In My Mug

This coffee comes from a mill in the Gedeo zone, which is an area that we've been lucky enough to enjoy coffee from before. It's situated about four kilometres west of the town of Yirgacheffe, in the Guji area of Ethiopia. The mill is called Kerbal Aricha, and it's owned by Surafel Birhanu. It's supplied by around 650–750 smallholder farmers (mainly garden growers), who produce around five containers of specialty coffee and around ten containers of commercial-grade coffee per year. The altitude is varied but goes between 1,950 and 2,100 metres above sea level.

• Country: Ethiopia

We have had this coffee before. Last time the lot was produced by various smallholder farmers from the small town of Copacabana, which lies about 180 KM from La Paz in the heart of the Caranavi coffee producing region. This time it comes from one individual, called Vincent Paye, who has been working hard to produce great coffee, and who is, in fact, a beacon of hope in this tough growing region.

This is a lush and fertile region. Its steep slopes and valleys provide excellent conditions for growing specialty coffee, as well as supporting a diverse range of native flora and fauna. It has rich volcanic soils and regular rainfall.

The colony of Copacabana has a collection of small farms that are around 5 hectares each (Vincent has 10). The farms range over an altitude of 1,300 to 1,600 metres, and benefit from an average annual temperature of between 15 and 26°C. This lot comes from a farm matching these criteria, and it's at around 1,550 m.a.s.l. These traditional farms use no chemicals or pesticides and are certified organic, although we do not hold an organic certification.

The main harvest runs from May to September, peaking in June and July. The cherries are hand-picked only when fully ripe, and they're then delivered to the central mill, called Buena Vista, where they are fully washed. The cherries are then dried, mechanically this time because of the wet weather, over a 9 day period.

In the cup expect sunshine, yes sunshine yellow, think apricots, think oranges (yes I know oranges are not yellow), think peaches, think yellow. A cinder toffee sweetness that covers the mouth with a huge mouthfeel and delicious and long lasting aftertaste.

• Country: Bolivia

This coffee's farm is located in a region well known for some of the most interesting coffees and also some of the most renowned coffees in Guatemala, Antigua.

It is grown by Alex Illescas, on his his grandfather's farm. His grandfather has owned the farm for just over 50 years, working the land and selling the cherry along as a commodity coffee as they have no mill with which to process their own coffee. The farm is located at 1,400 meters above sea level in Ciudad Vieja.

Alex had an idea that he wants to produce amazing, interesting, and challenging coffee for the specialty market. So with the blessing of his grandfather and help from his uncle, he used the farm to experiment with varietals and processing methods to see what might improve cup quality. This is the result of those experiments. It's dangerous to do something like this, so the lots are small but large enough that this could have caused hardship if something had gone wrong financially. The lucky thing is that in the cup this gamble has really paid off.

They chose the honeying process, as all they needed for that was a pulper and some space to dry the coffee. Alex used his uncle's roof on his home in the town as the drying patio, and between them they took it in turns to keep it turning and moving.

When I visited Alex you could see how excited he was, and how proud he was about the coffee. All the time I was there I was praying the coffee would be as good as the story, and I'm pleased to report, it's even better.

In the cup expect a brilliant mixture of chocolate and fruit, think Cadbury's Caramel + a bowl of green and red apples.  There's also some juicy white grape in there and a bright green apple acidity, a very complex and delicious cup.

• Country: Guatemala

This wonderful farm is in its 5th year with us and we continue to develop this amazing relationship, 1 I am super proud of!

The first time we came across this farm, it came as a very well presented sample that just landed on my doorstep. It came from someone who had visited the farm and offered to try to help find a buyer for them in the UK. We get lots of these and normally give them a try on the cupping table, but find they are just not good enough for us to stock. This one was quite different: the quality was amazing. So initially we stocked it, although we knew very little about it. Since that day, I've been to see Alejandro five times in El Salvador, the last two times stopping at his house with his family and enjoying a day at the beach. Alejandro has also been to see us in Stafford twice. We have worked with him on projects (some successful, others we will brush over); we have also told him what we would like to see from the farm (some he took on board, others he didn't he's the farmer after all).

Most importantly, he has become a very very good friend, and someone whose coffee I love and company I enjoy. Alejandro took over running the farm from his father a few years ago, having returned to El Salvador after travelling around the world as an investment banker. A very intelligent guy and a very good business man, he understood the farm needed to step up in work if it was to flourish: lots of work has gone into making this cup the quality one it has become.

