Tasting Notes: August 2024 Coffees
The idea for Dalston Coffee was born in East London, where Borja spent some time and discovered specialty coffee, a new way of understanding coffee. In 2017 their café was founded in Raval; in 2020 Dalston started roasting their own coffee; and in 2023 they opened their own roastery in La Garriga.
Specialty coffee roasters because they are passionate about enjoying every delicious cup they drink and sharing it with the world, Dalston are dedicated to selecting the best beans and roasting them at the optimal point where we like it most. Enjoy!
Dalston Coffees | Spain
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mukengeria House, Kenya | "Most of the washing stations in Kenya are using eco pulpers that use less water. Further, to mitigate the risk of Pollution, the waste water is not allowed to flow into the natural ways (streams or rivers) instead it drain and sits on pans for sometime that allow the waste to sediment and water will evaporate, leaving the waste sludge behind (that used for compost). Not all the factories have transitioned but some have, it’s Called; Pinhalense eco pulper"
Coffee production can have a significant impact on water pollution in Kenya, as it is an intensive agricultural practice that requires the use of large amounts of water and chemicals. The coffee production process involves several stages, including cultivation, harvesting, processing, and packaging, all of which can contribute to water pollution if not managed properly. During cultivation, coffee farmers may use fertilizers and pesticides to increase their crop yields. These chemicals can leach into nearby water sources, contaminating them with harmful substances that can harm aquatic life and pose a health risk to humans who use the water for drinking or other purposes. During harvesting, coffee cherries are washed and processed to remove the outer layers and extract the coffee beans. This process can generate large amounts of wastewater that contain organic matter, caffeine, and other contaminants. If this wastewater is not treated properly, it can pollute nearby rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources, potentially causing harm to ecosystems and human health. To address these issues, the Kenyan government and coffee industry stakeholders have implemented various measures to improve the sustainability of coffee production and reduce its environmental impact. These measures include promoting the use of organic and sustainable farming practices, investing in wastewater treatment facilities, and encouraging coffee farmers to adopt water-saving techniques. Overall, while coffee production can contribute to water pollution in Kenya, there are steps being taken to mitigate its impact and promote more sustainable practices in the industry. Peter is taking steps to solve these problems and working with the farmers and washing stations to improve the washing process and to minimize water waste. |
Blueberry, honey and lime Altitude: 1650 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Ibisi House, Rwanda | Unavailable at time of writing | Passionfruit, raspberry and peanut Process: anaerobic natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Tembo House, Tanzania | Leon Christianakis, a Tanzanian of Greek descent, continues the family legacy in the coffee business that his ancestors started around 1900. Leon represents the third generation of this coffee family, whose family home is located on the outskirts of Arusha City, very close to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Although his ancestors grew coffee on the land near their home, the altitude was not high enough to produce high-quality coffee. It was then that, in the early 2000s, Leon discovered the concept of specialty coffee and decided to look for higher lands that would allow for the production of higher-quality coffee.
The land he found is located in the Oldeani region, where he has since been working tirelessly together with his partner Mark Stell to offer the best quality coffee possible. The choice of Oldeani as new agricultural land was based on two main reasons: the reputation of Tanzanian coffee from this region and the certainty that the soil in Oldeani was suitable for coffee cultivation, as mentioned by a researcher. Leon set about rebuilding the farm, which was in a state of disrepair, and began planting high-quality coffee varieties including Kent, SL28, Geisha and Pacamara. Thanks to his dedication and the privileged natural environment, Acacia Hills, as he named the farm, experienced remarkable growth in coffee quality and production. The land around Acacia Hills borders the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including elephants, buffalo and many other species. The presence of these animals, while impressive, presented a challenge for Leon and his team, who had to work hard to protect their crops from wildlife damage. Leon and his colleagues understood that access to education and clean water were fundamental needs for the community working on the farm. While they recognized the importance of both, they prioritized water infrastructure because of the challenges people faced in obtaining clean water, some having to travel long distances to get it. By focusing his efforts on sustainability and quality in coffee production, Leon not only contributed to improving the local economy but also inspired positive social change in the region. |
Black tea, chocolate and apple Altitude:1750 - 1850 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Bloom |
| Nader & Madeleine, Peru | The quality we encounter each year from producers Nader and Madeleine is impressive, and in this harvest they brought in enough coffee to create a beautiful and complex batch. Nader and Madeleine are a married couple living in Queromarca, a small town in the Callayuc district, Cutervo province, Cajamarca region. We must admit that we are in love with this area in Cajamarca, not only for the quality of the coffees, but also for the good relationship with the producers.
