We have only recently discovered examples of high grade Honduran coffee, and we're pretty glad we did. Until recently we didn't come across any lots that really stood out, until we were sent this lot from Cosecha Azul, which is a real find.

Honduras two main exports are coffee and bananas. It's seriously good on both counts. It's actually the 7th largest exporter of coffee in the world, producing around 5 million bags in the last year. This is expected to grow to beyond 8 million in the next 2 years.

Until recently, Honduras was known mainly for producing commercial grade coffee and not often linked with speciality grade coffee, compared to many other central and south American countries. This is now changing, with Honduras starting to really push their focus on quality coffee.

Around 95% of Honduran coffee farmers operate in small lot farms, with an average of 2 hectares per farm, meaning there is a large volume of microlot coffees and regional groups, forming speciality lots for export. Small, focused and varied.

Why this coffee?

We were on the hunt for a coffee specifically geared for espresso served with milk.  Ideally one that was not high priced, so that it could be enjoyed by everyone. Cosecha Azul landed on our cupping table just at the right time and won us over with it's simplicity / clean profile. It excels as a flat white.

Profile:

Cosecha Azul is not a hugely complicated coffee, but one that is very satisfying. It is low acidity, rich in body and very well balanced. It has soft cashew and cocoa nib flavours, a gentle sweetness and a creamy finish.

About the Region / Farm / Producers:

Cosecha Azul is collective name for the Cooperativa Cosecha Verde Limitada (COMICOVEL) based in the Opalaca mountains of Honduras. It was founded in 2016 to protect freshwater sources through agroforestry management as part of the Cosecha Azul (Blue Harvest) program by CRS.

Boasting 200 members, the cooperative’s two main producing areas are Orturo and San Juan, both in Intibucá department.

The cooperative focuses on sustainably managing water on a coffee farm. Their goal is to produce coffee in an environmentally friendly way that results in a sustainable price. All members farm organically, and this is the first year the co-op can export their coffee with both Fair Trade and Organic certifications.

Varietal: Catuai, Caturra & Pacas

Cosecha Azul

Machina was created by two people looking for their next creative challenge. One, an ex DJ and producer (and coffee nerd) from the music industry, the other, a long time coffee industry professional with a background in training (and an apparent obsession for show singing).

They met through a mutual friend, again through music (a common theme). From here Machina took on it's own momentum, which is an extraordinary story of people, coffee and lots of equipment (that's a lot of equipment...), on a path to becoming a respected speciality coffee roastery.

The business started off as just equipment, but was always working towards one goal - becoming a premium speciality coffee roastery. We just needed to raise funds, and ideally do it without needing to bring in investors who would (no doubt) push us in a direction that we didn't want to go in. We had a vision, and the only way to ensure that actually happened, was to do it ourselves.

Machina Coffee

The new season Kenyan's have started to arrive and this is the first of what we hope to be a fruitful, high quality season.

So far we have tasted around 10 new samples, but this lot stood out as the cream of the crop - far ahead of anything else in there. It actually scored almost 90 on the SCAE scoring card system, which is fairly impressive.

This is pretty much exactly what we have been looking for, for the last 2 seasons but have failed to find it. A classic big, bold Kenyan with intense Blackcurrant and Liquorice profile. This year we found it first time around.

Kangiri is a collective coffee from a cooperative group of farmers, which is a common offering from this origin, as farmers tend to operate from tiny small holder plots only capable of producing small volumes that need to be brought together to be processed and then sold.

Kangeri is one for the Kenyan coffee die hards. Big on flavour, super dynamic and demonstrates why Kenya is unlike any other origin out there in terms of profile and acidity.

About the Region / Farm / Producers:

Situated amongst the Aberdare Mountain foothills in the Muranga county are a small collection of 5 factories run by the Kangiri Farmers Cooperative Society. 2019 saw a few leadership issues arise out of what had always been a respected group and despite a few containers being blocked, concerns raised have been focussed on and a return to the expected quality maintained.

Coffee growers here mainly consist of smallholder farmers, around 635 of them, producing cherry from an average half-acre plot each and delivering it to the nearest factory for sorting and quality control. Cherries are washed, soaked and dried for around two weeks on raised beds, before being sorted for both cup profile and bean size.

Location: Aberdare Mountains, Muranga, Kenya
Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28 & Sl34

Kangiri

The more we explore this origin, the better we understand it's regions, how versatile it is and how amazing it's coffees can be with the right research and selection process.

Miravalle is an exceptional coffee. It's the name of the farm located in Pitalito in the the south of the Huila region. This lot is a small 25 bag production, which is the farms highest quality output from this years crops.

﻿The coffee:

The coffee is made up of a mix of three varietals across Caturra, Columbia and Castillo. This is a very common mix of varietals for Colombian coffees to grow; a choice that is suited to the soil types in Huila and varietals that generate a high yield from this origin. 

Profile (Filter roast):

Miravalle is a very versatile coffee that we intend to roast for both espresso and filter. This roast is the filter version, which we develop to around 19% in the late stages of first crack to highlight bright acidity and more acute flavours. We roast this coffee fairly light which draws out a lovely toffee sweetness and really clean red apple acidity that sits nicely in the background.

Location:

Miravalle is one of six small farms run by the same group of small producers (Miravalle, Rosal, Monte Bonito, Chillurco, La Herencia and Providencia). It is located in the south of the Huila region in and around the Colombian Massif; known colloquially as Nudo de Almaguer - the group of mountains within the Andes of south central Colombia. This is one of our favourite locations for Colombian coffee, due to it's exceptional growing conditions; a product of it's diverse microclimate and super fertile soils.

Farm: Miravalle
Varietal: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo

Miravalle

This is the first Ethiopian lot of 2020 and it's safe to say we are very (very) pleased with it. Coffee quality levels from Africa definitely dipped last year and we were concerned that this years lots were not going to hit the dizzy heights of previous lots we had found from Ethiopia. Thankfully they have exceeded our expectations.

Aramo is a standout coffee for a number of reasons. It's very well processed, so very consistent in brew and profile. It's extremely sweet and clean and it was a joy to roast, allowing us to really pinpoint the profile accurately to refine and highlight flavour.

