Tasting Notes: September 2024 Coffees
A Northwest Arkansas roastery with 4 cafe locations, Onyx Coffee Lab are known as one of North America's leading roasters, roasting some the best specialty coffees in the world. Named 2020's champions of the US Brewers Cup and US Barista Championship, and placing second at the US Brewers Cup Championship, there really isn't much with speciality coffee that Onyx Coffee Lab can't do.
The story began years ago when they started telling each other to “Never Settle for Good Enough.” It perhaps felt more like a piece of branding or a slogan, but over the years this mentality has developed into a mantra of its own that permeates every thing that they do at Onyx Coffee Lab.
Onyx Coffee Lab Coffees | USA
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Weather | Southern Weather embodies everything we love about specialty coffee and has evolved into a foundational blend. We brew this in our own cafes as a “House” filter option and love how it balances the relationship between modern citric acidity flavors with full bodied chocolates. This comfortable, yet surprisingly complex and sophisticated coffee is approachable to all. It performs well on its own for the purist or with fats such as dairy or plant based beverages, making it a true answer for all coffee needs. | Chocolate, nuts and juicy Altitude: 1850 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Banko Gotiti, Ethiopia | The Banko Gotiti Cooperative has slowly and methodically become one of the best Cooperatives in the country. Known for their keen processing and cherry selection, coffees from Banko Gotiti shine clear and sweet, reflective of all the hard work they put in on the farm and processing level. | Apricot, honeysuckle, melon and sugar Altitude: 2000 masl, Process: washed |
Premium |
| Gikanda AB, Kenya | Working with around 2,000 growers in Nyeri county, the Ndaro-ini PLC was founded in 1986 by farmers tired of walking long distances to deliver their cherry to the closest mill. Located near the border with Embu county, this mill produces spectacular washed coffees, highlighting the citric acidity that Kenyan coffee is famous for. | Grapefruit, Elderflower, Allspice, Rhubarb Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: washed |
Premium |
| Sebastian Ramirez Gesha, Colombia | See Stories #018 for full details | Honey, jasmine and pineapple Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: natural |
Stories |
| Sebastian Ramirez Co-Ferment Decaf, Colombia | See Stories #019 for full details | Banana, chocolate and strawberry Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: co-ferment |
Stories |
Replica coffee roasters was born out of a passion for doing things their way and sharing it with the world. After about 20 years of combined experience in coffee and food, it was time to do their own thing. With Replica they want to create a playground to share their passions with you, be it coffee, food or just good vibes. Replica roasters focus on consistency in quality and service, hence their name Replica. It is something that they missed most in the coffee industry and pushed them to start our own project.
Replica believe that every company has, above all else, a responsibility to contribute to a sustainable future for the planet and the people living on it. Thereby, Replica aim to have the lowest possible impact on the environment and the highest possible impact on the lives of the people at the roots of the coffee supply chain. Replica believe that if more people buy coffee that’s sourced socially and environmentally sound, then the world would be a better place.
