Tasting Notes: December 2023 Coffees
Brussels' first specialty coffee roastery, Parlor coffee roasters have been around for over 10 years and serve many cafes, offices and hotels across the city, firmly believing in transparency through the coffee chain and premiums going back to the producers being the only way to achieve a sustainable quality green coffee production.
Focussed solely on the highest quality green coffee, Parlor take their time and great pride to identify, select and import the finest coffees from the most interesting origins, roasting the coffees to always taste lively, sweet, complex and fully developed.
Parlor Coffees | Belgium
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marino Guevara, Peru | Sweet, well balanced, and super juicy! Cupping score: 88. Region: San Ignacio, Producer: Marino Guevara | Tropical fruit, blackberry, raspberry, stone fruit and milk chocolatey undertones Altitude: 1810 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Single / Light |
| Los Luchadores, El Salvador | Very rich and sweet, very distinctive. Cupping score: 88. Region: Santa Ana, Apaneca Ilamatepeque, Producer: Jose Antonio Salaverria, Villa Guadalupe | Candied red apple, milk chocolate and caramel Altitude: 1650 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Kingha, Uganda | Very sweet, juicy and funky! Region: Kinungo, Uganda, Producer: smallholder farmers | Mango, pineapple, chocolate fudge and candied orange Altitude: 1700 - 2000 masl, Process: natural, extended fermentation |
Plus 87, Selected Mix |
| Gichathaini, Kenya | Very elegant and sweet! Cupping score: 88. Region: Nyeri, Kenya, Producer: smallholder farmers | Blackcurrant, peach ice tea, cherries and fig Altitude: 1900 masl, Process: washed |
Rest of World |
| Dimtu, Ethiopia | Structured, juicy and boozy!! Region: Guji, Producer: several smallholder farmers | Nectarine, mandarine, dark florals and anise Altitude: 2000 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
Goat Story was inspired by the famous myth of coffee that was discovered by a flock of goats in Ethiopia. Goat Story have made it their mission to source speciality coffee from the best origins and carefully profiling the roast to bring you the best coffee experience.
With a team of coffee professionals as much as product engineers, Goat Story are equally obsessed with designing top-notch products to help their fans discover all the flavours and experiences a coffee bean has to offer. Launching various brewing products of their own, such as their GINA, ARCO and GOAT Mug, you might just have seen these on an Instagram account near you.
Goat Story Coffees | Slovenia
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahiga AA, Kenya | The Kenya Mahiga AA is the Kenyan coffee we have been waiting for for a few years now. Produced by the Mahiga washing station in the Nyeri region, this coffee is true to its origin with vibrant acidity that is balanced with flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, red grape and that sweet molasses sensation. When we started our roasting story, Kenyan coffees were all the hype in the market - those super juicy and fruity washed wonders with that flavor kick from the citric acidity - yummy! But then something happened in Kenya and the coffees were starting to get … well … meh. But in the last couple years we discovered a vibrant coffee producer community: Othaya Farmers in the Nyeri region. A life-changing experience for us as coffee roasters! We started with coffee from the Kiaga wet mill, which was great. Then we gave Rukira a go, it was amazing. And now, thanks to our good friends at Plot Coffee from Germany, we have discovered this wshed piece of heaven that wash processed at the Mahiga wet mill. And we can honestly say that this is a spectacular example of a kenyan washed coffee. Just like it used to be in the good ol’ days! | Blackcurrant, blackberry, molasses and red grape Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Gasharu Intego, Rwanda | It's funky. It's complex. It's just right. A coffee that is wonderful by itself got that little extra with a 48h anaerobic fermentation. Now this coffee can be overwhelming for some but if you enjoy a cup of coffee that brings a new flavor experience with every sip you make, you will surely adore it. | Blueberry, cinnamon, kiwi, cacao nibs and grape juice Altitude: 1500 - 2100 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Los Placeres, Nicaragua | There's always that one coffee that just hits the spot anytime, anywhere. With this rich Nicaraguan natural you're well served in the morning as a flat white, a smooth gentle filter for your coffee break and a shot of espresso after lunch. All that while it's cold brewing in your fridge ... Nice job by Finca Los Placeres that is one of the oldest farms owned by the legendary Mierisch family. Los Placeres is the oldest farm under the Fincas Mierisch umbrella and it is their only farm that is Rainforest Alliance certified, and