Loads of new coffees coming through at the moment its a very exciting time here at has bean towers. So Far we have had Indonesian Sidikalang 2009-2010 which is a weird coffee. To see how weird check out this weeks in my mug

The its been quickly followed by a classic washed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe thats got great acidity clean bright grapefruit and typical jasmine that makes this coffee so enjoyable.

Then a double pairing of of El Salvador Las Delicious Bourobon and El Salvador Las Delicious Pacamara great sweetness mixed with a strong lime / lemon acidity thats vibrant and lively.

Coming in the next couple of days a Colombian Cup of Excellence a great discovery from a well known farm and a new decaf from Peru.

I am pleased to announce an update to the premium and espresso blend with a new recipe, with coffees rotating in and out.

Has Bean Espresso Blend

This blend contains just a little robusta, 10%, to give it a gentle caffeine boost and help the crema formation. I like them both the premium and the espresso blend and they each excel in their own way. It’s really a matter of whatever suits you. Some like a little robusta for crema and base, choosing the regular Espresso Blend, whilst others prefer the Premium Blend containing only arabica. El Salvador La Fany for acidity, sweetness (30%) then we have Guatemalan El Bosque Red Bourbon(30%) for a little spice mouthfeel and fruity acidity and then we have the Brazil Inglaterra Acaia(30%) which gives body and depth while adding to the sweetness. , and the 10% robusta.

Premium Espresso Blend

This blend differs slightly to the ‘Has Bean Espresso Blend’ in that it contains 100% arabica beans. I like them both and they each excel in their own way. It’s really a matter of whatever suits you. Some like a little robusta for crema and base, choosing the regular Espresso Blend, whilst others prefer the this one containing only arabica. El Salvador La Fany for acidity, sweetness (33.3%) then we have Guatemalan El Bosque Red Bourbon(33.3%) for a little spice mouthfeel and fruity acidity and then we have the Brazil Inglaterra Acaia(33.3%) which gives body and depth while adding to the sweetness.

would love to hear your thoughts on the change, probably the biggest we have ever done with 100% estate coffees and the first time there is no Indonesian in there. The thinking is that the acaia will do a good job of replacing it. I’ve been trying this for a while to make sure I was happy and I think its our best espresso yet.

I know I get excited about new coffees way to much but this one is a little special. I’ve popped the write up below but I still don’t think it does it justice, one of the best finds so far this year (to arrive). A definite contender for an in my mug very soon. A must try.

You want to buy here you want to read below

I know so little about this coffee, it’s been like buying coffee in the olden days of Has Bean, where getting any farm info was hard work. What I do know is it’s from Kenya, it’s an AB bean size grade, and its auction lot 805.

That’s it as much as I can tell you about its provenance. I will add any information I find as we go along. So why do we have it here after the big fuss I make about traceability?

This is something that is truly mind blowing in the cup. We have bought this coffee 100% n its cup quality, and this lack of information means we may never see it again, but its worth it.

The best descriptors I can give you it’s like all the best things about Ethiopian Yirgacheffee mixed with the best of Kenya (two of the greatest coffee growing regions. Its like Yirgacheffee on steroids, floral, bright, HUGE grapefruit and lemon acidity that gives your taste buds a real kicking. Then it develops into the smooth creamy mouth feel of a great Kenya calming down not being so bright and fruity. As it cools those fruit notes just get bigger and bigger.

Maybe not for the espresso machine (unless you like that sort of thing) but as a brewed cup of filter / French press this is massive. There is not much of this, when its gone its gone.

OK, lots going on in the past week but been really busy with some staff sickness, and good time upon us.

New beans added, Yemen is back as is the Colombian La Manuela lots more to come in the next few days too.

One of the most exciting additions to the cart is the three month and twelve month in my mug gift packs. This is where you will get each coffee that is shown on the in my mug. Its something I think is a great idea, and one shared by Chris (I think) so thank you.

got loads of things to blog about over the next few days will try and get myself together.

Its another full week of new coffees, day three brings a here today gone tomorrow El Salvador. A treat that came to us vac packed from our importers, to help with the la fany that was running low, but I decided its so good, I’ll offer it too.

To buy click here, to read more look below

Another fine El Salvador. No where excites me quite as much as good El Salvador. It has a great climate, it has great soil, it has great plant stock (70% bourbon more than any where else) but most of all good people to look after it and care for it.

Suiza farm was acquired around 1952 by Carlos Menéndez and Dolores Salazar de Menendez, who had the vision to grow coffee there despite the rough access due to lack of proper roads and means of transportation, but this wasn’t as important as the idea of working hard, create jobs and give the local communities permanent support such as helping with the construction of a local school and a church. The farm was then inherited around the 70’s by Carlos Menéndez, their son, who did intensive works in the coffee fields making it one of the most productive farms in the Santa Ana volcano.In 1986, Julia Margarita Molina Martínez, Carlos wife, started to take care of this farm and keep the coffee heritage within the family with the help of her sons, especially Juan Francisco who has been overseeing the farm since 2005.