Callayuc has all the conditions to grow fantastic coffee: fertile soils, altitudes ranging from 1,600 to 2,000 meters above sea level, good coffee varieties (mainly red and yellow Caturra, but also bourbon and Typica), but it is increasingly affected by droughts. So farmers have had to adapt to the conditions, and as a consequence, water use is limited. In addition, they have been fermenting their coffees in closed environments (often in thick plastic bags under shade) to allow yeasts to form and add a distinctive fruity profile to their cups. Of course, they monitor the fermentation levels to avoid defects. This family's story fits that of many farmers in Peru, as they used to sell their entire harvest to local buyers who would come to their farm and take the bags at a cheap price. Now they deliver their coffee to our warehouse in Jaén, where after rigorous quality control, they receive a much higher price for it. This difference in price is a great help to their income, which they supplement by raising cattle. Cajamarca is well known for its cattle culture, providing the region with an abundant supply of cheese, milk and beef. |
Chocolate 60%, white grape and citrus Altitude: 1800 - 2000 masl, Process: washed |
Selected Mix |
| Aqua Sarca, Nicaragua | This batch from the El Cambalache estate is a meticulously crafted product, with attention to detail at every stage of cultivation and processing. The altitude, coupled with environmentally friendly farming methods and the diverse ecosystem, creates an ideal environment for the Maracaturra coffee variety to thrive.
The semi-washed processing method, with its deliberate retention of mucilage, adds a distinctive flavour profile to the coffee, enriching its character. This attention to the nuances of processing highlights the producers’ dedication to crafting a unique and exceptional product. In addition, careful handling and storage of coffee after processing ensures that its quality is preserved until export. The use of African drying beds within microtunnels and subsequent storage in a dedicated area within the warehouse demonstrates the commitment to maintaining quality standards throughout the supply chain. |
Apple, lime and chocolate Altitude: 1350 masl, Process: washed |
Premium |
| Sidra House, Colombia | Unavailable at time of writing | Papaya, guava and lime Process: anaerobic natural |
Premium |
| Caldas, Colombia | gone through a much more rigorous selection process, choosing coffees from higher altitudes and with a more pronounced acidity that compensates with the characteristic sweetness of the decaffeinated coffee. The decaffeination process has been carried out with high mountain spring water and ethyl acetate extracted from sugar cane molasses. As a result, in the cup we find a clean and pleasant coffee on the palate.
Decaffeination is carried out using high mountain spring water and ethyl acetate extracted from sugar cane molasses. This ethyl acetate is a selective solvent for caffeine, which is found naturally in yellow fruits such as bananas. However, it has two significant drawbacks: it is highly flammable and has a characteristic (sweet) smell. Its handling requires special care, which increases production costs and often gives coffee treated with this solvent a different aroma and slightly alters the taste. This decaffeination process guarantees a minimum extraction of 97% of the caffeine and a maximum solvent residue of 20 PPM. The humidity of the coffee after the process is 12.7%. It is important to note that the measurement parameters are different from those of conventional coffee. |
Banana and brioche Altitude: 1400 - 1900 masl, Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
Founded by Ivana and Marko, a couple that, while shooting weddings around the globe, somehow fell in love with specialty coffee. Back home in 2018 they decided to rent out a tiny neglected space in Hvar, tear it apart, breathe new life into it and open our first shop in Hvar. They named it kava 37. Today, the Kava coffee family is a sum of three parts - kava37 in Hvar, together with kava2 and kavaRO (their roastery) in Split.