also our only farm that has cattle on it. With a total area of around 270 hectares, it is also their largest farm. 28 hectares are protected areas where no deforestation or hunting are allowed in order to protect the local flora and fauna. Thge owners of the farm have made a commitment to planting additional trees each year, which will aid the coffee plants with shade and wind reduction, in addition to attracting more wildlife to the area. Los Placeres is also ground zero for a new planting technique. The trees are planted closer together, but increasing the distance between each row, in order to increase the amount of plants in a single hectare. That also enables more airflow and sunlight, which results in more sugar concentration and more uniformity in the ripening process. |
Orange, plum and tangerine Altitude: 850 - 1000 masl, Process: natural |
Selected Mix |
| Coletivo Caparaó, Brazil | A not-so-classic Brazilian coffee that is the perfect choice to brew the perfect espresso without any bitterness or a bold french press. Sourced and carefully selected coffees grown by the farmers in the Caparaó national park where coffee grows at - untypical for Brazilian coffee - high altitudes to develop a rounded complexity of flavors. The indigenous people of Brazil, Indians from the Tupi tribe have been amazed by an area full of crystal clear water springs and rocky peaks and have though named the area Caparaó - Magic Mountain. Far from the hectic of the Brazilian urban centres, the Caparao region is today a national park where organic coffee farming is a part of history for small farmers. With coffee farming being the core of the people living in Caparao, generations of experience in coffee farming are today concentrated in one great cup of coffee. With a shift to specialty coffee, coffees from Caparao are today amongst the best of Brazil, proven by several titles of Coffee of the year. |
Vanilla, caramel and chocolate Altitude: 1200 masl, Process: natural |
Blend / Darker, PERCENT |
| Fazenda, Brazil | We were hesitant about offering a decaf in our coffee offer list. But our customers requested it quite often so we took the plunge. This is a smooth cup. A classic Brazil with a few fruity notes to lighten it up. | Milk chocolate, dark sugar and nougat Altitude: 900 masl, Process: natural |
Decaf |
Right Side is an award-winning roaster located in Barcelona, made up of a team who set out upon their own path in 2012. What surrounds them affects and inspires the team, which is why Barcelona plays an essential role in the way they carry out their professional day-to-day work.
True to Spanish cuisine, Right Side understand that they are cooks with a single ingredient, constantly seeking to improve their raw materials through direct contact with the producers they work with. Their efforts have defined their roasting technique and has led Right Side to be roasting champions in Spain in all the editions held, or to prepare coffees for the best baristas in their country in recent years. Right Side also have a world semi-finalist in the Aeropress championship.
Right Side Coffees | Spain
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nesru Aba Nura, Ethiopia | Origin: Jimma, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Aromas of grape, cherry, caramel and elegant dried fruits. Delicate and well-built structure, with high balance and good body. | White wine, cinnamon cookie and almond Altitude: 2100 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Genji Challa, Ethiopia | Origin: Oromia, Jimma, Etiopía. Spicy aromas, red fruits, sweet tones of milk chocolate, in short, complexity in its purest form. Good body and balance. Boasts cleanness, juiciness and elegance unusual for this origin. Long and lingering cocoa finish. | Rose, currant and orange Altitude: various masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Gregorio Oswaldo, Guatemala | Unavailable | Nuts, nougat, vanilla and white wine Altitude: various masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Selected Mix |
| Bekele Kachara, Ethiopia | Origin: People's Day, Sidamo, Ethiopia. In aroma, apple, cherry and black tea. In the mouth, dense coffee and very good body. Unctuous and pleasant touch with a pleasant black tea finish. | Cocoa, green apple and cherry Altitude: 1850 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Single / Light, Rest of World |
If you do one thing, do it well. Elsewhere is an artisan, small-batch roastery based in Deptford, south east London. Known for producing a range of high quality single origin coffees, as well as their popular house blend. Elsewhere work directly with farmers and importers to ensure they get a fair price for their fantastic coffee. This priority also gives Elsewhere complete transparency of the whole supply chain, from the planting of coffee trees to roasting, grinding and posting it fresh to you. As perfectionists, they hope that, if only for a few minutes, their coffee will transport you elsewhere...
