Tasting Notes: June 2020 Coffees

 Tasting Notes: June 2020 Coffees

BIRCHBACH SENZU Muttley And Jacks KUDU The Gentlemen Baristas Scarlett and Sendero Tasting Notes

Birchbach is a nano specialty coffee roastery based in Zurich, Switzerland; inspired by modern simplicity, fascinated by the little things in life and driven by the ideal of “quality over quantity”. One person’s project with the intention of developing a coffee roastery that shares this ideal, roasting super-sweet high-quality coffee, telling you the story behind it in a laid-back and unpretentious way. Birchbach’s coffees showcase themselves in a clean, aromatic, super-sweet and friendly cup; not too complex to understand, nevertheless with distinctive flavours in it.

Birchbach Coffees  |  Switzerland

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Osman Romero Osman Romero Melgar is the owner of the farm San Isidro, located in the Celaque area of the Copán region of Honduras. Osman is a trained agronomist and is an important member of the Aruco Cooperative, managing production and administration.

Aruco is a small coop named after the river that runs through the town of Corquin, where the coop is based. Aruco was formed in 2010 by a number of producers who were frustrated with the lack of support and representation they were receiving, and who wanted to market their coffee more directly, in an attempt to cut out middle men and to increase the revenue flow back down the supply chain to producers. 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 succes of the spread of quality improvements throughout the coop.

The farm is 10 hectares, most of which is in coffee production, but under natural forest and has been handed down to Osamn 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. This Catuai lot was processed as a natural. The cherries were delivered to the Aruco mill where they were sorted and cleaned before being dried on raised beds.
Buttery, smooth, apricot and mango. Plus 87
Kibingo The Kibingo central washing station is located in the commune of Kayanza in northern Burundi. The station itself lies at 1893 m.a.s.l. The altitude of the farms in the neighbouring hills that supply the washing station varies from 1700 to 1900 metres above sea level.

Kayanza is one of Burundi's regions with the best coffee growing reputation. Coffee farms lie in the highlands, where soils are rich and volcanic, but optimal growing conditions alone aren't enough to produce a high-quality coffee. To achieve a top coffee, a skilled and dedicated washing station manager is essential. They oversee the implementation of good economic practice and farmer education and collaborate with the producers to ensure they have access to the necessary tools. They also help farmers determine and implement the practices best suited to the specific growing conditions of their plantations.
Buttery, smooth, orange and plum. Rest of World

Senzu Coffee Roasters Senzu was born from Diogo's desire to share his love of coffee with the world. Before Senzu, Diogo did everything he could to develop his knowledge and learn everything there is to know about coffee. After this, he started to give roasting courses at university level, as well as being one of the co-founders of abcoffee, which is a coffee school in Porto with approval from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) - its safe to say that Diogo knows a thing or two about coffee.

Senzu Coffees  |  Portugal

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Ethiopia This coffee is bright and delicate while also retaining the fruit-forward profile so indicative of naturals from this region. Reminds us of a British cream tea.This Guji Daanisa Dambi Uddo Natural coffee hails from the Sub-Kebele (village) of Daanisa in Ethiopia’s Guji region. Our friends at Dambi Uddo Exporters work with small groups of farmers in the region to ensure their coffee makes it to the best possible market. Daanisa sub-kebele takes its name from the local name for Dombeya torrida, a deciduous tree with an umbrella-shaped crown that is native to the region. The tree has medicinal properties and is used for wide range of construction purposes. Perhaps more importantly, it is used to shade the region’s coffee trees.

Daanisa sub-kebele takes its name from the local name for Dombeya torrida, a deciduous tree with an umbrella-shaped crown that is native to the region. The tree has medicinal properties and is used for wide range of construction purposes. Perhaps more importantly, it is used to shade the region’s coffee trees.
Bergamot, blackberry and blueberry. Plus 87
Burundi There are 1,802 small farmers living in Gasorwe, Burundi, who deliver the coffee cherry at the Ngogomo Central Wash Station (CWS). In addition to operating nine washing stations in Burundi and processing excellent coffee, Bugestal also works with communities to increase farmers' livelihoods and, therefore, overall equality in coffee producing areas.

The story of coffee production on Ngogomo hill begins with a fisherman. The fisherman had made his livelihood catching fish in a stream near the location where the station is located today. When the fish disappeared, the fisherman, unable to find a reason or solution to the problem of the disappearing fish, switched to coffee farming. Coffee farming proved to be a more stable profession, especially considering the ideal climate and soil composition, which produced high quality cherry. Many of the neighbors of the fisherman–turned–farmer decided to follow suit and began farming their own coffee trees. The successful story of his coffee plants and the good quality of the cherries around the area meant that the people living nearby also started to grow coffee trees.
Pineapple, chocolate and vanilla. Various

Scarlett Coffee Roastery are a boutique coffee roastery and café nestled away in the boundary between Angel and Islington. Taking our name from the brilliant red colour of fully ripened coffee cherries, we want to bring you coffees that are just as fresh and exciting.