The story of Kava Coffee Roasters includes two people in love, their families, many friends with thoughtful ideas, pinch of childhood memories, a very talented designer, and a spoonful of colour. All of this makes their family a true story. Their cafes are simply named - kava - a Croatian word for coffee. A superscript number is added to the name which represents the street number our coffee shop is home at. Focused on quality while respecting everyone in the long coffee chain, Kava is driven by the amazing community of people that appreciate what they do and how they do it..
Kava Coffees | Croatia
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Montana, Costa Rica | This is the second year that we could buy the entire harvest of Don Sabino's H1 Centroamericano microlot. Steven and Gilberth Vargas planted this high-yielding variety with good coffee leaf rust resistance and very good cup quality on their highest farm - La Montaña. Ripening is a bit slower here at around 1800m and this affects the cup profile. We get a coffee that is more elegant with juicy notes of mandarin and hibiscus and a sweetness reminiscent of panela.
Café Don Sabino is a family business run today by Gilberth Vargas Acuña and his son Steven Vargas Bastos. The history goes back to 1940 however, when Steven’s great grandfather and after him his son Sabino were among the pioneers of coffee production in the area of Sabanilla de Alajuela. It was in 2010 when Gilberth together with his family decided to completely focus on quality coffee and in the following years Café Don Sabino opened markets for their coffees in North America, Europe and Asia and Australia. Don Sabino are especially renowned for their natural coffees. Here the pickers recollect only ripe cherries, which Steven simply calls “uva” (grape) and this coffee is then being brought to the beneficio. Basically in the backyard of his house, Steven built up a number of so called African beds ( elevated drying racks covered with a mesh ), where the fresh and humid coffee cherries are being spread evenly in thin layers. Defective cherries can be removed by hand. Now to prevent the development of overfermented flavours or even the spread of mold, the coffee cherries are being turned around every hour during daytime. In the afternoon at around 2pm, when the pickers stop working, the african beds are covered with a special plastic foil to protect the coffee cherries from the cold and humidity during the night. Depending on the weather conditions the drying process can take 13-14 days under favourable sunny conditions and up to 1 month, if it is cloudy. |
Hibiscus, panela and mandarin Altitude: 1850 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Finca Guadual, Colombia | Helemile Muñoz Salamanca runs Finca Guadual and is a member of Asociacion Los Naranjos, a group of producers surrounding San Agustin, Huila. This 2-hectare farm is home to around 3000 coffee trees as well as bananas, cassava, and arracha. The coffee is picked as ripe as possible and depulped the same day. It is then put in a tank for 40 hours to ferment before being washed and left to drain for 12 hours. Finally it is taken to the drying room where it dries for around 20 days until the desired moisture content is reached.
Pink Bourbon was previously thought to be a hybrid of Yellow and Red Bourbon varieties. The variety was first identified growing in and around Huila, Colombia. Recent research has found that Pink Bourbon is in fact not Bourbon at all. It mostl likely comes from an Ethiopian landrace variety. Pink Bourbon has a stunningly high cup potential that wows coffee professionals and consumers alike. Its impressively high cup quality makes even more sense now that we understand Pink Bourbon is not simply a hybrid of two Bourbon varieties but traces to Ethiopian landraces. Its siblings include the highly-prized Geisha, which has consistently produced incredibly high cup scores. Pink Bourbon will continue to be a highly distinguished and valued variety. Some farmers also report that Pink Bourbon has more disease resistance than the Bourbons it grows alongside. Based on these new discoveries, this may be due to the genetic variety it has coming from Ethiopian landraces. |
Blackberry, apricot and chamomile Altitude: 1650 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Ayla Bombe, Ethiopia | The first lot of the 2023/24 harvest from Ethiopia has arrived and it's no stranger for us here at kava - Ayla Bombe. This spectacular natural coffee was processed at the Ayla Washing Station run by Faysal A. Yonis and his family. Situated in the woreda of Bensa in the Sidama region, Ayla processes coffees from the nearby villages Bombe and Shentawane. The methods include washed, natural and anaerobic.