Elsewhere Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Club, India | This comes from the Garigekhan Estate, a large farm operated by Kelachandra Coffee Group, a company with a focus on sustainable and socially-conscious coffee production in India's Western Ghats. The estate is adjacent to the Methodi Sanctuary range of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikmagalur. The farm boasts an enviable position for specialty coffee production in the inner Giri range of Chikmagalur. Arabica coffee, pepper, turmeric, oranges and lemons all grow in harmony alongside a canopy of native Ficus, some of which are nearly 100 years old. | Chocolate mousse, walnuts and orange Altitude: 1600 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
| Daydreamer, Brazil | The perfect daily cup of coffee. Rotated seasonally to ensure banging flavours all year round. Daydreamer is used in our cafes and for good reason! Consistently smooth with notes of chocolate, caramel and cherry. What's in the bag at the moment? - This seasons Daydreamer is a delicious single origin from from the Boa Vista farm, a small family ran cooperative in Brazil. The price of this coffee is set by the growers themselves and they use any profits made to fund community projects, sustainable farming and education in their local area. | Milk chocolate, caramel and black cherry Altitude: 1300 masl, Process: natural |
Selected Mix, PERCENT, Blend / Darker |
| Juicebox, Ethiopia | Getting into delicious, fruity coffee? Then our Juicebox is perfect for you. Here at Elsewhere we like to keep things nice and simple, Juicebox is one of our house coffees focused on fantastic fruity flavours. We seasonally rotate this coffee, to maintain the best quality and taste all year round. Lovely. What's in the bag at the moment? - A fresh Ethiopian single origin with a fruity acidity. Expect a sweet medium body with notes of peach, honey and lime. A percentage of the revenue that this coffee is sold for is reinvested in Kerchanshe and the Ethiopian coffee community. The coffee itself is grown between 1,650 – 1,850masl and is farmed by majority female smallholder farmers in the local area. This farm was created with the goal of empowering women working in coffee from production to management of the station, something that has already become a reality at Bulessa. As the project has evolved, the scheme has developed and started providing educational and agricultural workshops for children and women across the local community. | Peach, honey, berries and lime Altitude: 1650 - 1850 masl, Process: washed |
Selected Mix |
| Night Rider, Colombia | Say hello to our Night Rider Decaf! We rotate this coffee seasonally and it's been updated just in time for the summer...This Colombian single origin decaf more than holds its own next to its caffeinated counterparts. It’s boldly sweet and creamy profile will have you craving more every time you put the cup down. Taste notes of delectable milk chocolate, honey and caramel with a red berry acidity. | Milk chocolate, honey and caramel Altitude: 1700 - 1800 masl, Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
Grindsmith was founded with the dream of bringing great coffee to Manchester. Since their founding days, with the support of their community, have grown in the heart of the city with multiple shops spread out across central Manchester. The craft of coffee is at the heart of Grindsmith's spirit and the real beating heart of the business is the Grindsmith Roastery based in the business district of Ancoats. Here, they source their coffee ethically from some of the best farms and are extremely proud of the product they produce in collaboration with our suppliers.
Grindsmith Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finca El Bosque, Nicaragua | A Natural Nicaraguan that boasts flavours of some of our favourite sweet treats, Candy Floss and Raspberry Blondies, a release timed perfectly with Christmas we must say! We are super excited to bring you this coffee that has all the sweetness of a natural and the cleanness of a washed, from a family of producers leading the way as innovators in the speciality coffee world. The Peralta family are known for their attitudes and values to the process, while their carefully controlled, extended fermentations are to be admired. A little about the process - This lot was produced using natural process with an extended anaerobic fermentation. First, ripe cherries are sorted and washed. Afterward, they are introduced into airtight 450L tanks to ferment for up to 72 hours in an anaerobic environment. To lower the temperature down to approximately 15 Celsius, the tanks are placed inside water-filled fermenting pools to slow the fermentation and avoid spoilage or risk of taints for up to 72 hours. | Raspberry blondie, candy floss and sweet Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
| Ayarza Santa Rosa, Guatemala | This washed lot was processed at the Covoya cherry mill in Ayarza, Santa Rosa. In Guatemala, coffee is traditionally processed individually by smallholder farmers, making it difficult to manage and guarantee quality form lot to lot. The team in Ayarza works with numerous farmers in the region, paying a premium for ripe cherry and processing it centrally to maintain strict standards throughout.
