BEST CUP BRAZIL #1

We are very excited to release the #1 ranked coffee from the Best Cup Auction in Brazil this past fall! Jose Adriano Neto has been working on coffee farms for 20+ years, and recently acquired his 6 hectare farm: Sitio Bom Comeco in 2015. Jose’s in depth knowledge at the farm level has allowed him to achieve an impressive level of success very quickly.

When we tasted this coffee on the cupping table at origin it really stood out. The rest of the group bidding on the auction thought so as well, ranking it the #1 Coffee out of over a hundred offerings. The Natural Process on this Yellow Bourbon yields a big, boozy, fruit forward flavor profile. Over the years we have been routinely blown away by some of the high end Micro Lots coming out of Brazil. Brazil exports more coffee than any other country in the world, and recently some producers have been focusing more on quality and less on quantity. As a result, the perception of specialty coffee in Brazil is changing. We are thrilled to offer the best example of this NEW focus on quality and share it with our customers.

We be JAZZIN' w/ FESTIN'

It’s Festival time in New Orleans! This year's blend consists of fresh crop Colombia and Peru. The Colombia coffee was purchased on our sourcing trip last December; it’s a collection of lots from various small farmers in the Huila region. This coffee is great, with a really nice sugary acidity, notes of caramel, and a creamy mouthfeel. The Peru aspect of the blend is also a collection of small lots from various small farmers in the Chirinos region in Cajamarca. This coffee was selected during a sourcing trip to Peru back in the fall. Sharing notes of caramel with the Colombia, the Peru also has flavors of apple and orange.

The idea behind the blend is that it is bright and juicy to match the vibe of festival season.  These coffees are roasted separately and then blended after roasting. With French Quarter Fest around the corner and Jazz Fest after that, it is really one of the most fun times of year! This coffee is intended to reflect that, with bright and fruity notes that hopefully come through in the cup and help people celebrate this lighthearted and cheerful time of year.

Model: Reyna Rivera

P E R U | Gilmer

Our second (& NEWEST) Micro Lot from Peru, is from the young producer, Gilmer Meija. This is our second year in a row offering a coffee from Gilmer and we are really excited to continue this relationship. Gilmer spent the week with us while we were in Peru, accompanying us on long van rides, cupping coffee, and providing some valuable directions while we were trying to find the farms.  

While cupping through about 50 Micro Lots, Gilmers’ stood out immediately! He is very passionate about growing coffee and eager to learn as much as possible. Gilmer runs the 7 hectare “Finca Ecologica”, a farm his father acquired for growing coffee in 1990. Gilmer and a small staff only pick ripe cherries, while wild shade trees provide much needed relief from the sun in the high altitude of the Andes Mountains. Gilmers’ coffee is completely organic, as he uses compost and guano to fertilize his farm.  We hope to continue to support Gilmer by buying his coffee year after year.

K E N Y A

It’s a rare treat to be able to travel to East Africa, let alone source some authentic coffee beans from this precious land. Our team traveled to Kenya and to the main local farms located 1-2 hours outside of Nairobi.

We visited the Giankanja co-op, in the Kiambu region ( just north of Nairobi) to check the crops and fermentation process of the local farms there. All of the farmers we spoke to were very excited that we came to visit and share a meal with them (yummy goat dinner). It was clearly not the norm, for them to be connecting with roasters, or importers. But, this visit only strengthened our relationship between Giankanja and Crop to Cup creating producer loyalty in a market where that doesn’t exist.

Our main goal is to find a flavor profile (particularly a fruit forward, blackberry type of profile) that our customers and employees can get excited about and look forward to tasting. After cupping through over 100 samples we have narrowed down our options to 4-5 that fit our profile , and have samples being sent our way. After a week in Nairobi, we have a much better understanding of the Kenyan coffee economy but also, we have identified certain co-ops and regions that are producing the best coffee. Over the next couple weeks, we will narrow our 4-5 samples down to 1 coffee that we will purchase.

"BIG CHIEF" HAS TOUCHED DOWN!

