Tasting Notes: October 2020 Coffees

 Tasting Notes: October 2020 Coffees

Bonanza MAME Morgon Artisan Roast and Climpson And Sons Tasting Notes

Bonanza coffee doesn’t have to taste the way it does but it does. It’s not your typical. It's unnecessarily good. Maybe that's because Bonanza are unnecessarily driven, unnecessarily curious and unnecessarily obsessed. You could say they take things too far and you may actually be right. They say they go places that others wouldn’t. For them too far is exactly where they want to be. All in the name of coffee.

Bonanza Coffees  |  Germany

Coffee Information Notes Packages
El Carmen Decaf After the success of their last Sugarcane Decaf, Bonanza are excited to be able to work with the decaffeinated version of their long standing coffee, El Carmen. This particular coffee comes from Pitalito, Huila in Colombia, and is decaffeinated using a method that soaks the green beans in a solvent produced by fermented sugarcane. Honeycomb, pear and plum. Decaf
Gisheke The Gisheke Washing station is located in the Nyamasheke region of Rwanda, known for its bright, berry-live flavour profiles. Rhubarb, blood orange and elderflower. Single
Bonanza Blend Bonanza are always looking to improve their blend with each new season, using more sustainable and traceable components. The latest version of their blend is their proudest one yet. Their new relationship with Sitio Santa Clara in Brazil gives them a coffee with high quality sweetness and a rich, creamy body. This is balanced out with their favourite Colombian coffee, El Carmen. The result is a well rounded cup with notes of dark chocolate, shortbread and berry jam. Chocolate truffle and dark cherry. Blend
Sasaba (natural) This is Bonanzas 4th year buying from Sasaba and, as always, it is one of the most eagerly anticipated arrivals of the year for them. Tsegay Hagos Tesfeye runs the washing station at Sasaba, supporting around 500 local producers who deliver their coffees throughout the harvest. Milk chocolate, strawberry cream and biscuit. Plus 87
Suke Quto The Suke Quto station and tower Tesfaye Bekele are pioneers of Speciality coffee production in the Guji area of Ethiopia. After devastating fires destroyed most of the local land, new forests were planted alongside coffee trees to enhance the local area. The coffees are produced organically and environmentally friendly, and the economic growth of the community is always at the forefront of the profits. This coffee epitomises Bonanzas love for washed coffees from Guji, packed full of floral and citrus flavours. Candied lemon, butterscoth and bergamot. Plus 87
Parami Timor-Leste is the eastern half of an island located in Southeast Asia. Relatively unknown for its coffee production, though with great potential for high quality coffee. Raw Material have been working together with producers and washing stations to not only push quality, but also monetary return from the coffees. Honey, plum and dandelion. Plus 87
Santa Lucia This is Bonanzas second year buying from Andre Garcia, this time purchasing the entirety of the Yellow Catuai from Fazenda Santa Lucia. This coffee is incredibly sweet and complex, offering unique flavours from the small micro-region of Serra Das Abelhas. In 2016 their hard work culminated them 6th place at the Cup of Excellence. Bonanza are again happy to be supporting Andre and his family and continue to share his amazing coffees with you. Milk chocolate, almond and red apple. Plus 87

Mathieu Theis and Emi Fukahori met each other over coffee championships and fell in love with specialty coffee. They got so fascinated by the world of specialty coffee, they quit our corporate office jobs and founded MAME in Zurich, Switzerland in 2016.

MAME means 'beans' in Japanese. The reference to the Japanese culture brings it with the Kaizen of approach and dedication towards continuous improvement of their coffee. In fact, they both love participating in coffee competitions and see it as a great way to push their knowledge forward. And they’re also pretty competitive and have won a few awards… well, 12. In fact, Emi won the World Brewers Cup Champion in 2018. You can only imagine what their coffee must taste like after that much success. No need to imagine…