Francisco Nájera is one of many local producers they work with at Ayarza cherry mill. Francisco was born in El Naranjo town in the Jutiapa department of Guatemala. He is 30 years old, married with two children and has been working in the coffee production business for around 15 years. Cultivating various small plots covering just under 1ha in total, Francisco is a small producer but a great entrepreneur, and has excelled in the coffee production business despite the adversity and constant threat of various coffee diseases. He also dedicates part of his time to developing coffee tree nursery services to sell saplings to other farmers in the region. Ayarza is a classic example of a Guatemalan coffee. The sharpness of cranberry at first taste, followed by the juicy, citrus notes of orange and lemon, with a creamy finish. |
Cranberry, lemon, orange and creamy Altitude: 1400 - 2000 masl, Process: washed |
Selected Mix, Single / Light |
| Wokra Sakaro, Ethiopia | This coffee is particularly unusual but also balanced and refined. Indigenous heirloom varietals from Ethiopia are known for their unique flavour notes, due to their growing conditions. A combination of high altitude, fertile soil, consistently plentiful rainfall, mixed with an abundance of local knowledge, make for a truly juicy cup, typical of Yirgacheffe coffee. Naturally processed, with an additional 3 days for anaerobic cherry fermentation, you can expect this coffee to be both bright and sweet! Juicy, citrus fruit flavours shine through, with delicate florals and a creamy body. If you would like to learn more about the anaerobic fermentation process, check out our Worka Sakaro blog post! | Rose, lemon and black tea Altitude: 2080 masl, Process: natural |
Single / Light, Selected Mix |
| Sixth Day, Americas | While the components of Sixth Day will change seasonally, the intention is always to combine flavours and roast profiles which emphasise sweetness and balance. | Sweet, caramelised and nutty Altitude: 1500 - 1900 masl, Process: natural |
Blend / Darker, PERCENT |
| El Eden, Colombia | El Eden is a blend from 16 entrepreneurial farmers in the Armenia, Quindío region of Colombia. The second smallest department in Colombia, there is a high concentration of coffee producers in the area and it is one of the key production areas in the country. La Floresta is the biggest of the contributors to El Eden with a 94 hectare farm, and 80 hectares under coffee. Coffee when harvested is brought to the Racafe mill in Armenia, where it is sampled, cupped, and graded. The overall blend profile is managed by a separate cupping room facility where consistency and quality are maintained. Picking from their mainly Castillo and Catimor planted fields, the coffee is typically wet processed the same day as picking and dried on either ‘Casa Elba’ Patios, drying beds either on rails themselves or with a roof that is on rails to protect from weather, or mechanical driers. This is a delicious, complex coffee with intense dried fruit flavours and a light body. | Dried fruit, dark chocolate and caramel Altitude: 1300 - 1800 masl, Process: Swiss water decaf |
Decaf |
Sky Lark coffee roasters find and roast extraordinary coffee, paying extra to conserve nature (including skylarks) and empower growers. Paying a premium on all coffees, Sky Lark then also donates another £1 per kilo to support both the environment and the people long exploited by coffee supply chains. Never compromising on quality, 100% of Sky Lark's income supports charity projects. Using their coffee relationships to challenge coffee trading norms, Sky Lark pay top specialty prices at twice the Fair Trade rate or more. These are the first steps in a long-term process to challenge the power dynamics in the value chain and (hopefully) to help change the way coffee itself is traded.
Sky Lark Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guerrero, Mexico | This is one of our most important coffees of the year. Mexican coffee has dwindled to almost nothing in recent years as a result of coffee leaf rust, low C market prices, political strife, and drug trafficking. Almost all remaining Mexican coffees are grown on large estates in Wahaca and other well known provinces. This coffee is different. It is from the Guerrero region, and is grown by indigenous people in traditional biodynamic fashion. These coffees are from tiny farms (often less than a hectare) with productions of less than 60 kg form many of them. These farmers' way of life depends on companies like Skylark supporting them by paying higher prices than the market would offer for the quality they supply... That's why we bought a really big lot from Guerrero this year in order to support them. Fortunately, the quality of this particular lot is stellar. Notes of Melted milk chocolate, coffee pulp, and Lambrusco will reward you for supporting these farmers like we did.