The roast:

Until now we have only released our Ethiopian Aramo as a Filter Roast, but after a couple of roast experiments, we have opted to release it for espresso as it's delivered amazing results.

While the filter roast was very tea like and delicate, the espresso version is much more viscous, with an amazing mouth feel. The lemon tea finish has developed into more of a Lemon Drizzle cake taste, while the Vanilla layer has become what we described on the cupping table as 'gloopy'.

Why this Coffee?

We always look for a mix of washed and natural lots each your to keep it diverse and interesting. Despite this coffee being called Aramo (after the washing station it came out of), it actually comes from an area called Aricha, which was the location of one of our best ever Ethiopian coffees back in 2018. The region has a reputation for coffee excellence, supported by well established processing mills and experienced collectives of growers. On cupping, we immediately saw a coffee that represented that region exceptionally well, standing out a good distance from all the other lots.

Profile:

As espresso, Aramo is still very clean, refined and floral. The higher level of development brings out a more viscous and lemon drizzle like sweetness and has a more creamy mouthfeel / texture.

About the farmers / processing:

Aramo is a regional lot, which is the common scenario for Ethiopian speciality coffee. Aramo caters for up to 650 small farmers growing on lots of around 2 hectares per farm, which makes it near impossible to grow and process individually, so they must process and export as a collective.  Aramo is the name of the processing mill they use - run by Dircheye. At the Aramo mill they quality control and process coffee to a screen size of 14+ with a full washed process between October and January each year.

Ripe cherries are delivered to the wet mill for careful sorting and pulping, before fermentation for 36-48 hours, depending on the climactic conditions. After this point the parchment coffee is thoroughly washed and graded by bean density before being dried in the sun on raised African beds for 12 - 15 days (until the ideal moisture level has been reached).

In the daytime the parchment needs to be raked and turned periodically to ensure a consistent drying process. The coffee is also covered between 12pm and 3pm to protect it from the hot sun, and at night time to protect it from rain fall and moisture. Once the coffee has dried to the right level it is transported to Addis Ababa for dry-milling, grading, intensive sorting and handpick- ing, before being bagged in GrainPro for export.

About the Region:

Aricha is in the Yirgacheffe district in the ‘Southern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ (SNNP) region of Ethiopia. Over a number of years the region has developed a distinguished reputation for fine coffees, producing some of the most sought-after micro lots in the world. The combination of high altitude (up to 2,200m in some areas), fertile soil, consistent and plentiful rains, and an abundance of local knowledge are all contributing factors to the high status of Yirgacheffe coffees. The indigenous ‘heirloom’ varietals - which grow wild in Ethiopia - are responsible for the unique flavour notes which make for an unusual but beautifully refined cup, characterised by strong citric acidity, sweet chocolate and floral/herbal notes of lavender, jasmine, bergamot and thyme. 

Farms: Multiple small holders processing under the name of Aramo.
Varietal: Heirloom

Aramo Yirgacheffe

One of the most anticipated coffees of the year. This is beautiful Red Honey Process of the Pacamara varietal from El Salvador called 'Finca Las Mercedes'. It's super clean, rich and full of autumnal flavours that we think really capture this time of year.

Profile:

Finca Las Mercedes is a fantastic coffee. It's got that wonderful ability of being complex enough to satisfy the coffee aficionados of this world, but also accessible enough to be a real crowd pleaser.

It has a rich and punchy body with a prominent molasses & cola bottle flavour. This is supported by subtle notes of raisin and nutmeg, which act as an excellent balance to a sweet and very moreish coffee.

The farm:

Finca Las Mercedes is located on the shade rich lands in the North of El Salvador, on the north-eastern slope of the San Salvador Volcano. It's run by the Aguilar family who have been working their magic here for six generations. This dedication, joined by the detail focused processing of Tuxpal mill has contributed towards some exceptional coffee, with this lot being (in our eyes) the gem in this years offering.

The process:

It's a Red Honey process, so it's a variant of a natural on the higher end of the scale (more intense). 25% of it's mucilage is removed, and is then dried in the shade, which slows down the drying time, which in turn increases the amount of humidity the beans are exposed too. The result is rich and syrupy, but not as boozy as a full natural.

Farm: Finca Las Mercedes
Varietal: Pacamara

Finca Las Mercedes

Vox Pop is our 2nd house espresso blend AKA our secret weapon.  Vox Populi is a Latin phrase that literally means "voice of the people". 

We created it as we knew that so many people are so used to traditional 1st wave espresso (aka Italian) and needed something that gave them some of the key characteristics of what they were used to, such as a rich viscous profile that could cut through milk with ease, intense spicy notes and lost of sweetness. Vox Pop offer all that and more.

That said, that is where the similarities end.

While much traditional espresso is dark roasted and typically a mix of Arabica and Robusta commodity grade beans, Vox Pop is made from high grade speciality coffee components, scoring 84+ on the SCA (Speciality Coffee Association) scale.

Farms:  Flores (Sumatra) and Rancho Grande (Brazil)
Varietal: Ateng, Typica & Mundo Novo

Vox Pop V4

High quality decaffeinated coffee is now commonplace, and Colombia is the leading producer of it. This is partly down to the latest style of processing (Sugarcane), which Colombia has in abundance as a resource. Decafs used to be bland, watery, lack viscosity and taste like liquorice. Sugarcane process has changed this for the better.

Why this coffee?

This particular lot named 'La Plata' has become a stable for us over the last three seasons. We have struggled to find a better option, having cupped lots of other Sugarcane and Swiss Water process decaf lots. La Plata has retained its place on our offer list. It often goes unnoticed on the cupping table alongside caffeinated coffees, and receives endless compliments form our customers on its flavour profile.

Background Info:

Our supplier has been sourcing great decaf coffees for years now, with their best output coming from a group of Colombian farms named 'Origin Select'. This project groups together a series of farms that grow coffee that is ideally suited to decaf. They are typically very sweet, balanced, offer great body and a layer of complexity, without being overly complex.

About the region / farm's / producer:

Huila is located in the South West of Colombia, and is the largest coffee producing region in the country, accounting for around 18% of the countries output. The region lies next to the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes around the Magdalena Valley, which offers great variation in climate. Most of these farms are between 1,200 and 1,800 MASL, and benefit from nitrogen-rich volcanic soil.

