Tasting Notes: April 2022 Coffees

One of GUSTATORY's favourite Eastern European roasters, Warsaw's HAYB stands for How Are You Brewing? Roasting their coffee in such a way to best reflect its depth and character, they never compromise on quality and taste, and upon making a brew, expect you to be happy, relaxed and with a smile - effortlessly. HAYB - Effortless Speciality Coffee Makers.

Crafters of excellent coffees from exceptional places, HAYB roast their coffee with undisguised lightness to allow you to experience their very best beans. With packaging as bright as their cup, you're in for a treat.

HAYB Coffees  |  Poland

How do you run a coffee company without anyone or anything being harmed in the process? That was the question Lykke Kaffegardar once asked themselves, and do so by challenging the normal way of doing things, by actually growing, buying and roasting coffee themselves, with the humble aim to influence the coffee industry for the better.

So how do you turn the coffee industry around, and why do you even try? Lykke Kaffegardar let the coffee farmers run the show, and to them, that's the only way. As such, Lykke Kaffegardar own their own coffee farms and company together with the coffee farmers, cutting out all middle persons and making sure that nothing or no-one gets harmed when everyone enjoys a good cup of coffee. On the highest peaks in El Salvador and Panama, by the snow water lakes of the Andes, back up to the Brasilian plateaus and over the seas to the birthplace of coffee in eastern Africa, Lykke Kaffegardar are establishing showcase farms where they grow coffee the right way - organically, without mono-cultures and in perfect harmony with people and planet.

Lykke Kaffegardar Coffees  |  Sweden

A signature coffee roasters that is part of Amsterdam's iconic speciality coffee scene, Rum Baba have several of their own cafes throughout the city, each as bright and colourful as their employee's enthusiasm. Super fun, super colourful, super keen for coffee, Rum Baba are yet another super experienced Amsterdam roasters we're very excited to feature.

Rum Baba Coffees  |  Netherlands

A unique blend of expertly crafted coffee and social responsibility, New Ground started when it's co-founders combined a passion for social justice and great coffee. It's well documented that prisoners are much more likely to re-offend after release if they are without training and jobs. That's where New Ground fits in. They roast high grade, speciality coffee in Oxford and offer training and work opportunities for ex-offenders across the Thames Valley.

New Ground buy quality and ethical green beans and roast them to bring out the unique characteristics of each coffee. New Ground use profits to fund training and guide ex-offenders into a long term, sustainable future. New Ground have a very strong ethical and sustainable focus to provide a variety of exciting coffees. They work with small-scale farmers who produce the best coffees around the world and ensure that these farmers are paid fairly and their communities are positively impacted.

Working hard to get the most out of each coffee, New Ground roast each one differently to fully develop all the flavours, and to showcase what makes them distinct. The resulting cup should be clean and clear - but New Ground will let you be the judge of that.

New Ground Coffees  |  UK

The Good Coffee Cartel was built with a purpose: to cut new trails in the speciality coffee industry, with an environmental conscience and the intention to always do Good thing. Put simply, this Glasgow roasters just want to do Good, in which they want to roast, brew and serve Good coffee; they want to make Good products; they want to have a Good impact on the environment; they want to be Good to their people, and; they want to collaborate on Good projects. The Good Coffee Cartel is their vehicle to achieve this.

The Good Coffee Cartel Coffees  |  UK

Halo exists because compromise shouldn’t. Because when given the choice between what is best for us and what is best for the world, Halo didn’t see a choice at all. Halo capsules are designed to provide consumers with a sustainable capsule alternative filled with specialty grade coffees of the highest quality; hence their promise to deliver the 'World’s Best Coffees, In a Way That’s Best For The World.'

In 2018 alone, the coffee capsule industry produced 60 billion capsules. A considerable amount of plastic and aluminium waste adding to the billions of capsules that already exist in the world and will continue to do so for the next 500 years. Faced with the vast amounts of waste being produced by the capsule industry in light of a growing ecological crisis, it would have been irresponsible to sit idly by. This is why Halo set out to combat the wastefulness of the capsule industry and challenge conventional methods of pod production by producing a sustainable alternative.

Halo capsules address the negative environmental effects of capsule production by utilising waste sugar cane, a by-product of the sugar cane industry, to create a fully home compostable pod. With the ability to degrade in as little as 28 days in home compost conditions, Halo capsules provide consumers with the convenience of a pod coffee without costing the world.

HALO Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Subscriptions. Enjoy

GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.