Situated on the border of Sul De Minas and the Cerrado sits the mountainous region of Illicnea with farms rising from 1100 – 1320 masl before the land falls away into the expanse of the cerrado.  The area is made up of 6 communties. This beautiful area is blessed with a micro climate that provides conditions for producing unique and intriguing coffees. The regions soil is known as cambisolo where the rock is still turning to soil, this places its own unique stress on the plants and the maturation on the cherry. Prior the grower’s here really struggled with the winds that ravaged the crops, through inquisition and help they have put in systems and planted to trees to help minimise the affect of the wind. The region is still relatively new in terms of knowledge about it as coffees were previously sold under the names of other regions until recently. Now these farms are being recognised for the unique coffees they produce in relation to the region & Brazil and we are happy to bring them to the Uk for the first time.

We have selected 5 farms from this region ranging from as small as 7 Ha up to 50 ha with the lots limited to between 11 – 28 bags.

Fazenda Corrego Bonito has been with Jose since 1982 when he retired form being a truck driver to start life as a coffee farmer. He lives on the farm with his son Luis Fernando who came on board 5 years ago to help his father produce specialty grade coffee. The farm has one small house where they live, and they own one tractor that helps with the work on the farm. They are working with Cocatrel Direct to help improve their yield and quality of coffee. During harvest they collect the coffee by hand before leaving it to dry on patio’s in the natural sun for 17 days. Here it is then left to rest before being taken to be milled.

Producer: JOSE MAURICIO CARDOSO
Harvest: May – Sept
Variety: YELLOW CATUAI
Region: ILLICNEA, SUL DE MINAS, MINAS GERA

Big Yin

We are the Steamie Coffee Roasters from Scotland. Here you can get fine small batch speciality coffee freshly roasted and delivered to your door.

The Steamie Coffee Roasters

Our house blend Tenement is a full bodied and velvety smooth balanced espresso which will banish the morning blues.

It consists of two superior high altitude beans which are roasted to their own unique profiles.The Colombian Rio Magdalena lot is made up of coffees from 3182 smallholders from the municipalities of San Agustin, Gigante and Garzon, in the centre and south of the Huila region. All of the contributing producers grow coffee on plots of land ranging between 1 and 5 hectares, where they also live and share work on the farms with their families. The producer groups are well supported by one of our export partners, Inconexus, and receive training on pre and post-harvest production to help them improve quality and receive higher premiums for their coffees. The farmers are also collectively members of a Coffee Growers Federation, where they can access support and training around specific aspects of farm management. The quality of the lot shone through on the cupping table during sampling and pre-shipment testing, with red cherry, forest fruits, chocolate and caramel in the cup.

The Brazil Corrego Bonito is grown in area situated on the border of Sul De Minas and the Cerrado in the mountainous region of Illicnea with farms rising from 1100 – 1320 masl before the land falls away into the expanse of the cerrado.  The area is made up of 6 communties. This beautiful area is blessed with a micro climate that provides conditions for producing unique and intriguing coffees.  Fazenda Corrego Bonito retired form being a truck driver to start life as a coffee farmer. He lives on the farm with his son Luis Fernando who came on board 5 years ago to help his father produce specialty grade coffee. The farm has one small house where they live, and they own one tractor that helps with the work on the farm. They are working with Cocatrel Direct to help improve their yield and quality of coffee. During harvest they collect the coffee by hand before leaving it to dry on patio’s in the natural sun for 17 days. Here it is then left to rest before being taken to be milled.

Expect notes of sweet orange acidity with paneta, milk chocolate and a smooth body.  Together the compliment of these beans results in a balanced, smooth bodied luxurious espresso to be enjoyed throughout the day.

Region – 70% Colombia Rio Magdelena/30% Brazil Corrego Bonita
Producer – Smallholder farms
Varietal – Cattura/Catuai
Harvest – Oct-Jan/May-Sept
Process – Wet Process/Natural

Tenement Blend

Duromina, which means “to improve their lives” in the Afan Oromo language, is a coffee cooperative in southwestern Jimma Zone. Coffee has grown here for generations but was traditionally processed using the dry, natural method. Farmers paid little attention to quality control. Despite an ideal climate and altitude for coffee growing, the area’s coffee was synonymous with poor quality. Year after year, farmers received low prices for their coffee, earning little income as a result. On paper these farmers had it all; very high altitude, rich and fertile soils, Ethiopia’s incredibly complex heirloom varietals and good rainfall. The missing link was quality control. Now that this has been addressed, the Duromina farmers produce coffees of outstanding quality with scores of 90+ being achieved.