Coffee farming within the La Plata region is overwhelmingly small-scale. Approximately 80% of producers from the region farm coffee on less than 3 hectares of land. This makes it hard for individual growers to generate whole lots themselves, which leads to collective OR regional lots being created, such as this one.

Profile:  

La Plata has a rich but very smooth profile. It gives off a brown sugar sweetness with a cashew nut texture. It is relatively low in acidity, but has a slight tinge of citrus like zest in the background. It sits well served black or white, and due to the benefits of the sugarcane EA decaf process, retains a rich body and crema.

The process of EA Deaf:

Our Colombian E.A. (ethyl acetate) decafs are cupped as regular green samples and specifically identified for decaffeination, which happens in-country in Colombia before the coffee goes to export. This allows us to maintain both the integrity of the quality of the coffees we choose to decaf, but also to extend our intentional and responsible sourcing to our decaf offerings as well as our “regular.”

This process works by soaking green coffee in a bath of water and a solvent called ethyl acetate, which is naturally derived from fermented sugar, among other natural sources. The solvent bonds to the salts of chlorogenic acid within the coffee, which allows for the extraction of caffeine. The coffee is removed from its bath and steamed at low pressure to ensure no traces of E.A. are left, and the finished product is almost entirely free of any but the most trivial (0.1–0.3%) caffeine content.

La Plata Decaf

The coffee:

Jesus Humberto Estevez is a small single estate washed coffee of the Caturra varietal. It's more complex than many other Honduran's, offering much sweetness and a muted acidity. Great as an all rounder espresso, which would deliver good results on all kinds of machines and full immersion methods (Cafetiere etc).

Why this coffee?

After the success of our other Honduran - Cosecha Azul, we have begun to explore more coffees from this region. Quality levels appear to be up from Honduras, and they offer a profile that is unlike any other, a mixture of the accessibility of Guatemalan's and the complexity of Costa Rican's.

Profile:

Jesus Humberto Estevez is a slightly more complex Honduran than previous coffees form this origin. It's sweeter and has more depth and has a higher level of acidity to it, complex - not over powering. We roast it just for espresso at present, but we may experiment with filter roasts and it offers potential to shine as both.

About the Region / Farm / Producers:

Jesus Humberto Estevez is the owner of 1.5 hectares of coffee near to the town of Corquin in Copan. Jesus grows mostly caturra with a small area of villa sarchi and has more recently started planting parainema. Jesus also has bee hives for honey, fruit trees and vegetables for his own consumption. Due to the altitude and variety that Jesus grows, he has been processing all of his coffee as washed lots, since the cup is very complex and usually high quality.

This year he has started experimenting with honeys and naturals, all processed by the team at Aruco. But for his caturra it was kept as a washed coffee to best express the floral characteristics.

Sourcing / Location:

We have only recently discovered examples of high grade Honduran coffee, and we're pretty glad we did. Until recently we didn't come across any lots that really stood out, until we were sent this lot from Cosecha Azul, which is a real find.

Honduras two main exports are coffee and bananas. It's seriously good on both counts. It's actually the 7th largest exporter of coffee in the world, producing around 5 million bags in the last year. This is expected to grow to beyond 8 million in the next 2 years.

Until recently, Honduras was known mainly for producing commercial grade coffee and not often linked with speciality grade coffee, compared to many other central and south American countries. This is now changing, with Honduras starting to really push their focus on quality coffee.

Around 95% of Honduran coffee farmers operate in small lot farms, with an average of 2 hectares per farm, meaning there is a large volume of microlot coffees and regional groups, forming speciality lots for export. Small, focused and varied.

Varietal: Caturra

Jesus Humberto Estevez

This is the first Mexican coffee we have ever sourced, and we think you're going to like it.

Mexico is not necessarily known as a hot spot for speciality grade coffee, often overshadowed by so many other high profile origins with more resources to utilise and reputations to ride on.  So - we thought it was about time we explored this unknown coffee origin to see what it could offer.

First and foremost - Terruno is not a coffee for those looking for anything wild, experimental or complex (back off speciality heads with your pressure profiling), instead it's for people who like rich, punchy coffee that is sweet, balanced and - dare I say it - quite traditional (We're not judgey). Still interested? Read on...

Terruno is a coffee that comes from a collective of small producers that cannot produce enough coffee individually to produce the required volume to sell / export and understand how to achieve high quality through processing, quality control etc. (Similar to that of our Colombian La Union coffee in 2019). Whilst this might not tick the box for those looking for farm specific traceability, it is a coffee that offers value in other areas that we feel is genuine and worth taking notice of.

Sometimes coffee can't be that unique microlot, run by a coffee fanatic that has organic certification, instead it is produced by a group or collective of some sort, that are trying to earn a living through growing good quality coffee and requires the support of exporters and coffee roasters such as ourselves. This coffee is one of those instances.

About the Farms / Producers / Organisations:

Grupo Terruño Nayarita (GTNAY) is an enterprise that delivers consistently high-quality, socially and environmentally responsible, internet traceable coffee from Mexico.

GTNAY stockholders are independent democratic coffee producing societies scattered throughout the state of Nayarit. These societies range in size from 15 to a hundred producers. And while each society develops its own infrastructure and elects its own leaders, they are equal participants in the GTNAY structure, agreeing to not compete with each other and to implement proven best practices.

A unique stockholder of the GTNAY organization is Cafés Sustentables de Mexico (CAFESUMEX, www.cafesumex.com). CAFESUMEX is the quality assurance member, assisting with dry mill, logistic, and export services.

CAFESUMEX was founded by James Kosalos in Tepic, Nayarit in 2003. CAFESUMEX employees help their fellow GTNAY member producers acquire and accumulate the background and quality assurance data needed to obtain certifications, promote sales, and directly export their coffee. CAFESUMEX is also the co-inventor and manufacturer of the FincaLab Quality Management System along with its fully equipped professional portable Coffee Evaluation Laboratory.

CAFESUMEX uses the FincaLab system to evaluate coffee lots, dispense immediate quality feedback to farmers, design blends to meet export contracts, and print bag labels with barcodes and serial numbers that provide full internet traceability for the coffee.