MAME Coffees  |  Switzerland

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Pearl If you like your coffee being gentle, easy and chocolatey, Pearl is your buddy. Pearl is named after its round and cute shape, as it's pea berry. MAME met Daterra over the quest of coffee for the World Brewers Cup Championship 2018. Daterra is dedicated to quality and produces coffees in the wide range of flavours. Dark chocolate, creamy and long aftertaste (omniroast) Selected Mix
Abera As a filter, the brew of Abera gives you flavours of strawberry and pineapple in the round mouthfeel. As it cools down, the fruitiness gets even more intense without losing the sweetness. As an espresso, on top of MAMEs favourite flavour in Ethiopian natural coffee - red berry - Abera also gives you tropical fruit notes as well. As a shot of espresso, enjoy the flavours of strawberry and sweet papaya in the velvety mouthfeel. The produce is Abera Irebe and we named the coffee after his name. We purchased this coffee paired with Zelelu through the green coffee importer ally coffee, as our two Ethiopian collections. Pineapple, strawberry and round (filter) / Papaya, strawberry and velvety (espresso) Plus 87
Decaf Espresso shot of this decaf is extremely smooth with the flavour of marzipan and some tropical fruits. It also goes really well with both cow and plant-based milks.

This is our one and only decaffeinated coffee we serve, and is super tasty!
Fruity, marzipan and smooth. Decaf
Full Bloom With the filter roast, If you are a nuts lover then here you go! Pecan and Walnut notes will welcome you in your cup, along with a the velvety mouthfeel. As for the espresso roast, you will have sweet almond biscotti and walnuts notes. The velvety mouthfeel is also present here as well. Enjoyable also with milk or plant-based milks. MAME met Daterra over the quest of coffee for the World Brewers Cup Championship 2018. Daterra is dedicated to quality and produces coffees in the wide range of flavours. Pecan, walnut and velvety (filter) / almond biscotti, walnut and velvety (espresso). Selected Mix
Zelelu As a filter, the brew of Zelelu is gentle and smooth, with flavours of Earl Grey and orange. As It cools down, Earl Grey gets even more floral and the orange turns more lemony. Zelelu as espresso is a beautiful, classic Ethiopian washed coffee. Enjoy the flavours of black tea, bitter orange in the silky mouthfeel. The producers are Zelelu Ararso and his wife Kasech, and MAME named the coffee after their surname. They purchased this coffee paired with Abera through the green coffee importer, Ally Coffee, as their two Ethiopian collections. Earl grey, orange and apricot (filter) Rest of World

Climpson & Sons are old souls in the ever-evolving London specialty coffee scene. Arguably one of the first to set up there, ever since they’ve been at the forefront doing what they do best.

Climpsons take their work pretty seriously; with an ever expanding range of brew methods out there, they are constantly searching for the best flavour profiles and extraction technique to understand how their roasts react in coffee-making equipment. Their sourcing philosophy is primarily directed at flavour and quality, alongside which sits their ethos towards sustainability and ethical sourcing protocols, which ensure the coffees they roast and sell have not only have character but a transparent story. They reward quality by paying a higher price to the producer with the mindset of forming relationships year after year.

Climpson & Sons Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
The Baron From humble Broadway Market beginnings, The Baron has now gained legendary status as a crowd pleasing espresso served in countless cafes, restaurants and living rooms the world over. Working with Daterra for the past 7 years C&S have collectively shifted the expectation of how Brazilian coffees can be sourced, roasted and served. Chocolate, hazelnut and marzipan. Dark
The Estate The Kilenso Mokonisa Cooperative represents more than 2,000 members and exists within the region-wide Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union. Quality coffee has acted as the stepping stone for wider improvements in the communities income, education and now climate change mitigation and resilience.

With most contributing members producing coffee on 2 hectares or less the scale of the cooperatives output is truly a collaborative effort. Here coffee is grown amongst the sustenance crop Enset with farmers hand-picking before delivering their cherries to the cooperatives washing station. The classic Ethiopian washed process uses clean water to seperate any less ripe coffee and the resulting fermentation translates to a crisp, clean and quintessential Sidamo flavour profile.

