It's been a couple weeks since I last posted...

... and I've been busy the whole time. But coffee is only half the story. The other half is more time consuming and it has everything to do with software development for the roaster.

Thankfully the programmer, Matt-the-Code-Warrior, has been able to resolve all the issues thrown his way. As a result we seem to be closing the first development phase of RoasTime 3.0 (RT3).

Along with the new release of RT3 came an extensive redesign of the Aillio server system. The Aillio servers are integral to operation of the roaster since it offers storage of all roast profiles, management of bean inventory, all error codes are saved on those servers, and it is the platform for the Aillio roasting community. 

Besides changes in the way Roast.World operates, they also migrated the physical location of all data from server space on AWS (Amazon Web Services) to Google servers... something to do with easier transition if they have to add server capacity (way beyond my pay grade!).

But the actual transition of both systems seemed to occur outside Matt's control. The Aillio owners said "it's released!" and that was that. My guess is he's tired of bleeding $$$ but I can't possibly know. They have a new, larger electric roaster in the works (roughly double the capacity) and it probably needs a $$ transfusion to get thru development.

And while that was going on at a distance, Celia and I have been really enjoying beans I bought from Chiapas, Mexico. Great coffee! I think it's our current favorite. And that's saying a lot considering how much we have enjoyed the Ethiopian coffee mostly from the Yirgachef region.

In any case, Chiapas is in the northern part of the area where most of the worlds supply of cacao is harvested. To my eye, Google Maps says it's at the northern end of the mountain chain occupied by Guatemala to the south and Oxaca to the north:

Which makes me wonder how I could have gone all those years without having tried it! There are three regions that grow coffee in Mexico-  Chaipas which borders on Guatemala, Oaxaca to the west of Chiapas, and Veracruz which seems a little too far west but nonetheless is a significant coffee producer. Other than Hawaii, Mexico is the only coffee producer in North America.

I went thru a 5 lb sample from Home Roast Coffee and really liked it, but 5 lb is their largest offering. I also tried a 5 lb sample from Coffee Bean Corral and liked it nearly as much, so I tried a 10 lb sample and was again happy. There was no choice- yesterday I placed an order for a 25 lb bag of Mexico organic Chiapas FTO. FTO is the Free Trade, Organic agreemant which binds all concerned with requirements for growing and working conditions, worker and farmer payment, and delivery requirements. Short of going directly to the farms and producers, this is as close as a US coffee seller can come to proactive involvement in fair trade. Fortunately the price was discounted ($4.75/lb) but shipping, however, seems to be equal to the price savings!