Robustas from the family garden are a bit the same. A mild coffee with an earthy taste. Virtually no acidity at all and both beans I got tend to lean towards chocolate. The Robustas aren't that great on their own (although I did make a small cup in my moka pot with 100% Robustas and that was decent) but they are brilliant in a blend. They add a dark tone to a blend, a depth that for instance the lighter and fruitier Kenyan AA don't have. Or as my french colleague would say when given a coffee with some Robusta in it "This is a rich taste". As these beans are mild you can easily add 30% of them in a blend.
The beans from the family garden... I didn't get to pick them but I got a chance to help out when they were rinsed or peeled or whatever it's called. It was fun and gaveme this idea for speciality tourism. How many of you here would pay good money to go to a tropical island to pick, peel and rinse your own coffee beans that you then get to bring home with you? Apart from the coffee you'd be living in the village with some family where at least someone spoke english. You'd be eating rice and curies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Isn't there a market for this?
Speaking of market... we have a friend, who does business actually, with whom I spoke a little about coffee and why nobody in Sweden is importing from Sri Lanka. After talking about it for a little while he looks at me with a curious look on his face and asks "So, coffee, is it a big market?".