Tasting Notes: May 2024 Coffees
Tane coffee roasters nare a relatively new coffee roastery, a collective, based in Leuven of Belgium whose aim is to provide you with incredible, traceable single origin coffees; they do not offer blends to ensure the flavour profile isn’t compromised. They also do not roast different profiles for filter and espresso, instead offering only one optimized profile which creates one great experience. Spending a long time researching one of the most sustainable ways of packaging their coffee, they've found, weirdly enough, that a 100% recycled PET bottles are the solution as these can be reused again and again. And again...
Tane Coffees | Belgium
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masha, Burundi | Masha coffee washing station shares its name with the sub-hill upon which it stands. The sub-hill is actually more famous for its cattle than its coffee. The name Masha comes from the Kirundi word “amasho”, meaning “herds of cattle”. The sub-hill has been a crossroad for many herds in the region. Many of the local herders greet each other with a unique phrase only used in this region. They say, “gira amasho”, which means “owner of cows”.
Masha station was built in 1989. The majority of farmers who deliver cherry are subsistence farmers. Farmers intercrop their trees with food crops and other cash crops to feed and support their families. |
Citrus, fruit and marzipan Process: honey |
Single / Light, Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Kibingo, Burundi | Kibingo washing station is in the commune of Kayanza in northern Burundi. The station itself sits 1,893 meters above sea level. The altitude of the farms in the neighboring hills that supply the washing station varies from 1,700 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Kibingo serves 3,515 registered coffee growers, spread over 18 hills in the area. All producers registered at a Greenco washing station are organized in groups of 30 people, headed by a farm leader. This leader acts as a spokesman to facilitate communication and organization with the washing station.
The washing station is equipped with 10 fermentation tanks, 2 soaking tanks and a drying field with 165 drying tables and 4 pre-drying tables. Kibingo can process 750,000 kg of cherry per day.At the washing station, farmers can obtain organic fertilizer from composted coffee pulp. To promote farm renovation, producers can get low-cost, subsidized coffee seedlings at the washing station. Each station has its own nursery for this purpose. |
Berries, stone fruit, cacao and honey Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Mujer Prosperidad, Peru | he goal is to strengthen the leadership capacities of female members and generate a culture of gender equality. Prosperidad de Chirinos has done an excellent job assessing gender-based challenges and forming the activities of Cosecha de Mujer in a way that addresses those inequalities. The program heavily focuses on skills training in leadership, farming, improving coffee quality and small-scale business management. Part of the program is also support on food farming for self-sufficiency. Surpluses can be sold in the market for additional income.
The name “Cosecha de Mujer”, which translates into “harvest of women”, highlights the hard work of female farmers on the farm and in the household with childcare, food preparation and more. There is a built-in-premium of $15 per 69kg bag that goes to supporting the Cosecha de Mujer program. Cosecha de Mujer offers a wide range of programs and trainings for female members including financing, health projects, training and more. They offer leadership training courses for women and youth, a food and craft fair to encourage income diversification and have built 20 drying modules to help members produce high-quality coffees. Prosperidad de Chirinos was founded in 1968. Today, they have 817 members, a full quarter of whom are women. In total, the cooperative cultivates about 2,200 hectares in San Ignacio, Cajamarca. The high altitudes of the mountainous San Ignacio region provide ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality coffees. The cooperative has an extensive array of programs and opportunities for farming members. In addition to agronomic support and financing, farmers can learn sensory evaluation and how to diversify their incomes through other agricultural projects such as beekeeping and farming avocadoes. They also offer quality awards for outstanding coffees each year. Managers and farmer-leaders are given additional training in management skills, financial literacy and good governance. There is also a youth committee that is focused on supporting and empowering young producers. A partnership with the National University of Jaén supports university education for 10 children of cooperative members each year. |
Chocolate, fruity and rich Process: washed |
Selected Mix, Blend / Darker, Bloom, PERCENT |
| Las Llantas, El Salvador | Tis again time for another PSYCHEDELIC coffee in the roastery! Second-generation coffee producer, Jose Enrique Gutierrez is dedicated to producing high-quality coffees in a sustainable manner. His family produced coffee in the eastern region of El Salvador but left due to low coffee prices and a civil war in the 1980s. Nevertheless, coffee is Jose’s passion and, when he purchased his first farm in 2007, he did so with a specialty mindset.