Location: Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Varietal: Bourbon, Typica & Caturra

Terruno Nayarita

Brazilian coffee is hugely varied in both quality and complexity, being the largest producer of the worlds coffee (circa 60 million bags p/y 2019/20). Production varies from huge volume lots of commodity grade coffee geared for the high street, through to high end experimental lots that can taste like they came form a completely different country. Grota Funda is one of those lots, demonstrating just how far speciality coffee in Brazil has come.

Why this coffee?

We have been on the hunt for a stand out single origin Brazil for some time now. The best lots tend to come from Minas Gerais, which don't appear till the end of the year in the UK. We cupped four higher end lots in one small session - cherry picked by one of our suppliers and despite some of the other cups being more than twice the price, Gotta Funda won hands down, punching way above it's price point.

Profile:

Grota Funda is a natural process coffee, but instead of offering a generic nutty / chocolate profile, it demonstrates a sweeter and more complex cup. This is a product of high altitude growing, fertile soils and the high attention to detail put into processing. Grota Funda demonstrates great balance and clarity.

About the Region / Farms / Producer:

Grota Funda sits in the outskirts of Carmo de Minas, a town in the Mantiqueira de Minas Region in the south of Minas Gerais. This is a region long associated with speciality coffee farms and more complex cup profiles, having had numerous cups of excellence winners in previous seasons - a product of the ongoing support and direction from Cocarive.

The farm is a 400-500 hectare farm owned by Glaucio Carneiro Pinto, vice president of Cocarive (The Regional Cooperative of Coffee Growers of Vale do Rio Verde Ltd), a foundation set up to drive coffee quality in that region. Glaucio bought GF in 1992, though his family have been growing coffee in the area since 1967.

Processing:

Beans are hand-picked when ripe – for yellow cherries this means the skins have freckles or resemble a banana – and then taken down the hill to the small concrete drying patio with tiled washing station for the experimental lots. They are spread thinly on the ground to dry and regularly turned until they are taken to the mill for hulling and bagging. Bags are then received by Cocarive, cleaned again and laser sorted for any colour defects. Density tables split in to screen sizes and the coffee is finally bagged just before export.

Grota Funda

We love how far Brazilian coffee has come in recent years. Most of its output is volume / mid-grade / naturally processed coffee with a very typical profile, but there is a rising number of speciality farmers that are stepping away from the norm and producing exceptional lots that definitely deliver much more than your average Brazil.

We're permanently on the lookout for great Brazilian lots that we think we will enjoy as single origin espressos and occasionally filters. We are more than happy to pay considerably more for them if we think they are good enough, offer more value and support those putting in the extra work, regardless of them being from Brazil and not origins that are more associated with higher end coffees.

Cristalina Goias is an amazing lot and definitely not your typical Brazil.

Yes, it's a natural process, but not one that is weird or overly intense / funky. The natural process simply gives it a well rounded and punchy profile that helps it deliver well as a solid and arguably more accessible espresso.

Profile:

It's a crowd pleaser, but it's also a coffee that offers something very different in terms of flavour notes and mouthfeel, so not a run of the mill type of lot.

Yes, it's got that classic Brazil feel of rich, chocolate and nuts, but it also has a whole bunch of other exciting points to mention. Its initial flavours are a mix of cream (like fresh double cream) and Cocoa powder. When you pull shots just right, the sweetness is similar to honey, which is also the effect you get when adding well textured milk. We added a descriptor of textured to this coffee as we wanted to try and describe the creamy / cocoa layers that it generates.

The farmer:

Airton Lemes is a farmer from the community of Cristalina, Goias, in the region of Cerrado Goiano. His 75 hectare family farm Fazenda Nacional is situated at 1,050 masl and cultivates the varieties of Catuaí Vermelho 144, Catuaí Amarelo 62 and Topázio. Like many in Brazil, Airton learned his trade through the influence of his family. He is motivated by the constant evolution of the specialty coffee sector and the challenge this presents for farmers to differentiate and succeed.

The region:

Goias is a state in West-Central Brazil, bordering the state of Minas Gerais. The Cerrado region is known for its flat, elevated plains which accommodate large farms and allow for highly productive harvesting. The region’s coffees are typically a ‘classic’ profile of rich chocolate, dried fruits and nuts and at higher altitudes such as this, there can be a development of more complex stone fruit flavours.

Location: Goias, Cerrado Goiâno, Brazil
Varietals: Catuaí Vermelho 144, Catuaí Amarelo 62 and Topázio

Cristalina Goias

AYEHU is (other than it’s interesting name) an amazing coffee that is definitely out there on it’s own. It’s also the first ever K1 varietal we have ever found / sourced, which is a rare scenario in world of heirloom Ethiopian coffee.

Profile:

AYEHU is very complex and quirky. It’s tropical, in that it shows off some pretty funky fruit notes like pineapple, papaya and mango. It’s also pretty unusual with a very sticky texture and mouthfeel. We found notes of Aperol (yes Aperol) in there and once it starts to cool it gives off lots of wine gum flavour.

For a natural it has a decent balance to it's profile. It's got a very present and acute, but pleasant acidity that adds t it's refreshing tropical feel.

The farm:

AYEHU is a single estate 500 hectare farm situated at 1750 MASL, which is rare for Ethiopia (collectives are more common to make up the numbers). The farm is located in Amhara (Western Gojjam area) - Ethiopia’s rugged North-West. This area is not a profile coffee growing area such as big names like Yirgacheffe or Sidamo, which makes it all the more intriguing.

The process:

It's a natural process coffee, which in this case involved drying slowly in the sun on raised African beds for 18 days, turned periodically to ensure even drying and prevent over-fermentation or mould formation. The result is a rich and intense profile, but not one that is overpowering or boozy.

The Varietal:

Until recently Ethiopian coffee is offered in what is described as 'Native Heirlooms', which is a reference for a potentially 10,000+ native varietals that Ethiopia has growing across it's coffee communities. K1 is actually a varietal normally found in Tanzania or Kenya. It was originally released in Kenya in 1936 after being picked out from the famous French Mission selective program at Scott Labs. The pro's are a varietal that is robust and shows good resistance to leaf rust, which are key considerations in coffee growing these days.

AYEHU

Colombia has become something of a mainstay for us when it comes to sourcing coffees. It's a super dynamic and interesting origin for coffee that never ceases to amaze us.