Replica Coffees | Belgium
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guama AA, Kenya | We’ve got something for you that we have been waiting for for a while. Due to the ongoing conflicts in the Red Sea there have been many delays in the shipment of coffees from East Africa, so we are super excited to finally share the first of many Kenyan coffees with you! This cup is bursting with blackcurrant and citrus fruits with a hint of buttery vanilla. Guama Coffee Washing Station, or “factory” as they’re known in Kenya, is owned and operated by Baragwi Farmers' Cooperative Society. This smallholder farmer's owned factory was started in 1986 with over 3500 farmers. The size of the farm in this catchment of this coop is typically a little less than normal with the average farmer possessing 300 coffee bushes. The cherry is delivered at the wet mill where it is handsorted to remove any foreign matter and blacks then weighed and recorded. It is then introduced to a cherry hopper to be pulped. Once pulped using a 4 disc pulper, cherries are delivered to one of the factory’s fermentation tanks where it will ferment for about 16-24 hours depending on the ambient temperature at that time. The coffee is then fully washed on gradient water channels to remove traces of all mucilage. The parchment will then be delivered to the factory’s raised drying beds where it will dry slowly over the course of around 10-18 days. During very hot days it is covered using a shade net. The dried parchment is then transported to their own mill where it is milled and graded to different grades within 3 days. |
Blackcurrant, lemon and vanilla Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| El Salitre, Costa Rica | This coffee was cultivated at Finca El Salitre by Johnny Alvarado Abarca and processed at his family’s micromill, Corazon de Jesus. The micromill was founded by the Alvarado’s family in 2015 and has made significant improvements since opening. They’ve even placed some of their coffees in the Cup of Excellence finals. This specific lot is bursting with tropical fruit and pomegranate with a bright but balanced acidity. The trees are selectively handpicked and only ripe, red cherry is delivered to their micromill, where it is laid to dry on raised beds and is raked frequently to ensure evenness. It takes approximately 10 to 20 days for the cherry to dry completely. Once dry, the coffee rests in its dried cherry for approximately 2 months before being dry milled and prepared for export. The rise of micro-mill processing, in itself, is a relatively recent development in Costa Rica. Prior to the early 2000s it was common for smaller producers to deliver their cherry to cooperative-owned mills. As lucrative specialty markets developed, more and more farmers began establishing mills on their own farms, giving them increased control over processing and more assurance of the ‘traceability story’ so important to the growing market segment. Mills with excess capacity would then offer their services to neighboring farmers, offering a range of processing methods for small lots along with full traceability for roasters and importers. The system has enabled Costa Rica’s small to mid-sized coffee farmers to offer a wide range of differentiated products. Today, specialty lots from Costa Rica are almost as likely to bear the name of the micro-mill where they were processed as that of the producing farm. |
Tropical, pomegranate and bright Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light, Selected Mix |
| Leandro Santos, Brazil | Proud to present to you our 2nd microlot from the Espirito Santo region. This one is grown by Leandro Sila Dos Santos at only 1100 meters above sea level. The coffees from this region shake things up, they are anything but what you would expect from a Brazilian coffee and we’re stoked to share one of the best examples with you. We sourced this coffee through our partner Osito. In Espirito Santo small farmers are the norm and semi-washed or pulped natural processing is far more common than full naturals. When these small farms began experimenting with quality the results immediately caught their attention. Well processed lots from this region have noticeably higher acidity than other Brazilian coffees, great clarity and plenty of sweetness. The cup profile is more reminiscent of Central American or Colombian coffees than coffee from other Brazilian regions. It is arguably both the terroir or climatic factors and the processing that has led to this brighter cup profile. Due to the increased humidity in the region, caused by its proximity to the coast and the rocky mountainous terrain producers in this area struggle to produce natural without risking mold, over-ferment or phenolic defects. As such, washed processing is not just safer but offers an interesting and alternative flavour profile that is different to any other region in Brazil. Leandro, a relatively new and young producer, manages just a hectare of land in Espirito Santo. Due to the microclimate of the area his coffees never fully ripens until November, meaning that he misses out on many quality competitions . However, in 2022 he was invited to join a coffee quality competition in his locality and took second place with his Catucai 2SL variety . Leandro processes all his coffee as fully washed coffees, with a 12 hour wet fermentation, aiming to draw out as much fruit and complexity without any pulpy or over fermented notes. It is incredible what kind of vibrant coffees he can cultivate and process at such a low altitude. |