Finca Las Llantas is named for the car tires placed at the entrance, which serve as chairs where visitors can take in a spectacular view. Jose mixes traditional agronomic knowledge with his own ideas for more sustainable practices. The specialty industry provided a stable price that, with his quality production, enabled him to increase his land and purchase additional farms. Today, all of his farms, San Jose, El Limo, Las Brisas, El Horno and Los Cocos are focused on specialty production. |
Chocolate and stone fruit Process: anaerobic natural |
Premium |
| Tumbaga, Colombia | The perfect late-night coffee that tastes like dreams and bedtime stories. It took us a while but we finally found a decaf that we can present to you without selling our soul. This 'decaf de caña' is an outstanding Colombian coffee that is decaffeinated using ethyl-acetate derived from sugarcane. It's not only super tasty but also the most sustainable decaf we could find. Instead of shipping coffee around the globe to get it decaffeinated, everything was done in Colombia.
A decaf that doesn't taste sub-standard is hard to find, but we did it. Pretty sure all our competitors who feel the same way about decaffeinated coffee also bought Tumbaga. You can fool a lot of people in thinking this is normal coffee so make any coffee geek question their sanity by serving it to them. |
Apple, cherry, berry and chocolate Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
DAK coffee roasters was founded in 2019 by Louis-Philippe Boucher. Originally from Montreal, Canada, his passion for coffee began during his young professional years. After working many years in the Finance and Venture Capital industry, Louis-Philippe decided to make the big move and leave everything behind to follow this passion, learning a lot along the way. Much like with wine and beer, Louis-Philippe wants people to discover the breadth and understand the complexity of flavors that coffee can offer.
Today, DAK have become an instant hit in the speciality coffee world. On a journey to discover and help their customers appreciate the many ways coffee can be brewed, served and enjoyed, Louis-Philippe truly believes that every coffee beverage is unique in its own way and deserves a dedicated roast that is able to celebrates this characteristic.
DAK Coffees | Netherlands
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watermelon Drops, Colombia | The wildest field blend from Colombia processed by Nestor's Lasso. Expect a fruit bomb with notes of watermelon, passion fruit and milk chocolate. In collaboration with Cata Export, we sourced a grade 2 field blend processed with Nestor's Lasso profile and the result is impeccable! |
Watermelon, passionfruit, chocolate and fruity Altitude: various masl, Process: advanced fermentation |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Grape Club, Peru | Unavailable | Cherry, grape and white chocolate Process: natural |
Plus 87, Selected Mix |
| Honeymoon, Colombia | One of our favourite washed Colombian of the year! A chiroso (native Ethiopian variety) that has all the qualities of a washed Ethiopian. Tasting notes of honey, lemon peel, rhubarb and melon. For this particular coffee, our filter and espresso roast is exactly the same as it performs fantastic for both.
Las Perlitas represents various small lots from farms across all of our main regions: Huila, Antioquia and Nariño. These farms typically range in elevation from 1,600 to 2.100 m.a.s.l. in which the focus is growing quality varieties. Behind the coffee contributing to the Las Perlitas lot, are small farmers committed to producing high quality coffee through experimentation and constant improvement. |
Honey, lemon, rhubarb and melon Altitude: 1900 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Floralista, Colombia | Unavailable | Red berries, jasmine and caramel Altitude: 1900 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Dulcedo, Brazil | And another Brazil...! We have been so lucky this season with amazing Brazilian coffees and this one hits the spot. A sweet, creamy and round Yellow Bourbon from Fazenda do Saltowith tasting notes of orange liquor, sweet caramel and chocolate fudge.