We sourced this coffee with Ensambles, who are a new importer for us, but do superlative work to shepherd this coffee from seed to our roasterie. |
Milk chocolate, coffee pulp and lambrusco Process: natural |
Selected Mix, Single / Light |
| Stable Blend, Americas | Our Stable Blend pays homage to our humble beginnings in the horse stables at Buncton Manor Farm where our roastery first resided-- however, the name also nods to the stability of flavours we aim for in this coffee blend. The constituent coffees change depending on what's in season, but the taste and body remains as Stable as possible. Currently, we're balancing 1/3 each of our Acacia Natural with a Natural Colombian coffee from Siracusa and our Brazil Santa Rosa. Expect Chocolate and Cherry Bakewell flavour notes.
Why did we go for these flavour notes? Let's take a trip down memory lane. The year is 2012 and our roaster Micah was just a baby barista at a small independent shop in South Carolina. He took a trip 3 hours south to Atlanta to visit a locally famous shop called Octane, and had one of those espresso experiences that stay with you for the rest of your life... An espresso blend pulled so perfectly that it had flawless body, sweetness, and clarity of flavours. The kind of espresso that's so good you order a second just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and a third just for the pure enjoyment. That's the experience that our Stable blend hopes to recapture. It's primarily designed to be a killer espresso or blend harmoniously in a milky coffee, but it works brilliantly as filter as well if you want something rounded, full, and sweet. |
Chocolate and cherry bakewell Altitude: various masl, Process: various |
PERCENT, Blend / Darker, Selected Mix |
| Bombe Abore, Ethiopia | We think it tastes like fresh berries sometimes, like papaya sometimes, and occasionally it tastes like a washed South American gesha. A complex, structured, and beautiful coffee that's definitely worth your time. We sourced this coffee through Mercanta and Daye Bensa. A lot of our Ethiopian coffees tend to come through Daye Bensa these days, since they're one of the best exporters for maintaining a good chain of custody for the coffee. It's actually really difficult to make sure the coffee you buy from Ethiopia is the coffee you'll receive, and Daye Bensa do a great job.
High up in the rich area of Shantawene are a collection of smallholder coffee producers within the Sidama region of Ethiopia. Roughly 940 producers here, growing coffee on small plots of land, gather their cherries to be processed at the Buncho Washing Station run by our exporting partners, Daye Bensa. Daye Bensa, the exporting organization in Ethiopia, provides assistance to producers to sell their coffee. The owner of the mill, Asefa Dukamo, was introduced to coffee at a young age as his parents were cultivating coffee and other garden crops. In his teens, he began to supply neighboring coffee washing stations with cherries purchased from nearby relatives and villagers in addition to his own family’s farm. He realized that there were not many washing stations nearby, and he had to travel great distances to deliver his coffee. Thus began the idea to construct his own washing station to reduce the travel time for coffee producers in his region. In 1997, he constructed a washing station in the Girja village, less than one mile from his parents’ house. The following year, another washing station was constructed in Eltama, 30 kms from Girja. Dukamo then moved to the Daye town in the Bensa district, setting up the mother washing station called Qonqana. Eventually, a dry mill was added to provide facilities for naturally processed coffees. Asefa’s younger brother, Mulugeta Dukamo, is the co-founder of Daye Bensa Coffee exporters, and played a key role in the expansion of the washing stations. Today, Daye Bensa operates in six woredas: Bensa, Bura, Chabe, Hoko (Girja), Aroressa and Chire with 20 washing stations, five mills and three coffee farms. As well as coffee, producers in the region will plant other crops such as sugarcane, a variety of fruits and “Inset”; a common indigenous plant that can be prepared as food in different forms. Income from coffee is important, but minimal for most farmers due to the small size of their farms. As such, inputs are minimal – most coffee grown in the region is 100% organic, though not certified due to high certification costs, as farmers simply do not have the money to apply chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Producers working with the Abore Station face a number of obstacles when growing coffee. This includes a lack of access to electricity, water, telecommunication, and road access. In addition, producers in the region suffer from reduced exposure to knowledge on the best coffee farming practices which can directly impact yield and quality. |
Strawberry, papaya, orange and bergamot Process: natural |
Bloom, Single / Light |
| Galeras Decaf, Colombia | This is an absolutely banging decaf. Body and sweetness and sugar for days... We're absolutely loving it, and drinking the heck out of it. Notes of Golden Syrup, Cherry Coke, and 70% Chocolate. We're having a few transport issues on our staple decaf from El Carmen, and this one from our long-term partners at Ally Coffee is perfectly filling the gap until it returns.