The farm is based in the Apaneca-Ilamtepec mountain range near to the town of Turin in the Ahuachapan dept. During the non-picking season 16 people work on the farm, maintaining and tending to the plants. During the picking period this goes up to 50 people. The altitude of the farm is 1350m. The coffee is a washed process coffee, and is sun dried on patios.

The coffee is a 100% Catimor, a controversial coffee varietal. Catimor is a cross between Timor coffee (resistant to leaf rust a big problem at the moment in Central America) and Caturra coffee. It was created in of all places Portugal in 1959.

It grows and produces fruit very quickly and has a very high yields, pest resistant and leaf rust resistant and will grow at much lower altitudes well in comparison to to many other commercial varietals. Sounds perfect, but problems come in the cup quality. Timor has its feet in the robusta species (hence all these lovely benefits) but robusta is not known for being tasty. 

Luckily for us, this is one of the finest examples I have seen of this varietal, and came by with Alejandro wanting to experiment and try different varietals on different parts of the farm, one being catimor. 

It's only a very small lot, but a great example of cupping a coffee with your taste buds and not what you think it might taste like. This coffee made me change my opinion of this varietal.

You may wonder why it costs more for the Catimor than it does the Bourbon? Well if the truth was known Alejandro would rather not harvest this tiny lot. It's a pain, it has to be kept separate and processed on its own. It's fiddly and lots of hassle. So I'd like to reward his hard work with a little bonus, and that's what we're doing here, to try what is normally a horrible varietal that's delicious and interesting.  

In the cup this is a delicious typical El Salvadorian coffee, smooth creamy milk chocolate. There's also a lovely white grape and green apple character that give the cup another tasty dimension, delicious easy drinking coffee!

• Country: El Salvador 

It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas blend now would it?!  So for what I'm amazed and impressed to say is the TENTH YEAR here's our Has Beany take on the very best espresso you should be drinking this festive season : )

This blend will only be available for the month of December and is only available as roasted whole beans.

• 40% El Salvador Nejapa Los Vientos Washed

In the cup expect a big body with plenty of cinnamon and black pepper, loads of juicy dark fruits anddark chocolate on the finish.

For those of you with In My Mug subscriptions a bag of this delicious coffee will be with you over Christmas : )

It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas blend now would it?!  So for what I'm amazed and impressed to say is the TENTH YEAR here's our Has Beany take on the very best filter coffee you should be drinking this festive season : )

This blend will only be available for the month of December and is only available as roasted whole beans.

• 50% Ethiopia Shakiso Washed

In the cup expect a fruity & floral festive affair: jasmine, coffee flowers and blackcurrant mixed together with purple Opal Fruits all sprinkled with white sugar.  Perfect for after Christmas dinner!

For those of you with In My Mug subscriptions a bag of this delicious coffee will be with you over Christmas : )

This is quite a different area to where most of our El Salvador coffees come from, and it's great to find a coffee we like so much from this area.

When translated, the farm's name means “Scotland”, named after Harry's homeland. The initial 16 acres of inheritance have been increased to 180 acres. Not all of the additional acreage has been exclusively planted with coffee; the varieties planted are mainly Bourbon and Kenya. Lately Pacas and Cuzcatleco have also been planted.

The rest of the property has been left as it was originally; a nice forest, in order to protect the local flora and fauna, as well as the two fountain heads. There are native species of trees in the process of becoming extinct, but more are being planted every year.

Last year we were super lucky to find this farm via the El Salvador Cup of Excellence but this year we've bought from the farm all on our own, exciting!

In the cup this a caramel covered chocolate lime sweet, oodles of thick caramel that give it an amazingmouthfeel accompanied by milk chocolate and an artificial lime sweetness.  There's a sweet and delicate acidity in the cup that makes me think of mandarin oranges.

• Country: El Salvador

I am so pleased to see this coffee back for an amazing FIFTH year! It’s become a big favourite for me, and I know this is also true for many of you out there.

The farm is located in the colony of Bolinda in the North Yungas region of Bolivia, near to the town of Caranavi. The farm is called Finca David Vilca, as it doesn't have a proper name. This is quite common in Bolivia: farms are often named after an individual or the family running them.