For the natural process the cherries are being hand-sorted in order to remove any obvious defects. Then they are being spread out in thin and even layers on raised beds to be sun-dried for 15-20 days, depending on the weather conditions. Constant raking and covering the cherries during the hottest hours of the day avoids overfermentation and overdrying. After the dried coffee fruit is removed in the dry mill, the green coffee beans are undergoing another sorting step before being exported. |
Strawberry, caramel and cooked lime Altitude: 2000 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World |
| Julio Andres Quiceno, Colombia | See Stories #017 for full details | Peach, honeydew and rooibos tea Altitude: 1600 masl, Process: co ferment |
Stories |
FRUKT coffee roasters is a small and dedicated specialty coffee roastery based in Turku, Finland. After working as a roaster at the local Turun Kahvipaahtimo and later on at the Coffee Collective in Copenhagen, Samuli Pääkkönen founded FRUKT in his home town of Turku in the late 2018. One of the OG's of the famed Scandinavian roast style, we're super excited to be featuring Frukt in August once again.
FRUKT Coffees | Finland
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Moreno, Honduras | This is the classic Washed Pacas produced by Danny Moreno in Santa Barbara, Honduras. His Pacas is one of our absolute favourite cup profiles. Always really well produced, clean, complex and tasty coffee with amazing clarity and texture.
We have been buying coffees from Danny and his brother Mario Moreno since the 2019 crop. The great work by Benjamin Paz and the Beneficio San Vicente always delivers the highest quality each year. We are very proud to represent the work by these amazing producers year on year. This coffee is super clean and bright. High complexity in the cup, bright raspberry like sweet berries, prune like stone fruit character and brown sugar sweetness. Our absolute favourite! |
Prune and brown sugar Altitude: 1600 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Single / Light |
| Echemo, Ethiopia | This natural processed coffee is produced by Khalid Shifa at his Echemo farm in Jimma, Ethiopia. On the semi-forest farm that he inherited from his father he is now focusing on creating more biodiversity and focusing on attention to detail processing.
This lot is a beautiful representation of the Natural processed Ethiopian coffee. Clean and quite juicy with tropical fruit aroma and milk chocolate finish. Very nice for espresso and pairs well with milk too. |
Tropical fruit and milk chocolate Altitude: 2100 masl, Process: natural |
Selected Mix, Plus 87 |
| Mundo Novo, Brazil | This coffee is produced by our friend Gabriel Barreto. Gabriel is a coffee producer based in Minas Gerais in the southeastern part of Brazil. This lot is Natural processed Mundo Novo. Gabriel planted the first Mundo Novo trees 3 years ago and the first harvest off of the trees is already tasting fantastic. With careful attention to detail and know-how in fermentation techniques Gabriel and the team at Araucária farm have really done a great job in their short journey into coffee farming.
Together with his family Gabriel operates Casa Almeida Barreto. Producing coffee and exporting their own crop as well as handling the logistics and importing to European market. Casa Almeida Barreto is truly an ambitious project. We are proud to have been part of this journey since their first export, exclusively buying all our Brazilian coffee from Gabriel. Expect balanced and comforting chocolate like cup with medium apple like acidity and grapes in the taste. Overall this lot is more focused on balance and high sweetness which makes it ideal for espresso too. Obviously really good when paired with milk on espresso based drinks. |
Yellow fruit and milk chocolate Altitude: 1250 - 1300 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
| Yellow Catucai, Brazil | This coffee is produced by our friend Gabriel Barreto. Gabriel is a coffee producer based in Minas Gerais in the southeastern part of Brazil. This lot is Natural processed Yellow Catucai. With careful attention to detail and know-how in fermentation techniques Gabriel and the team at Araucária farm have really done a great job in their short journey into coffee farming.