The town of Buesaco lies high on a ridge in the Andes Mountains of the Nariño department in Colombia. Promotora Cafe de Altura has its offices, cupping lab, and warehouses here, where the coop collects coffees from smallholders whose farms are tucked into the slopes surrounding the town. The cooperative works with more than 300 smallholders farmers all over the Nariño department who generally harvest coffee all year around. Here at the co-op’s facilities, lots are analyzed and purchased, and the farmers are paid premiums on top of the market price. These premiums incentivize high quality standards and good agricultural practices, like avoiding the usage of glyphosate and other chemicals. Promotora Cafe de Altura cups coffees throughout harvest delivery to build lots that are uniform and consistent in bean size and cup profile. This lot of decaffeinated coffee in particular consists of small batches of beans from farms around the Galeras Volcano. |
Golden syrup, cherry cola and 70% chocolate Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
Every coffee leaving Lars & Margo has been the cumulative result of minds and people connecting together across land and sea, with knowledge shared and a commitment to work together. Lars & Margo are proud to be part of this linkage.
A smallbatch roasters in Cornwall, Lars & Margo offer a considered range of coffees throughout the year to allow the opportunity to enjoy new flavours to suit various brewing methods and taste preferences. Roasting in small batches allows them to meet the demands of sampling and quality checks to confirm they are roasting every batch to perfection. With most coffees single origin and a few blends thrown in, coffee is so much more than just a tasting experience.
Lars & Margo Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| #00B Bourbon, Brazil | The perfect start to the day - Red cherry and orange with a milk chocolate and hazelnut butter finish. This is a delightful coffee with a great depth of flavour. The Zaroca Farm has been in Gilberto Basilio's family for over 100 years. It wasn't until after the death of Dona Maria that Gilberto became fully involved again as previously he had been working as an engineer. The Farm in 2015 when he returned was in a state of decline, along with his brother Berto they began to turn the farm around. They started to replant areas of the farm with more resistant and productive varietals such as Mundo Novo and Catuai. They also planted 4ha of Paraiso and 8Ha of yellow bourbon. Now the farm has 16 trial varietals as well which they will experiment with and decide which are best to run into production on the farm for yield and cup quality.
The farm is a total of 154 ha planted with coffee and the annual production is around 6000 bags. On the farm 60% is collected by hand due to the topography of the land. They have worked hard on treating the plants with the right nutrients and care to help them flourish and produce the best cherry possible that is compatible with specialty production. To focus on specialty Gilberto has also introduced static drying boxes to help with developing the flavour profile of his coffees. Once the coffee has been picked and then separated by density and size the coffees are then allowed to dry on the patio for 8 days as an initial skin drying. The coffee is then transferred to the drying box. These are 1 m deep boxes with capacity for 15000 litres of coffee cherries which equates to 25-30 bags of green coffee. The boxes have a vented grill at the bottom to allow for air to be circulated from below up through the drying coffee. After this the coffee is rested for 25 days before being milled and delivered to the Cooperative. We are proud to offer you this outstanding coffee. Enjoy! |
Red cherry, orange and milk chocolate Altitude: 1150 masl, Process: natural |
Blend / Darker, PERCENT |
| #00R Rwandan | Just a few miles inland from Kirambo at the edge of Lake Kivu, is the Karambi washing station, named after the nearby village and surrounding sector. Tucked onto steep and largely inaccessible slopes, the site is just over an area of 2.5 hectares.
Karambi was established in 2016 and RTC (farmer training) took ownership the following year. 4 staff are employed full time with the addition of 60 further staff during the harvest, of whom 90% are women. 1500 farmers contribute cherry to the station and all have successfully participated in RTC’s training program. Since 2017, annual production has doubled from 220 tons of cherry processed to an expected 400+ this year. The farms surrounding Karambi are all within 3 kilometres of the station, located on steep slopes. On average farms are 4 hectare in size, with approximately 8000 trees per farm. |
Blackberry, cloves and sweet butter Altitude: 1600 masl, Process: washed |
Bloom, Plus 87 |
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.