Tasting Notes: March 2020 Coffees
April Coffee Roasters are an innovative roastery rooted in Copenhagen with the vision to progress the way they roast coffee. They believe that where you are matters. It shapes you as a person and a company, that is why April established themselves in Copenhagen. April is an extension of their interpretation of the city. At April they focus on roasting coffee. It’s their profession and their passion.
April Coffees | Denmark
| Coffee | Information | Notes | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caturra, Volcan Azul | Volcan Azul is a truly remarkable coffee estate located in the Alajuela region of Costa Rica and overseen by Don Alejo Castro. This is the fifth generation of his family to tend to the land. Alejo is an incredibly knowledgeable farmer and the estate has a rich history, which can be clearly traced back to the late 19th century. The farm produces a vast variety of cultivars and varietals, such as Catuai, Caturra, Obata, Villa Sarchi and Gesha. Alejo continues to propagate new varietals every season, with the objective to continuously experiment and add diversity to his harvest. This lot of Caturra and Catuai has been evenly washed processed on the estate before shipping directly to April in Denmark. | Milk chocolate, brown sugar and red cherry. | Selected Mix, Single Origin |
| Bourbon, Bugoyi | This is the fourth season that April have purchased coffee from Rwanda, and each year they've decided to source from a different coffee growing region. This washed processed lot of bourbon was grown and harvested within the Rutsiro district in Western Rwanda. This cooperatively grown lot was fully washed processed at the Bugoyi washing station on the shores of Lake Kivu, with the processing overseen by Emmanuel Rusatira. The careful selection of cherries and excellent processing provides a tea like yet intense cup with bright and clean acidity. You can expect to find light floral and herbal notes alongside tropical fruit, followed by a finish of red berries. | Tropical fruit, herbs and berries. | Plus 87 |
LIPPE has been an important player in the Norwegian coffee scene since 1998, moving into the roasting game in 2008. The coffee from LIPPE is characterized by fresh deliveries, a clear and distinct taste profile, predictability, the right price and professional follow-up.
LIPPE Coffees | Norway
| Coffee | Information | Notes | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico, Espresso Decaf | Swiss Water Processed (SWP) decaffeinated coffees are free of added chemicals and processed using the cleanest water possible. SWP is also dedicated to aiding initiatives that support sustainability and the livelihoods of producers around the world. Certified organic from supplier. LIPPE certification soon to be added. | Sweet and balanced. | Decaf |
| Los Alpes, Colombia | Los Alpes has belonged to Mauricio Lucuara ́s family since 2008. However, his family has been producing coffee for 4 generations, after the decision was taken to turn the land turn into a prosperous specialty coffee plot shortly after purchasing it. He and his wife, Maribel Andrade, found coffee provided them with a stable source of income, but it also became a passion of theirs. They know that a great cup of coffee comes from hard work and dedication to every step of the production process. It taught them that being careful with the details is essential to achieving excellence. To improve coffee production, Mauricio attended several pieces of training provided by Cooprocafes and InConexus. This partnership encouraged him to start experimenting and try organic practices. All their coffee is certified organic from the the supplier. LIPPE certification will soon be added as well. | Cocoa, toffee, honey melon and raspberries. | Plus 87, Rest Of World |
| Espresso #6 | A blend of coffees from Santa Cristina Farm in Brazil and Bokasso cooperative in Ethiopia. Both coffees are certified organic from supplier. LIPPE certification soon to be added as well. | Dried fruit, chocolate, bitter sweet with a hint of citrus. Smooth and balanced. | Blends |
| Espresso #2 | A blend of coffees from La Esperanza farm in Guatemala and Ilomba in Tanzania. | Blackberries, sweet morels, syrup and chocolate. Relatively high in acidity but roasted enough to provide punch in the taste that will cut through the milk. | Rest Of World |
MOK Coffee are a micro roastery from Belgium. They always aim for the very best roasting and brewing to bring you the finest coffee experience. All of their coffee is roasted on a Giesen W15, which means they roast in small batches of 10 - 15kg. Roasting in such small volumes allows MOK to fully control the roasting process, making sure that the tasting profile of the bean is just right. Aslo,thanks to a close relationship with coffee traders, they always know the origin of their coffee beans.
