Tasting Notes: February 2020 Coffees

 Tasting Notes: February 2020 Coffees

Solberg And Hansen Calendar Cloud Picker Pharmacie and Brew Coffee Plus Tasting Notes

Established in 1879, Solberg & Hansen are one of Norway's premier roasting institutions, as well as being one of the largest and oldest distillery in specialty coffee. However, that doesn't mean they aren't always looking for ways to innovate and move boundaries. Its because of this relentless desire to drive forward that they have been a pioneer in the coffee industry, both in Norway and internationally, for so very long.

Solberg & Hansen Coffees  |  Norway

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Black Espresso Inspired by the cult coffee from Hell, Black Coffee, we took a deep dive into the dark and launched the news Black Espresso in 2017. This is the fifth volume of the espresso, with new and delicious bear-dried content from the Tade coffee shop in Guji in Ethiopia. Here, Tesfaye Degaga has built its own drying station for dried coffee. There he gently dries the coffee on raised beds, first in a thin layer, and gradually in thicker layers. Drying takes 25-27 days. Try Black Espresso as a coffee if you love a dark cup of coffee. A creamy espresso with a taste of vanilla and raspberry. Aftertaste of chocolate and fruit compote. Good mouthfeel. Dark
Don Mayo The Bonilla family founded the micro-mill in 2006, and already in 2009 they won the prestigious coffee competition Cup of Excellence. The entire family is involved and the daughter Auxiliadora is twice a barista champion in Costa Rica. The coffee is honey-processed in the degree of white honey, a partially berry-dried coffee where a lot of pulp is left around the bean when it dries and adds fruit and sweetness to the taste. The color indicates the length of the drying and the amount of fruit that has dried with the bean. A pure and complex coffee with the aroma of dried fruit. Taste of cocoa and dark berries. Various
Decaf Tarqui A light and fresh caffeine-free coffee that is handled according to the same quality and traceability requirements as the rest of the coffee range. A light and fresh caffeine-free coffee that is handled according to the same quality and traceability requirements as the rest of the coffee range. Decaf
Decaf Espresso, Tarqui An evergreen, decaffeinated espresso from Colombia that offers well-developed sweetness and freshness in the cup. Ripe red berries in the aroma. Taste with a touch of strawberry, vanilla and caramel. Balanced, with creamy mouthfeel. Decaf
Vinterespresso This espresso blend combines the fullness of the wet-processed coffee beans from Planadas in Colombia and the freshness of the dried beans from Tade in Ethiopia. Solberg & Hansen's espresso changes as new seasons and coffee harvests. The focus is always fresh coffee with flavours that reflect the season we are in. Fruity scent of berries and marzipan. Taste of peaches, dark chocolate and cherries. Sweet aftertaste. Blends
Yeni Ramos One of three microparticles launched in the winter of 2019, with love from Colombia. Yeni Ramos runs La Esperanza coffee farm in the mountainside of Tarqui coffee village in Huila, southern Colombia. Here, for over twenty years, she has grown and processed coffee with the precision it takes to bring out the area's finest flavours. Scent of jasmine and sweet apples. A sweet and fruity coffee with a taste of ripe fruit and cherries. Juicy aftertaste. Plus 87

Gardelli is the brainchild of Rubers Gardelli - the most successful competition roaster ever. He’s qualified for the most World Coffee Roasting Championships (four of five times), won the most recent one, won the Italian Coffee Roasting Championship four years running and somehow has also won multiple Brewer’s Cups in Italy and a World Brewer’s Cup. No roaster comes close to these achievements.

Each coffee Gardelli buy and sell has passed through Rubens' insane cupping protocol which includes a strict blind tasting and blind selection. All of the coffees we have selected for you are exquisite. We have no doubt that you will agree.