Mardi Gras Season is among us and we’re excited to kick off the celebrations this year with: “BIG CHIEF”. This exciting new blend of Central and South American coffees featured taste is: LEMON, FRUITY, WELL-ROUNDED & CREAMY flavor. With every purchase a portion will be donated to The House of Dance And Feathers which is dedicated to showcasing and preserving the great history of Mardi Gras Indians, Social Aid, Pleasure Clubs plus The Skull & Bones Gangs started by: Ronald Lewis in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.

Let’s get into the spirit with SPY BOY DOW, an original Mardi Gras Indian of the Mohawk Hunters ..who’s NOLA energy will keep you on your feet this Mardi Gras Season!

"French Truck Christmas"

Our holiday blend of South and Central American coffees create a warm, full bodied cup that will put you in the holiday spirit, just like Saint Nick himself. How else do you think he got the job done? In celebration of this holiday season, French Truck Coffee would like to wish everyone a cheerful holiday season and check out our featured Christmas campaign featuring Santa Claus enjoying our “LA FÊTE DE NOËL”. Available online & in-store!

credits:

Photography: Rasharie Brown | Wayne Jones

Creative Direction: Rasharie Brown

Models: Vanessa & Brennen

Make-up: Amanda Lee

Lighting: Kevin Clark

Assst: Justin Jones & Jabari H.

FEATURED Home: available here

Truckin' Through Brazil

Greetings from the French Truck family! We have had an incredible trip to Brazil in search of the tastiest and freshest coffee the country has to offer. Our photos here showcase our unique experience throughout our journey especially with Carmo Coffees and some of our Brazilian family.

Mr. Girma is back!

For the second year in a row, we are offering a washed Ethiopian from one of our favorite producers, Mr. Girma Eshetu. In January of 2017, we were able to spend some time with Mr Girma on his estate and even camped with him and his son on the farm. We can attest he runs his estate with precision and takes very good care of everyone involved. We are very excited to be offering this coffee again, and see what this year’s harvest brought to the table.

Mr. Girma has been running his family Estate for about 20 years. It is located in the Keffa Zone, which is just west of Jimma, and Northwest of the famed Yirgacheffe region. While not as well-known as the regions of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe there are some really amazing coffee here. Over the next couple of years, it is very likely we will see more and more coffee. coming out of this region

The estate is located deep in the forest in what is known as the Afromontane rainforest, a sub region of eastern Africa. Black colobus monkeys swing high up in the canopies of Mr Girma’s Estate, along with a variety of birds and other plants species. A natural spring located high up in the estate provides a small, but steady river and is the only water source for the farm.

Mr. Girma produces organic, shade grown coffee. Ancient forest trees tower over the farm providing just enough shade for the coffee plants to thrive. About 20 people live on the farm year-round, with that number swelling to about a 100 during picking farm season. There is ample housing for the pickers to live and work on the farm during this busy season. For the 20 year round workers, it is very much a family environment, and this coffee is their livelihood. They work very hard, only picking ripe cherries, and use the best processing methods. Mr Girma is committed to improving living conditions on the farm.

Using the water from the river on the estate, to process his washed coffee, the coffee is fermented for 42 hours before being washed and dried on raised beds for 10-12 days. We think a longer fermentation than normal yields a much sweeter, juicier cup of coffee. The Varietal is a heirloom varietal that has existed for hundreds of years in the forest of Ethiopia. The result is a classic washed Ethiopian Profile, that sparkles with sugary citric acidity.

trucking through peru

Guatemala HueHuetenango

AGROBASA MICRO LOT

Region: La Democracia HueHuetenango

Variety: MaragoGype

Altitude: 1400 MASL

Proc Method: Washed

Farm: Buenos Aires Huixoc

This latest Micro Lot offering from Guatemala is a result of our trip this past spring. While Cupping through almost 100 samples, we were able to Identify this Lot as one we wanted to bring home! The road to HueHuetenango is an arduous one! There is no airport close by, so no matter how you get there, you are looking at many long hours in a bus and bumpy, windy roads. However, once you get there you are in the center of the most famous coffee growing region in Guatemala. A region that French Truck has been buying from for the last 5 years. This particular harvest was a very good year for Guatemalan coffee’s and the region of HueHuetenango, specifically. Many of the Microlot samples we tried early on that were cupping at 86-87 are now cupping at 88-89. After a few months post-harvest, they have settled down and are cupping very high!

