Gary,
The point that's been made about 'early' vs.
'late' crop is this:  earlier beans come from
lower elevations, which I understand affects bean
hardness (among other things), which makes the
bean inferior to a later, high-grown bean.  I
just read an article by Michael Sivetz in which
he discusses the importance of elevation to good
coffee flavor, and my local roaster lives by that
rule.  
Food for thought...
Paul
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<Snip>
True true ... early crop Centrals arrive as early as January -very 
bad.  Late March and on is where respectable Centrals start to ship 
from origin. Many good ones dont come in until July or so ... but 
this doesnt have to do strictly with elevation and quality.  -Some 
has to do with logistics, etc, and some seasons you have earlier 
maturing of the cherries due to weather patterns...
On the flip side - "late crop" can be a bad thing. With Centrals, the 
coffee cannot be stored in parchement at altitude (where it should be 
stored if not being dry-milled right away) once the rainy season 
starts. That begins in around now ...
Tom
--
                   "Great coffee comes from tiny roasters"
            Sweet Maria's Home Coffee Roasting  -  Tom & Maria
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