In My Mug

This coffee is in its 5th year with us and we continue to develop this amazing relationship with yet again a new development. We have split the farm up into Tablon's, and you can really taste the differences, we did this a couple of years ago. But the problem with this, is sometimes you just want a great coffee and a quantity of it. 

Last year they had a massive leaf rust issue, so we were only able to have this "estate" grade, but it's great to report the farm has bounced back, and although still not perfect, the farm is on the road to recovery. But it was such a success we have done this again this year. 

This lot comes from all the tablons, anything that scored over 86 on the cupping table and under 89 made its way into this. Anything over 89 got separated and anything under got sold as commodity coffee. We have decided to call it the estate version of this coffee, although it's like any other coffee that doesn't have this level of traceability. 

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. Part of this work last year was to separate the farm into tablons (the Spanish word for plot). It was separated into 8 plots, with 7 of them growing coffee.

The coffee is 100% Bourbon, as 70% of plant stock in El Salvador is. This heirloom varietal is one of the reasons why coffee from this country is right up amongst some of the best in the world. They have the perfect climate and conditions for this low yielding, high maintenance strain.

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.

This is a world exclusive for us, and one I think you will enjoy. In the cup expect lots of mouthfeel, thinkmelted chocolate, smooth and balanced, with a hazelnut like finish. A perfect example of an amazing El Salvador.

• Country: El Salvador 

Oh hello there!  My name's Steve and I really like the colour red, it's my favourite, you might have guessed by all the red everywhere ;)  However this is a rare occasion where I want to talk to you about a different colour, an amazing yellow that I've really fallen in love with.  In the past we only had red Pacamaras, if you know me then you know I love red and I love Pacamaras so it was a match made in heaven!  However a little while ago I came across a yellow Pacamara and wow, wow wow wow.

It was 4 years ago and I was in Nicaragua visiting Finca Limoncillo, I was introduced to this not-red Pacamara and after tasting a small sample I begged Erwin to sell us some but he told me they were using all the crop to create more seedling to plant more coffee, but that it would soon be available.  Gone were the days of me being a red only kinda guy.

Fast forward 2 years and it was available in the Los Favoritos Fincas Mierisch auction where some very special lots were up for grabs to the highest bidder.  After tasting what I tasted in Nicaragua I knew I had to have it, through the bidding process the entire production of yellow Pacamara from that year was split between us and another amazing roastery in Japan, and so the journey began.  Because we stepped up then we are now at the front of the line to get the new crop as it grows into more and more commercial sizes.  This also allows us to sell this coffee at half the original price, which is very exciting.

As I said this is a Pacamara varietal coffee.  Pacamaras are a little crazy on the cupping table.  Pacamaras are exciting.  I like Pacamaras!  Could ramble on about Pacamaras for a while, oh wait a minute, I did!  If you'd like to know more about this fantastic varietal make sure to have a look at the article I wrote...

So why is this varietal so rare? Well it's a freak natural mutation from red fruit to yellow and was spotted by a security guard on the farm. They isolated it, harvested the seeds for more seedlings, and then just kept going and going.

In the cup this is a super rare super special coffee. At the beginning you're going to get a taste of lovely cloudy lemonade, this then turns into a viscous and sweet banana milkshake that’s thick and gloopy. The delicious aftertaste just goes on and on and on.

• Country: Nicaragua

This coffee is from the Cafex washing station located in the north of Burundi, in the province of Kirundo. The washing station is on the Mutura hills at an altitude of 1,450 metres above sea level. The coffee processed at the station is from hills between 1,450 and 1,750 m.a.s.l.

The washing station is a private, family-run business. The owner is passionate about coffee; he wanted make his European and Burundian cultural background benefit the Burundian coffee farming community, and so offer great Burundian coffees to the world. The washing station is managed by qualified and trained staff to maximise the quality of the coffee throughout the processing chain.

We've searched for a long time to find great Burundian coffee. Every year the samples would arrive, and we were just not happy with the quality. I knew great Burundi coffees – like this one – existed, because I had tasted them from other roasters. But we just couldn't find the coffee for us.