Tasting notes of milk chocolate, citrus and toffee make this a fan favourite with customers looking for a more complex coffee that sits happily with any brew method you choose to throw at it.
Milk chocolate, orange and toffee. Selected Mix
Decaf This particular lot is the work of a number of smallholder growers from the area of La Plata within the department of Huila. As with all specialty coffee, the cherry is picked and meticulously sorted before depulping and undergoing a classic washed process.

As part of a program initiated by Cafe Imports the next step in decaffeinating is breaking from industry norms (and unnecessary food-miles) with decaf processing occurring in-country before export. Using local natural sugar cane to create Ethyl Acetate, the coffee is soaked in a E.A solution to remove caffeine.
Dark chocolate, caramel and orange rind. Decaf
La Montaña, Guatemala C&Ss first Guatemalan coffee of the year highlights the clean and complex aspects of the renowned Huehuetenango region. Close to the border with Mexico, Huehuetenango offers some of the highest altitudes in Guatemala with the much cooler mountain evenings leading to a slower maturation of cherries and characteristically crisp coffees.

Near the town of San Antonio Huista producer Emilio Villatoro has presided over Finca La Montaña for more than 20 years. At just over a hectare in size his yearly production of 30-35 bags of coffee provides his family’s main source of income. Providing protective shade over these coffee plants are towering Gravileas and Chalun trees with citrus fruit also providing another source of income, sustenance and biodiversity.

Don Emilio uses a precise and methodical approach at harvest time with coffee depulped on the day of picking to immediately separate beans from their fruit. The coffee undergoes a washed fermentation in water for 24 hours followed by a second 12 hour soak to further remove any remaining mucilage. This results in an incredibly smooth appearance that also homogenizes the coffee's moisture content and improves flavour longevity. All processed on his own farm Emilio’s coffee is then dried on sunny patios for a week.
Golden Syrup, praline and baked apple. Single
Broadway Blend C&Ss Broadway Blend emphasises closer farm and import relationships working with many of the same coffees each year, selected for their unique representations of origin and terroir. This is C&Ss go-to balanced espresso on Broadway Market and pairs perfectly with milk.

C&Ss latest Colombian component arrives fresh from Tolima’s December-January harvest cycle. This marks their second purchase from the Cedro Alto Collective, in this case representing the Passiflora smallholders - a group of 20 farmers based in Planadas, Tolima. All contributing members adhere to a strict criteria of farming without the use of synthetic pesticides and maintain native trees as a measure of biodiversity. To help with processing and market access they have partnered with Cedro Alto, a producer-owned exporter that promotes economic sustainability as a means of improving social and environmental conditions. With fixed prices much higher than the commodity market this group is now making more than 5 times their previous yearly income.

For a deeper dive into coffee's real costs of production and financial transparency, Cedro Alto founder Karl Wienhold talked with C&Ss friendly import partner and distinguished ex-Climpson Matt Randell here.

Heading North to Central America, C&S source the other 50% of this blend from C&Ss Honduran partners at the COMSA Cooperative. COMSA (Café Orgánico Marcala) is a growing collective of neighbouring farmers set in Marcala, La Paz. Starting in 2001 with 69 local producers they have set out to improve their communities coffee and livelihoods through sustainable organic production. Now they represent over 1,200 members and provide training in organic farm regeneration, water management and wildlife conservation. The improved quality and prices continue to motivate producing families and act as a beacon of inspiration as to the long-term sustainability of organic specialty practices.
Pecan, cherry and molasses. Blends
Guatemala San Jeronimo Coming soon Coming soon Selected Mix
Uraga, Ethiopia As Ethiopia has started to develop a more traceable exporting process their previously blanket regional labels have become a unique exploration into sub-regions and cleaner, more transparent flavours. In particular, the Guji zone has captivated us with regular purchases from the almost-neighbouring Sasaba, Hambella and Uraga washing stations highlighting how interesting and diverse the area can be.

This particular coffee is the collective work of 300 individual farmers, all located in the Uraga woreda (a sub-region of Southern Ethiopia’s Guji zone). With each growing coffee amongst maize and fruit trees the average farm size is approximately 3 hectares. Creating only a small harvest output their trading power and income is improved by delivering cherries for processing at the local Tabe Burka washing station. Farmers are paid in advance to ensure a more consistent picking schedule with the washing station then taking care of de-pulping, a 24-36 hour washed fermentation and at least 2 weeks of drying.