This year we are proud to offer an exciting micro lot from the producers at Agrobasa. Agrobasa is run by a young couple with a long history of growing coffee in the family. We were able to visit their farm, see them harvesting first hand, and get a sense of their farming practices. For Instance, they built a small reservoir on the farm to enable irrigation of the coffee plants. By doing this they ensured the coffee trees would get the right amount of water and at the right time, to help strengthen the harvest and consistency of flowering. Maybe the most interesting thing about the farm, was they had a herd of goats on the farm, working to help clear the land. Goats are great browsers and they love to eat weeds and invasive plant species. Assuming they don’t eat all the coffee cherries this is a very cool idea!

Finca Buenos Aires sits at a very high altitude, with dry air, and it was previously thought that the altitude was too high to grow coffee. However, with some innovative farming techniques and a lot of hard work the coffees from Agrobasa have been stellar. Another interesting note about this coffee is it’s a Maragogype Varietal. Maragogype is a variety of Arabica that produces a very large bean. It may sound familiar because it is half of the genetic makeup of Pacamara. It is a natural mutation that appeared spontaneously near the town of Maragogype, in the Bahia state of Brazil. The Maragogype is known for its big body and smooth mouthfeel, many famers in Huehue will keep a small amount of Maragogype to drink for themselves!

After Picking, cherries are depulped the same day and fermented dry (without water) for 36 hours. Then they are washed twice, and dried on raised beds for approximately two weeks or until they reach 10-12% moisture. Again, as with many of our previous Micro-lots, this is a fantastic example of a fully traceable farm to cup coffee. We are very excited to be showcasing the hard work from the producers at Agrobasa

French Truck Goes Back To Nicaragua

We visited our friends in Nicaragua earlier this year and we are pleased to bring back more great coffee from the Lovo family and their farm, Bella Aurora.

We are also excited to offer a great Javanica varietal from the Mierisch family. Finca Las Delicias is one of their newest farms and this washed Javanica placed 4th in the 2017 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence! This is not one to be missed.
 

Truckin' around central america

Early morning views from Finca Bella Aurora.

Earlier this year, we had an exciting opportunity to visit three prominent coffee growing regions in Central America: Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. 

The beginning of the coffee tree at El Quetzal - Bendaña McEwan Estate in Matagalpa.

In Nicaragua, we visited three main growing regions: Matagalpa, Jinotega and Dipilto. We met with estate owners, small landowners and local co-operatives. 

All regions had much to offer but it was in Dipilto, one of the highest regions in the country, that we found the coffee we wanted to bring back to New Orleans. 

Coffee going through the washing process at a small Beneficio outside Jinotega.

A worker carries a bag of coffee ready for shipment at a co-operative in Jinotega. 

Bags are loaded up and ready for shipment at a co-operative in Jinotega. 

Overlooking the washing facility at Bella Aurora 

Luis Joaquín Lovo examining his coffee

Workers look for coffee bean defects at the Lovo's mill

We are excited to be working with such exceptional coffee from an award winning family. 

As French Truck continues to grow, we hope to make the Lovo's coffee a staple at French Truck. 

Next, we moved on to Costa Rica...

Don Cesar Urena and his coffee at San Isidro de Leon Cortez in Costa Rica

This Coffee was hand selected by a few members of our French Truck team in Costa Rica back in March during the Harvest Season.

We visited Don Cesar Urena's Farm's in San Isidro de Leon Cortez, and were really impressed.  The area has its own Micro-Climate that is ideal for coffee growing, and its own natural water source.  All of this makes for a very special place that is lush and tropical.  Don Cesar only picks the ripest of cherries, which in costa rica is known as Toro de sangre or bull's blood.  He also has raised beds that the coffee's are dried on, allowing for greater airflow, which help the drying process.

