WOW stop the press big new coffee announcement

Bolivia shipment comes but once a year, this year 12 weeks early thanks to my trip to Bolivia in the summer and sorting everything out early.

This is the first of a few to come back and one we know well. In its thrid year with us, and getting even better.

It gets better as I got to meet Feliciano on my trip, and his family, was a very very cool experience. He showed me why this farm is so amazing, care attention and hard work from him.

You can buy it here or read about it below

The owner of the farm is Feliciano Ramos, who is 44 years old and originally from the city of La Paz. His father was a potato and barley producer. Feliciano used to help him in the production and harvest. In 2002 Feliciano decided to move to Caranavi, which is located in the sub-Andes valley.

Initially Feliciano rented a coffee farm for two years where he began his education in coffee, but also began saving to have his own farm. After two years, he bought a farm of around 10 hectares: Like many farms in Bolivia it doesnt have a name, but is in the Loayza municipality and is known as Finca Loayza Feliciano Ramos.

The farm is located on top of a small mountain, looking out towards the high snowy peaks of the Andes. The farm only had 2 hectares of old coffee plantations, though Feliciano has continued to raise this number whenever he is able to with new plant stock, selecting different varietals according to the terrain.

Feliciano is married to Tomasa Condori and they have 5 children who are all of school age, but they help their parents after school with the farm. The coffee is the only source of money for the family, and it is very important that they continue to produce great coffee.

In the region of Caranavi and the Yungas valleys, there is a serious problem of coffee being ripped out and coca leaf planted (which is legal in Bolivia) but this has a big environmental impact on the soil, forests, and the communities. However, coffee is seen as a good alternative to this if good prices can be achieved with it, and it is also much kinder to the environment. With this in mind, Feliciano is in his second year of being organic certified, although we chose not to take the certification.

This coffee is sold as a washed coffee, and I guess it is. Washed coffee is normally placed in a fermentation tank to remove the sticky layer on the outside of the seed after removing the fruit. This coffee has been dry fermented, it has been through a pulping machine a second time using the scrubber part of the pulper, then left to dry like a pulped natural would, just without most of the mucilage. It’s a hybrid process, and I really like the final result.

In the cup, this was a tough one to nail. Very complex and lots going on. Think of it like two cups. When warm it’s all acidity, loads of cherry think cherry cola, keylime pie with biscuit sweetness, mixed in with a dark chocolate after-taste. But as it cools think caramel, increased sweetness and delicious mouth-feel.

Farm: Finca Loayza
Farmer: Feliciano Ramos Aruquipa
City: Caranavi
Region: Franja se los Yungas
Country: Bolivia
Farm Size: 10.00 Hectares
Coffee growing area: 8.00 Hectares
Altitude: 1635 masl
Variety: Caturra (20%) Catuai (40%) Tipica (40%)
Type of Soil: Clay
Type of Shade: Orange, mandarin, and Inga (sinquili) trees
Processing System: On-site wet processing, solar drying

Its that time of year where Brazil begins to come back. We have a few to add in the next week or so, but this is a coffee we have been waiting what seems an age for. Its also one I know that you enjoy.

Small side note, if you have a bean to cup machine, this coffee is amazing, you really should give it a go.

you can buy it here or read about it below

One of our most popular espresso blends has been tweaked, improved and polished some. As part of the blend programme, we thought it was time for Perfetio to have some love.

The blend is made for the espresso machine, nothing has changed there, it’s still that sweet nutty balanced cup it has always been. As espresso it has sweet chocolate notes, as a milk drink the nuttyness increases, and in the brewed style it’s smooth and balanced.

If you have a bean to cup machine this shines as if it was being served from a more traditional machine. It is very forgiving, a wonderful coffee.

In the cup expect body, sweetness and creaminess, chocolate with walnut and a gorgeous finish.

ANOTHER ETHIOPIAN !! Yes yes it is, but this is a little bit special. I think one of the best coffees of the last 18 months that good.

So so complex, blackcurrant opal fruits (I cant get used to calling them starburst), with peaches and apricots, amazing amazing flavours.

You can buy it here or read on below for more info.