The owner of the Tabe Burka washing station, Tadesse Edema, is in friendly competition with his 28 brothers all working in coffee - a clear sign that sustainable specialty coffee is a collective effort! With that in mind C&S recommend brewing and sharing this with the help of your trusted V60 or as an overnight cold-brew.
Nectarine, mango and juniper. Mix, Single
The Fields Regular drinkers of The Fields will be in familiar territory with the return of this classic Ethiopian fruit-bomb. This edition marks the fourth appearance of Hambella as The Fields and brings with it a more refined idea of how natural Ethiopians can taste. Whilst still abundant with tropical fruit flavours this year's harvest is showing less funk and more finesse.

Grown at over 1,900m the Hambella farm is home to some of Ethiopia's most sophisticated producers, the family-owned METAD agricultural group. Hand picked and dried over 21 days, this year's processing stands out with improved sorting making for a cleaner cup. Fresh berries, a floral hop aroma and that trademark boozy body make for an intense, fruit-forward espresso or filter option.
Blueberry, hops and Amaretto. Mix, Single

Morgon are pretty humble folk. They appreciate that whilst it may sound all sounds very serious, they’re not developing secret potions for a very specific crowd, using very specific tools, wearing lab coats and top hats. They say it’s not rocket science, although its likely they’re just making it look easy…

Morgon believe coffee is a product of extensive care and dedication, passed down from several generations. They want to honour that work by interfering as little as possible, roasting carefully to bring out, and not weigh down the flavours. And by doing so, the coffee can tell its own story - coloured by its own heritage.

Morgon Coffees  |  Sweden

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Brazil - Ricardo Tavares At the farm Primavera you’ll find hypnotising row after row of deep green, covering the estate in meticulous corridors of gorgeous coffee trees. This is where Ricardo Tavares has fulfilled his dream of producing specialty coffee. The passion and attention to detail is impressive and it shows not only in the red and yellow Catuai that comes from Ricardo and his Fazenda Primavera, but also in the community and environment that surrounds them. They were recently named one of the foremost sustainable farms in all of Brazil and in 2018 they won the Brazilian Cup of Excellence. Round and creamy with notes of nougat and hazelnut. Selected Mix
Kenya - Oreti Kenya might be the country where Morgian are noticing the biggest changes in an origins ”classic” profiles, due to climate change. As new areas and higher altitudes are being used for growing and new, disease resistant coffee varietals are being introduced, they are seeing less of the typical currant and blackberry for- ward profiles, for more malic and floral ones. Sweet strawberries and juicy mangoes are two flavour notes they’d associate with Ethiopia and Colombia, but with this lot they are getting the best of two worlds from Oreti. Strawberry lemonade and mango. Plus 87
Costa Rica - Montero Family The Montero family have been producing coffee for three generations. Grandpa Eli was the first, followed by his son Carlos and his grandson Jacob. Morgan have visited their farm La Pastora several times over the years and besides their beautiful coffee the family’s passion, friendliness and warmth is what really stands out.

In Tarrazu, Carlos and his family are all about community. A lot of the neighbouring producers see them as visionaries and leaders of the Tarrazu specialty coffee movement and look to them for inspiration and advice, which Carlos is always happy to give.
Chocolate biscuit and plum. Rest of World
Ethiopia - Uraga Raro Morgons favourite espresso changes with the seasons and their mood. It's not a specific flavour profile but the coffee that they find the most exciting to have as espresso at the moment. Whichever coffee they use, you can always count on their favourite espresso to be fresh, in season and with a clear sense of origin. Just the way Morgon like it. Citrus and Earl Grey. Rest of World
Ethiopia - Chelbesa, Certifed Organic In December 2019 Morgon left Gothenburg for their first trip to Ethiopia. During their week there they traversed the birthplace of coffee and it’s majestic mountains. They came to the Chelbesa station by motorcycle due to heavy rains and the contrast from their dockside roastery right at sea level to the incredible 2100 meters was stunning. Here the producers neighbouring semi-forest lots and gardens had some of the most even and beautifully deep red coffee cherries they saw all week. They were also some of the sweetest and most delicious ones Morgon had ever tried, and the attention to detail while they were being sorted at the station was second to none.