Sul de Minas (South of Minas Gerais) is one of the first coffee producing areas in Brazil. Fazenda do Salto which has a long history that goes back 100 years ago. When you think of a classic, traditional Brazilian coffee farm, this is the role model, with rolling meadows of coffee as far as your eye can reach. Otávio Reis is the 5th generation and three generations of the family currently manage this farm together. Both Otávio’s parents are centenary on the coffee business and it is inevitable that coffee is in his blood, already before he was even born. The name of the farm is related to the other passion of the family namely horses. ‘Salto’ means ‘Jump’ in Portuguese and the family achieved many prices in competitions. During our visit we had the opportunity to ride the “Mangalarga Marchador” horses to explore the farm, to see how the harvesting machines harvest the coffee plants during the night. The same machines we had the chance to drive during the day! |
Caramel, orange and chocolate brownie Altitude: 1100 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Jelly, Colombia | Unavailable | Acai berries, strawberry, clove and pomegranate. Process: carbonic natural |
Premium |
| The Alchemist, Rwanda | An experimental natural Rwandan coffee from Gasharu farms. Incredibly sweet, this fruit bomb has strong flavours of ripe tropical fruits, mango and cacao nibs.
This experimental lot is inspired by the emotional connection of the producer's family to the coffee community as a whole. Coffee farming, processing, and distribution for consumption have been kept in silos and their family believes this can change. The idea of this coffee is to provide the most authentic coffee cup of Rwandan coffee to coffee lovers, making the consumer think of the producer as the grower also keeps the buyer in mind when processing the coffee. |
Tropical fruits, mango and cacao Altitude: 1750 masl, Process: experimental natural |
Plus 87, Single / Light, Selected Mix |
| Riviera, Bolivia | An experimental lot from the Los Rodriguez family in Caranavi based in Bolivia. This is a geisha variety from Don Carlos that was fermented in the river at Finca Las Alasitas. The result is quite boozy and fruity - not your usual delicate geisha profile! It reminds us of jammy raspberries, cherry syrup and cantaloupe. This one is for people that love fermented coffees with a boozy touch but in a very refined way.
The cherries were picked at night and then packed in ecotac bags. The bags were closed with no air and were left in the river next to Finca Alasitas. The water of the river is cold and continuously moves so it creates movement for the cherries and the fermentation is is quite controlled due to stable water temperature and continuous motion. The left were fermented this way for 4 days. The coffee was then dried in the coco dryers at the Caranavi wet mill. |
Raspberry, cherry and canteloupe Altitude: 1650 masl, Process: experimental natural (geisha) |
Premium |
Fuglen coffee roasters are another favourite of ours who are rightly regarded as one of the world's very best. We're always rather humbled to be able to offer you Fuglen, testament to what GUSTATORY has become - because of you, our community - in which Fuglen are absolutely one of Europe's finest who are very strict and selective with the third parties they partner with.
With six retro-design espresso bars in Oslo and Tokyo, Fuglen roast and source only the freshest coffee they can find, offering small lots as directly as possible from who they believe are the best coffee growers around the world. Roasting lightly in a true Nordic style to enhance all the good, natural flavours of coffee without adding any roasty tones, Fuglen showcases the vast difference of flavours and terroir uniqueness that the world of coffee has to offer.
Fuglen Coffees | Norway / Japan
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Yuc, Guatemala | Unavailable | Lemon, lingonberry and rose Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Jaime Cardenas, Costa Rica | Jaime Cardenas first began producing coffee in 2005. He named his coffee farms after his children and this coffee comes from farm Emanuel. Jaime started with little knowledge of the industry, but soon began producing high grade coffee.
Jaime is meticulous with his coffee production and takes care to maintain high standards within production. At Sin Límites micro-mill he dries his coffee on concrete beds that are sheltered to protect from rain. During the drying process he turns the coffee and sorts by hand to remove defect beans. This particular coffee was processed using the Red Honey method which incorporates elements of both natural processed and washed coffees. Some of the best Red Honey coffees can have a quality round sweetness whilst retaining some delicate acidity similar to a washed coffee, and this coffee is no exception. |
Pomegranate, melon, fruit and white tea Altitude: 1500 masl, Process: honey |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Gishubi, Burundi | This is our second year purchasing coffee from The Long Miles Coffee project with help from Osito. Long Miles Coffee was founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson in 2011 who moved their whole family to Burundi to start Long Miles.
Heza washing station was the second station to be built by Long Miles and the name means “beautiful place” in Kirundi - the local language Burundi. This washing station is very remote and from here you can see the edge of Kibira, Burundis only indigenous rainforest. During the natural process coffee cherries are floated and then hand-sorted, then taken straight to the drying tables. The whole coffee cherry spends between twenty-five to thirty days drying in its skin, slowly turning from deep red to a prune-like purple-black color when fully dry, reaching the desired 10.5% moisture level. We buy this coffee from The Long Miles Project through Osito. |
Cocoa, blueberry and raisin Altitude: 1950 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Sheka, Ethiopia | Sheka is in the Southwestern part of Ethiopia. Heleanna bought a 150 hectare farm there 4 years ago and has slowly developed the landscape which is steep and remote with a difficult access.
