Happy fair week you all!  If you live locally, I trust that you've been to the fair, or will be heading there soon.  In our family attending the fair is an annual tradition.  For many years we ran a booth out there, so both kids have visited the fair since they were babies.  We no longer manage a booth (and we certainly appreciate those of you who do!), but we make a point of taking the kids each year.  It's a summer highlight for sure.

Being goofy with Mike on the ferry.

We also attended a San Francisco Giants game this week: ending the summer season with a week of fun.  Our deliveryman Mike and his wife Ellen came too.  Except for the fact that the Giants lost, it was a perfect day: complete with a ferry ride, a water taxi, sea lions and seals, and a great seafood meal at Scomas. 

This week we have a new coffee with a long name: our Mexican Altura Oaxaca Sierra Juarez Especial.  What's in a name?  Well, to parse it, we have the country of origin (Mexico), it's high-grown (Altura), the state of origin (Oaxaca), the mountain range where it's grown (Sierra Juarez), and the fact that this is an exceptional coffee (Especial).  It's a mouthful (I couldn't resist the pun), but it is descriptive.

This Mexican is a partnership between Royal Coffee (one of our brokers), and coffee growers in Oaxaca whose coffees have been decimated by leaf rust.  In order to help the farmers, they are searching for quality coffee in the region, immediately paying a premium price, and then storing it in a warehouse and packing and processing it for export.  This gives the farmers an income while they wait for replanted crops to grow.

We've roasted this Mexican light, for a delicious, medium-bodied sweet cocoa taste.  It's delightful with a bar of Cello Chocolate, if you need a dessert treat.  These beans are fully washed and it has a clean flavor that reminds me of some of the great Costa Rican coffees.