The Baron is our modern take on the classic espresso profile and sourced solely through our partnership with Brazil’s Daterra Estate. Balance is the focus with rich tasting notes of dark chocolate, marzipan and dried fruit sitting exceptionally well in all espresso and milk beverages.

The Story
From humble Broadway Market beginnings, The Baron has now gained legendary status as a crowd pleasing espresso served in countless cafes, restaurants and living rooms the world over. Working with Daterra for the past 7 years we have collectively shifted the expectation of how Brazilian coffees can be sourced, roasted and served. 

The Details
We have seen first hand the production of speciality coffee is grounded on environmental preservation and social development. Daterra means “from the earth” and was conceived in the 80s after previously starting as a cattle and avocado venture. Repairing the ecosystem and land was a priority and the dedication to the environment is a constant theme. Daterra is Rainforest Alliance and UTZ certified and in addition, only sell to sustainably certified importers.

Daterra translates as “from the earth”, an association the entire team seeks to uphold with sustainability and environmental care at the core of their operation. With the specialty coffee industry often looking to adopt new sustainable initiatives, Daterra have consistently pushed these ideas further with a unique ability to invest in their own bespoke solutions. Partnering with leading universities, Daterra is on a mission to naturally re-purpose all water used in production whilst discarded coffee fruit becomes the basis of their organic compost. Of their 6,500 ha, more than 3,000 ha is now considered conservation land to protect the native trees, animals and delicate ecological balance that makes coffee possible.
Daterra’s belief that a sustainable supply chain will reflect in quality coffee has now proven true for decades and is considered a model of excellence. This has led to widespread recognition with the notable achievement as the first farm in the world to receive Level A certification from the Rainforest Alliance.

The area of Daterra harvested for The Baron is now affectionately dubbed ‘Climpson’s Plot’ and comprised of Catuai and IAC125 varieties from the Boa Vista side of the farm. Even at 1,150 masl the landscape here is generally flat allowing for the mechanical harvesting of cherries. Whilst this speeds up the picking process it does mean there are varying degrees of ripeness from each plot when delivered to the wet mill for processing. Here Daterra have innovated their own Smart Wet Mill with all incoming cherries sorted into 7 degrees of ripeness which will determine their processing method. With a full-bodied espresso in mind we gravitate to the natural process implemented on the left hand side of the wet mill with the almost dried raisin stages of ripeness. Allowing some natural drying on the tree is a technique unique to the Cerrado region and its consistently hot and dry microclimate.

The Baron

We are an independent company of coffee enthusiasts, roasting espresso blends and a range of single origin beans. We supply our small flagship café on Hackney’s Broadway Market, our own stall on market day, as well as a growing list of establishments who have chosen to work with us. Established in 2005, our cafe is considered one of the pioneering venues for London’s now-famous coffee revolution.

Climpson & Sons

As the weather (and lockdown situation) begins to change again it feels like a fitting moment to update our Broadway Blend to suit the cooler Autumn mornings. This time around we have the return of a full bodied El Salvador to join our mainstay Honduras in building a blend that is as balanced as it is sustainable.

30% - San Francisco, El Salvador
Region: Santa Ana
Variety: Bourbon & Pacas

70% - COMSA CO-OP, Honduras
Region: La Paz
Variety: Caturra, Pacas, Ihcafe 90

The Story
Our Broadway Blend emphasises closer farm and import relationships working with many of the same coffees each year, selected for their unique representations of origin and terroir. This is our go-to balanced espresso on Broadway Market and pairs perfectly with milk.

The Details
Finca San Francisco is located on the mountain range of Apaneca Ilamatepec, Santa Ana, and is one of the larger farms managed by JASAL. Now into their 6th generation of coffee history, the JASAL daily operations have always been a family affair and are now overseen by brothers Jose Antonio and Andres Salaverria. All coffee is hand-picked on the awkward slopes and transported to their Las Cruces processing mill each afternoon. Here the coffees are meticulously sorted and each lot is traceable to unique hillsides and sectors of the farm.

