California coffee, grown by Frinj Coffee’s affiliated Good Land Organics farm on California’s Central Coast and roasted by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in San Diego. Photo by Beth Demmon.
There were about 40 guests at the party last week. Bird Rock Coffee San Diego coffee roaster was among the first in the world to witness the Santa Barbara-based company’s “California Coffee Experience” Coffee Frinj.
The goal was to introduce coffee lovers to the burgeoning novel world of California-grown coffee. The concept has evolved from theoretical to market-ready over the past decade, largely thanks to the leadership of Frinj and founder Jay Ruskey.
Jay Ruskey (right). Photo by Beth Demmon.
Tickets for the private event, which took place four times over two days, cost $125 and quickly sold out to coffee lovers from around the world—including a barista from Switzerland, a roaster from South Korea, a college student on spring break and even a few Californian farmers growing other coffee varieties, perhaps interested in joining the Frinj coffee growers network.
Each attendee received an exclusive Frinj/Bird Rock cupping spoon and mug, a 40-gram jar of California-grown coffee, and insights gained from a cupping session led by Ruskey, Bird Rock co-owner Jeff Taylor, Bird Rock Quality Assurance Director Maritza Taylor, and Frinj Harvest Manager Todd D’Allessio.
Jeff Taylor of Bird Rock Coffee shows off his San Diego roastery. Photo by Beth Demmon.
Bird Rock, Five Roaster of the Year magazine winner, and a company that prides itself on its direct relationships with farmers, proved to be a suitable host for such an event aimed at farmers, although it did not fit the classic conventions of “coffee roaster meets farmer.”
“We’re going to see a lot of firsts today,” Ruskey promised at the start of Sunday’s morning session. “This is probably the first time Cuicateco has been in the public eye.”
Photo by Beth Demmon.
Cuicateco can certainly be considered unique. The cultivation of Frinja Cuicateco, a Sarchimor hybrid originating in Mexico and grown in El Salvador, was recently classified 92 by Coffee Review after roasting the beans by Bird Rock.
Frinj produced a total of 17 pounds last year, every last bit of which was purchased by Bird Rock. After setting aside what was needed for private cupping parties, they put an additional nine or 10 pounds up for sale at $100 per 200 grams (a little over $14 an ounce). It sold within two hours.
Taylor said: “We were very keen to purchase this year’s crop.”
After some introductions and brief histories of Frinj and Bird Rock, Maritza Taylor explained the differences between the various popular botanicals and how environment can shape flavor in unique ways. D’Allessio, a former winemaker, illuminated the parallels between California’s wine, brewing, and coffee industries in relation to Frinj’s approach to experimentation.
Photo by Beth Demmon.
In keeping with the laid-back California mindset, he said, the current specialty coffee industry lacks definition, citing the strict rules of French wines versus California’s “anything goes” mentality.
“Here in California, the experience we want to create could be a Gesha experience, a washed experience, a natural experience—it hasn’t been defined yet,” Ruskey added. When I pressed him on what he thought the terroir of California coffee was, he admitted it was too early to tell, then laughed and said, “In the next four years, I’d like you to ask that question again.”
Maritza Taylor of Bird Rock Coffee guides guests through cupping. Photo by Beth Demmon.
The future for Frinj itself seems vivid. Today, the company’s network includes farms in the greater Santa Barbara and Ventura areas, as well as in northern San Diego. There are currently 35 farmers with plants in the ground, and plans to add 10 more this year. There are currently 35,000 coffee plants growing, with 17,000 more to come in the next few months. Ruskey said he hopes to have more than 50 farms on the network by the end of the year.
Frinj’s total California-grown coffee production in 2018 was about 1,000 pounds, of which only about half was saleable. Ruskey said they set aside the rest for “science and propagation.” Even then, the volume was twice as vast as the entire inaugural harvest in 2017. Ruskey said Frinj’s goal is to double or triple that this year and grow to 10 times that next year.
“We’re really focused on the 2021 harvest, that’s going to be the biggest harvest,” Ruskey said.
Bird Rock is ready to welcome more ultra-specialty beans. Not only have they opened a novel location in San Diego, but they’re currently expanding their coffee bar and roastery by another 2,000 square feet.
Photo by Beth Demmon.
“We’re seeing the evolution of the artisan side of coffee,” D’Allessio said. “A novel market is emerging that has allowed for the best specialty coffee to exist.”
Bird Rock’s Jeff Taylor added, “We’re trying to make California a different coffee experience, trying to pay homage to the coffee, the farmer and what they do. It’s just phenomenal.”