What I do know is this comes from a mill in the wote / konga region north of the town of yirgacheffe. The mill is called Kerbal Konga and is supplied by around 600 small holder farmers (mainly garden growers) that produces around 10 containers a year (6 washed 4 natural). This is quite a lot for a mill.

The varietals are anyones guess, but mainly made up from typica and various other heirloom varietals (anyones guess). This is what you get in Ethiopia, lots of small growers with lots of different mutations and variations of plant

Ripe cherries delivered to mill, where cherries are graded, sorted, de- pulped and then fermented underwater for between 18 and 36 hours, depending on temperature, humidity and other factors.

Parchment is then sorted in washing channels, and then are placed onto raised African drying tables. The drying period generally lasts for up to 2-3 weeks, until moisture level reaches 12% or lower.

The beans are then transported to the ECX warehouse in Awassa, in parchment, then dry- milled to remove the parchment prior to shipping

The altitude is varied but goes between 1850 and 2000 meters above sea level.

Detective work over, ethiopian coffee can only be found on the cupping table mills will produce lots of different qualities and quantities. Other people may get coffees from this mill but non will taste as amazing as this one does on the cupping table and we snapped it all up very quickly. What it doesn’t take a detective to work out is that this coffee is amazingly delicious

In the cup expect one of the most amazing coffees I have ever tasted. It starts with apricots and peaches, but quickly develops into a pack of opal fruits (or starbusts for you young kids). In particular the purple opal fruits that are my favourite, that sweet blackcurrant. We also decided there some pomegranate at the cupping table, but this coffee is so varied and keeps developing and changing as it cools all for the better. Super varied and super interesting washed coffee from Ethiopia.

Washing station:Kebel Konga
Farmer: 600 small holder producers
Region: Yirgacheffe
Farm Size: n/a
Coffee growing area: n/a
Altitude: 1850-2000 masl
Varietal: Typica and heirloom varietals
Processing System: Washed process and sun dried

Second of three Ethiopians to add to the site, and this time something completely different. I think this is the first time I have been able to stock a coffee from the Kaffa region although I have heard a lot about them.

This small lot was presented to us from a new importer for us, and we are very pleased to share it with you. I think you will agree its quite unique

As always you can buy it here 

Chiri is located next to Mankira Forest, which the local people believe to be the true “birthplace of coffee”. In fact the name coffee by some is believed to have come from the regions name Kaffa (and you can understand why they might think this), although there are many theories.

Kaffa province is found south west of the capital Addis Ababa, and the regions capital city is Jimma. The region is an ideal agricultural area growing not just coffee, but maize, and many other cash crops. Although less well known than Sidamo and Yiracheffe the region is still capable of producing some amazing coffees.

But like everyone they needed some help to reach there potential. Thats why Technoserve a non-governmental organization (NGO) that are a not for profit organisation have been so active in the region, supporting the farmers in setting up washing stations and new cooperative structures. This project has revealed a new great range of coffee flavours not found elsewhere. Technoserve’s coffee initiative is a project measuring their success in the value and quality of the coffees produced and the farmers increase in their coffee income. All cooperative members qualify for second payment. This has so far contributed to a significant increase in payment for the local coffee farmers.

Total production in 2011 was about 400 bags. They have a truly unique flavor profile, different from everything else, due to their location, altitude and the native varietals of forest coffees.

In the cup you see that unique profile. Cocoa and dark chocolate collide with stone fruits and blackcurrant , with a spicy pepper finish. A delicious cup from start to finish.

Cooperative: Chiri
Woreda/Local municipality: Decha
Varietals: Ethiopian Heirloom, “Native Kaffa Type”.
Altitude: 1730 masl
Production: Pulped and mechanically demucilaged, soaked in water and sundried.
Process: Washed Sun dried about 10 days on African drying beds
Producers: 440 smallholder
Region: Kaffa

Were on a bit of a roll here. So many amazing new coffees to share with you, I’m liking the pace of getting them out there. It will slow down eventually I promise but for now lets keep it up.

We bought so many small colombian lots, all diverse all from individual producers. We could have blended some of them together for region lots, but I think its better to see them as what they are. By doing this we have some super special small lots, that really exciting and show the diversity of these areas.