The coffee:

Finca El Prado is a new lot we have just picked up from a brand new supplier that offers us a direct route to farm level coffees in the municipality of Huila - an area with a rich history of growing excellent quality coffee.

We are extremely exited about this coffee, as it shows off how great processed small lot coffees from Colombia can really be. Sweet, dynamic and very very tasty.

Profile (Espresso roast):

As an espresso it's clean and sparkling with notes of red grape and papaya. The more developed roast brings out a subtle caramelised sugar taste. Expect refreshing acidity and a very sweet balanced cup.

Background:

El Prado is a small 4 hectare farm growing just Caturra Varietal, run by a family with a long history of coffee growing, but one that has only recently started focusing on speciality grade coffee. This is a common theme, where a small farm grows coffee to a lower standard as they lack support, funds or guidance on how to produce to a higher spec, but with the right partnership, they discover that they can grow and process much better coffee, which gives them better return and opportunity.

The farmer / processing:

Sandro Chavez comes from a family where coffee farming is ingrained in their blood. His Parents Audelo and Luisa taught their son from a young age everything he knows about coffee harvesting and processing. He is one of six sons all of whom work on the coffee farm.

Sandro's farm has received lots of support from his export partner (our supplier), which has given him the motivation to focus on the production of ‘Specialty Coffee’, ensuring tight controls on every stage from the planting of the coffee trees, to harvesting and processing the coffee cherries.

Thanks to his hard work and dedication, in 2019 Sandro built his own drying tunnel, which enabled him to sun dry all of his own coffee, which has resulted in him being able to sell his first micro-lot coffee production. His ambition going forward is to continue to learn and implement different processes to improve his cupping profile and scoring.

Location:

The farm is located in Small village called Tambillo, in Nariño Colombia.  Narino is in the far South West of the country, not far from the border of Ecuador. Narino is famed for being one fo the best regions in Colombia for coffee growing, due to it's fertile soils and climate.

The main village closest to the farm is Sandona, which is a well known tourist area in the Nariño region. The Galeras Volcano is located close to the farm, this is known to have a positive impact on the level of mineral in the soil in the area providing fertile ground for growing coffee. The Caturra plants need shade for growing, to enable this the farm has lots of trees including banana trees, avocado trees, orange trees to name a few.

While each of Colombia's various coffee-growing regions has a distinct character in the cup, Nariño's unique climate conditions contribute to the special, sparkling quality of the coffees there. The dramatic slopes and valleys that comprise the landscape in this department have direct effect on the temperature modulation that creates these high-acidity, super sweet coffees.

Finca El Prado

Clockwork is our signature espresso blend. Created to offer a speciality grade blend to those needing a great all-rounder, it’s a versatile and easy to use coffee that can be served black or white.

Clockwork is made up of two seasonal lots, sourced specifically for this blend. 

From Brazil, Rancho Grande is a pulped naturally processed coffee of the Mundo Novo varietal that gives Clockwork its body and creamy mouth-feel.

This is paired with a Peruvian single farm micro-lot called Jaime Vasquez Rojas, a washed coffee of two different varietals - Caturra & Bourbon. This coffee brings honey sweetness to the blend, as well as giving it a layer of complexity to counter the body.

Farms: Rancho Grande (Brazil) & Jaime Vaquez Rojas (Peru)
Varietal: Mundo Novo, Caturra & Bourbon

Clockwork V5

The new African coffee season is now in full swing, and we are suitably excited as we are somewhat die hard Kenyan fans (nerd out).

Our last find 'Kangiri' was a classic Kenyan profile. Big and bold with blackcurrant and liquorice flavours, which is considered a typical Kenyan of sorts.

Kamunyaka is a completely different style. It's a HUGE coffee and one that we think you are going to love as much as we do.

It's insanely complex, very very sweet and smooth, but has multiple layers of subtle flavours with great acidity. It prominent flavour is blackberry with a nice pineapple tang, supported by a super smooth merlot finish.

The farmers / Coop:

Iriaini farmer’s co-operative society was registered on 29th December 1996, under the co-operative society’s act. No. CS.7934. It is located in Iria-ini, Mathira East Sub-county in Nyeri County. It is surrounded by scenic highlands west of Mt. Kenya forest and is situated in an area famed for producing some of the world’s finest coffees.

Currently the society has 1700 active members. It comprises of three wet mills: Kamunyaka, Kiamwangi and Miiri, with the head office located at Kamunyaka factory. The management committee comprises of five members while the society has employed 20 permanent employees and many seasonal workers. Iriaini FCS management committee are involved in making major decisions for the society as a whole.

Their processing:

Timely and selective hand picking is carried out and the cherry's are delivered to the wet mill the same day they are picked. The red, ripe cherry's are then separated from under ripes, over ripes and foreign matter.Processing utilises clean river water (wet processing) that is recirculated before disposal into seepage pits. Sun drying is carried out on raised African beds for 12 to 20 days where the parchment coffee is covered in the midday sun and turned carefully to ensure even drying. The dried parchment is then delivered to the dry mill for hulling, grading and sorting before being bagged in GrainPro for export from Mombasa port.

About the Region:

Iria-ini farmer’s co-operative society comprises of three wet mills: Kamunyaka, Kiamwangi and Miiri, with the head office located in the Kamunyaka factory, which is located in Mathira East Sub-county in Nyeri County. It is surrounded by scenic highlands; west of Mt.Kenya forest and is situated in an area famed for producing some of the world’s finest coffees. 

Location: Itia-ini, Mathira, Nyeri, Kenya
Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28 & SL34

Kamunyaka AB

Capucas *Bird Friendly

Rwenzori-Pura Cepa-Natural

Huatusco - Washed - Espresso

Finca Villaure

Vunga-Washed-Filter

Meng Meng

Edilberto Torres Sanchez

Adriana Franco

Worka Wuri

Doondu SL28

Clockwork v6.1

Ajicito is another coffee from the wonderful ASMUCAFE Cooperative, whom we have now worked with for three years running. It's an amazing quality regional lot of the Castillo and Colombia varietals from a women's collective in El Tambo, Cacau in Colombia.