Chamomile, blackcurrant and stone fruit Process: washed |
Plus 87, Single / Light |
| 101 Blend, Brazil, Tanzania | Our 101 blend is our most balanced espresso option. Full bodied, chocolatey and a little fruity with a wide sweet spot that’s great on its own and shines with milk. Current blend origins: Brazil, Tanzania and Burundi | Chocolate and dried fruit Process: washed and natural |
PERCENT, Blend / Darker |
| Jairo Lopez, Colombia | Introducing the black series, a place for coffees that don’t quite fit into our normal line-up. Whether they are a bit too wild, a bit too floral or just a bit too expensive, these will always be outstanding coffees. Our third black series is an outstanding geisha from Jairo Lopez from La Esperanza. This specific lot was processed as a carbonic maceration natural. This process gives the coffee an incredible candy-like sweetness. The florals from the geisha variety together with the fruitiness of the process give this cup the distinctive flavour notes of lavender and raspberry. The La Esperanza family farm is located in the municipality of Pijao at 1760 metres above sea level, better known as the Quindio mountain range. This farm has a 3x3 planting distance which allows the trees to fully express themselves and have enough space to develop and grow in optimal conditions. Through pruning they shape the trees in such a way that they have a consistent harvest throughout the whole year. Only the perfectly ripe cherries are picked and then directly transferred into 120 kg sealed plastic tanks to start the fermentation in an anoxic environment. 30cm of headspace is left between the top of the cherries and the lid. a waterlock is placed in the lid to allow oxygen to be released while trapping the C02, creating a natural carbonic maceration. During the first 2 days, the coffee must (juice or extract produced during fermentation) is taken out every 12 hours, refrigerated for 4 hours and added back to the tank to make sure the PH never drops below 3,9 and the temperature never rises above 24°C. During the following two days, the must that is now too acidic is simply removed as it gets produced. The fifth day the coffee is placed on raised beds to dry for 20 to 25 days. Once the coffee has reached a moisture content of 14% it is put in plastic bags to stabilize for 3 days before being put out in the sun to finish the drying process and reach 10,5-11,5%. |
Lavender, raspberry and candy Process: carbonic maceration natural |
Premium |
| Divino Nino, Colombia | Sugarcane decaffeination utilizes a naturally occurring compound(in the fermentation of sugarcane), ethyl acetate (EA) to decaffeinate coffee. The EA process is relatively simple. The coffee beans are moistened with water and EA is circulated throughout. The EA binds with the caffeine in the bean and extracts the caffeine while leaving most of the other flavor compounds. After the desired caffeine level is reached, the EA residue on the beans is removed by steaming them. This decaffeination process magnifies sweetness and acidity, producing an excellent decaffeinated coffee with notes of cherry and dark chocolate. |
Chocolate and cherry Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
A signature coffee roasters that is part of Amsterdam's iconic speciality coffee scene, Rum Baba coffee roasters have several of their own cafes throughout the city, each as bright and colourful as their employee's enthusiasm. Super fun, super colourful, super keen for coffee, Rum Baba are yet another super experienced Amsterdam roasters we're very excited to feature.
Rum Baba Coffees | Netherlands
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nestor Lasso, Colombia | An indulgence parfumy cup, sweet and candy-like | White grape, magnolia and lemonade Process: experimental thermal shock, washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Las Nubes, Costa Rica | The M&M Juicy is one of those team favorites at Rum Baba. A coffee with a playful character. Juicy, boozy and delicious. Producer Roberto Matas created a process in fermentation of his Caturra cherries in which he adds juice from another coffee fermentation. This mixture is fermented (anaerobically) at room temp for 72 hours before drying. Creating a fruit forward and sweet flavour profile. | Sweet, tropical and juicy Process: natural anaerobic |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Henry Bonilla Gesha, Colombia | No wild hyper ferments here, just straightforward, classic and elegant, this is how we like our Gesha coffees. For this coffee we have chosen a delicate roast to bring out the stone fruit aroma's of the coffee. Clean, juicy, with hints of peachy tea and homemade rose hip jam. | Peach, rose hip and tea Process: washed |
Premium |
| Siko, Ethiopia | A classic Ethiopian, clean, delicate and packed with flavor. Expect notes of yellow! ..Sweet floral honeysuckle aroma with a peach nectar juiciness. | Peach, nectar and honeysuckle Process: washed |
Plus 87 |
| Guayabina, Honduras | Finca Guayabina is Rum Baba's House espresso. We feature coffees from Dariela and Roy for several years now and feel it as the perfect base espresso for all milk coffees served in our bars. It is a great espresso on it's own also. A cup profile with a pleasing orange citrus acidity on a sweet toffee layer.
