Wood Fired Coffee

Posted on March 30, 2010 by

Although I think it’s admirable that they enjoy “exposing the natural affinity between coffee and wood”, I find it curious that Summermoon Wood Fired Coffee seems to miss the connection between coffee and themselves. From their arguably misguided commitment to Fair Trade, to their web shop that lacks so completely in transparency the countries of origin aren’t even named. Not to mention how ridiculously hard it must be to control the multitude of chemical reactions that occur during the roasting process when you have little control over the actual heat.

I know you’re not supposed to besmirch other coffee companies, and I’m sure the family owned Summermoon is operated by lovely, well-intentioned people. But after stumbling onto their website I couldn’t resist. It’s a little late in the game for people to get by on gimmicks and angles. I like burning things too, but that doesn’t make me a great roaster.

  • Matt

    I dunno. It’s gimmicky enough that I would at least try it once. It’s not enough for me to order it by mail however. Almost everyone likes a good gimmick. Just look at magicians or bikini coffee shops.

  • http://www.manseekingcoffee.com Christian

    I hate lack of transparency like this. Very frustrating and never clear if it’s an owners own lack of understanding of the product or an attempt to obfuscate.

    As far as wood-fired, you should consult with the Mr. Espresso folks (if you haven’t already). They’ve been roasting that way for decades and seem to get some pretty good results. I can’t imagine that it’s an easier method to work with. I guess the question is whether it might not have the potential to be better.

  • http://tx-coffee.com Jason Haeger

    I’ve tried it. The espresso in a cappuccino tastes like “barbecued coffee”. Every sip has a smokey mesquite tinge to it. Unpleasant.