A hugely important coffee for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has proved to be a fantastic example of the diversity and complexity of one of the most interesting origins out there. Secondly, it represents how good coffee can be from regional lots as opposed to single estate coffees. And thirdly, it's a product from a women's coop, supporting a community of people who really benefit from a positive supply chain.
It represents the more intense, full bodied coffees coming out of the south west of the country. They are known for being vibrant, citric and tangy profiles.

As an espresso roast, expect a full bodied cup with a toffee like body supported by a red fruits (apple and peach), sugarcane sweetness and muted citric acidity.

Ajicito

Farm: Vunga
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Washed
Elevation: 1650-2000 MASL
Weight: 250g / 1KG
Roast: Espresso

Vunga Washed Espresso (Red Bourbon)

Ajicito is another coffee from the wonderful ASMUCAFE Cooperative, whom we have now worked with for three years running. It's an amazing quality regional lot of the Castillo and Colombia varietals from a women's collective in El Tambo, Cacau in Colombia.

A hugely important coffee for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has proved to be a fantastic example of the diversity and complexity of one of the most interesting origins out there. Secondly, it represents how good coffee can be from regional lots as opposed to single estate coffees. And thirdly, it's a product from a women's coop, supporting a community of people who really benefit from a positive supply chain.
It represents the more intense, full bodied coffees coming out of the south west of the country. They are known for being vibrant, citric and tangy profiles.

We will be releasing this as an espresso shortly too, but as a filter it's full bodied with rich caramel flavours, supported by a mix of deep blood orange and cloudy apple juice flavours.

Ajicito Washed Filter

Lillian Cajjiro is a small Brazilian lot we have sourced as a short run espresso and filter. It's a mix of the Catuai and Mundo Novo varietals and goes completely against the trend of traditional Brazil coffee.
Brazil has a vast array of coffee producers these days, many of whom are trying different growing and processing methods that demonstrate the diversity of what this origin is capable of.

Two years ago we sourced a small lot called La Esperanza, which offered a very tropical profile of pineapple and sugarcane, which performed much better as a filter than it did an espresso, with it's more complex profile and high acidity. Since then we have always been on the lookout for similar lots that offer a very refreshing and tropical profile.

Lillian Cajjiro is the first of two small lots we have sourced this season that further demonstrate this style of Brazilian coffee. The next one will arrive in July 2021.

Profile wise, you can expect a very sweet and bright cup. Lillian Cajjiro offers an initial burst of cantaloup like melon, paired with a stewed fruit sweetness of pineapple and fresh honey. It has a clear citric acidity that is refreshing, but not overly intense. It is a very balanced cup that is not overpowering for a natural, but definitely offers some funk that would would expect from a typical natural process.

Lillian Cajjiro Natural

Iriguini is the first of our new season (2021) crop Kenyan's, and it's one that we are very pleased to get our hands on.
It comes from the same group of farms as some of our previous Kenyan's such as last years Kangiri AA, which was considered to be a bit of a classic Kenyan by many - clean, rich profiles with great clarity and up front acidity.

Iriguini is a fantastic tasting example of high quality washed Kenyan coffee. In the cup expect a rich cherry fruit flavour, joined by a fig like body alongside a syrupy muscovado like sweetness. It's an intense coffee, with an upfront acidity.

Iriguini AB Washed Filter

Las Margaritas Geisha

Bildimoo Gotiti Ranger is the first of our new season Ethiopian coffees from our suppliers Nordic Approach, a coffee hunter that is renowned for sourcing some of the best coffees in the world. It's a fantastic example of a washed Ethiopian, that demonstrates how good coffees from this origin can be when grown, processed and selected by people working at the top of their game.

Profile:

Bildimoo Gotiti Ranger is a very refined coffee with amazing clarity and sweetness. It offers a super sweet note of peach juice, supported by a ripe pear flavour and a syrupy body. It has a clean but muted acidity that is ever present, but not overpowering.

The farmers:

Bildimoo Gotiti Ranger is simply the collective name given to this particular lot, grown by a number of smallholder farmers and processed by the washing station named 'Ranger'. Bildimoo refers to the actual flavour profile, while Gotiti is the name of the local town.

The washing station:

Banko Gotiti is located at 1980 masl, closer to Gedeb Town in Gedeo. Banko is well known for its heavy and intense floral and stone fruit driven character bordering Guji towards the south. This specific station buys cherries from approximately 783 farmers all located in the area. Their farms are on average 2 hectares in size and sit between 1950 and 2100 masl. The station is owned by a supplier called Ranger.

The Varietals:

Until recently Ethiopian coffee is offered in what is described as 'Native Heirlooms', which is a reference for a potentially 10,000+ native varietals that Ethiopia has growing across it's coffee communities. With the ongoing development of Speciality Coffee, there is a drive to identify, process and source single varietal coffees to drive flavour profiles and coffee prices for farmers (this is a good thing, considering the avg pricing on premium coffee is not nearly high enough).

DEGA:
Dega is a regional landrace named after an indigenous tree. The wood of the Dega tree omits a sweet, fragrant aroma, when burned for firewood, that is peculiarly similar to the smell emitted during coffee roasting. The Amharic word “dega” means “cool highland area”, that also describes the agro-ecological conditions where Dega coffee grows.

WOLISHO:
The Wolisho varietal is a typical ancient variety that is found in the highlands of Ethiopia. Wolisho is a regional landrace named after a tree indigenous to Gedeo and the surrounding area. This tree bears large fruit with inconsistent yearly yields. Wolisho plant is distinguished by its large fruits, tall canopy, stiff stem, and long leaves. Due to the tree height, the fruits take longer time to mature, and the slow maturation accounts for high quality of the beans.

Ethiopia - Bildimoo Gotiti Ranger

Huatusco (pronounced Wa tu scoo) is our latest single origin Mexican espresso. After the popularity of Terruno (our previous Mexican), we decided to delve a little more into what this super interesting origin had to offer.
Huatusco is a washed processed coffee of the Columbia, Sarchimor and (the new to us) Oro Azteca varietal.

As a guide, expect a rich and somewhat traditional style espresso. It offers a very solid dark chocolate body, similar in taste to a very good quality dark cacao chocolate bar (Think Green & Black's). It contains a nougat style sweetness, a layer of rich brazil nuts and low / muted acidity.