All our coffees are single origin and sourced from some of the finest growers across the globe. We roast to highlight and emphasise to the full the unique character that every coffee has to offer, showcasing the farmers’ hard work in all its delicious glory.

Scarlett Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
De Beauvoir 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.

This lot comprises coffees from 12 member farms, all of whose land is between 1700–2100 meters. The farmers pick their coffee during the day and depulp it in the afternoon, typically fermenting the lots for 16–24 hours dry. The coffees are generally washed two or three times before being dried either in small casa elbas, mechanical dryers, or parabolic dryers. The mechanical drying takes between 25–40 hours, while the other drying structures can take up to 15 days.
Almond, molasses, red apple and chocolate. Dark
Ibis (Microlot) Santos Emiliano Bautista López owns the 14.5-hectare farm San Emiliano, where there are 2.5 hectares planted with Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai coffees. Coffee is picked ripe and depulped the following day before being fermented for 24 hours and washed three times. It's dried on patios. Despite its relatively small size, Guatemala’s coffee-producing regions have distinct regional profiles that are influenced primarily by varieties and microclimate. Lots of berry flavour with green grape, cherry and citrus fruit flavours. Various
De Beauvoir Decaf Scarlett’s decaf comes from El Carmen, which is made using the sugar cane process. Sugarcane or Ethyl Acetate decaffeination, is a process which retains impressive cleanliness and flavour within the bean. This process begins with steaming of the coffee, increasing its porosity. The beans are then submerged in water and Ethyl Acetate. E.A is naturally occuring, which is extracted through the fermentation of sugarcane. Chocolate, cranberries and bourbon biscuit. Decaf
Yirgachefe Halu Beriti Halu Beriti Washing Station was established in 2014 and serves 750 smallholder producers, who deliver their coffee in cherry form. Natural lots are dried on raised beds for 8–15 days when the weather is sunny or 15–20 days when it is cloudy.

Coffees in Ethiopia are typically traceable to the washing station level, where smallholder farmers—many of whom own less than 1/2 hectare of land, and as little as 1/8 hectare on average—deliver cherry by weight to receive payment at a market rate. The coffee is sorted and processed into lots without retaining information about whose coffee harvest is in which bag or which lot.
Toffee sweetness and very floral, with berries and cherries notes. Plus 87

Founded in Stockholm in 2017, Muttley & Jacks is a prize winning micro-roastery delivering hand-roasted speciality grade coffee to homes and cafes throughout Europe. They aim to live the values of quality, transparency and approachability in all that they do.

Whenever possible, Muttley & Jacks spend time at origin, meeting with the people who grow and process theur coffees. Muttley & Jacks’ input helps producers to improve quality year after year and allows farmers to receive higher prices for their harvest. They do all they can to ensure that, from seed to cup, the coffee you enjoy has a positive impact on the farmer, the environment and you.

With an approach to roasting that is a blend of art and science, Muttley & Jacks take care to get to intimately know each lot of coffee that passes through their roastery, experimenting with different roast profiles until they reach the magic formula. Their aim with roasting is always to allow the unique characteristics of the individual coffees shine through and for you to enjoy the most delicious cup possible.

Muttley & Jacks  |  Sweden

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Guatemala Finca La Bendicion Finca La Bendicion, meaning “the Blessing” in Spanish, is located in the village of El Paraiso, La Libertad municipality in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. The land is deep and fertile with a lot of calcium carbonate while chalum shade trees, which are good at fixing nitrogen, improve the soil and protect and shade coffee trees.