Adding all of this together, they just knew they had to try their coffee once it was processed, milled and ready! When the samples came to Gothenburg and were just as tasty as the cherries they’d had, they were so excited to jump on the phone to reserve as much as they could.
Juicy and sweet with notes of red currant and lemonade. Plus 87

At Artisan Roast, the senses of sight, smell, sound and touch form the foundations of craft roasting – well, they do everywhere but go with it… All of their roasting team have learned on the job, developing their awareness of these senses, learning when a coffee’s aromatics are at their height, how to caramelise the sugars, and how to unlock the flavour and personality of every coffee.

Artisan Roast invest a huge amount of time and energy in sourcing great speciality coffee and make sure that the quality of the beans are preserved right until they’re ready to roast. This means ever lot sourced brings its own intrinsic quality to the fore.

Artisan Roast Coffees  |  UK

Coffee Information Notes Packages
Cobblestone Blend Cobblestone is a fresh, juicy espresso blend with a medium body and harmonious balance of caramel sweetness, underlying berry notes and a bright citrus acidity. It's inspired by the beauty and diversity of Latin America, the ever changing landscapes, cultures and people, the seemingly endless range of coffee flavours to be found throughout the region, and of course Latin vibrance. Throughout this diversity, a constant that harmonises the coffeelands bringing a sense of cohesiveness to the region are idyllic rural towns, draped in history with brightly painted houses that line ever present cobbled streets.

First up is a new coffee to the blend, a natural processed fruit bomb of a coffee from the Potosi farm in Colombia’s southern Cauca region. Potosi is one of a group of small farms owned by Rigoberto and Luis Herrera in the Valle de Cauca, and this natural processed Colombia cultivar showcases their complete approach to quality. It brings vibrant flavours of tropical fruit and strawberry to the blend along with a dense creamy finish.

Second is Artisan Roasts ever popular ‘La Virgen’ from the Grupo Asociativo Villa Esperanza group of producers in Colombia's Huila region. It’s a coffee full of brown sugar, orange citrus and milk chocolate like flavours. Subtle undertones of stewed apple and cranberry add further complexity. This coffee is a high grown gem and adds structure, flavour and complexity to the blend.
Caramel, berries and almonds. Blends, Selected Mix
Kenya Gatomboya At it’s best, Kenyan coffee is quite remarkable with a quality and intensity rarely matched elsewhere. Within Kenya, the Nyeri region continues to produce delicious coffees that achieve the stellar heights possible, full of bold, effervescent acidity and citrus fruit flavours.

Gatomboya factory is always one of the shining stars of Nyeri. Its’ farmer members live a handful of miles from Karatina town, their few hundred trees growing on rolling, red earthed hills under the shadow of Mount Kenya. They deliver ripe red cherry from these trees into a central co-operative washing station, like Gatomboya, for further processing, drying and sale.

The roast of this large beaned AA micro-lot has been kept light with filter brewing in mind. This approach helps to preserve the complex, almost effervescent, citric and apple like acidity of Gatomboya. This structure is supported with a sugar cane like sweetness that balances taste and enhances the fruit and caramel like flavours. Stand out flavours of lemon citrus, molasses and stewed rhubarb lead onto undertones of black-currant, cacao nib, vanilla, and jasmine florals. Artisan Roast would recommend drinking Gatomboya without milk to best experience the clarity and complexity of and on filter, aeropress or French press. If you prefer milk with your coffee the flavours will switch to cinder toffee and citrus curd on a butter like mouthfeel.
Lemon citrus, molasses and stewed rhubarb. Rest of World
Decaf Swiss Water Artisan Roast use the Swiss Water® decaffeination process for their coffee, a chemical free process developed in Switzerland, hence the name, that nowadays takes place in Vancouver. The company are not only world leaders in decaffeination, but also very good in selecting green coffee suitable for decaffeination. This is a skill in itself because the usual rules for selecting delicious coffee don't always work when when beans are decaffeinated. The coffee Artisan Roast roast is a special selection of the finest Southern Brazilian arabicas. Roasted a little fuller to a medium dark roast brings out a rich nuttiness and a sweet molasses like flavour that develops during the decaffeination process. Almond, molasses and cocoa. Decaf
Villaure The immense beauty of highland Huehuetenango is characterised by dramatic lush, mountainous valleys rolling on and on into the distance. Each valley has a unique micro-climate and the region produces distinct and diverse coffees that represent their terroir so well.