Roy and Dariela are a couple owning a relatively small farm in the hills of the very south of Honduras. We connected via the local cooperative and our partner Cafesmo. Roy and Dariela run the farm as a family business together. It is a small plot of land which they own, but it doesn't limit Roy's strong ambition for producing and developing high quality coffee. Among their crops, we specifically favor the Parainema Arabica variety which originated in Honduras. Parainema is a so-called Hybrid variety related to the Sachimor variety. Parainema is typical for producing relatively large beans. |
Orange, toffee and chocolate Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Cordero, Costa Rica | Boozy espresso with lots of tropical fruit and funk in the cup. | Chocolate babka and stewed pear Process: natural experimental |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| El Fuego, Costa Rica | A comforting sip for rainy summer days. Brew it in your thermos flask when you go out for that stormy beach walk. Sweet, chocolate, baking spice and funk. | Chocolate babka and baking spices Process: natural experimental |
Single / Light, Selected Mix |
| Holguin, Colombia | Unavailable | White melon, basil and elderflower Process: natural experimental |
Plus 87 |
| El Vergel, Colombia | Decaffeination of coffee takes place after the (green) coffee is fully processed by the producer and before it enters our roastery. Most common and traditionally, decaffeination takes place by using synthetic chemical solvents. Which is effective but less favourable because of the environmental impact.
This decaf is locally decaffeinated in Colombia following the Sugar Cane process method. The Sugar Cane Process uses a natural by-produce from sugar cane (fermented molasses) as a solvent to extract caffeine. Sugar cane is an important crop growing in the area which makes it an ideal choice for decaffeination of local grown coffee. |
Caramel, plum and round Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
A micro-roasters with a story that began during a trip to New Zealand, Swerl were completely amazed at how good coffee could be - a good balance between sweetness and acidity, full-bodied but not bitter. A variety of aromas and flavors that only their founders could have dreamed of. The interest grew the more Swerl started to look into the complex and exciting coffee world.
It was somewhere at that point that their founders decided that this is exactly what they are going to do - everyone deserves a great cup of coffee produced in a sustainable way and so they went home to start building a rolling coffee bar, a 1972 Mercedes bus.
Swerl Coffees | Sweden
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diima Chelchele, Ethiopia | The first Ethiopian lots for the season are here and they were definitely worth waiting for. This coffee comes from the village of Banko Chelchele, situated in the Gedeb woreda of the Gedeo zone within the Southern Nations, Nationalities, ion. This region is known for its ideal climate and elevation, and the coffee from this lot has been cultivated at altitudes of 1900 to 2300 metres above sea level.
In Chelchele, coffee farming isn't just an occupation, it's a way of life deeply ingrained in the community's heritage. Passed down through generations, the locals possess a lot of knowledge and expertise in cultivating and harvesting coffee. This rich cultural connection to coffee has shaped the community's traditions and livelihoods, making it an integral part of their identity. The harvest takes place between October - December. The farmers typically handpick the ripe coffee cherries, ensuring that only the highest quality beans are selected. The natural process involves drying the entire cherry in the sun. This can take up to 2-4 weeks, and the cherries are regularly turned to ensure even drying. |
Peach jam, orange, raspberries and lychee Altitude: 1900 - 2300 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| Gedeb Lalesa, Ethiopia | This washed lot comes from the region of Lalesa, one of the finest coffee producing areas in Gedeo known for its dense layered semi forest vegetation including “false banana” trees and shade grown coffee trees. Lalesa is a great example of best practices in coffee growing agro-ecology.