Together with his family Gabriel operates Casa Almeida Barreto. Producing coffee and exporting their own crop as well as handling the logistics and importing to European market Casa Almeida Barreto is truly an ambitious project. We are proud to have been part of this journey since their first export, exclusively buying all our Brazilian coffee from Gabriel. This lot from Gabriel stood out for us for its elevated apple like acidity and lighter body and more fruit driven profile. Overall this lot has great clarity and high sweetness. Works really well on espresso as well. |
Yellow fruit and apple Altitude: 1250 - 1300 masl, Process: natural |
Plus 87 / Rest of World |
| Luis Aguirre, Colombia | This lot from Luis Aguirre, new producer involved in LaREB project, is an interesting Caturra-like hybrid with a bold and complex flavour profile. Surprising us at a blind sample cupping with the intense and tropical fruit driven cup with cherry like rich fruit character. Very bright and clean cup with high intensity.
Another great Washed coffee from our Colombian partners. Fermented for up to 24 hours in cherry followed by dry-mass fermentation in tank and dried in the sun. This coffee is from our partner LaREB (La Real Expedición Botánica) who we work with exclusively in Colombia. |
Tropical fruit and cherry Altitude: 1800 masl, Process: washed |
Plus 87, Single / Light |
| Crucero, Colombia | Crucero produced by Ana Mustafá is one of our annual favourites. Pretty much every year we've had this Fed-Batch processed Washed lot and it's always an interesting addition to our selection. Showcasing the effects of careful post harvest practices and fermentation techniques that elevate the flavour profile of a more common Castillo variety.
Ana Mustafá is a coffee producer based in Pereira, Colombia. Mustafá family owns and operates five coffee farms all together. Crucero is a lot they produce from their three coffee farms. This lot is processed as what Ana refers to as Fed-Batch processing. The coffee cherries for this lot are picked every day for four days and left to ferment in a fermentation tank in layers. The first days picking is in the bottom and every day for four days they add another layer of fresh coffee cherries on top. The fermentation is controlled and after the process the coffee is washed. This process yields an interesting and crazy fruity and clean cup. With barely any fermentation notes or funk. This coffee is from our partner LaREB (La Real Expedición Botánica) who we work with in Colombia. |
Tropical fruit and candy Altitude: 1550 - 1650 masl, Process: semi-washed |
Plus 87 |
Originally set up in 2014, Full Circle started out roasting on a small 5kg 1963, Probat L5. They grew organically and Full Circle’s subsequent success enabled the company to establish its own larger micro roastery on Grantham Place, just behind Camden Street in May 2018. From their impressive 400 sq. metre base, housed in a former horse stables on Grantham Place, using their impressive state-of-the-art Probat Probatone L12 Roaster, Owner David and Louise with Head Roaster Natalia Grabowska and the roasting team have the capacity to roast over 1 ton of specialty coffee each week. Impressive journey, we must say...
Full Circle Coffees | Ireland
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelbesa, Ethiopia | Unavailable | Pech, honey and lime Process: natural |
Plus 87, Rest of World, Selected Mix |
| La Pradera, Colombia | This special red berries infused fermentation lot is sourced from producer Felipe Archila and his farm Finca La Pradera. La Pradera is a 16 hectare estate with 12ha dedicated to coffee production. The farm is located in Armenia, Quindio and sits at an altitude of 1,600masl.