David migrated from La Paz to the farm 15 years ago after a career in mining left him with damaged hearing. He bought this 12 hectare farm as security for himself and his family, to make sure they could support themselves. When he took over, he only had one acre planted with coffee (it was of the Criolla varietal). After two years, David was comfortable with coffee farming. He was becoming increasingly interested in it, and so he decided to extend the planting. He now has five acres of coffee (and we have bought the coffee from all of them). He has very little outside help with the farm, except from direct family: his wife helps him greatly.

The varietals on the farm are Caturra, Catuai and Criolla. The farm is under constant improvement. David is now removing much of the Criolla and focusing on Typica and Catuai, for cup quality reasons. This coffee comes from the Caturra parts of the farm.

Last year you might have noticed the price was a little unusual, I've visited David a couple of times now, I thought he was being rude to me by ignoring me, or not responding when I spoke to him. Last time I visited, though, I found out David had damaged his hearing whilst working as a miner before purchasing the farm.

I've visited David a couple of times now. I thought he was being rude to me by ignoring me, or not responding when I spoke to him. Last time I visited, though, I found out David had damaged his hearing whilst working as a miner before purchasing the farm.

In the past the exporter had given David some money to get hearing aids, but he spent the money on satellite TV (for his wife – who hasn’t been in that situation)! So last year we paid for two hearing aids while we were there, so that he could hear again.

We thought that would be the last of it. But when I last visited David didn’t have his hearing aids in. He told us that they were not good while he was picking what to wear, but also that he couldn’t afford the batteries. So we left him with cash for a microphone hearing-device for around his neck, and $200 for batteries. This worked out at 7p per bag for all the coffee we buy from him, and I didn't pick up the tab you lovely people did!  So a big THANK YOU from me and also of course from David!

http://www.hasblog.co.uk/the-cost-of-hearing

This year you can also enjoy coffee from David Vilca in a lip balm!  Who doesn't like lip balm?  You can order separately via the product page http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/single-origin-lip-balm-v2-0 😁

This is a wonderfully sweet cup, as you have come to expect from Bolivia; it has milk chocolate and hints of sweet sweet honey. There's a lot of mouthfeel that makes this a beautifully creamy and velvety cup which leaves you with a delicious aftertaste of caramel.

• Country: Bolivia

Hello children, Uncle Steve has a story to tell you! Sit back, relax and enjoy the story of the Kiriga Coffee Estate in Kenya. :)

The first coffee bush at Kiriga Estate was planted around 1954 by colonial settlers. At about the same time, less than 10 kilometres away along the same Kigio road, a young boy (Aloysius Gakunga, son of the Chief for the larger Muranga) helped his father, Senior Chief Ndungíu Kagori, plant the first coffee seedling in the area. The area was known as Gaitegi village, Muranga Location1 (Loco One). A love affair with coffee had been born!

Several years later the young boy had grown up. He was riding his bicycle along Kigio Road and as he rode past the vast coffee estates, then well established, he promised himself that he would one day own one of them.

He realized this dream in 1976.

Sadly the boy, or Mr. A. N. Gakunga, passed away in July 2014. By the time of his death Mr. Gakunga had passed on the mantle at Kiriga Coffee Estate, and the love of coffee, to Dr. Brian Ndungíu Gakunga. Brian was his second child, and the eldest son of his six children. According to kikuyu cultural naming systems, Brian is named after Mr. Gakungaís' father, who was his grandfather and Gatangaís' pioneer coffee farmer.

• Dr. Brian Gakunga is a coffee farmer who is well known in Kenyan coffee circles. He is a founding member and a former long-serving Honorary Secretary of the Kenya Coffee Producers Association, a national farmers organization that worked to promote the economic and social interests of the coffee farmers through active participation in the national and international arena.

The Kiriga Coffee Estate sits between 1,550 and 1,650 metres above sea level. It is approximately five kilometres from Thika town, which is an industrial town in the central province of Kenya. It's four kilometres from Blue Posts Hotel, which has the famous Chania and Thika falls. Thika lies 50 kilometres north east of Nairobi.

Administratively, Kiriga Coffee Estate is in Gatanga Constituency of Muranga county and separated from Kiambu county by the Chania river.

