GUD BLOG: SINGLE POST
Anthology Coffee
As though we all weren’t caffeinated enough already, we metro Detroiters are clearly in the midst of a regional coffee explosion. Never have there been so many roasters, so many cafes, so many interesting coffees from which to choose. Perhaps I’m overstating it since coffee is a fairly new thing to me – but I’m pretty sure that my Coffee Explosion Theory is on the money.
Consider: The hype-worthy Corktown spot Astro Coffee opened last week (they’ll get their own GUD post or series of praiseworthy poems soon enough). Great Lakes continues to replace hazelnut flavored sludge with real coffee across the area and to sell new microlots or new blends at Eastern Market. And of course, you couldn’t go 15 minutes without hearing about them on WDET for the better part of the last year. Lab Cafe, Comet Coffee, and the storefront for Mighty Good all opened in Ann Arbor within the past 18 months or so. Commonwealth Coffee arrived in Birmingham only several months back.
And now it turns out that the in-house roastmaster at Commonwealth is also selling coffee under his own label.
Anthology showed up at Comet Coffee in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. I needed a bag of beans to grind and brew on my office Chemex setup, and the half pound allotment from this ostensibly tiny roastery of which I’d never heard was the freshest on the shelf. Despite the somewhat hefty price tag, my inability to resist a compelling east African coffee took hold of my arm, and before I knew it, I was back in the office making up a batch of his Karimikui AA coffee from Kirinyaga, Kenya. (AA, I learned only a week or so ago, is a grade designation for coffee beans that means larger than normal beans. While it’s apparently not universal that larger beans mean more flavor, there is some degree of association there.)
It’s pretty delicious stuff. There’s bitterness, but it’s more akin to a hoppy saison or a grapefruit in that it’s acidic and fruity while bitter (rather than more “simply” bitter). While I only ever drink my drip coffee unadulterated, the flavor is plenty full, fruity, and sweet, so I can’t imagine that anyone would add much in the way of sugar or cream to this. The next day, when I made some more, it tasted more like cocoa, but the finish remained mildly bitter and cleansing.
As with goods sold by just about any tiny new operation, cost is going to be a barrier for all but the nerdiest, most dedicated customers. The 8-ounce (250g) package I bought was $16. When compared to some of the better single origin offerings from larger outfits from Great Lakes to Intelligentsia to Counter Culture, that’s an awfully steep price.
Still, the coffee was good, and that’s ultimately what matters most. And it’s made here, part of this ongoing influx – no, I mean EXPLOSION – of delicious, interesting coffees. They’re also currently selling another Kenyan, a peaberry from the same farm/co-op, which I haven’t tried yet.
If you want to buy some, I’d check out Comet in Ann Arbor or just head to the Anthology website, where it appears their first two coffees are available for purchase.
2011.07.26 Evan Hansen at 10:57 pm
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4 Responses to Anthology Coffee
Thank you for the coverage, we greatly appreciate it.
I wanted take a moment to clarify some pricing information if you’re ok with that. Our pricing is only reflective of the pay the farmers receive. Kenya farmers tend to have old trees that are dying off all the while the demand, especially for high quality ones like these, is going up. We were fortunate enough to get these coffees really fresh and as companies like Intelligentsia start offering their Kenyas this year you’ll find very little difference. The farmers of Karimikui Station received more than 3 times market value for these beautiful and unique coffees. Which will allow them to invest back into their farms and begin to replant. I hope you find this informative. Again thank you for the great write up.
Kenya microlots are impressing. Did you buy that directly or from Cafe Imports?
Thanks for the clarification! GREAT information.
These are clearly niche products — even most of the Ann Arborites wandering into Comet instead of Starbucks every day, I think, will have a hard time paying that much more than once or twice just to try it — but your point is well taken.
Good, interesting, fair products cost — and I’m happy to pay for it!
Glad you “stopped by” to provide the perspective.
My thought on the size of the bean is not that larger tastes better but that in sorting by size less riffraff gets through the screen. Peaberries, Ethiopian coffees are very small but full of flavor.