This lot was processed using a combination of anaerobic fermentation with added wine yeast and red berries along with the honey method. This coffee utilises a combination of anaerobic fermentation and the honey method. First, ripe cherries are hand-selected, de-pulped and then undergo a 72-hour anaerobic fermentation in plastic tanks with cinnamon sticks. CO2 is added to displace the oxygen, creating an anoxic environment. After fermentation the coffee is dried, with the mucilage still intact, on raised African beds along with the cinnamon sticks. Shade is utilised to manage the temperature below 35°C until they reach the ideal humidity level (12%). |
Strawberry, cherry and honey Altitude: 1600 masl, Process: Red berry infused anaerobic fermentation |
Premium |
| El Puente, Honduras | Unavailable | Red apple, toffee and raisin Process: natural |
Plus 87 |
| Sitio Pernambuco, Brazil | Unavailable | Chocolate, hazelnut and apple Process: natural |
Selected Mix, Blend / Darker, PERCENT |
| Velacruz, Mexico | Unavailable | Chocolate, orange and plum Process: EA decaf |
Decaf |
For Papercup it’s always been about producing amazing coffee and food, all under one roof, with no fuss or compromise. A quick rundown of their philosophy is quite simple: quality. Papercup are committed to sourcing ethically and environmentally sound coffee beans, produce and products, and strive to push the boundaries of what great quality can be. Their super talented team are passionate about what they do, whether it’s brewing up a fruity Ethiopian or smashing out a killer French Toast, they have the palate for amazing quality, with a side of fun of course. They love what we do, but we try not to be too serious about it.
Papercup Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritual, Brazil | Coming in with a new name, new look but the same tasty vibes we have our new core everyday espresso: Ritual. We sourced this years espresso through our importing friend Bruna Costa and it comes from her family farm. The second year now that Bruna has sourced speciality coffee from the farm her Mother and Brother now run, but a first for us buying in. We are pleased to present you with a super smooth and sweet coffee with a little red fruit lift of acidity and a lovely Hazelnut note in the cup making for a perfect all day drinking espresso, stovetop or filter. Did we mention it shines most on espresso? | Red fruits, hazelnut and chocolate Altitude: 1100 masl, Process: natural |
Blend / Darker |
| Sweeter Things, Mexico | This coffee was an absolute treat on the table when we were tasting. We knew straight away that we had to grab all of this as the new incarnation of Sweeter Things. A smallholder lot sourced from 7 farmers split over the Zilli family and the Sampieri brothers, they have worked together and with Covoya coffee importers to integrate yeast starter cultures into the fermentation portion of the natural coffee process to allow controlled and improved fermentation and a cleaner cup profile in the end. This has had the effect of increasing the cup score of the coffee by around 3 points on average, which is a significant quality increase in industry terms.
Coupled with a unique growing environment which is wetter than most regions and cooler in the night time you end up with a coffee taste profile unlike anything we have had from Mexico before. Look out for a variety of flavours in the cup, but most commonly blueberry, a tropical fruit acidity and a wonderful rum and raisin body and sweetness. |
Blueberry, tropical, rum and raisin Altitude: 1450 masl, Process: natural |
Bloom |
Sustainability is a process for Yallah, roasting really tasty coffee from their barn in Cornwall and they love what they do - the products they sell and the work they do - promoting social, economic and environmental prosperity while minimising impact.
So far, they think they're on the right track, providing financial traceability, buying specialty coffee direct and using 100% plastic-free packaging wherever possible. Plus, their roastery is powered by renewable energy (last year contributing net positive 13MWh of energy to the National Grid). These steps are genuine and actually make a difference to both people and planet. No greenwashing, just action.
Yallah Coffees | United Kingdom
| Coffee | Story | Notes & Essentials | Packages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinamit, Guatemala | One of the most stunning coffee-growing regions in Guatemala, Lake Atitlan is surrounded by mountains and three towering volcanoes. This washed lot is the second purchase from the Tinamit co-op and represents our commitment to buy across producers' quality spectrum.
