Image taken from.
Today I love the internet. I was dreaming of favorite coffees past. I decided to look up the most recent Cup of Excellence coffee winners. There were two great winners I purchased from a local coffee shop Zoka Coffee. Both were from Columbia. Turns out they have an archive of the past winners. It also says who bid on them. I was able to look both of the coffees up.
In 2001 we started frequenting Zoka. Back then they had one location in Tangletown. In 2004 they opened University Zoka and we frequently stayed till closing. Back then it was midnight. We were crazy enough to leave Seattle at midnight before dragging ourselves to work the next day.
This is where I learned what a quality hand crafted mocha tasted like. It was also where I bought my first Colombian coffee beans. It was Colombia Palacio. Those were the beans that changed my way of thinking. Coffee became so much more when I realized exactly how amazing it could taste. I only purchased one pound of roasted beans (they used to sell full pound bags). I was a broke recent college graduate.
I’ll never forget all the senses associated with discovering amazing coffee. Until today I only knew when I purchased it and that it was a Colombian Cup of Excellence winner. Thanks to the internet it has a name, a farm, and other important stats.
Years later in 2009 when I had money to spend on coffee they had the Colombia Villarrica. It was $24 for 12oz of beans. I filled most of a 12 punch bean card buying it. It was almost as amazing as the Palacio. Most of those beans were purchased at their Kirkland location. When I came back with my full card to get my free bag of beans they no longer it. Instead I picked the most expensive coffee they had that day. The guy ringing me up even commented on it. But I figured I’d earned it.
These beans lead me down the Colombian path. I try every one I see. I even got a 1/2 pound the Starbucks Cerro Azul at $80 per lb. It was also a really good coffee but not still not as amazing as I remember the Palacio being.
I hope someday I’ll have a chance to taste more Palacio beans.
Analog Moxee 