Heading East to Honduras, we source the other side of this blend from our friends at the COMSA Cooperative. COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala) is a growing collective of neighbouring farmers set in Marcala, La Paz. Starting in 2001 with 69 local producers they have set out to improve their communities coffee and livelihoods through sustainable organic production. Now they represent over 1,200 members and provide training in organic farm regeneration, water management and wildlife conservation. The improved quality and prices continue to motivate producing families and act as a beacon of inspiration as to the long-term sustainability of organic specialty practices.

Broadway Blend

Signature Espresso
Roasted as a single-origin espresso The Estate is our go-to for smooth black coffees and creamy jaffa cake-like flavours in milk. Our namesake signature espresso showcases the very best attributes of Ethiopian coffees; bright, balanced and complex.

Region: Sidamo
Variety: Mixed Heirloom

The Story
The Kilenso Mokonisa Cooperative represents more than 2,000 members and exists within the region-wide Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Quality coffee has acted as the stepping stone for wider improvements in the communities income, education and now climate change mitigation and resilience.

With most contributing members producing coffee on 2 hectares or less the scale of the cooperatives output is truly a collaborative effort. Here coffee is grown amongst the sustenance crop Enset with farmers hand-picking before delivering their cherries to the cooperatives washing station. The classic Ethiopian washed process uses clean water to seperate any less ripe coffee and the resulting fermentation translates to a crisp, clean and quintessential Sidamo flavour profile.

Tasting notes of milk chocolate, citrus and toffee make this a fan favourite with customers looking for a more complex coffee that sits happily with any brew method you choose to throw at it.

The Estate

The Adventurous One
The Fields is known as the adventurous coffee in our range and a key part of our forward-thinking desire for quality and innovation. This coffee represents our standing as one of the pioneers in the London coffee scene with its title a nod to our London Fields neighbourhood.

The adventurous badge offers us the chance to explore alternative approaches to processing, sustainability and experiment with some of our closest coffee growing partners. All of which results in unique flavours from some of our favourite producers around the world.

Region: Marcala, La Paz
Variety: Catuai, Icatu & Bourbon

The Story
Finca La Innovación is the project of third-generation farmer Mauricio Peñalba and returns as The Fields for the second year running. As implied by the naming of the farm, Mauricio is determined to improve production, biodiversity and processing standards. Growing fruit and pine trees amongst the coffee has created a unique micro-climate, home to native birds and also generating useful organic matter to be repurposed as fertiliser.

Having worked with the COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala) cooperative team to develop his organic production, Señor Peñalba has seen the quality and consistency of his coffee dramatically improve. Seeking to differentiate his small production further he is now experimenting with natural processing, saving water and offering intensely fruit-forward coffees. Despite the many challenges of 2020 this has been his most successful harvest yet, yielding a larger crop of impeccable quality. Rich, boozy and tropical tasting notes set this apart as a decadent expression of natural processed coffee.

The Fields

Decaf from La Plata, Colombia
Decaf shouldn't be an afterthought and this coffee was selected for its quality of flavour and more sustainable processing.

Region: Huila
Variety: Caturra, Castillo & Colombia

Farm Story
This particular lot is the work of a number of smallholder growers from the area of La Plata within the department of Huila. As with all specialty coffee, the cherry is picked and meticulously sorted before depulping and undergoing a classic washed process.

As part of a program initiated by Cafe Imports the next step in decaffeinating is breaking from industry norms (and unnecessary food-miles) with decaf processing occurring in-country before export. Using local natural sugar cane to create Ethyl Acetate, the coffee is soaked in a E.A solution to remove caffeine.

Decaf: La Plata

The return of Kenya’s Slopes of 8 is always a highlight on our coffee calendar and this year comes in two distinct sizes. First up is the larger AA grade, a classic fruit forward Kenyan coffee from this progressive collective of 8 neighbouring farmers in the Kirinyaga region.

Region: Kirinyaga
Variety: SL28 SL34 

The Details
The first year we bought this coffee with the intention of developing a closer relationship with the supply chain and to secure the rare opportunity of working with the same Kenyan coffee each year. With many Kenyan coffees often lost to the whims of auction timing the Slopes of 8 work with a local agronomist to process their own coffee and by-pass this central auction system. Where their coffee was previously generalised within a co-op’s large regional lots, this project allows the group to sell directly to exporters, oversee their own production standards and ensure that the improved prices are paid directly back to them. Not only do we see a more transparent cup quality but also a more transparent supply chain.  

