We’re really very excited about this coffee which stood out when we cupped a selection of Colombians.

This is a microlot from Robert Pillimue.  Robert is a member of Mártir Coffee, an association based in La Plata, Huila. All of the 20 producers are in La Plata except for Robert, whose farm is right across the border in the department of Cauca.

Since the day he joined the group, most of his coffee has been tagged for microlot separation. This means that very little of his coffee actually goes into  community blends because the quality is generally very high.

Since we first roasted this coffee it’s been on our batch brewer at Canvas Coffee.  As a filter coffee we’ve been getting strong floral notes of Ribena whereas on Espresso we’ve tasted more traditional Colombian notes of Caramel, Toffee and Chocolate with a nutty after taste.

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Suitable for / Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress and Espresso
Notes  /   Caramel, Toffee and Chocolate, full bodied, very clean, florals on cool
Producer  /  Edin Robert Pillimue Ivito
Farm  /  La Reforma
Region /  Alto de Carmen, Páez, Cauca
Variety  /  Castillo

Robert Pillimue

Specialty Coffee Roaster based in Portsmouth, UK

Sunday Coffee Roasters

Nelson Fabio Cordoba lives with his parents and maintains their coffee farm which sits at 1,820 meters above sea level where he cultivates Tabi and other varieties.

This is the first of two small single varietal microlots which jumped out to us whilst cupping.  

The Tabi varietal, released in 2002  as part of Colombia’s efforts to combat leaf rust is a hybrid of bourbon, typica and timor. 

The name Tabi means “good” in the Guambiano (a native Colombian tribe) dialect

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Suitable for / Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress and Espresso.

Nelson Fabio Cordoba - Tabi

Built in 2017, Shyira Washing Station is a station situated at 2000 MASL, collecting cherry from neighbouring producers that live between 2000 - 2400 MASL. This is the highest grown coffee we know of in Rwanda, and it’s from a region where very few washing stations are located, making it somewhat unique. It also happens to be located in one of the most stunning areas in Rwanda. It has a river running through the base of the station making water access no issue. 

All cherry is hand-sorted before a pre-pulp float, underripe or damaged cherry is removed, along with any foreign objects. Next, cherry is floated in pre-pulping tanks removing any floaters and then pulped. Coffee is later fermented in dedicated concrete fermentation tanks for an average of 12 hours. During this time the ferment parchment is agitated several times throughout the day by way of ceremonial foot-stomping.  This is to encourage lower density parchment to float and to clean any residual mucilage off the parchment. Once the parchment is separated into grades, it is given a final post-wash rinse. At this point, coffee is then taken to a pre-drying area where the parchment is hand-sorted removing any insect-damaged, discoloured or chipped coffee. Parchment is then laid out to dry where it is turned on a regular basis throughout the day.

Suitable for - Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress.

Shyira

Alta Mogiana is a traditional coffee region covering the northeast of the State of Sao Paulo and also some of the cities in the State of Minas Gerais.  Known worldwide for producing Arabica coffees of exceptional quality, with a distinct profile, featuring balanced body and acidity, natural sweetness the region is located on a plateau with an altitude between 800 - 1200m.

This is a Pulped Natural process, Single Estate, Yellow Bourbon Varietal.

We bought this coffee on the basis we think it is a quality coffee that is accessible on price.

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Suitable for - Espresso, Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress.

Alta Mogiana

We began offering this coffee in January 2019 and this has quickly become our most popular coffee to date.   It is really quite a special and solid Colombia which is everyday drinkable and works very well in any type of coffee maker from espresso to filter and whether drunk back or with milk.

If you are new to our coffees this one is a good place to start.

As a result of it’s popularity we’ve decide it’s a keeper and have begun working closely with our importers Raw Material to purchase 6 months in advance which gives the farmers more security also but also ensures we will be able to offer this coffee throughout the year.  This also ensures the bag you get will be the latest crop too as the containers of crop arrives into the UK.

Villamaría, situated not far from El Fénix our community wet mill and farm, our importers drying station in Chinchiná, Caldas. The station currently represents the harvests of 30 coffee producing families in the surrounding area of Jamaica, sitting at altitudes higher than the drying station itself in the area of Villarazo. As Villamaría sits at a lower altitude, it is better suited to the processing coffees due to the hotter temperatures found here.

Once pulped, they are moved to raised African beds, with consistent airflow. As soon as the parchment is a relative humidity of between 15 - 20%, we begin using the mechanical dehydrator to complete the process, with consistent control of the temperature and humidity.

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Suitable for / Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress and Espresso.

Villamaría

It’s been quite some time since we’ve had a Brazil this special.  We were connected with this importer (Cargo) through our friends at Pharmacie Coffee.  Their goal is to locate to high potential, underrepresented coffee producers.