This coffee comes from the varietals Bourbon and Jackson (which is a Bourbon cultivation found primarily in Rwanda and Burundi), and it's the first time I have found anyone doing naturally processed lots from this area. I'm still not sure how we managed to get this tiny lot out of Burundi but we have, and we hope you enjoy it.

In the cup this is so different to what I expected. It has leather notes with a blackcurrant syrup andcassis, and a dark chocolate aftertaste. A huge body.

• Country: Burundi


OK so yes this coffee has a big long name but it's all important information, allow me explain...

Costa Rica (I'm guessing you worked this out!) is the country it's from.  Don Mayo is the name of the micro mill where the coffee is milled and processed.  Finca Bella Vista is the farm that the coffee was grown on.  Washed is the processing method (if you want to learn a little more about processing be sure to check out our processing videos) and Caturra is the varietal of coffee bean (more information about Caturra available in our varietal archive) See I told you it was all important stuff!

Finca Bella Vista is located at an altitude of 1,900 metres above sea level in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica. I first came across this coffee on my visit to the country in February 2011, and I knew it was a coffee for people like me. I've since been back in January 2013, too. The farm is very close to the Don Mayo mill and is owned by Hector Bonilla and his family.

This coffee is a coffee with a pedigree, winning the 2009 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence competition, and is one of the most highly regarded coffees in the Tarrazú region. There was a time when coffees from the Tarrazú region would fetch a high price on just the name alone. It's a super interesting coffee, but the quality over the past ten years or so has seen the coffee plummet whilst other regions (I'm thinking Naranjo and Central as ones that stand out) have raised their game. This particular coffee from Tarrazú is of a small minority that seems to be bucking the general trend and working hard to make the coffee as good as it can be. This coffee gives me huge hope for the future of Tarrazú.

The farm is an amazing example of how professional a farm and mill should be. Everything at the mill is impeccably clean, tidy and organised to the point of obsession. I think when it comes to running a good farm and mill it's okay to be obsessive about what you're doing. It's little things like hats for the staff working in the mill, labels on the lots that are clear and readable; they're all very small and tiny things, yet things that make the difference in quality.

This is the fourth year that we've had this coffee after I originally found it while cupping around 250 blind samples in three days from a whole heap of farms. Some were just different days' pickings, some were different varietals and processes.

What happens when you put all the words in the big long name together? In the cup you're going to find a delicious sweetness that'll make you think of a spoonful of honey; not just in taste, but in its amazing mouthfeel too. Alongside that honey loveliness there are tinned peaches and dried apricots, which add a super elegant edge. The finish is smooth, long and really rather lovely.

• Country: Costa Rica

We first bought coffee from this amazing farm back in 2007 as part of a buying group in the Cup of Excellence. The very first time I cupped a coffee from Finca Limoncillo I absolutely loved it and knew it was a farm I had to get involved with.  It was only after the auction closed that I found out it was owned by the father of two brothers in Nicaragua who are probably the only people I know from the country, and are good friends of mine.

The farm is a whopping 171 hectares in size and is located in Matagalpa towards the north west of Nicaragua, it's an amazing location that has not 1, not 2 but 9 waterfalls on the farm! It's owned by the Mieresch family, whom as I have already said are good friends, and are also well respected producers in Nicaragua known for their experimental processing, varietal work, and exceptional coffee.

The fact that the family are friends helps us drill down into the details of what they do for the people who work for them, and continues to prove to me that good people grow good coffee.

The employers: 

• Pay their staff 30% more than what is typical minimum wage

So what's this Ethiosar varietal I hear you ask?  Well it's from the hard work of the Mierisch family and their cousin Ricardo who owns a farm near to Limoncillo but at a much lower altitude of 800 m.a.s.l. Ricardo noticed that his yield and his plants were suffering and seemed to be becoming more susceptible to disease, he puts this down to growing issues in Nicaragua, a change in climate, increased rains and his low altitude. But from experiments he was running on the farm he noticed that this newly spliced varietal he had put together was thriving, it was fruiting much more than the other plants, and was not suffering.