Coffee is harvested with extreme care, only ripe cherries are allowed and cherry post harvest selection is always done in the farm to eliminate any remaining immature bean or dry pods. Coffee is processed in the San Carlos farm, also property of the Menéndez family, under strict quality controls, beginning with depulping within few hours after harvested. Wet Parchment is dropped in tanks and stays there until it reaches adequate point of fermentation, this lasts between 10 to 12 hours. They washed the coffee with clean fresh water to remove the mucilage and dry it on cement patios for 10 to 12 days until reaches 12% humidity. After this, it is storage to secure the quality for a longer period.

La Suiza farm is grown to Bourbon, Pacamara and Catimor. Pacamara was introduced to the farm in the early 90’s, some old Typica trees are still remaining inside this farm as legacy of Juan Francisco’s grandparents. Coffee is shade grown to maintain the ecosystem in balance and they replant every year coffee trees to keep a young productive plantation. They apply to foliar fertilizations; 1 application to prevent leaf rust; two soil fertilizations, coffee appreciative pruning, shade pruning, offshoot thinning and control weeds manually.

In the cup this is super sweet, with super sweet fruits. Think pineapple, mango and sweet red cherry, mixed in melted milk chocolate and your getting somewhere close. tight acidity with sweet linguering aftertaste.

Other Statistics:
Coffee varieties: Bourbón, Pacamara, Catimor
Type of Shade: Cypress, Pepeto Peludo, Copalchí, Pepeto de Río, etc.
Average Annual Rainfall: 2,200 mm
Average Temperature: 16º C
Type of Soil: Sandy loam
Annual Production: (60kg) 180 bags
Mill and company where lot was process: San Carlos Mill
Fauna: Armadillos, Central American Agouti, snakes, orioles, rabbits, etc.

GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: N 13º 52’ 16.8’’
Longitude: W 89º 36’ 44.4’’

I’ve been sitting on this coffee for a little while as I didn’t feel it was ready and hadn’t reached its full potential. What do I mean by that? When coffee is first picked it a little green and closed. It takes a little time in the warehouse to calm down and be as good as it can be. Normally a couple of weeks in warehouse and in the container then in another warehouse in the UK before coming to us is time enough, but this was a strange beast.

Every time I have come back to check it on the cupping table it kept getting better. So I’ve been holding off and holding off putting it on the site, as it was opening up lovely.

So to read about it look below, to buy it click here, and to watch the in my mug scroll down a little bit more.

Gethumbwini AA from the Kiambu region is a coffee thats very well known to us. But just be aware. not all Gethumbwini is good. Its a huge farm and its impossible for a farm of this size to produce just good coffee, inevitably there will be some “commodity grade” that leaves the farms gate. To break this down in something easily understood (I don’t fully understand the intricacies) the way the Kenyan coffee market works is via a government run auction, and all the coffee is broken down into small lots and goes to an auction where importers and exporters can bid for the coffee they want. This coffee comes from lot 796 which is an amazing example of the quality that is possible from Kenya.

The Gethumbwini Estate has been owned by French company, SOCFINAF, since 1957. The farm itself is thought to be over 80 years old. General management is the responsibility of Group Manager, Mr. Harries, a second Manager, Mr. Ngungute, and his assistant, Mr. Gitonga.

The farm is located in the foothills of the Aberdare Ranges overlooking the Chania River some 40km north of Nairobi, 120km south of Mount Kenya and a few km north of the industrial town of Thika. It comprises around 1000 acres. Coffee is planted on approximately 360 hectares. Gethumbwini Estate is situated at an altitude of 1,800m (6,000 feet) and receives rainfall of 1,000mm per year which falls principally in two rainy seasons. The temperature ranges from 15-26C throughout the year. The area is rich in red volcanic soil making it an ideal place for the growing of fine quality coffee.

Gethumbwini coffees are processed by company-owned hulling facilities, offering employment to some 100 full time personnel and a further 200 seasonal workers during the picking season. Processing is carried out by wet pulping. The coffee then undergoes overnight fermentation before it is then washed, soaked and then sun-dried on raised screens (or ‘African beds’) after which it is then stored in conditioning bins until milled.

Abundant wildlife is found on the Estate and the farm members are educated about the importance of preserving these species which include snakes, hares, owls, weaver birds, hawks and – the main attraction – hippos.

Employees on the farm are provided with a number of benefits including housing with clean drinking water and electricity. Full medical care is also provided for both the employee and his/her family at a clinic with a qualified nurse on the farm. There is also a school for the workers’ children.

In the cup this is 100% big bold blackcurrant I mean huge Ribena berries stuff in there. If anyone tells you coffee tastes the same give them this and let them still say the same. Then it turns into smooth creamy milky deliciousness. This is one huge coffee. Now some like this acidity in espresso, but not me this is the perfect french press / filter coffee, and I truly mean perfect.

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Coffee:Gethumbwini Estate AA

Farm:Gethumbwini Estate

Varietal(s):SL28, SL34

Processing:Fully washed and screen-dried

Owner:SOCFINAF

City/Town:Thika

Region:South central Kenya, north of Nairobi

Episode 26 on Tuesday the 12th of May 2009 Kenya Gethumbwini AA Lot 796 from Stephen Leighton