Of the coffees we cupped this one really stood out to us.  There’s a ripeness to this coffee and berry notes along with flavours you’d traditionally expect from Brazil.

The story of Donizete & João Otávio with coffee began in 2014 when they had the opportunity to buy this small farm at 1175m. 

In the beginning, there was only a small area of coffee, with approximately 2,000 coffee plants, all abandoned. They began to invest but took care of the spring areas, enclosing these areas in native trees and allowing nature to take hold.

All of the original stock was removed as they were no longer productive. They built a new house and new drying patios together with a new plantation with 2,500 seedlings of Yellow Bourbon and Red Catuaí. In February 2015 they were beginners in coffee farming, and at first, it was a big challenge.  From then on they educated themselves about coffee and in 2017 planted 1,500 seedlings of Yellow Catuaí and in 2019, 1,300 more seedlings of Red Catuaí. This lot is from the original 2015 plants. 

It was at this point that João Otávio left his profession to concentrate on making his and his father’s dream a reality. The story of Donizete & João Otávio shows us what it takes when you have a passion to work with coffee. The commodity coffee price has been so low for so long, long before they even bought the farm. But their hard work has paid off. This year their coffee scored an incredible SAC 86.5 seeing them receive a premium 100% above the commodity market price. 

Sitio Nossa Senhora Das Gracas

This is another really solid Colombian which stood out when we cupped a selection of Colombians with our partners Raw Material in the Autumn.

The El Fénix Community Wet Mill and Farm was acquired by our Raw Material in 2016, the farm is located in the eastern municipality of Quindío, Colombia in Calarcá. It faces west toward the Cauca Valley and the central mountain range. The farm has ideal climate conditions with a strong sun reflection off the valley and an average rainfall 2.275 mm a year, in addition to natural spring falls which provide water for the farm’s needs.

As well as being a rare variety producing farm, El Fénix is also home to a developing a community wet mill for producers in the area. The project was crowdfunded to help fund the construction of the mill, which when complete will provide the region’s farmers with greater control over their coffee quality, and control over their income through a fixed price payment system. Investment in this kind of accessible infrastructure is one of the necessary steps to make good on the promise of development through trade.

This is the first of more coffees we plan to source from El Fenix over the coming year where new varieties have been planted which will be available in 2021.

El Fénix

We are super excited about this new Sugarcane Decaf Processed Colombian coffee which is also paired with the El Carmen Washed coffee we also have available.

Sugar cane decaffeination is often termed as a natural process decaf. Ethyl Acetate is an organically existing compound (C4H8O2) and by-product found most commonly in the fermentation of fruits, and is present in both ripe bananas and beer for example. The plant we work with in Colombia uses water from the Navado el Ruis (a volcano between Caldas and Tolima) and natural ethyl acetate from fermented sugarcane sourced in the southern region of Palmira, Colombia.

This process begins with steaming of the coffee, increasing its porosity, beginning the hydrolysis of caffeine, which is usually bonded to salts and chlorogenic acid in the bean. The beans are then submerged in an ethyl acetate solvent, until 97% of the caffeine is removed. A final steam is then used to lift residual traces of the com- pound. The ultimate residue which remains is ≥ 30 ppm, which is a level dramatically less than that of a banana!

El Carmen provides stable and sustainable prices for a producer through a connection to the specialty market, improved quality control, and shared knowledge across the value chain.

Suitable for / Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress and Espresso.

El Carmen - Sugarcane Decaf

This is the latest crop of the Serra Negra we put on earlier this year.

We bought this coffee on the basis we think it is a quality coffee that is accessible on price.

Serra Negra, or “black mountain” is a Brazilian profile that captures the most classic profile from Minas Gerais.  This is a reliable Brazilian coffee that is well-balanced  and appeals to a wide range of palates.

Serra Negra, Brazil v2

Following the success of the last coffee we had from El Salvador - Finca La Montanita - we have been fortunate to be able to secure a small bag of this coffee from the most recent harvest.

Like the Finca La Montanita this is a honey processed Pacamara variety coffee

These super-small lots are bagged in smaller increments (35 kilograms) and affectionately called "pequeños," These are exquisite coffees grown by committed, passionate farmers, many of whom are seeing specialty prices for their lots for the first time in the area's history.

Jorge Alberto Recinos owns a 3-manzana farm called Buena Fe, where he grows Pacas and Pacamara variety coffee. The coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same day, then fermented dry for 24 hours before being dried for 15–20 days on patios and/or raised beds.

(We have put some more information on this coffee below)

Suitable for - Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress.