During our trip to Guatemala back in February, we were honoured to be at the mill when members of this co-operative in Lake Atitlan delivered their coffee there for the first time. The co-op is made up of producers from an indigenous Mayan community where they also run their own roastery and coffee shop for the locals. Our approach to sourcing coffee is rooted in building relationships and working on long term time scales. In reality this means supporting the producers we buy from in good and bad years & buying multiple lots from each year's harvest, showcasing both the natural and washed lots from the Tinamit co-op brings us immense joy. |
Baked apple, cherry and milk chocolate Process: washed |
Plus 87, Selected Mix |
| Pico Mirante, Brazil | We have been buying coffee from Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira since 2021 through our long-time friends at Coffee Cargo. This exceptional lot of 'yellow bourbon' is a delight to roast and even better to brew. Expect lots of chocolate, a little citrus and a smooth finish.
A pioneer in the industry, Adolfo is well regarded for his experimental approach to coffee production in pursuit of excellence. Pico Mirante is Adolfo’s latest project. This lot is a yellow bourbon natural varietal, grown at the highest altitude point, ‘the lookout.’ Carefully selected and dried in the sun on African beds. The result is an exceptionally high quality cup, full to the brim with flavour. The Alfenas municipality of Minas has a rich heritage, synonymous with the production of high-quality coffee. A tradition continued by Adolfo for generations to come. |
Almond, mandarin and dark chocolate Process: natural |
Selected Mix |
| Ishurwe, Burundi | Burundi may be one of the smaller coffee producing countries but it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful, and despite having some of the poorest infrastructure in East Africa, it can still produce incredible tasting coffees. This sweet and sparkly washed lot from the Ishurwe women’s group in Kayanza province is no exception.
Raw Material have been processing and exporting coffee out of Burundi since 2019. Working to generate more value and increase profits for producers, they have created tangible and lasting impact among the Izuba community. When they asked members of the community what development they would like to see, the most common response was access to health insurance. So that is exactly what Raw Material did by wrapping up the cost of health insurance for all producers who brought coffee to the washing station within their pricing structure. Our work as coffee roasters doesn’t get more rewarding than this, especially when something so simple can have a huge impact for so many people. |
Red berries, molasses and black tea Process: washed |
Plus 87, Selected Mix |
| Pedra Preta, Brazil | A partnership to be proud of, this Brazilian coffee has been purchased directly from Eduardo Ferreira's agroforestry farm Pedra Preta. Eduardo has a bold vision for his grandfather’s coffee farm; regenerative farming that protects the local flora and fauna whilst improving the coffee quality. Ambitious? Absolutely. We hope that this is the beginning of a long and rewarding relationship with Pedra Preta farm.
Every bean in this lot was grown on a single farm - Pedra Preta. This farm is currently being transformed in the best way possible by Eduardo; from an average, monoculture coffee farm that churns out high volumes of beans, to a lush, biodiverse haven that is low intervention and sustainable in the true form of the word. It’s no easy feat. Eduardo has been meticulously planning and overseeing this incredible change since 2021 and there is a long way to go. He’s planted many species around the coffee trees; Guapuruvu, with it’s long root system, provides moisture deep in the soil, whilst Inga, a type of legume, attracts wasps that protect the coffee cherries from tiny borer beetles. |
Dark chocolate, roasted hazelnut and caramel Process: natural |
Blend / Darker, PERCENT |
| Huila, Colombia | Long gone are the days of subpar decaf coffee. This one’s a sweet showstopper - so well rounded that you couldn’t tell that it’s 0.1% caffeine. Add milk of any variety, and you’ll enhance that deliciously creamy and malty taste even more.
This coffee is decaffeinated using alcohol produced locally and derived from sugar cane - our favourite way of decaffeination. This leaves the coffee 99.9% caffeine free but sacrificing no taste or flavour. Magic. When extracting caffeine, water is not used in the process other than steaming and moistening at the prepping stage. So barely any water waste - if not at all. We also love that the process is done in Colombia, in comparison to other factories that are either in Europe or Canada. This avoids multiple ocean freight routes, which means this coffee has a reduced impact on the environment. |
Malt barley and cocoa Process: sugar cane decaf |
Decaf |
| Corozal, Colombia | Unavailable at time of writing | Mango, elderflower and sugar Process: natural |
Premium |
GUSTATORY (adjective): curating excellence in taste.