Initially there were mixed varieties planted here but Heleanna and her team have been trying to create plots of land with specific varieties suitable for the area. The land is rich and covered in dense indigenous forests which provide habitat for wildlife and perfect growing conditions for coffee. Coffee is floated and then dried on Elevated African Beds. During this time the coffee is monitored and defects are removed. We buy this coffee directly from Heleanna Georgalis. |
Strawberry, gooseberry and hazelnut Altitude: 2200 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
Made in Oxford, Missing Bean became Central Oxford's first independently owned coffee shop in 2009. A small, passionate coffee team who oversee everything from sourcing, to roasting, working with wholesale clients, and making perfect coffees for all their customers, Missing Bean's coffee shops are equally laid-back and welcoming spots. All single origin specialty coffees, brewed just the way you like it.
Missing Bean Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baru Black Mountain, Panama | Baru Black Mountain is located in the north of Panama, in the province of Chiriqui and close to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed “La Amistad” National Park. After having had a successful professional career in Spain, Pedro Rodriguez Escribano decided to invest in Panama where he bought a cattle farm … and coffee. Initially, he wanted to make a living from his cattle production, but that was without counting on the meeting of his daughter and her future husband, a German passionate about coffee, who pushed him to develop his coffee production.
For 10 years, Pedro has fully invested in his coffee farm and is constantly learning and improving his production methods. This involves in particular the diversification of its varieties which allow it to obtain very good quality coffees. On site, it is Ezequiel Batista, who is the manager and administrator of Baru Black Mountain. He manages relations with producers, processing and harvests and he conveys the importance of good agronomic and post-harvest management, the conservation of biodiversity and the well-being of their collaborators. It's MB's first ever coffee from Panama - we're super excited and hope you enjoy! |
Strawberry, cherry and sugar cane Altitude: 1400 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
| Sakami Jane AB, Kenya | After 24 years of working as a banker, one day, Jane became independent. "I didn't want to be an employee anymore - I wanted to run my own project," she says. Her husband's parents owned a piece of land in the Rift Valley, a beautiful area where mainly tea and maize grow. However, the parents-in-law couldn't manage the estate anymore because they were elderly, and Janes' husband, Richard, was busy with work. Jane took the opportunity and started working on the farm with an open heart and clear head. At first, she only focused on dairy, maize, and pigs, but one day Gloria approached her. She wanted to talk about coffee.
Coffee was not only a way to create independence in a male dominated country, but also a great way to positively impact the surrounding communities. The Rift Valley was ideal for coffee, temperature, rainfall, and altitude. They only needed to let the world know about it. Gloria was working very hard on making this effective and was looking for allies. Jane became instantly interested in coffee. So far, the North of the Rift women's group has accomplished many things. Some are tangible, others not so much, but we are so proud of them for managing so much, and the results are encouraging; not only has her coffee traveled worldwide, but it has also been highly scored. Besides this, as of this year, Jane can now sell her coffee directly without going to an auction. Quite a break for Jane! |
Watermelon, peach, prune and black tea Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: washed |
Single / Light, Selected Mix |
| Las Isabelas, El Salvador | Unavailable. | Honey, chocolate and hazelnut Process: washed |
Selected Mix, PERCENT, Blend / Darker |
| Galeras, Colombia | 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, warehouses and it works with more than 300 smallholder farmers all over the Nariño department. The farmers are paid premiums on top of the market price. These premiums incentivise high quality standards and good agricultural practices, like avoiding the usage of glyphosate and other chemicals.