Edelfo Hidalgo Don Roger, owner of Finca la Bendicion, got an education and became a school teacher in the 1970s. He returned to teach in his community. Knowing he wanted to do more than teach, Don Roger saved his money. He soon purchased his first parcel of coffee land and thus, became a coffee grower.
Milk chocolate, nougat, orange zest and rose. A pleasant and sweet coffee. Plus 87
Colombia San Joaquin Narino Pablo Cordova as his relatives have dedicated their entire life to coffee production, he says, he loves to see how this tradition has been inherited to his sons and grandsons, due to coffee he´s been able to give to his family a good quality of life, now he wants to take a step forward, he is thinking of retirement, but before he does that, he would like to teach his offspring how to produce an even better quality coffee with organic practices in order access to more international markets and succeed in this labor. They know they need to learn a lot, they have to invest in his farm infrastructure, and they have to face the damage caused by climate change, however, Pablo’s family feel much love and passion for this profession and for their roots. They believe this is the best way to generate more value in their product. Pablo grows Caturra, Colombia and Castillo. Hibiscus, florals, raspberries, red berries, milk chocolate, hazelnut, soft fruity juicy. All the purple fruits, very complex. Plus 87
Indonesia Frinsa Weninggalih Wildan and his wife Atieq started their first coffee project in Sindangkerta, Weninggalih area in 2010. This later became the main growing area at he’s farm Java Frinsa Estate. Since the first year of production, Wildan has aimed to focus on quality which requires meticulous attention and processes. While the majority of Indonesian producers are doing the wet hulled coffees, even for specialty, Wildan is focusing on the fully washed. Besides the quality, and social and economic impact for the community, we believe the coffee project also have long term benefits for water conservation and reforestation.

Frinsa Estate is located in West Java, locally called Sunda. They have a wetmill as well as a well ventilated storage space and a dry mill. All located at 1400 masl altitude. This means they are in fully control of their product from harvest to grading, sorting and shipment.
Black tea with lemon, and dried fruit, verbena and chocolate underneath. Sweet and bright. Rest of World
Peru La Palta FElias Gomez Muños grew up on a coffee farm and has been dedicated to coffee growing for as long as he can remember. He was proud to inherit a portion of his father’s farm and begin cultivating coffee there. However, he soon faced difficulties with his cultivation techniques, and he felt dismayed at his first years’ small yield. Upon hearing his dilemma, his wife of many years, also a child of coffee farmers, suggested that he join a cooperative for technical training. Elias joined Coopagro in 2017 and has found it to be a continuous learning experience.

“Coopagro helped us grow and believe in ourselves,” Elias says. “The technical assistance provided us with the knowledge and tools necessary to get a good coffee and get a good price in the market.” Today, Elias sends his children to school in a nearby city. He feels it is important to inspire his children to continue coffee growing, which he feels that now, more than ever, can be a viable livelihood. “My farm is growing. My family’s quality of life has improved. In my community, we strive to get quality coffee. We take care of our flora and fauna. We spread our coffee pride because this has to pass from generation to generation.”
Caramel and red berries, aroma of vanilla. Sweet. Rest of World

KUDU Coffee was established in 2013 in Attica, Greece. Through their rich variety of coffees, KUDU promotes quality in taste. In particular, KUDU focuses on the collection, roasting and distillation of coffee beans, in order to bring out the unique taste and aroma of each coffee variety. This intense focus from origin to the cup is all aimed at providing KUDU coffee customers with an unparalleled tasting experience.

KUDU Coffees  |  Greece

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Espresso Featuring capsules with origins from Brazil (Empire capsules), Kenya (Oasis capsules), Ethiopia (Faith capsules) and Colombia (Amulet capsules), KUDU bridge the gap between convenience and excellent coffee quality. Mixed Capsules

When The Gentlemen Baristas was established in 2014, they were determined to reinvent these age-old traditions of serving a superb cup of coffee in creative and inspiring surroundings, and providing a meeting point and thinking space for London’s modern day visionaries.

Of course, ‘soot and old shoes’ will no longer satisfy the discerning palate of the 21st century coffee connoisseur, which is why their first and primary aim has always been (and always will be) to showcase at its best the great wealth and variety of coffee available today.

The Gentlemen Baristas Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Deerstalker El Salvador -Since 1985, El Borbollon mill has been processing only the best quality coffees in El Salvador. El Borbollon has continued the Alvarez family time honored tradition of growing, milling and exporting the finest coffees in the country. This lots comes mainly from Bourbon variety that are cultivated on the 13Bou. The excellent growing conditions and the commitment to developing sustainable practices has helped us to harvest the best coffee cherries. All of the coffee is shade grown coffee with flawless processing techniques that brings a delightful Salvadoran coffee profile in the cup. This lots were dried in clay patios with careful control to achieve the ideal moisture content at the final drying phase.

Brazil - Wander da Silva Guerra was born and raised in a rural area near Piumhi, Minas Gerais. After more than 30 years producing coffee and at 87 years old, he still leaves home every single day at 6am. With his lunchbox in hand he goes to his farms and works on the coffee trees with his employees.

