Guess what customs just cleared???

[Jackster]

Andy, I have a suggestion.
Can you make the packages more suited to shipping. If I get 500g, it gets shipped for the same price as 1kg package..
If I buy 1kg, I pay the rate for more than 1kg...

It seems to be this way on the shipping calculator anyway.

I was thinking if you dropped the package size to (say 900g?) It would ship at the 1kg rate rather than the higher rate. So optimising the shipping.
It means we as customers would get more beans per $ spent.
It should mean you would sell more 900g packs as the 400g difference between a 500g and a 900g is effectively free posted.

Is this making sense or crazy talk..

[chokkidog]

Andy, I know I'll get asked...... but does the Qishr have caffeine in it?

[Andy]

I grabbed three bags. And I'm not telling the only guy I normally roast for. I told him about the Sidamo but friendship only goes so far.

I really did laugh out loud at your Ardi lesson.

How do you think I feel? There was a moment when I got back to the Snobbery with a van full of Yemen that I contemplated not telling anyone, I had a vision of me swimming around in it like Scrooge McDuck, tossing handfuls into the air... but then decided that even I couldn't drink that much Yemen.

[theonetruepath]

I grabbed three bags. And I'm not telling the only guy I normally roast for. I told him about the Sidamo but friendship only goes so far.

[Andy]

I know a lot of people "doing a happy dance" over this, the Ismaili is a very rare and special bean.

They 'aint cheap but at $35/kg I will readily give something else away to ensure we can drink them.

...although it is common for CS'rs to empty the grinder before answering the doorbell.


PS: Yemen in BeanBay now
We landed plenty so don't push little 'ol ladies out of the way, there is enough for everyone.

[simonsk8r]

Wwwwwwowowowowowow! Am super excited, I never got a chance to try the Yemen beans!!!

Well done Andy and thanks for your crazy efforts to get them in, very excited to try them!

[Andy]

We have been secretly working on this for many, many months with the wonderful help of someone on the ground.

My favourite origin in the world and the Ismaili is the ultimate grade of Yemen but yes, it's very hard to source in the middle of a civil war and made worse when the shipping port and the city that supports it is just rubble and disease (very sad). That just made me more determined to land the near impossible.

There is a bit of Yemen coffee around the world but typically it's very old crop, and much lower grade (like Mattari, Sanini etc) . what we did different was think outside the box, pack it in a full sealed container and moved it across country to a still functioning port. Then it sailed to two different destinations before finally boarding a ship to Australia. I don't want to name specific ports and countries as it might hinder future attempts but it was a whacky way to move it!

The downside of taking such a weird route in a full container is that it raised alarm bells in customs everywhere it went including Australia. It landed here on hte 30th Dec and has taken 3 weeks to clear customs but thankfully we got there.

This was just harvested and well might be the freshest Yemen anywhere on the planet. The smell is amazing even as a green bean and it made me instantly smile... "ahhh, I remember this!".

To top off my great day we also cleared some Qishr and as near as I can tell from the reaction of customs, we are the first ones to ever land true Yemeni Qishr for resale. Qishr is the dried coffee cherry and parchment and you can make a stunning tea with it (have one in front of me right now). It's density is high and requires a longer brew/steep time and because there is no tannin it doesn't get more bitter. In fact I had a plain Qishr and a spiced Qishr in Adu Dahbi years ago which was months old, they just keep it on the stove and add some more to it everyday.

This one has soft floral aromatics and a hint of grandpa's pipe tobacco, the initial taste is sweet, really sweet and then some flavours of currants, fig and nectarine. Steeped for 8 minutes at 80C it really blossomed and it can be drink hot or better still at this time of year, chilled in the fridge as healthy refreshing iced tea.

Qishr is traditionally spiced in Yemen (and the UAE) normally with cardamon pods and sometimes ginger root and cinnamon. That region grinds cardamon with their coffee too which for me was nice to try but I prefer the amazing Yemen coffees straight-up and I prefer the Qishr natural too.

Anyway, enough excited ramble. Both these will appear in BeanBay soon.

[Javaphile]

Aaaahhhhh.....I can smell it from here! What a treat for everybody to welcome in the new year with!


Java "Ismaili yumminess!" phile

[WhatEverBeansNecessary]

Put me down for some right now! Love Yemeni beans.

[Dimal]

Wow!

This must have taken a hell of a lot of effort from Yemenis to get to export.
Ditto for getting some into Oz too Andy...

Mal.

[chokkidog]

Ismaili??!! Naturals, Andy? Poke it full of holes, did they?

[Andy]

Two pallets full in the van complete with biosecurity tape...