Together it makes for a great crowd pleasing coffee that performs exceptionally well served either black or with milk. Intense, not too complex, but with good definition.

The farmers:

Coffee is produced in the central mountainous region of the state of Veracruz (Huatusco and surrounding municipalities). The majority are small farmers of 1 hectare and medium farmers of 18 hectares (on average). This is a common scenario in Mexico, where most farms are too small to generate sufficient output to create an entire lot themselves. This issue is resolved by either collectives, coops or washing stations, acting on behalf of numerous small holders that are growing coffee with very similar taste profiles.

Socio-economic benefits:

It's sometimes a nice story to hear about a single farms efforts to create a beautiful crop of coffee, in a single varietal, with a focus on quality processing and dedication for excellence.  However, it is much more common to buy what is referred to as a regional blend (such as this one), where lots of smallholders benefit from a collective effort, sometime supported by a coffee exporter, charity or NGO.  It is this scenario there is a much higher level of positive socio-economic benefit being created, and those who often struggle to generate a decent / fair income through coffee farming can be the true beneficiaries. An example of a coffee supply chain in positive effect.

Growing conditions:

Huatusco is the perfect region to grow coffee thanks to its abundant rainfall. Farms are advanced and very well organised. Processing coffee in Huatusco is slightly more complicated than in other Mexican regions during coffee harvest season due to the rainy days and very cold nights (which delay the fermentation process). Due to this complexity, farmers tend to sell their coffee cherries to local washing stations to avoid losses and improve the coffees chances of being well processed and command a good / fair price.

Processing:

The cherries are delivered to the wet mill during the afternoon and evening. The coffee is then de-pulped and fermented for an average of 15 - 20 hours and then washed, before being centrifugated, pre-dried and passed through a drying machine in a continuous flow for 30 - 36 hours, ensuring avoidance of defects due to excess of moisture.

Varietals:

The three varietals in this coffee are Columbia, Sarchimor and Oro Azteca. The first two are fairly well known, with the latter being considerably lesser known. Oro Azteca is a cross between Timor Hybrid 832/1 x Caturra, which helps generate high yields, but also offers a high resistance to leaf rust - an ongoing challenge to Mexican coffee farmers, damaging crops and impacting income generation.

The Region:

Hauatusco is a small town in the north of Veracruz, which is a long thin region in the south east of the country. This area was the first ever Mexican state to have coffee trees planted back in the 18th century.  It's considered the most advanced state for growing coffee, with knowledge levels being high and altitudes being great for growth between 1100-1600 masl.

Location:

Huatusco de Chicuellar (commonly known as Huatusco), is a city in the state of Veracruz in the South East of Mexico.

Mexico - Huatusco

Hunkute Cooperative is the second of our new season Ethiopian coffees from our suppliers Nordic Approach, a coffee hunter that is renowned for sourcing some of the best coffees in the world. It's another prime example of a washed Ethiopian, that demonstrates how good coffees from this origin can be when grown, processed and selected by people working at the top of their game.
Hunkute Cooperative is a very refined & complex coffee. It has a very delicate tea like consistency with notes of Earl Grey & Lemon. It also has layers of tropical flavours like Pineapple and Papaya coming through in the cup. This is supported by clean citric acidity that is both bright and refreshing.

The Farmers:

Hunkute is from Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU). The cooperative supports more than 50 washing stations with technical support and finance provided to 1912 smallholders in the area. Hunkute is one of those washing stations.

The wet mill receives daily deliveries of cherries from these smallholder farmers. Farms here are less than 1ha in size. Most coffees are organic by default. Organic compost is common, pruning less common. A typical farmer will have fewer than 1500 trees per hectare, and one tree produces cherries equal to 100 - 200 grams of green coffee.

The Washing Station:

Hunkute is located in the Wonsho woreda, close to Yirgalem town in Sidama. There are two washing stations under the same management. The first was established in 1997, and the second site was built in 2010. Coffees from both sites are marketed as Hunkute and sold through the SCFCU who are also responsible for the dry milling, grading, bagging and export. They have a newly built warehouse and dry mill in the outskirts of Addis to better control their supply chain and qualities.

The Varietals:

This coffee is a mix of local varieties included a local cultivar called Sedancho. These varieties are mixed with native coffee of forest origin transferred to family smallholder plots. These varieties are referred to collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom, which is a myriad of local native Typica hybrids and new improved varieties based on the old strains.

Ethiopia - Hunkute Cooperative

Fazendinha is a natural process Brazil from our suppliers Nordic Approach. It's a stunning example of Brazilian coffees that gone a step beyond the standard profile from this amazing origin. We have sourced coffees like this before, such as the current Lillian Cajjiro and the amazing La Esperanza - both of which demonstrated how complex and refined Brazil coffee profiles can be when farmed, processed and imported with a little care and love.
Fazendinha is a coffee with layer upon layer of flavour, making it a much more complex affair than most Brazils. It offers a mix of flavour notes including grapefruit, sweet hazelnuts and light florals. It's not an overly heavy coffee, with a medium palm sugar body alongside bright citric acidity.

Processing

Emilio’s coffees are Natural, meaning the cherries are dried whole. In 2019 he started doing some cherry fermentation, allowing the cherry some hours after being picked to ferment before being dried. Normally this process gives you the perception of a sweeter coffee, this is because through fermentation microbes create compounds called esters that are absorbed by the seed. These esters survive the roasting process and are precursors to aromas that are created in the caramelisation process of roasting, this makes the coffee seem sweeter.

Drying

The first lot Nordic Approach ever bought from Emilio was dried directly on the ground, the next year he had laid a concrete patio with a cover that can be moved by wheels. This year, again, he has made improvements by building raised drying beds. This demonstrates his desire to improve and refine his coffee quality.

The Farm & Location:

Fazendinha was founded in 2012. It is a 16 hectare farm with around 7 hectares used for growing coffee. It is located in Conceição das Pedras, which is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil, a state famous for growing exceptional quality coffee.

The Farmer:

Emilio and his wife Rosana bought 50 hectares of land in Conceição das Pedras, Sul de Minas, in 2013. They didn’t have a lot of resources, but the farmer who owned the land offered them good terms - they could put their house and cars as a security deposit, and pay off the farm over three years.