Gardelli Coffees  |  Italy

Coffee Information Notes Packages
El Cipres Gardelli's El Cipres Sparkling Water Decaf is made up of two distinct Caturra lots, grown on plots ranging from 1650 - 1835 masl. The cherries has been processed and washed in an Ecological module, in which the use of water does not exceed more than 33oz per 2.2lbs. Following the washing process, the coffee is sun-dried on patios and drying beds. El Cipres is located in the region of Tarrazú and belongs to Jesus Mora Camacho and Adelina Camacho Portugues. The farm has belonged to the Camacho Portugues family since 1939. When the family moved into the region, they were one of the first to establish themselves in Llano Bonito de Leon Cortes, and dedicated their lives to the agricultural practices of coffee and livestock. The legacy of their family has continued to be carried through the generations and their goal now is to perpetuate the practices of high-end specialty coffee in a sustainable manner. Caramel, blood orange and cocoa. Decaf
Bynekere Estate Bynekere Estate, started by their grandfather Mr. Devegowda, is currently run by the third generation of coffee growers at an altitude of above 4000 feet. Their Estate is nested in the misty valley of western Ghats of South India, located at 20kms from Chickmagalur town towards 'Muthodi' forest also known as Bhadra wildlife sanctuary. Their Arabica coffee is traditionally shade grown with dappling sunlight. Silver oaks, red ciders, teaks and many other forest trees find their place here. The variety SLN 795 was introduced into the plantation in the late 1940's and cultivated till date. In addition to being proud of their biodiversity of plant and animal life, Bynekere Estate has undertaken social measures like opening a school, providing primary health care for their employees and the villages around. Caramel, green apple, white grape and areca nut. Various

Calendar believe everyone should be able to enjoy quality coffee and that this experience should be inclusive and accessible for all. Green coffee freshness is one of the biggest determinants of roasted coffee quality and like most fruits it tastes best when picked ripe and consumed fresh. Calendar want to show people just how special coffee can be and how it can help make an everyday routine extraordinary. Both their coffee and their wonderfully bizarre packaging make make for a truly unique coffee experience.

Calendar Coffees  |  Ireland

Coffee Information Notes Packages
La Serrania La Serrania is grown along an isolated set of mountains within the central Andes, stretching from Timana to Palestina. This coffee represents the work of 50 producers in the region who are committed to quality and excellence. Meticulous hand sorting and processing is practiced at each individual farm, with special attention paid to the drying process to ensure consistency, uniformity and a clean cup profile. Cherry and marzipan. Decaf
Magwila AB Calendar fell in love with the coffees from the Magwila Farmers group last year and this seasons crop is possibly even better! Almost everything they've tasted from south Tanzania this year has been delicious and if they could, they would have taken a whole lot more. This will be Calendar's second year roasting Magwila AB, which was one of their favourite espresso roasts from last year. This year's crop is slightly different. It’s a little less creamy with a lot more jammy fruit and complexity and we think it makes for a beautiful filter coffee. Blackberry and peach. Various
Teamwork Seasonal As the seasons change, so does Calendar's TEAMWORK espresso, highlighting the very best single origin coffees throughout the year. Calendar are looking for coffees that are perfectly balanced, sweet and clean, delicious in milk, and with enough complexity to be enjoyed straight up. Butterscotch and fig. Various

Brew Coffee Plus opened in April 2019, combining Enea and Matthew's love for great coffee after a combined 18 years of experience working in the industry. Based within a restored and modernised industrial unit in Streatham, the brand combines the production of ethically traded and high quality coffee with a forward-thinking approach.

