Mark Pendergrast’s wrote a full-page article in the November 30 issue of Wine Spectator entitled “George Howell’s Quest” where he highlights Terroir Coffee’s revolutionary measures to change the way green coffee is stored and shipped. He concludes the following: “Howell is convinced that it is all worth it. He set up a cupping session for me to demonstrate the effect of storage methods on La Minita beans: 2004 beans stored in jute bags; 2004 frozen beans; 2006 frozen beans; and 2006 roasted beans allowed to go stale for a few weeks. Every roaster should make this comparison. The results were clear-cut and startling.

"The brews made from the frozen beans sparkled with the famed bright acidity and flavor notes, which Howell characterizes as 'maple syrup, nuts and a hint of peaches.' The 2-year-old beans in jute bags had lost all of those qualities. The aromatic oils had evaporated, and a substance called lignin in the cell walls had hardened, producing a woody, carbonized flavor. The jute-kept coffee tasted as bad as the deliberately staled cup.

"Howell convinced me that he is on to something. Perhaps in the future, coffee lovers will not have to rely only on their memories of that wonderful year for Tegus. They will still be able to savor the flavor, thanks to the deep freeze."

Howell founded the Coffee Connection, the chain of Boston area coffee shops, in Harvard Square in 1975 and is now the owner of Terroir Coffee, a business that aims to change the relationship between coffee farmers and purveyors.

George Howell, founder of the Coffee Connection and all-around coffee cognoscente, is out to turn our morning cup of joe into a gastronomic experience. Founded in 2004, George Howell’s Terroir Coffee Company, in Acton, is devoted to bringing the coffees of the world to the commuters of New England.

We were excited to see that we were mentioned in the May Issue of Continental Airlines Magazine.  They had a few questions for George about brewing espresso.  Here's a clip of what they had to say about us.

We called George Howell. The owner of Terroir Coffee, a mail-order outlet that roams the world in search of good beans from the very best farms, Howell previously owned a 24-store chain called the Coffee Connection. So he knows his joe.

Read the full article here.