The cherries are delivered and processed at a wet mill owned by Alemayehu Tilahun, a local who started working in coffee almost 20 years ago. He built his wet mill in 2018, with the hope of purchasing red cherries exclusively from the nearby farmers of Lalesa and he attributes his success to the relationships he has cultivated within the community and farmers surrounding his washing station. The cherries are collected manually and hand sorted later. They are placed directly in the hopper that is connected to the pulping machine (a traditional Agaarde Disc Pulper). The coffee flows from the hopper down to the pulper, and the pulper removes the skin and pulp. The machine is designed to conduct grading of high and low quality (1st and 2nd), based on density. The coffee is then fermented under water in tanks for an average of 72 hours, but any time frame between 48 - 100 hours is within the norm. The coffee is graded again in channels, so that the cherries of lower quality (with a lower density) will float. They are removed, leaving the denser, higher quality beans to be separated as higher-grade lots. The parchment is soaked in clean water and then dried on raised beds for approximately 8 - 20 days. |
Apricot, pineapple, brown sugar and florals Altitude: 2150 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Casa Almeida Barreto, Brazil | We are thrilled to commence a partnership and directly purchase coffee from Casa Almeida Barreto, a family estate focused on the production of the high end specialty coffee and wine from Brazil. We have heard about the great work of Casa Almeida Barreto for a while and had a chance to taste it first hand a couple of months ago. The quality and cleanness was palpable.
After a chat with Jorge and Gabriel, we first understood this as possible as a result of their extensive background in enology, agronomy and fermentation techniques, as this farm was first bought with the intention of solely producing wine. Due to already existing old and well established coffee trees in the farm, Jorge and his family realised it would be a pity to waste them - that is how their coffee production journey started. With a scientific and artisanal approach towards production, they continuously research terroirs and develop methods that can better express each variety and achieve great results in the cupping table. This year was particularly good for coffee production. Despite being quite intensive, the rains from the beginning to the mid-season provided good nutrition for the plants, ensuring good quantity and quality of production. An extremely dry end of the season, with hot days and cool nights, allowed the perfect maturation and drying of our coffee, keeping both sugar and acidity high. For the past years they have been improving fermentation and drying methods to better maintain the aromas and taste from the cherries, while exploring different profiles. Using the stainless-steel tanks and technology from the wine facilities, they were able to better control fermentation of the coffee, bringing up very interesting flavour profiles. |
Chocolate milk, apple and hazelnut Altitude: 1200 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| AA Kainamui, Kenya | This lot captivated us with its profile that is quite unique for a coffee from Kenya with its strong tropical notes and stone fruit character. We could not think of a better lot to commence the Kenyan season with than this one from the Kainamui factory.
The Kainamui factory serves about 1,800 smallholder coffee farmers who are members of the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society, about 600 of whom are women. The smallholders own an average of 200 trees on less than half a hectare of land. Farmers in the area grow gravellea, macadamia nuts, eucalyptus, tea, corn, and bananas in addition to coffee. The factory receives field visits from agricultural ministers and agro-companies who offer training programs. The F.C.S. also provides pre-financing for farmers to allow them to pay school fees, production costs, and in case of emergencies. We sourced this lot after having had the chance to meet Claudia Bellinzoni the head of sourcing for Kenya at Cafe Imports, who is a new partner to us. We had some fascinating conversations with her around sourcing in Kenya and the current situation there, as well as how Cafe Imports has been sourcing in the country. It was after this meeting that we started exploring a partnership with for lots from Kenya with Cafe Imports, and we could not be more excited to collaborate closely with them. |
Juicy, pineapple, lime and stone-fruit Altitude: 1750 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| La Bonita, Colombia | We can present you with one of the most exciting coffees in our selection at the moment: an incredibly well processed anaerobic fermented and dry-processed Java from Rogelio Espinoza and his wife Leidy Espinosa at their farm Finca La Bonita.