Kiriga coffee is Arabica of predominantly SL28 variety (notable for its world-renowned cup quality) with an estimate two hectares of Ruiru 11 variety (improved resistance to coffee berry disease and leaf rust); some K7 variety (similar characteristics as SL28 but with better resistance to leaf rust compared to SL28); and a field of the newest Batian variety.

At Kiriga all coffee activities are carried out from the coffee nursery to all the farm operations (pruning, weed control, nutrition, irrigation, basin digging, disease control, infilling, mulching, planting). Wet mill operations are also carried out on the factory level. Kiriga delivers both parchment coffee and Mbuni (naturals) to the commercial dry mill for milling and grading, in preparation for sale at the coffee auction and in direct sale.

In addition to growing coffee the estate also has, I was told, shoats (sheep and goats), a dairy, and the potential to keep fish. It's all about diversity, and what's more diverse than a 'shoat'?! The estate is also occasionally visited by two hippos, in addition to some bird-life, while also being the home of a family of monkeys.

During the dry season that happened earlier this year Kiriga irrigated all its coffee trees despite the crippling electricity costs involved, to ensure their high standards were maintained despite the weather.

By the end of this year (2015) the estate will change the cycle of its coffee trees by removing the old heads and growing new heads, which in return will give a higher yield of bold beans with the characteristic 'Kiriga coffee characteristics'. Over 40% of the 'old heads' will have to go! This is way above the recommended 25%, and as a result we expect to have decreased yield but increased quality.

At Kiriga they talk about having a 'Kiriga Family'; 30% of the total workforce is made up of resident families who live on the estate, and 50% of those know no other home. The remaining percentage consists of smallholder farmers who commute daily and depend on the estate for survival. There are smallholder farmers who have been part of the family since 1976 and have no desire to work anywhere else, commuting a whopping 10 KM (or more!) daily, past other estates, just to work at Kiriga.

Something really amazing I wanted to tell you about was the Kiriga Welfare Fund. In the past the estate saw its workers get turned away from banks when they tried to acquire loans for dealing with family issues or emergencies. To help his 'Kiriga Family', over the past year Brian has encouraged the workers to set up a welfare group with him as its patron, and Brian has provided money for loaning out to staff according to their most pressing needs.

Brian has also approached a banking institution to see whether they can fund workers to acquire dairy animals on loan and repay from the milk proceeds. Under such an arrangement 50% of the proceeds would go towards paying for the loan. A market would be readily available and the remaining 50% would be extra income to the workers. This is ongoing and if successful it would have the effect of supplementing the workers' wages and greatly improving their quality of life.

During my visit to Kenya last year I was fortunate enough to spend some time chatting with Brian. I even managed to record some of it too! Make sure to have a listen. :)

Has Blog: An Interview with Brian & Peter from Kiriga (Part 1)

In the cup you can expect fruit, ALL the fruit! Starts off with blackcurrant but a very tart blackcurrant (almost like a blackcurrant sour beer) but then it shifts to more of a white grape / green apple before finishing with a shoulder of gooseberry, a whopping citrus delight.

• Country: Kenya

A coffee I first fell in love with waaaaaaay back in 2007 makes a super-welcome return to the Has Bean family. Everyone please welcome back FINCA ALASKA!

Finca Alaska is located just one hour from Santa Ana city on the north west slopes of the Santa Ana volcano, which is one of the most amazing coffee growing areas in El Salvador. It is owned by Ernesto Mednez of La Ilusion fame or, as we like to call him, Neto! This is a name you should be familiar with by now, because I think you know how much I love the coffee this amazing man grows. I often get asked what my favourite coffee of all time is and I will never say exactly (although my friends know the true answer), but I always narrow it to three coffees; one of them is definitely from Neto.

This is a coffee that we first saw back in 2007 (check out 2007 Steve and Neto in the main picture!) and I was desperate to have a long-term relationship with the grower. Due to some politics and miscommunication, it slipped through our fingers. The following year we bought coffee from La Ilusion but it always felt like there was a piece of the jigsaw missing. I managed to get my hands on Finca Alaska four years later in 2011, and now another four years later in 2015 I've done it again. I will do my best to not let it be four years until we see Finca Alaska again, I promise!

In the cup you're going to think you've melted down a bar of Galaxy chocolate, super smooth andcreamy and dreamy milk chocolate everywhere!  There's also a generous handful of hazelnuts with a delicious soft peach acidity on the finish 🍫🌰🍑

• Country: El Salvador