If you came to listen to me talk on Tuesday evening, you know the stories of danger I encountered in Guatemala. We had a great turnout, and I appreciate all the support. I hope my talk was in some way productive; it feels a little like there's no answer, so maybe there's no point. But hopefully you learned some of what I learned, and maybe that will help us all appreciate any coffees from Guatemala that we drink in the future.

While I was down there, a couple people from a farm in Huehuetenango were killed. I didn't know them, never had any dealings with them or anything. But knowing what I know about the Guatemalan coffee industry, I feel remorse for these people. It sucks to have to live in a situation where you know it's dangerous, but have little choice but to carry on. A farm manager and his son were returning to Finca Vista Hermosa with money to pay the workers on Feb 15, when they were mugged and shot. It's ridiculous. I would appreciate it if you will take a few minutes to read what my friend Mark wrote about the situation: Finca Vista Hermosa on CoffeeGeeek.com

There is a place where you can donate money to Carlos' family if you want. Every little bit helps- these people don't make much money.

Thanks for taking the time.
I'm sorry these murders happened and I wish there was something we could do to change things in Guatemala.

I feel like this guy may have been holding a cup of coffee in his hand, when something tragic happened.

I'm looking through my pictures and reading through my journal to refresh myself of all that occurred on my trip to Guatemala. I'm prepared to share it all with you; even the stuff I don't want you to tell other people. The thing is, I can't just put all this stuff out here on the internet. And I don't want you to, either. Sure, I'll talk about some of it in the next couple podcasts. And I'll blog about some of my results in Guatemala. But the real nitty-gritty of the trip will perhaps only be shared in it's entirety once. That's this coming Tuesday (2/26).
But there's a catch.

The Coffee Illuminati has really stood behind me on this venture and I feel a debt of gratitude for their support and their attention and concern for the quality of our coffee and for the quality of our moral convictions. I don't feel right doing business with an industry that is unjust, when there's a possibility that I could do something to make a difference.

So I've already sent an invitation to the members of Coffee Illuminati to join me and hear the tales of my trip. And if YOU want to come, all you have to do is make yourself a member of the group. You can sign up online or talk to one of us in person at the DoubleShot. The minimum membership is $1 and the benefits are an increase in access to information that will stimulate your coffee knowledge.

I'm excited about coffee right now. I'm excited about the possibilities ahead of us and the direction we're headed here at DoubleShot Coffee Company. I hope you are too.

I've finally returned. Last night at 9p my plane landed, after having spent the entire day in airports. But today I'm back in the swing of things (sort of) and currently am roasting this week's coffee.
A big thanks goes to Isaiah and Jason for rocking the DoubleShot while I was gone. It's one of the first times I've felt completely confident in the business while I was away.

Guatemala was interesting. I experienced a lot. I met a lot of people. I saw a lot of stuff. Somehow I felt like I experienced the good parts and the bad parts of the Guatemalan coffee industry all in 12 days' time. Looking back, and reading through my journal, I can hardly believe the way things unfolded.
I plan to talk all about the trip in a special after-work session with the members of Coffee Illuminati. So if you want to hear all the gory (and some secretive) details of my trip, be sure and join soon.

Did I accomplish my goal in going to Guatemala? That's a tough question to answer. I learned more than I ever thought I would've. I now know stuff that I didn't know I didn't know. And I can't even imagine the things I still don't know. But the bottom line is, I think I've lined up excellent contacts that can help me accomplish my goal. And I think it may be a mutually beneficial relationship. It seems the people in Antigua who run the coffee business don't really know anything about coffee after it leaves their mill. And they don't know how the things they do at the mill effect the taste of the coffee on my end. Interesting.

So yeah, I think some good came of the trip. And one hell of an adventure, to boot.

On another note, we just got some new coffees in today that I'm really excited about. I'm not roasting them tonight, but keep your ears perked up because it won't be long. We have a fantastic repertoire of coffees right now at the DoubleShot. Our newest offerings:
Brazil Poco Fundo
new crop Yemen Mocca Sanani
Panama Boquete Classico
Kenya AA Uamani (from Machakos, the same region as our current offering, Mungala)

That's all for now. I've got to tend to my roaster.