Since the couple bought the farm 4 years ago, they have invested in growing and processing solely the two high performing varieties Java and Geisha. The incredibly small size of the farm is only 2 ha allows them to have full quality control of production and truly invest in these nano-lots. After highly selective picking, the cherries are first anaerobic fermented in bags for 40 hours, and then dried in a drying patio for 15 days. The fermentation technique only brings about an extra fruitiness and sweetness to the cup, with a very delicate and floral experience remaining. This coffee was sourced through our partners at Plot Coffee, who collaborate with the small family owned Cuatro Vientos exporting company. This is a young specialty coffee exporting enterprise from Neiva in Huila, Colombia, founded in 2018 by brothers Yonatan and Julian Gonzalez. Driven by their pursuit of connecting roasters with farmers from their region, their mission is to make excellent coffees from Huila available worldwide. |
Delicate, juicy, lychee, guava, candy-like. Process: natural anaerobic fermentation |
Premium |
With a beautiful cafe nestled in Glasgow's Duke Street and as relatively new kids on the block, Zennor have hit the ground running and already made their mark on the local coffee scene. Now two years young, their paired back, architectural cafe space matches that of their light roasted, clean coffees. We're super excited to be featuring Zennor.
Zennor Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelbesa, Ethiopia | Clean and well rounded Ethiopian, juicy tangerine with sweet plum and delicate florals. | Lemon, plum and bergamot Process: dry fermentation washed |
Single / Light, Plus 87 |
| Primavera, Guatamela | A sweet, easy drinking washed Guatemalan, great for espresso or as an all day filter, pairs very well with milk. | Milk chocolate, hazelnuts and fudge Process: washed |
Bloom, Selected Mix |
| Mio Lot 1952, Brazil | A beautiful balanced coffee with a sweet and long lasting mouth feel, great on espresso and filter. think white chocolate and honey with milk. | Orange, vanilla and honey Process: natural |
Blend / Darker, PERCENT, Selected Mix |
| Rumodamo, Ethiopia | Tropical, bright and clean. expect notes of pineapple, kiwi and wild strawberry with lots of florals. | Pineapple, kiwi, and wild strawberry Process: natural |
Bloom, Plus 87 |
| Popayan, Colombia | This decaffeination process in unique, the caffeine is extracted from the bean using sugar cane and water which enhances sweetness, while maintaining coffee attributes. | Chocolate and orange Process: Sugar cane decaf |
Decaf |
"The project is the mission..." With a mission of reintroducing lost Venezuelan specialty coffee to the UK and begin to show the world the wonders that Venezuelan coffee farmers can produce, Andes Project do everything and more in a traceable and sustainable manner. Whilst on this quest, Andes Project aim to also source and supply unique specialty coffees from the americas and the globe, and begin to show and promote how quality brews and the outdoors can be synonymous.
Two coffee lovers, one giant hole in the UK’s coffee culture, a hole left by the absence of beloved brews from a former champion of unique and specialty coffee: Venezuela.
Andes Project Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Avila, Venezuela | This, fellow coffee lovers, is something really special: The indigenous Venezuelan coffee that is Caripe. This is proudly the first variety from Venezuela to be included in World Coffee Research’s Coffee Varieties Catalog. For that we owe thanks to the visionary agronomist Gustavo Buonaffina, alongside his daughter Yndira Buonaffina Malavé who has championed the mission and accompanying research that the job entailed. A historic milestone and achievement that which this beautifully individual coffee is a result of. A light citrusy brew with notes of sugar and nuts, try something historic today.
The Hacienda is situated in the emerald valley of the El Guácharo National Park, which produces coffee across 250 hectares from 900 to 1500 metres above sea level. That sweet flavour the beans muster up can be linked to the abundance of banana trees that are dispersed throughout, providing the coffee plants with much needed shade within their paradise. Because of many factors that we have detailed in our blogs 'The Maracaibos Chronicles', Venezuelan coffee farmers are currently unable to obtain any international certifications, yet no industrial pesticides or fertilizer is used within the Hacienda. |
Nuts, cane sugar, citrus and honey Altitude: 1200 masl, Process: fermented |
Bloom, Selected Mix |
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.