Finca Villaure has it’s own distinct and unique flavour profile, formed by the surrounding landscape and weather patterns. The farm lies to the North-West of Huehetenango, almost within touching distance of the border with Mexico. Cold nights and ideal soil make the location perfect for coffee growing and the farm, an acronym of Aurellio Villatoro’s name since purchase, has been a proven winner in many a quality competition. The farms supporting sustainability standards help complement Aurellio’s wholistic approach to coffee growing and commitment to quality.

Kept lighter in the roast Villaure is smooth and silk like in texture. Blanched almond and caramel form the main flavours followed by velvet like milk chocolate notes, grape, and hints of delicate black tea. Clean, sweet, and bright with an orange like acidity that adds complexity on the finish makes the coffee perfect for filter, aeropress or French press brewing.
Almond, milk chocolate and caramel. Selected Mix, Rest of World
Rwanda, Bushoki The soaring 1000 peaks of Rwanda’s highlands are home to a myriad of coffee washing stations, the centralised points for smallholders to process their coffee. Almost all of this coffee is the high quality and accessible Bourbon cultivar, or its local variants like Jackson and Mayaguez, so when flavour profile changes in Rwanda it does so as a result of local terroir.

There are three main zones of terroir in the country and the Bushoki washing station coffee is in the Northern zone. Here the coffees are known for their apple and molasses like flavours and for having a more pronounced zesty profile than the more Southern or Western coffees.

This is very true of Bushoki which processes coffee from around 800 smallholders in the more northerly Rwandan district of Rulindo. A rich muscovado sugar like flavour provides a delicious base for further flavours of red apple, candied citrus and dried dates to intertwine. Undertones of apricot and jasmine lead onto a dense, viscous mouthfeel with structure coming from an apple and citrus like acidity.

Because they’ve kept the roast more medium to light for Bushoki to bring these characteristics out best, they’d recommend it as a coffee more suited towards brewing filter, aeropress or French press. However, if you have the option to increase brewing temperature on your home espresso machine to around 95 degrees then Bushoki will make a supremely delicious espresso too.
Muscovado sugar, red apple and candied citrus. Selected Mix
La Perla Del Cafe The Central Valley in Costa Rica in many ways epitomises the country's emotional bond to quality coffee, with the lines between capital city and coffee farm blurred as they meet. Travelling into the zone of farms and micro-mills from San Jose, its not long before some of Costa Rica’s most regarded producers have their farms.

The Don Sabino micro-mill in Sabanilla is less than a decade old and has transitioned in this short space of time to exclusively producing natural process coffee. Father and son partnership Hiver and Estevan dry all their coffee on raised beds and take a more terroir focused, less process dominant approach to their post-harvest production.

The outcome is a delicious and moreish coffee with subtlety and refinement. The main flavours of dried fruit, maple syrup and creamy nougat work effortlessly with a smooth and silky sweetness. The acidity is low to medium in intensity but complex, grapelike, and long lasting.

This all makes for a versatile coffee for brewing and whether you drink filter, French Press or espresso, La Roca is a delicious coffee. Filter leans to the maple syrup and nougat like aspects of the coffee while aeropress or French press will bring out dried fruit and underlying tropical fruit notes.
Toffee, mandarin and apricot. Selected Mix

GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.

GUSTATORY Curation TeamOctober 02, 2020