Jorge Recinos - Finca Buena Fe - Pacamara

This is a new Kenyan Microlot.  In the autumn we blind cupped fairly substantial selection of new Kenyan crop and this coffee stood out.  It is the most premium coffee we’ve purchased, despite this we’ve chosen to price it more in line with other higher end coffees we’ve offered to allow people the opportunity to try something they normally might not get the chance to taste.

This is a small lot of coffee so once it’s gone it’s gone.

The Kainamui factory serves about 1,800 smallholder coffee farmers who are members of the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, about 600 of whom are women. The smallholders own an average of 200 trees on less than half a hectare of land. Farmers in the area grow gravellea, macadamia nuts, eucalyptus, tea, corn, and bananas in addition to coffee.  The F.C.S. also provides prefinancing for farmers to allow them to pay school fees, production costs, and in case of emergencies.

Suitable for - Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress.

Kainamui, Kianyaga AA

This is the first ever coffee we’ve roasted from Burundi and we’re quite excited to be offering it.

This coffee comes from the Rugori Central Washing Station where there are 4,040 smallholders living around Busiga, Burundi who deliver their coffee cherries to be processed.  In addition to operating 13 washing stations in Burundi and processing excellent coffee, the importer we work with and their partners are working with communities to increase farmer livelihoods and general equality in coffee-producing areas.  

Coffee in Burundi  
Coffee arrived in Burundi during the 1940s with the Belgian colonial government. The Belgian government, which oversaw and administered to the twin territory of Ruanda-Urundi between 1922 and 1962, made coffee growing mandatory during their rule. When the Belgian government withdrew, many stopped tending their trees because it was no longer compulsory. However, many also saw the economic advantages of continuing to grow coffee, and the industry became central to Burundi’s national economy.  

Kirezi

This is the second of two small single varietal microlots which jumped out to us.  

The first was the Tabi from Nelson Fabio Cordoba we had in June which sold very fast.

This coffee from Fabian Acevedo is a Pink Bourbon.

Fabian Acevedo has a background in quality control and is laser-focussed on producing high quality lots.  Whilst having traditional Colombian notes of chocolate and caramel, there’s a pleasant sweetness to this coffee which makes it a little different.

This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Producer  /  Fabian Acevedo 
Region /  La Argentina , Pitalito
Variety  /  Pink Bourbon

Fabian Acevedo

Earlier this year we had an exceptional coffee from Brazil called Sitio Nossa Senhora Das Gracas from a new importer we’d started working with (Cargo)  - who specialise in sourcing Unconventional and Fully Tracable coffee from Brazil. 

Sitio Nossa coffee was the fastest selling Brazil we’ve had to date.  

This coffee, Sitio Contendas, from their latest arrivals is  another truly exceptional coffee which stood out to us.  

Mauro Riccetto is a descendant of Italians who came to Brazil in the early 1900s aiming to find lands and jobs. They settled in the region of Divinolândia and São Sebastião da Grama, working on coffee plantations. They managed to buy a small farm for their family, where besides coffee, they planted beans, rice, corn, and other crops for subsistence and raised cattle.

Agriculture has been passed down through generations, and Mauro continues to practice everything he learned from his parents and grandparents. He works with his brothers in the fields, where coffee is now the main crop. 

After the harvest, the coffee goes to the patio where it is dried in the sun aiming a more uniform result. After a few days it may go through a mechanical dryer, depending on the weather and the pace of the harvest. Afterward, the coffee is sent to the tulha (wooden boxes) to rest for a few days before being processed. It is then classified before being sold.

Producer  /  Mauro César Riccetto
Farm /  Sitio Contendas
Region /  Divinolandia
Variety  / Red Catucai
This coffee works well black and also with milk.

Sitio Contendas, Brazil

After being without any decaf for a short period due to delays in shipments from Colombia due to the domestic situation there, we are super excited to offer this new Sugarcane Decaf Processed Colombian coffee from Cedro Alto Coffee Collective.    

Cedro Alto are a group of small coffee farmers, leveraging the sharing economy sell fully traceable   microlots.

This coffee also works well back and with milk. 
Region /  Planadas, Tolima 
Variety  / Caturra, Colombia, Castillo

Sunday Coffee Roasters

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Sunday Coffee Roasters

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Served in Coffee Shops

Coffee Roasts

Alta Mogiana

Docha Kiambu AA, Kenya

Passiflora - Sugarcane DECAF

Sitio Contendas, Brazil

Villamaría

Coffee archive

El Carmen - Sugarcane Decaf

El Fénix

Fabian Acevedo

Jorge Recinos - Finca Buena Fe - Pacamara

Kainamui, Kianyaga AA

Kirezi

Nelson Fabio Cordoba - Tabi

Robert Pillimue

Serra Negra, Brazil v2

Shyira

Sitio Nossa Senhora Das Gracas

New Coffee Review