As always you can buy it here 

This is another of our coffees from my Colombia trip in September 2012. It was bought from lots of coffee being cupped and being able to pick the lots I enjoyed the most. This meant that we had little control over the lot sizes, this was one of the larger lots, although it still remains tiny amount of coffee.

Jose de Jesus Ramirez produces coffee for over 10 years from his small farm around four hectares which works out around 8000 coffee trees. For the area this is one of the bigger ones with the average only being 3 hectares.

In the Central Mountain range of Colombia’s Andes Mountains, sitting beneath the Nevado del Huila within the Tolima province, lies the small town of Gaitania de Planadas, home to 50 coffee growers, with Jose being one of them. Nevado del Huila, an active volcano, with a summit which sits 5,365 meters above sea level.

Due to the volcanic activity of Nevado del Hulia , the area surrounding the Nevado del Huila is among the most fertile in Colombia and provides an excellent microclimate for growing coffee.

The coffee pickers are paid higher premiums ensuring only ripe cherries are collected. The producers depulp their coffee into fermentation tanks on the farms making sure there is no time wasted between picking and processing. They are naturally fermented for 18-20 hours in tanks, washed and then dried raised indian beds.

The area of Gaitania has been an place of great unrest in the past years. This is the epicentre of the gorilla fighting and drug war of past years, although there have been great improvements in recent years.

In 2009 the coop installed a full cupping lab in Gaitania where each lot of coffee is cupped and analyzed. This provides feedback to producers so they can see how their coffees taste and are developing. It also highlights amazing special lots like this one that may find a special place with a smaller buyer like ourselves.

The coffee pickers are paid higher premiums ensuring only ripe cherries are collected. The producers depulp their coffee into fermentation tanks on the farms making sure there is no time wasted between picking and processing. They are naturally fermented for 18-20 hours in tanks, washed and then dried raised indian beds.

In the cup this for me is the perfect espresso coffee. Dark chocolate and coco give it a huge big body and mouthfeel while the delicate caramel gives it a sweetness that balances the cup. The slightest hint of grape and melon acidity. Delicious balanced cup.

Coffee:Finca El Habano
Origin:Southern Colombian state of Tolima, small town of Gaitania
Producers Jose de Jesus Ramirez
Altitude:1800 meters
Farm Size: 4 Hectors
Varieties:Caturra, typica and Colombia
Processing Method:Washed
Drying Method:Sun dried on raised indian beds
Harvest:Main: April – June

We are in the middle of lots of new coffee season. I thought it was time to therow some attention to Africa, and namely ethiopia.

It has been a while since we found new ethiopians and now we have found many. This is the very first of a raft.

Its also good timing as the Wote comes towards the end, this is a perfect replacement

As always you can buy it here 

Ethiopia is known as the birthplace of coffee. There are more than 1.1 million coffee farmers (smallholders) representing 95% of the production. The varieties are referred to collectively as Ethiopian Heirloom, which is a myriad of local native Typica hybrids and new improved varietals based on the old strains. The two main growing areas are in the west and south. Most coffees are organic by default but rarely certified.

Yirgacheffe is known for its clean, floral and acidity-driven washed coffees and “high quality” sundried with genuine and unique fruit and berry flavors. Most of the Cooperatives in the area are Organic and/or Fair-trade certified. There are mainly small family plots of both recently planted trees of improved varietals and traditional old varieties. Organic fertilizer is common, pruning less common. All cooperatives in Ethiopia belong to a Union that is the seller and exporter of the coffee. They also take care of dry milling and grading before exports. Most Yirgacheffe Cooperatives belongs to the Yirgacheffe union, but in this case the Cooperative is under the Oromia Union.

In the cup expect the normal jasmine and clean notes you have come to expect of a great washed ethiopian from yirgacheffe, but then you get the complex fruit and red berries and a lovely raspberry aftertaste.

Farm: Negelle Gorbitu Cooperative
Area: Borena, Yirgacheffe, Abaya
Varietal: Heirloom Varietals
Processing: Fully Washed dried on raised beds
Altitude: 1900-2000 mtrs
Owner: 2000 small holders
Region: Yirgacheffe