Gourmet Coffee – Grab a cup of Kopi

As I open my first 250 gram sealed bag of Kopi gourmet coffee, the wonderful aroma of this ground Guatemalan coffee bean hits me…

I have previously written of the health benefits of coffee.

Despite any mixed emotions towards this addictive substance, my coffee passion continues! Coffee has been part of my diet (and used as a training aid) for a couple of years now and I feel qualified to make some general observations:

• The caffeine stimulant it provides can enhance the intensity of my training and performance. (Interestingly, news reports have just suggested that high caffeine coffee from the high street may be excessive for pregnant women!)
• Sticking to just 1-2 cups per day has not interrupted my sleep pattern (I do not drink coffee after 4pm normally though)
• I primarily stick to organic produce to avoid any negatives of fertilisers used in growth.
• There are so many varieties out there it is hard to find a favourite and you can be just as choosy as spending on fine wines!

Kopi is the Indian/Malay word for coffee. You may have heard it before from the name ‘Kopi Luwak’ (or civet coffee) – one of the world’s most expensive coffees in which coffee berries are consumed by a civet cat and passed through their digestive tract before the end product reaches your cup! Us humans go to great lengths to drink great coffee…clearly. Anyway, on to Kopi the coffee company.

What do you get from Kopi each month?

Kopi’s aim is to bring us single-estate coffees from around the world – something that every coffee connoisseur would want to experience.

This is done through a monthly mail-order service in which Kopi selects its ‘star’ bean of the month to provide to its customers. You can sign up for one, six or twelve months and choose either whole beans or preground coffee at around £7-9 per month.

It comes in a small box complete with information about exactly where your coffee of the month has come from and even some serving suggestions. For example, it is best not to pour boiling hot water over your coffee so as to scald it and affect the natural flavour – better to let your boiled water cool for a couple of minutes and then pour over the coffee!

Coffee straight to your door – hmm very tempting indeed. As with all quality food produce it is settling to hear the story behind the bean…
-A team of professional Kopi coffee gurus who are said know first hand the world’s best coffee regions and farmers seek out an exciting coffee prospect for the month. Kopi argues that these guys work at a level supermarket buyers just don’t! (i.e. you won’t find Kopi coffees in food aisles).
- The selected beans are ordered and it is on to the roasting. Roasting coffee is an art; the actual roasting takes just minutes and getting it wrong can ruin the entire order. Kopi uses a UK-based boutique roaster to get the best roasting service it can.
- The coffee is packaged up and sent to the Gourmet coffee lover to enjoy!

Kopi pays premium prices for premium coffee to premium growers

If you opt for Kopi coffee, then Kopi are confident that the producer is being looked after. I feel quite strongly that organic coffee is best for our health but the sustainable nature and reinvestment to the growers is important too. Kopi cannot promise fairtrade organic coffee every month but justifies this on the basis that:

1. Fairtrade only certifies co-operatives which excludes many superb growers and smaller farms who like to sell direct – high quality small family farms would therefore be excluded if only Fairtrade stamped ones were selected.
2. Fairtrade is tied to the commodity price to secure a minimum to the growers. The market price for a long time (18+ months as of October 2011) has been consistently well above the minimum price.
3. Kopi strives for a symbiotic relationship with the growers to create a sustainable business model for everyone involved.

Kopi coffee certainly tastes good and the packaging and presentation suggests quality and care. It may be a bit of a luxury in today’s tough economic conditions but one that could be justified for the serious coffee fan.

Related posts:

1. Should you Make Coffee your Companion?
2. Should you supplement for Fat Loss? – Bio-Synergy Thermogen on Test
3. Energy Shots – Put some Voltz into your workouts!