Having followed this process in action on our 2017 visit we have been so impressed with each subsequent harvest that this is now our sole Kenyan purchase and most anticipated arrival each year. Crisp tasting notes of blackcurrant, honey and grapefruit make this a perfect match for your next filter brew.

Slopes of 8

Selecting Ethiopian coffees is easily one of the most enjoyable tasks of the year with this lot from the Chelbesa washing station one of the best in recent memory. Refreshingly crisp and complex, Chelbesa is the perfect starting point for an autumnal filter coffee.

Region: Yirgacheffe
Variety: Heirloom

The Details
As Ethiopia has started to develop a more traceable exporting process their previously blanket regional labels have become a unique exploration into sub-regions and cleaner, more transparent flavours. The Yirgacheffe region has long been famed for its intensely floral and tea-like flavours with single washing stations now highlighting more nuanced and expressive versions of this.

This particular coffee is the collective work of more than 400 individual farmers, all located in the Gedeb Woreda (a sub-region of Southern Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe zone). With only a small personal harvest output their trading power and income is improved by delivering cherries to be processed at the communities local Chelbesa washing station. The heirloom varieties harvested here are descendant from native Typica and carry an air of mysticism having spawned from the surrounding wild forestland. Red cherries are picked at almost over-ripeness with local farmers trusting in religion and local folklore to dictate their picking. A simple yet precisely controlled washing process ensures a clarity of flavour that stays true to the areas classic earl grey tasting note with vibrant layers of peach, citrus and chamomile making for an almost ethereal experience.

Chelbesa

A brand new coffee for all your favourite brewing methods. 

Since our first visit in 2016 we have been thoroughly captivated by the approach to biodiversity at Finca San Jeronimo Miramar. Having utilised a number of their coffees over the years this is the second time we have selected their honey process Catuai as a stand alone filter roast. An inherent dense and creamy sweetness makes this the ideal comfort coffee for the colder mornings.

Region: Atitlán
Variety: Catuai 

The Details
Finca San Jeronimo Miramar is now overseen by fourth generation producers, Giorgio and Gina Bressani. The first generation of the Bressani family started out with a modest dairy farm on the slopes of Volcán Atitlán which has now grown to encompass honey, cheese, fruit and specialty coffee production. Since taking charge of the coffee side of this family operation Giorgio and Gina have set in motion a number of changes that now sets them apart as some of the most progressive producers we have met. 

Working in tandem with nature has led to new ways and means of producing their own in-house fertilizer. The manure from their dairy cows now provide a natural source of soil nutrition and keeps many of the important elements of the ecosystem within the farm. Weeds are now cut back and allowed to provide organic mulch as opposed to spraying with chemicals whilst a small on-site lab has been breeding a natural response to coffee borer beetles. Cultivating natural fungus and microscopic wasps that target the borer beetles, the San Jeronimo team are using science to holistically fight back. Whilst these processes may be more time consuming the resulting improvement in soil health, coffee quality and the return of wildlife is certainly worth the effort. Providing more jobs for the local community and bringing different parts of the farm together for a common purpose also underpin the inclusive Bressani family ethos.

With more than 40 different varieties of coffee in production it is incredibly impressive to see these all processed as separate lots. This year we have selected their honey process Catuai from one of the higher altitudes on the farm. Not to be confused with their own bees producing honey, this process makes reference to the sticky mucilage layer of the coffee left intact after separating beans from cherry. The coffee is then moved on to an incredibly organised system of shaded drying beds before the dry mill later sorts and packs the coffee into sacks, using upcycled denim as the source material for all of their sacks. Looking beyond just their own farm, this knowledge and packaging process is made available to many other local farmers.

The resulting cup is a perfect balance of berry-like acidity with a smooth and sticky sweetness. With so many layers to this integrated ecosystem it is no surprise that the resulting coffees are as unique as the approach.

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