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Kenya Kiamwangi AA
Pink Grapefruit, Cranberry Tea, Lemon Peel
The Kiamwangi Factory operates under the umbrella of Iria-Ini Farmer’s Cooperative Society (“FCS”) in Nyeri, a society that has been in operation since the mid-1950’s. The wet mill sits at just under 1800 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mount Kenya. “Factories” are essentially small washing stations aligned with a particular “society” in Kenya, what we would call a “cooperative”. In this case, the cooperative society is serving more than 700 farmers in the region. We return to the societies who seem to regularly produce some of the best Kenya coffees, and each year we come across societies that are new to us as well. This is an AA outturn, which means the beans are screened to separate out the largest coffee that measure 17-19 1/64ths of an inch. It’s not always a sign of superior cup quality, but are generally given extra care in the dry milling phase and commands a much higher price.
Area: Nyeri
Process: Washed
Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11
Altitude: 1800 meters
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Brazil Natural 17/18 NY 2/3 SSFC
Caramel, Roasted Almonds, Kit-Kats, Balanced
Brazil is a well known coffee producing giant. They source around one-third of the world's coffee, making them the largest coffee producer in the globe! Of course, most of this is lower grade Arabica. However, this country is capable of producing specialty coffees. This particular type is a standard specialty quality coffee. Itt is dry-processed, meaning the beans are patio-dried while they are still in the cherry. Since the coffees are dried in contact with the sweet mucilage, the coffee's cup profile will be heavy in body, sweet, smooth, and complex. The 17/18 screen size has a more consistent flavor without the pungent fruit notes that can turn up in smaller screen sized beans, which is an indication of varying bean maturity. This type carries three quality classifications:
- NY (New York) 2/3; specifies the quality is standard to the Green Coffee Association of New York. 2/3 refers to the amount of defects permitted in the lot; a maximum of nine secondary defects, and no primary defects.
- SSFC (Strictly Soft Fine Cup); Strictly Soft beans are grown at relatively low altitudes (under 1200 meters). Beans grown at lower altitudes mature quickly and produce a lighter, less dense bean. This term also means the beans are free of hard rioy taints. Fine Cup means it is a specialty grade coffee.
- 17/18 refers to the screen size. These beans are one screen size larger than 14/16, denoting a larger bean. Larger bean size is generally linked to higher quality.
Colombia La Esperanza
Red Apples, Grapefruit, Caramelized Hazelnuts
Second generation producer Ezequiel Gómez acquired La Esperanza in 2019 and is committed to quality organization and management of the farm. Located in the village of Ortega, Nariño, Colombia, just 18 km from the municipality of Buesaco, the 20 hectare property sits at 1950 meters above sea level and borders a tributary water source that provides both irrigation and drinking water. The farm is dedicated to coffee and livestock, including 5 hectares for coffee production, and another 4 hectares of protected forest which includes around 20 native tree species.
La Esperanza has 10,000 coffee trees in the productive stage of their life cycle. 70% of the farm’s trees are Colombia variety, with the other 30% split between Caturra and Castillo. Ezequiel provides different care to each variety he cultivates, including processes like using a fertigation system during the dry season to ensure that his crops stay disease-resistant, and using ethylene traps to reduce coffee borer beetle population on the farm.
Washed processing was used for this lot of Colombia variety coffee. The most mature cherries were chosen for processing before being sorted by flotation. The coffee was then pulped and placed into open tubs with fresh water to ferment for 15–18 hours. After fermentation, the seeds are then washed twice with fresh water to ensure no mucilage remains. Finally, the coffee is dried on the drying patio in full sunlight for 12 days, at which point it reaches the target humidity.
Roasters Notes:
A clean and sweet Pink Bourbon. The lingering sweetness from sip till the aftertaste makes this coffee a pleasure for all day drinking. Comfortable notes of red apples complemented by citric acidity of grapefruit keeps each sip complex and layered. Perfect both ways - filter or espresso
Area: Ortega, Nariño
Process: Washed
Variety: Pink Bourbon
Altitude: 1950 meters
Costa Rica Tarrazu Jaguar
Honey, Prunes, Caramel, Bright Acidity
Costa Rica’s volcanic soils, mountainous terrain and plentiful rainfall provide ideal conditions for the cultivation of high-quality coffee beans. Jaguar coffee beans are hulled from parchment that is 100% sundried in a greenhouse especially designed to cater to wet weather conditions, thus to ensure a better coffee quality. This coffee is produced by the most sustainable coffee mill in Central America, San Diego Mill operated by Beneficios Volcafe. Jaguar is an innovative brand designed by Jürgen Plate - a great coffee specialist and one of the coffee pioneers in the country. His fluency in coffee blending, blend design, let to creation of ‘Jaguar,’ a name that commemorates Volcafe as a leading sponsor for the Jaguar Conservation Program in Costa Rica.
Area: Tarazzu
Process: Honey
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Altitude: 1200 - 1300 meters
Sumatra Mandheling
Spices, Dark Chocolates, Big Bodied
The northern most part of the country is ‘Daerah Istimewa Aceh’, one of 27 provinces in Indonesia which has special status. The Mandheling coffee is grown around lake Tawar, near to the town of Takengon. The soil is rich and volcanic and has grown coffee for many years. Many areas work on the single stem pruning system, and cut the main trunk every 3 years or so – this gives a very solid central producing wood. The surrounding district is pretty tropical rainforest, with coffee sometimes growing wild amongst other trees, other times in cleared areas. The coffee is produced on many small holder plots, and usually pulped and sun dried on patios, without being fermented. There are very few plantations. The final quality is determined by the exporters, who are based in Medan, close to the port, where they hull and polish the green beans.
Area: Lake Tawar, Takengon, Daerah Istimewa Aceh
Process: Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Variety: Catimor, Typica
Altitude: 1200 meters