The farm was already planted with Sarchimor, and their first harvest was good. They earned enough to make their first payment on the land, and the future looked bright. Alas the following harvest was disastrous, both volumes and quality were way down, and they didn’t earn enough to make the repayment on their loan. They lost their house and cars, and returned all but 16 hectares to the original owner.

Starting from zero, the couple took a bold decision. They tore out the Sarchimor trees and planted Yellow Bourbon. They hoped this variety would take well to their soil, and deliver the quality they needed to earn a decent price for their coffee. Emilio’s father runs a coffee nursery and he remembered selling some seedlings thirty years ago to another farmer, so he contacted his customer from so many years ago, and sourced some seedlings.

The following years were tough for Emilio and Rosana. Together with their three kids, they were renting a home, and working to bring in some income while they waited for their Yellow Bourbon trees to grow. They even picked coffee for other farmers in these years.

Their first major harvest was in 2017, and a neighbour convinced a reluctant Emilio to take a sample to Cafebras, an exporter with a specialty program. Emilio was busy, and he didn’t believe this first crop would yield much by way of quality, but he found the time and made it to the Cafebras office to drop off a sample.

Every year Cafebras run a quality competition. All lots that are scored 84 and above by their quality control team are entered into a special cupping, and five eminent cuppers from Brazil are invited to judge the competition. In 2017, Emilio’s was the top lot, with a score of 90.25!

Brazil - Fazendinha

Finca Los Alpes is a stunning example of Colombian coffee which goes as step beyond the norm, in terms of processing and resulting profile.   It's a coffee that has gone through carbonic maceration, a processing method taken from the wine industry and applied to a coffee process that intensifies the certain characteristics of the coffee through strictly controlled processing methods. *See more info below.
Expect a tropical tasting coffee that gives off rich notes of exotic fruits (Mango, Papaya and Star Fruit), intense body (thick crystallised Ginger) and rich phosphoric acidity (think Coca Cola). Los Alpes is a fine example of Colombian coffee farmed and processed extremely well with an intensity like few others.

Farm: Finca Los Alpes, Los Farallones, Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Varietal: Caturra
Process: Carbonic Maceration
Elevation: 1740 MASL
Weight: 250g / 1KG
Roast: Filter

Colombia-Finca Los Alpes

Ruarai from the Ruthaka Farmers Cooperative Society is the first of our new season Kenyan coffees from our amazing suppliers Nordic Approach, a coffee hunter that is renowned for sourcing some of the best coffees in the world. It's a prime example of how good a washed Kenyan can be, amongst the vast range of lots that are on offer.
2021 was a year that (In our humble opinion), Kenyan coffee was maybe not at it's best. There are years when selection is hard, simply due to how many amazing lots there are on offer. This year it was more a case of lots of underwhelming coffees, with just a few that really stood out as exceptional. This is one of those lots.

Nordic Approach have the experience and reach to find exceptional lots that seem to go beyond what many others can source. This often means that they (and we) pay beyond the market rate for these coffees, but the resulting coffees are not just good, but amazing quality.

Ruarai offers great balance, whilst being both intense, smooth and super clean. It holds lots of layers of flavour, with notes like strawberries, plum and red currants, alongside a brown sugar sweetness. It has a medium body with a present but not overpowering citric acidity.

Kenya-Ruarai-Ruthaka Farmers Cooperative Society-Washed-Filter

Clockwork is our signature espresso blend. Created to offer a speciality grade blend to those needing a great all-rounder, it’s a versatile and easy to use coffee that can be served black or white in a range of brewing styles. It offers great body and sweetness, but also has a good level of acidity that is not overpowering. It's sits well as either a classic flat white, an old school moka pot or a Sunday cafetiere.
Clockwork is made up of two seasonal lots, sourced specifically for this blend.

From Brazil, Red Ruby is a naturally processed coffee of Catuai, Mundo Novo and Acaiá varietals that gives Clockwork its body and creamy mouth-feel.

This is paired with a Colombian regional lot called La Union, a washed coffee of the Castillo, Caturra and Colombia varietal. This coffee brings tangy sweetness to the blend, as well as giving it a layer of complexity to counter the body.

Clocwork V6.2 - Espresso Blend

La Union is a coffee we have sourced twice before, due to it's amazing tangy Colombian profile, but also it's fantastic background story of being a regional lot - grown collectively by a group of small farmers with a shared goal of ethics and sustainability.

It's a very important coffee for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has proved to be a fantastic example of the diversity and complexity of one of the most interesting origins out there. Secondly, it represents how good coffee can be from regional lots as opposed to single estate coffees, which are often prized based on their increased traceability, and not always on their flavour quality. La Union challenges that theory.
La Union follows on from the previous regional lot we sourced earlier in 2021 called Ajicito, which was one of a number of lots we have been selecting from Cauca based on their unique flavour profile, regional lot status and dedication to sustainable farming. There are further Colombian regionals to follow in 2021.

Machina Coffee

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Machina Coffee

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Coffee Roasts

Brazil - Fazendinha

Capucas *Bird Friendly

Clocwork V6.2 - Espresso Blend

Colombia - La Union - Washed - Espresso

Colombia-Finca Los Alpes

Ethiopia - Bildimoo Gotiti Ranger

Ethiopia - Hunkute Cooperative

Iriguini AB Washed Filter

Kenya-Ruarai-Ruthaka Farmers Cooperative Society-Washed-Filter

La Plata Decaf

Las Margaritas Geisha

Mexico - Huatusco

Vox Pop V4

Vunga Washed Espresso (Red Bourbon)

Vunga-Washed-Filter

Coffee archive

AYEHU

Adriana Franco

Ajicito

Ajicito Washed Filter

Aramo Yirgacheffe

Clockwork V5

Clockwork v6.1

Cosecha Azul

Cristalina Goias

Doondu SL28

Edilberto Torres Sanchez

Finca El Prado

Finca Las Mercedes

Finca Villaure

Grota Funda

Huatusco - Washed - Espresso

Jesus Humberto Estevez

Kamunyaka AB

Kangiri

Lillian Cajjiro Natural

Meng Meng

Miravalle

Rwenzori-Pura Cepa-Natural

Terruno Nayarita

Worka Wuri

New Coffee Review