In 2010, around one hundred local coffee farmers banded together to form Duromina. As the name suggests, their goal was simple: to improve their lives. With technical support, business advice and access to finance through TechnoServe’s Coffee Initiative, the members acquired and installed a wet mill and began processing fully washed coffee for the first time. These improvements helped Duromina produce high-quality coffee and bring new prosperity to the community. Two years later, an international panel of professional judges would select Duromina’s coffee as the best in Africa, awarding the cooperative the top prize in the leading regional cupping competition.

Producer: Cooperatively Owned
Harvest: Nov – Feb
Variety: Heirloom
Region: Jimma Zone, Oromia, Western Ethiopia 

Timorous Beastie

This COE winning lot was produced by smallholder farmer members of Coordinadora de Productores de la Zona Centro del Estado de Veracruz (COORPROVER), based in Huatusco, Veracruz, Mexico. The organisation is one of many within Mexico that seek to transform the livelihoods of coffee farming communities through a variety of means. They are, however, one of a select few who are including quality improvement and access to quality-seeking speciality markets as a key part of their endeavour.

COORPROVER was born during the ‘Coffee Crisis’ years of 1998-2002 when the ‘C’ price (and prices being offered to producers around the world) fell to historic lows. It was under these circumstances of uncertainty and vulnerability that a group of small producers, in 2006, decided to form together under a single organisation, whose work would be representing the interests of its members and helping small farmers to gain access to social programs that would enable them to weather the economic climate. Above all, the group aimed to help producers to improve not just coffee yields but also their coffee quality. Equally, producers were encouraged to diversify into complementary income generating activities.

Inclusion of women in coffee growing activities and in democratic participation has been one of the primary foci of the group in recent years. In fact, this microlot, which won 3rd place in Mexico’s 2017 Cup of Excellence competition, was primarily composed of lots from female-led farms.

For COORPROVER, coffee isn’t just about the product itself. Their coffees, in their words, are harvested “in great areas by unparalleled people.” As an organisation, their goal is the well-being and quality of life of these people and their entire coffee family, because they firmly believe that coffee, beyond a simple agricultural product, is a lifestyle, a culture and a hope for progress for those engaged in it.

Producer: COORPROVER
Municipality: Huatusco, Veracruz
Varietal: Typica

Mexico Cup of Excellence No.3 Municipio Huatusco

For 2018, we have sourced and selected this lot from Huila, in the southwest of the country. The lot is made up of coffees from 3182 smallholders from the municipalities of San Agustin, Gigante and Garzon, in the centre and south of the Huila region. All of the contributing producers grow coffee on plots of land ranging between 1 and 5 hectares, where they also live and share work on the farms with their families. The producer groups are well supported by one of our export partners, Inconexus, and receive training on pre and post-harvest production to help them improve quality and receive higher premiums for their coffees. The farmers are also collectively members of a Coffee Growers Federation, where they can access support and training around specific aspects of farm management.

During harvest season, freshly picked coffee cherry is pulped each night and then left to dry ferment between 26-48 hours in tanks, depending on the conditions. From here the coffee is then washed before being dried in Parabolic driers for between 15 and 20 days. The weather patterns in these regions can make post-harvest care extremely difficult with fluctuating temperatures and precipitation creating a challenging environment to produce high quality coffee. Nonetheless, the quality of the Tres Santos lot shone through on the cupping table during sampling and pre-shipment testing, with red cherry, forest fruits, chocolate and caramel in the cup.

Producer: SMALLHOLDER PRODUCERS
Harvest: Oct – Jan
Variety: CATURRA, CASTILLO, COLOMBIA
Region: SAN AGUSTIN, GIGANTE AND GARZON – HUILA

Belter

Burundi is a country that continues to face immense social and political difficulties. One of the challenges for the coffee sector is the government’s involvement as an owner and operator of washing stations, which prohibits visibility and transparency. Despite these challenges, there are a few entrepreneurs and privately owned washing stations who are working hard to improve quality. One of these stations is Mpanga.

Mpanga is both the name of the farm and of the central washing station located in Kayanza Province, Northern Burundi. Both are managed by Jean-Clement Birabereye – a 15-year coffee veteran, who oversaw the construction of the washing station back in 2008. The station processes coffee from approximately 3,400 smallholder farmers, who cultivate coffee on the hillsides that surround Kayanza, at elevations of up to 1,950 masl. To service these producers properly, Jean-Clement has ensured that the station is well-equipped to process volumes of specialty coffee and benefits from 450 drying beds and a McKinnon 6-disc pulping machine. Mpanga processes roughly 1,500 tonnes of coffee per season, with each producer lot separated and named according to the hillside upon which the coffee was grown. Under Jean-Clement’s guidance, Mpanga has achieved incredible results at the Burundi Cup of Excellence, finishing 1st and 3rd in the 2014 competition. As a result of the hard work and diligence Jean-Clement has implemented, Mpanga has become highly regarded for its consistently clean and complex coffees. It’s due to these cup qualities, alongside his focus and belief in motivating farmers’ meticulous harvesting and agricultural practices, that we have decided to work exclusively with Jean-Clement and Mpanga to source all of our 2017 Burundi coffees this season.