MOK Coffees | Belgium
| Coffee | Information | Notes | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolivia / Honduras Decaf | A sumptuous decaf blend featuring coffees from both Bolivia and Honduras. All the taste and all the flavour, just none of the decaf thanks to the Swiss Water Decaf process - an entirely chemical free process might we add. Decaf done right. | Toffee, hazelnut and chocolate. | Decaf |
| Tessima Edima | After buying Tessema's Operation Cherry Red lot from the Trabocca auction last year, we are pleased to be continuing our relationship. This year Tessema introduced a 72h fermentation, putting the depulped cherries in a tank under full immersion with renewed water every 24hrs. This process made sure the complete mucilage was removed during fermentation, resulting in an incredibly clean amd aromatic coffee clearly produced with a lot precision and quality control. | Peach, lavender and black tea. | Plus 87, Rest Of World |
Red Bank is driven by three key principles - quality, traceability and sustainability. They select only coffees that demonstrate high levels of each of these criteria to roast on their eco-friendly Loring at our base in the heart of the Lake District. Red Bank roast each coffee as sympathetically as possible to allow the inherent qualities to express themselves fully in the cup. All they hope is that you enjoy drinking their coffee as much as they enjoy sourcing and roasting it for you!
Red Bank Coffees | UK
| Coffee | Information | Notes | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala Seasonal | Redbank's current seasonal decaf is the decaffeinated version of their ever-popular Mountain Rescue coffee. It is grown by ten smallholder farmers based around the town of San Antonio Huista in Guatemala's famed Huehuetenango region, and was sourced via their importing partner Primavera. | White chocolate, sugar cane and peach. | Decaf |
| Penny Rock | Penny Rock is Redbank's Great Taste Award winning coffee from Daterra, one of the most pioneering and inspirational farms in the world. Named in homage to a beauty spot on the shores of Grasmere, Redbank's spiritual home, they select Penny Rock from seasonal crop to deliver a cup of coffee that bears all the classic hallmarks of coffee from the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil - great body, deep chocolate notes, and stone-fruit sweetness. The coffee is well-developed during the roast to accentuate body and sweetness, but is tempered to allow its character room to shine through and express itself in the cup. | Chocolate brownie, sesame snaps and dried apricot. | Selected Mix, Single Origin |
| Suke Quto | The Suke Quto farm was set up by Tesfaye Bekele following a bushfire in the area. In order to conserve the remaining forest he distributed coffee and shade tree seedlings amongst the local community and recruited out-growers to replant the forest. The out-growers harvest the coffee and deliver it to the Suke Quto Farm for processing. With a background in agronomy, horticulture and quality control, producing sustainable, high-quality coffee is at the heart of what Tesfaye is trying to achieve. The farm is organic and Rainforest Alliance certified and participates in revered importer Trabocca’s 'Cherry Red' scheme which rewards Ethiopian farmers for hard work and innovation. The quality of the cup is testament to just how much of each has gone into creating this absolutely stunning lot. | Peach, jasmine and bergamot. | Plus 87 |
As Brazier recognise that you'll probably be drinking coffee every day for the rest of your life, they've developed a range of perfectly crafted blends and fantastic single origins to ensure that you'll never need to have a dull coffee again.
Brazier Coffees | UK
| Coffee | Information | Notes | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Town | This classic medium-dark roasted coffee has full-bodied, smooth flavours. Hand-crafted on our cast iron coffee roaster at our HQ, in Wellington’s historic Victorian wool mills. | Cacao, molasses and fudge. | Dark |
| SW Decaf | This swiss water processed decaf coffee hails from Brazil, the largest coffee producing nation in the world. | Caramel, chocolate and creamy body. | Decaf |
| Altitude Blend | The flagship blend Altitude uses a selection of fresh crop single origins. The high proportion of natural-processed coffee creates its characteristic boozy qualities. A lighter roast style ensures fine, crisp acidity and sweetness. | Caramel, red berry and clementine. | Blends |
| Rwanda Kinini | This coffee comes from a micro-lot in the district of Rulindo (Northern Province) called Karasha, and is processed through the Kinini washing station. | Orange, cane sugar and plum. | Light, Selected Mix |
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.