Brew Coffee Plus Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Colombia / La Union Fundación Agraria y Ambiental Para el Desarrollo Sostentible (FUDAM) is a 300-member association of organic-certified (and Rainforest Alliance–certified) growers that was founded in the year 2000 by just seven producers who shared a vision of sustainable agriculture as well as environmental protection and development. This group of smallholders lives in and around the small municipality of La Unión in Nariño, where the terrain differs greatly from in other coffee-growing areas like Cauca: Instead of walking up from the town to the farms, as elsewhere, here the towns are at such high elevation that the farms are typically lower elevation, surrounded by high peaks and rough road. Tamarind, grapefruit and sugarcane. Various
Myanmar / Ywangan Grown at an altitude of 1280 metres above sea level and from the Southern Shan State of Ywangan, this is a surprisingly clean example of a naturally processed co ee. Mandalay Co ee Group (MCG) who organised the production of the co ee was formed in 2014 and is owned entirely by citizens of Myanmar. Interestingly the country possesses the largest expanse of tropical forest in mainland Southeast Asia with substantial biodiversity, harbouring rare species such as the red panda and the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey. Dark berries, citrus and vanilla. Single Origin
Myanmar / Pha Yar Gyi Kone Pha Yar Gyi Kone is one of two natural processed coffees Indochina have purchased directly with Shwe Taung Thu - a new association of 18 communities of coffee, which means 'golden farmer'. Named after the village in which the coffee is grown which comprises of 200 Danu households, the production of the coffee is managed by a core group of around 25 members. This group has donated some of their profits to the local school as well as invested in more drying tables. This is an exceptionally clean and bright natural processed coffee, which really reflects the community's meticulous attention to detail and dedication to producing the best quality coffee possible. Cherry, raspberry and citrus acidity. Selected Mix

Cloud Picker is Dublin City’s first micro coffee roastery, who hand roast to order on the esteemed Giesen roaster. Borne from passion, curiosity and the quest to create a unique coffee product for the Irish market. They believe in doing business in a sustainable, earth-forward way, our packaging where possible is 100% recyclable, 100% compostable or carbon neutral. The chaff, an organic by-product from the roasting process, is collected and used on local allotments to grow veg and more!

Cloud Picker Coffees  |  Ireland

Coffee Information Notes Packages
La Plata This decaffeinated coffee is a gathered from a collection of smallholders in the La Plata municipality of Colombia's famous Huila region. In 2013, Huila was awarded the Denomination of Origin status, a recognition of the region's specific characteristics and a legal protection against potential attempts to confuse customers. This is similar to the area-specific protection afforded Champagne, Roquefort and Parmigiano-Reggiano in Europe. These coffees are cupped as green initially and identified as coffees suitable for decaffeination. Ethyl acetate is a solvent naturally found in several fruits and derived from fermented sugar and thus it is traditionally considered a relatively 'natural' decaffeination technique. The decaf process takes place in Colombia and involves the ethyl acetate bonding to the salts of chlorogenic acid in the coffee, thus extracting the caffeine. The coffee is then removed from its bath and steamed to remove any remaining ethyl acetate. Prune, apricot and malt. Decaf
Arsosola The Arsosala washing station was founded in 2015 and is situated in the Urga district of Guji. The farmers delivering to this station are smallholders with some operating farms as small as 1/8 of a hectare. Many Ethiopian coffee lovers will be suprised to see that this coffee is a mix of Bourbon and Typica - varieties more normally associated with the Americas. Ethiopia, on the other hand, is celebrated for the genetic wildness of its coffees. This Ethiopian Bourban and Typia are indeed different - the Ethiopian usage of these names is a more casual referral to local varieties with a resistance to coffee berry disease. The coffees from this station are dired and raised on beds for for between 8 and 20 days, depending on the amount of sun present during the drying period. Blood orange, marmalade, lavender and elderberry. Various

Pharmacie are an independent micro-roaster based in Brighton and Hove. They are an environmentally conscious speciality coffee roaster and coffeehouse, whom source high grade arabica coffee beans ethically and roast them with all the love and affection needed to produce greatness.

Pharmacie Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
The Cure Espresso Two of Pharmacies favourite farms in one espresso blend! Adenesio de Araujo separates varietal lots on his boa vista smallholding to great results & Vunga washing station in rwanda produces high quality washed lots through the year. Pharmacie are suckers for Rwanda espressos, in this case lending complex notes of lingonberry & pomelo to the more traditional hazlenut & cacao notes of the Brazil, Boa Vista component. This espresso blend is syrupy sweet with a heavy mouthfeel, holding its own through milk-based drinks. Lingonberry, cranberry and pomelo fruit notes with a heavy cacao and hazlenut mouthfeel. Blends

GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.

GUSTATORY Curation TeamJanuary 24, 2020