This lot of decaffeinated coffee consists of small batches of beans from farms around the Galeras Volcano. This coffee was decaffeinated using the Ethyl Acetate (EA) decaffeination process. Ethyl acetate is produced by esterification between ethyl alcohol, which is derived from the fermentation of sugar cane, and acetic acid. The green coffee is submerged in a wash of water and ethyl acetate, during which the ethyl acetate bonds with the caffeine in the coffee and begins to extract it from the green seeds. The EA solution is flushed and the process is repeated until reaching a minimum decaffeination level of 97%. Finally, the green coffee is steamed to remove any remaining ethyl acetate from the seeds. |
Caramel, apple and dark chocolate Altitude: 1850 masl, Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
After more than a decade of setting goals, experiencing remarkable moments, travelling to exciting places and meeting inspiring people around the world of coffee — in 2019 Sweven have decided to settle down and begin a new journey. A journey that has reflected on the founders' vision and perception for execution of quality and service, excellence and dedication to craft. A craft of roasting and sharing the finest and most dynamic coffees they could possibly source. To build concrete relationships that last lifetime and proven friendships through sharing special moments. Moments that leave memories and stories that become legends. It’s the dream come true and a dream they simply called Sweven.
Sweven Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finca El Diviso, Colombia | A rare and exotic mutation of Caturra varietal grown and processed immaculately by our dear friends Nestor and Adrian Lasso. Incredibly sweet like icing sugar combined with bright tropical citrus acidity and distinct herbaceous aromatics.
This micro-lot is made up of Chiroso which is believed to be a natural mutation of the Caturra variety which has been historically planted around the Urrao region of Antioquia, Colombia. Nestor and Adrian are masters when it comes to producing and processing high end coffees and this lot is no exception with advanced processing application tailored by them after a lot of trial and error. In step one the cherries are hand picked and manually selected only by the ripest colour and then the cherries are left to oxidise for 16hours at room temp at around 22C. The next step the cherries undergo anaerobic fermentation in sealed tanks for 38hours at average temp between 16C-18C. The cherries are then passed through pulping tanks and left to oxidise for 6hours and then the cherries are being de pulped. In the next step the cherries are oxidised again for 6hours without the fruit (only with mucilage) and then the beans are submerged in water mixed with Mossto for 24hours at temp 32C. Once the fermentation is complete, a thermal shock is carried out: the coffee is washed in hot water at 65C-70C and then washed in cold water at 15C. And finally the beans are left to dry in marquesinas with controlled temperature of 30C for 18-24days or until reaching 11% moisture content. This complex process alongside with the Chiroso mutation results in a cup profile that is truly exceptional and unique in its own way. |
Strawberry, lychee and cherry bakewell Process: washed thermal shock |
Premium |
| Majorelle, Ecuador | A stunning representation of our favourite varietal produced by an ambitious young producer and our dear friend Grego Andrade.
Marjorelle was born in 2016 as a project from the Andrade Ochoa Family. The farm has 38 hectares of which 20 are dedicated to coffee production. The farm is located in a unique natural biosphere of the Amazonian Andes in Ecuador, it sits between the active volcano Reventador and the dormant volcano Cayambe. The farm is also inside ‘Coca-Cayambe Natural Reserve’ which is incredibly rich in biodiversity and home to many unique species of plants, trees and animals. The growing conditions in the farms are challenging because of the high humidity and annual rainfall. Although Marjorelle has a natural fungicide and fertiliser which is the ashes that the Reventador volcano is constantly casting over the area. This helps the plant’s health enormously. The soil is a fine sandy loam. The cherries of this tiny Sidra lot are washed, selected by hand on a raised bed and then fermented in bags for 12 hours. The coffee is then pulped and washed before being laid on African beds inside ventilated polytunnels for controlled drying. We have come across this farm by a very lucky accident when blind cupping new harvest samples in Quito during our visit in Ecuador. The two owners – a sweet couple Marcelo and Catalina Andrade were at the cupping and we instantly felt the warmth and charisma in their presence and we absolutely fell in love with their coffees. As we were cupping along Marcelo mentioned that his son Grego is a student at Cardiff University and as soon as we returned back home Grego paid us a visit at our coffee shop to share some coffees with us just before his graduation. Grego is now back home and has taken the helm of all things developing the farm and the results are outstanding. This very small lot of Sidra is simply stunning and this is Majorelle’s very first appearance in the UK, it’s a must try! This particular lot was meant to enter the Cup of Excellence in Ecuador this year, but instead it was sent to us due to the limited amount of only 30kg, which sadly wasn’t quite enough to reach the minimum volume required. |
Elderberry, persimmon, lavender and juicy Process: washed |
Premium |
FOWER coffee roasters was founded by Stuart Jamieson in late 2020, taking on a section of an old metal works factory in Strathaven, South Lanarkshire to later become a roastery to be proud of. Finding a unique name for a new coffee business is not easy! The number 4 has always been Stuart's lucky number and has held a recurring significance throughout his life. Pronounced like flower without the L, Fower is old Scot's dialect for four.