Raised African Beds for naturally processed coffees

Fresh cherries ready to be dried

Don Cesar is a very kind man, who takes great care of his coffee's, and we are really excited to be working with him and offer this Natural Coffee from his farm.  We were blown away by his attention to detail and the raw beauty of his farms.          

 The result is a fantastic naturally processed coffee that is very sweet and creamy.  His ripe picking techniques and raised beds also make this a very clean natural that is unusually refined for a naturally processed coffee. 

French Truck Goes To Brazil!

"What struck me was the sophisticated organization of the farms. The coffee trees were easily 16 feet tall in places and in very organized rows. This creates very large yields and easy picking compared to some South American countries I've visited. The sophistication of the wet mills and drying beds also was impressive."

- Geoffrey Meeker

New Grand Cru's Have Arrived!

We are very excited to bring three new Grand Cru's to French Truck. It is always our goal to offer the highest quality coffee and these are no exceptions. We are offering two unique coffees that we tasted and selected during our origin trip to Costa Rica in March.

Don Carlos' SL28 is unique because it is traditionally a varietal found in Kenya. Notes of complex fruit, green grape and apple make this special coffee a must have!

We are also offering an exceptional Yellow Honey Villa Sarchi from Don Carlos' Finca Flor Del Cafe, another coffee that we tasted and selected in Costa Rica earlier this year. 

Finally, we are offering coffee from El Salvador for the first time. This Pacamara varietal is also a Honey process, giving it unique fruity notes. Currently, El Salvador is producing some of the best coffee in Latin America.

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Public Cupping This Saturday
Try all three of these coffees and more this Saturday at our roastery located at 1200 Magazine Street in New Orleans, LA.

Cupping begins at 10AM / Space is limited!
Click here to sign up

Welcome!

Thanks for being a loyal French Truck customer. We have undergone a website change and there are a few new things...

• We will no longer be offering subscriptions. If you have a subscription with us currently, you will be hearing from us soon about maintaining your subscription thanks to your continued support.
• If you had an account on our previous site, the account has been deactivated. Our new check out option is quick and easy without having to log in and out! 
• Our coffee, merchandise and shipping prices have all remained the same. You can still order all of our great coffee, ground or whole bean, and if you are in New Orleans, you can still place an order for in store pick up. 

Thanks again for your continued support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and please sign up for the mailing list or follow our Journal to keep up with everything French Truck!

Cold Brew Season

You have heard about our NOLA Style Iced Coffee, New Orleanians' preferred summer drink.

We blend our Premium New Orleans Dark Roast Coffee with fresh Chicory, and immerse it in water over night. The result is a highly concentrated, smooth tasting Cold Brew Concentrate. You can make it however you would like, dressed with fresh whole milk from Mauthe's Farm or Califia Farms Almond Milk along with a little homemade simple syrup. 

Our Premium Cold Brew Concentrate, available at both of our locations or in your favorite Whole Foods, Rouses or Langenstein's, is an easy way to start your morning from home! 

If you are not able to purchase our concentrate bottles, you can make it at home with any traditional home cold brew process, using our Nouvelle Orleans Chicory Blend.

If you have been to our cafes, you have noticed our science-like contraptions sitting behind the espresso bar. The Oji slowly drips water over the coffee throughout the night, creating a unique tasting Cold Brew Concentrate. This slow drip method cuts down the acidity in coffee, making way for a very drinkable iced coffee. Our Oji Drip is the best way to enjoy your Iced Coffee, black with no milk or sugar. 

We rotate our offerings daily, focusing on our Single Origin Coffees from across the globe. If you want a little sweetness, an Ethiopian Sidama Ardi Oji is for you. For chocolate and a full body, our washed processed Latin Americans will give you that bold flavor. The Oji is a great way to try new coffees from across the globe and no two are ever the same!

Stop by 1200 Magazine St. or 4536 Dryades St. and try our Oji Iced Coffee for a new Iced Coffee experience!