The flavour profile from the Kayanza region in Burundi is similar in a lot of ways to the southern Rwandan coffees like Huye Mountain. In fact, Huye Mountain is only about 60 miles from the Kayanza village, as the crow flies. However, we tend to find Kayanza coffees are more delicate in character and present more floral notes, such as jasmine, rose and orange blossom.

This particular washed lot consists of cherry picked at the peak of harvest from Mpanga Farm, and processed at the Mpanga washing station.

In addition to his role at Mpanga, Jean-Clement also manages the SEGEC mill, who handle the export of Mpanga coffees. SEGEC (Societe General d’exploitation et d’exportation du Cafe) are doing their best to mitigate the risk farmers face with fluctuating world coffee prices. They pay an initial fee for delivered cherry, with additional bonuses based on quality once the coffee has been sorted and cupped. The lower quality coffees are blended together and sold commercially, and the top performing lots are kept separate as microlots. Once these have been contracted and sold, SEGEC pay a premium to the producers that is a percentage of the premium SEGEC receive. SEGEC also invest heavily in farmer training to ensure the pickers and farm owners bring only the ripest cherries to the station. The bonus payment works to ensure the trainings are adhered to, as they can amount to a significant portion a producer’s yearly income.

Real McCoy

Osman Romero Melgar is the owner of the farm San Isidro, located in the Celaque area of the Copan region of Honduras. The farm is 10 hectares, most of which is in coffee production but under natural forest, and has been handed down to Osman from his parents. The main variety grown is catuai, but Osman has been planting rust-resistant varieties such as Lempira, IHCAFE90 and Parainema, mostly for their high production. Osman is a trained agronomist and is an important member of the Aruco cooperative, managing production and administration. Osman was one of the first producers within Aruco to start producing micro-lots and to try new processing methods, and so was influential in the success of the spread of quality improvements throughout the coop.
Boozy plum & apple. Dense and fruity, with a prominent green apple acidity.

Producer: San Isidro
Harvest: Nov – Jan
Variety: Macerated Natural, Catuai
Region: Celaque, Corquín Copán 

Fireside Tartan

The Decaf MWP Mexico HG is a traceable single estate coffee from the Finca La Laja farm close to the village of Huatusco in the state of Veracruz. La Laja is owned by Hermilo Sampieri. For three generations, the Sampieri family has produced coffee on approx. 500 ha of La Laja farm at 1,100masl utilizing an average temperature from 15-22 Grad Celsius, fertile soil and a tropical climate with annual rainfall of 2000 ml. Today, the farm is certified for its sustainable production with RFA and 4C. The name “La Laja” is derived from the name of a stone common in the region of Huatusco, Veracruz.

The harvest can go from October/November up through April. Using water from the glaciers of the highest mountain in Mexico, a method called Mountain Water Process, the Mexico HG is immersed to extract caffeine. This method allows the green beans to maintain their flavor, as the water passes through a filter that removes the caffeine from the water, so that the water can be re-used with just the bean profiles it originated with. This method is done by DESCAMEX (Descafeinadores Mexicanos).

This coffee came in with nice spicy, chocolate, sweet and lemon flavors with a bright acidity and clean aftertaste.

Producer: Finca La Laja farm
Harvest: Nov-April
Variety: Caturra, Cirollo, Borbon
Region: Hustusco, Veracruz

Blue Murder

Glasgow Kiss

Mexico Cup of Excellence No.3

Colombia 2/3 Neuvo Futuro      1/3 Fazenda Freitas

Producer – Smallholder farms
Region –    70% Nuevo Futuro /30% Fazenda Freitas

Altitude –  1800/1100m
Varietal –   Cattura/Mundo Novo
Process –  Washed/Natural
Country –  Colombia/Brazil

Our house blend Tenement is a full bodied and velvety smooth balanced espresso which will banish the morning blues.

It consists of two superior high altitude beans which are roasted to their own unique profiles.

The Steamie Coffee Roasters

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The Steamie Coffee Roasters

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Coffee Roasts

Belter

Big Yin

Blue Murder

Fireside Tartan

Glasgow Kiss

Mexico Cup of Excellence No.3 Municipio Huatusco

Real McCoy

Tenement Espresso

Timorous Beastie

Coffee archive

Fireside Tartan

Mexico Cup of Excellence No.3

Tenement Blend

New Coffee Review