The speciality coffee industry can be intimidating at times, especially to those who are unfamiliar with it. FOWER aims to make great-tasting, speciality-grade coffee accessible to as many people as possible without pretentiousness or bias. Whatever your tastes, background or coffee knowledge, FOWER is here to source, roast, grind and brew great coffee for you.
FOWER Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casa Negra, Colombia | A great example of Colombian coffee delivering delicious, sweet toffee and chocolate notes with a red apple finish. Produced by Carlos Arcila in the volcanic soils of the Armenia, Quindio area of Colombia. | Red apple, toffee and chocolate Altitude: 1350 - 1400 masl, Process: washed |
Selected Mix, PERCENT, Blend / Darker |
| San Jose Ocana, Guatamala | This delicious coffee is from Finca San Jose Ocana located in San Juan Sacatepequez in the south of Guatemala. The coffee is grown around 2000 meters above sea level. The farm believe in producing high quality coffee in a sustainable manner. This coffee delivers a big fruity profile with notes of strawberry, marmalade and plum. This coffee is a roastery favourite that we are delighted to have. | Stawberry jam, marmalade and plum Altitude: 2000 masl, Process: honey |
Bloom, Plus 87, Single / Light |
| Popayan Decaf, Colombia | Popayan is located in the department of Cauca at 1700 masl. This regions topography is perfect to grow exceptional coffee! This decaffeination process is unique. The caffeine is extracted using sugar cane and water which enhances sweetness while maintaining coffee attributes. This is a great coffee in it's own right while also being decaffeinated. | Caramel, vanilla and mandarin Altitude: 1700 masl, Process: sugarcane EA decaf |
Decaf |
Cupper's Choice do not want to just be another coffee roasters - the world has enough of those. They want to stand out for all the right reasons. This is why they have made it their absolute-no-compromises mission to buy their beans ethically, either directly from the farmers in producing countries, or if necessary, from green bean importers whom have proven to have the same ethos as them.
Cupper's Choice want to ensure that farmers gets as much money from the buying process as they can, which reduces poverty, and ultimately produces more consistent and experimental coffee in the long run. Every coffee they put on the shelf or send out to customers will be a product of these relationships, and you will be a part of that too. It will taste incredible, and you can feel proud while drinking it.
Cuppers Choice Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don Pancho, Honduras | We’re really into this coffee. It’s one of my favourite ever Honduras’s... Hondurans... Honduri? I’m honestly not sure there. We selected this lot when Langdon Coffee Merchants brought Benjemin Paz through for a cupping event. The event was amazing, we cupped about 15 different lots, and learned about how Benjemin uses his name and expertise to boost the profiles and earnings of producers in Santa Barbara.
We learned some other stuff too, less fun stuff. Like how Carlos Portillo has had to migrate to the US in order to support his family and the farm. That’s mad. The sad fact is, whether you’re producing amazing coffees or not, independent coffee farming is so hard to make sustainable. |
Apricot, passionfruit and caramel Altitude: 1450 masl, Process: washed |
Bloom, Plus 87, Selected Mix, Single / Light |
| Koerintji, Indonesia | The Koerintji Barokah Bersama Co-op live and farm at the foot of Mount Kerinci, Sumatra. The tallest volcano in Indonesia, its historic eruptions have assured that the surrounding area is lush and verdant with a deep supply of fertile volcanic soil.
The K.B.B is made up of 320 producing members, headed by managing director Triyono. He leads farmers in all aspects of coffee production, even including roasting and cupping in on site facilities, pretty dope considering they only established in 2017. For each sack sold a co-op member gets an avocado shade tree and guidance on cultivation, hurray for shade grown eco diverse coffee farming and guacamole. |
Mango, orange and green tea Altitude: 1500-1700 masl, Process: anaerobic honey |
Bloom, Plus 87 |
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.