Sumatra - Permata Gayo was established after the conflict in Aceh and registered on 15th March 2006. In November 2007 the cooperative gardens of all 468 members were Organic Certified (USDA/NOP,EU).Since 4th June 2008 the cooperative has been Fairtrade Certified. And in Nov 2008 Permata Gayo applied its own Organic certificate to new farmers.
Dark chocolate, brazil nuts, plum acidity and a liquorice finish. Dark
Gatsby Finca La Reforma was established by Rafael Alvarez L. in 1892 in the slopes of the Santa Ana Volcano. Now, it is owned by Hermanos Alvarez Diaz, the fourth generation from this coffee family. La Reforma is planted with red bourbon variety and is cultivated under native shaded trees which improves and conserves the soil and provides habitat for birds. This lot has been prepared under high-quality standards set by El Borbollon mill which has more than a hundred years of experience growing and exporting coffees within the family.

This lot comes from Bourbon variety grown on the highests plots of Finca La Reforma and only those day lots that score above AA grading has been selected to become part of this offering. El Borbollon has been excelling the art of preparing exemplary coffees from origin to meet with the evolving requirements set by coffee buyers worldwide.
Cacao, orange zest and cherry liquour. Plus 87
Pretender SHB Gentlemen's Baristas believe that just because you choose to drink decaf, it doesn’t mean you should have to compromise on quality. This coffee will always be a dark, wonderfully rich roast and is both Organic and Fairtrade. It undergoes decaffeination by the Swiss Water Process making it a much more environmentally method that still produces an impressive cup of coffee.

A decaf drinker, no matter how vilified by the coffee world, should be allowed to enjoy a fantastic cup of coffee as much as the next person. In blind tasting, you should not be able to tell the difference between caffeinated and decaf, which is why GB put as much energy into sourcing great varietals for this as they do all our other blends.
Cherry, caramel and dark chocolate. Decaf
Bowler Muranga county is located between Nyeri and Thika in the heart of traditional Kikuyu territory. The region has a strong history in coffee production dating back around 100 years. The terroir is characterised by cool highlands boasting well drained and fertile red-brown clay soils. The Muranga factory is serviced by fresh water running from the slopes of Mt Kenya and the Aderdare mountain range.

The combination of high elevation, cool temperatures, good water supply and abundant sunshine allows the coffees from the region to mature slowly, producing exceptional complexity in the cup.
Blackcurrant, white grape and cherry cola. Plus 87
Propeller For this washed microlot, each of the farmers processed their own coffee with the same regimen to maintain consistency and quality throughout. This lot is made up of coffee from 7 neighbouring smallholders in the community of Santa Barbara in Huehuetenango, led by Marcos López Gomez. Marcos founded his family farm back in 2008 and it cultivates the varieties of Catuai and Catimor at an altitude of 1921 metres above sea level. With a side business offering agronomy services and roasted coffee, he is well placed to represent the other farmers in his community. Green apple, white grapes, pineapple and coconut cream. Various
Stovepipe Brazil - Wander da Silva Guerra was born and raised in a rural area near Piumhi, Minas Gerais. At a young age, he established his own retail business, where he worked almost all his life. When his three children were grown up, he decided to pursue his greatest passion in life: agriculture, establishing his first coffee farm in 1982. After more than 30 years producing coffee and at 87 years old, he still leaves home every single day at 6am. With his lunchbox in hand he goes to his farms and works on the coffee trees with his employees.

Rwanda - Thirty eight of the 252 hectares were planted with Bourbon Mayaguez 139 seedlings when the washing station was established, around 2,000-2,500 in each hectare. The cultivar itself most likely originated from the island of Reunion (The same place the original Bourbon mutation was first noted), together with Jackson that is also widely found in Rwanda, and a Bourbon mutation. The third commonly found cultivar, Bourbon Mayaguez 71, could have come from Ethiopia, introduced via the Congo. These varietals are common in Rwanda in part due to only approved varietals being able to be grown, ensuring the suitability of the varietals for the conditions, but restricting genetic diversity from the nurseries.
Marzipan, chocolate, Bakewell tart and blueberry. Selected Mix
Top Hat Santa Luz farm is situated approximately 20 kilometres away from Jinotega and is adjacent to the Datanli el Diablo nature reserve, which is an important biological reserve in the Jinotega area. The microlot covers 311 hectares, of which 180 hectares are currently dedicated to the production of coffee. The farms height above sea level varies between 1,300 to 1,400 metres, with a small river which runs from West to East, joining the Jiguina River, and the Apanas Lake in the East. This farm has been Rainforest Alliance Certified since 2003. Apricot jam, malted biscuits and caramel finish. Plus 87

Sendero Coffee explore remote coffee growing regions and work with local families and cooperatives directly sourcing outstanding Arabica coffee beans. Their coffees are handpicked and roasted in small batches for an exquisite taste and aroma in every cup.

Sendero Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
100% Arabica Featuring capsules with origins from Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Uganda, expect a burst of flavours from these high speciality grade capsule coffees. Mixed Capsules

GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.

GUSTATORY Curation TeamMay 27, 2020