The varietal, Ethiosar, is a stable hybrid plant. It is a cross of an Ethiopian variety (Rume Sudan) with a Sarchimore (a cross of a Villa Sarchi with a Timor variety). The offspring of this plant is then crossed once again with a Villa Sarchi (an improved Caturra / Bourbon from Costa Rica).

The Timor variety is the robusta variety used to produce all the Catimores, in short it only has a very small percentage of Catimores in it, thus making it very resistant to rust in most parts of the world. The Rume Sudan is a very old variety of Typica from Ethiopia. Both Rume Sudan and Villa Sarchi are known for their great cup characteristics.

What Ethiosar does is increase production by up to 40% whilst only needing 2,800 plants per manzana, whereas with Caturra you would need 4,000 plants. This may not seem important until you begin to think that each plant needs fertiliser, so not only are you getting more yield but it's cheaper to grow because you need less fertiliser, less plants (plants have to be grown or bought), and it's also quicker to pick. On top of all of this, it's super tasty.

In the cup expect plenty of fresh lime zest, with a bright and zingy acidity that's super clean and refreshing.  In the aftertaste you'll find a taste of delicious craft beer hops.

So an old favourite returns in this Costa Rican Licho: a coffee that we first bought from a Cup of Excellence auction many many years ago in 2007, where it finished 4th. This is now it's seventh year with us and I'm super proud to offer it.

It is also a coffee that shows our development as a roaster. First we bought this coffee in the Cup of Excellence program (a great way to meet a grower). Then we bought it from an import broker; because we are a small coffee buyer, they helped us bring in this coffee. Then we bought directly from them. Then 2 years ago, I went out to the farm and did the deal on the farm with the brothers. I love the fact that last year I walked onto the farm after cupping a particular lot in the exporter's office, asked how much they wanted, and there was a short conference. They came back and told me, then we shook hands. Then we got back into the 4x4 and drove away. This year we agreed an European exclusive deal with them for this coffee, continueing the close work we have with them. 

We also agreed a price going forwards that is higher than last years, and agreed to take an amount more than ever before, to prove how wedded we are to this coffee. 

Grown in the region of Naranjo, in the volcanic Northern Cordiles corridor of the Western Valley by the Aguilera brothers, this coffee is cultivated at an altitude of 1500 metres above sea level. The varietal is carefully selected Villa Sarchi with some Caturra (around 30%).

This coffee is honey processed, which is like the pulped natural method, so the fruit is removed from the seed of the coffee bush and left to dry. The main difference is that when the cherry is removed there is no water involved, so mucilage sticks to the bean. This can be dangerous, but it's necessary in these parts of Costa Rica where water is limited: in this area of Naranjo water is a precious commodity so this method suits the location very well.

Whilst drying, the coffee ends up clustering because there is so much mucilage. So the coffee either needs to be turned regularly to stop this happening, or it has to be broken up. Over-fermentation can happen at this stage and you can end up with a not so good cup. But the Aguilera brothers are well versed in this method and are some of the most skilled in Costa Rica.

In the cup this coffee is delicious and has become one of our staple coffees. All the things that has made this coffee great over the past four years are still there; the front end sweet honey, the delicious mid-palate of raspberry, and the distinctive melted chocolate aftertaste that's smooth and balanced. Also the amazing clean tastes stay super clean. This is one coffee I'm very proud to offer.

• Country: Costa Rica

The name of this coffee producer may sound familiar.  Beto is the son of the legend that is Teodocio Mamani who owns Finca Canton Uyunense, a farm we have worked with since 2012.

18 de mayo is a municipality of Caranavi (and part of Canton Uyunense), and lots of farms can be called a variation on these names as the land tends not to have a name. This is a super small lot and is a mixture of Catuai and caturra varietals.

This year is the first year that Beto has grown his own coffee, under his own guardianship (Dad letting go) and the results are amazing, although Dad has helped with the processing. They used a depulper that removes the cherry, then left the cherry to go through a dry fermentation process (aerobic) for 16 hours, and then ran it through the scrubber section of the pulper to remove the final remains of the mucilage. He then transferred the coffee to raised African beds where it dried in around 7-9 days.

Like on Canton Uyunense the picking methods used is called Ayne. With this method selective picking happens (not stripping the tree like their neighbours), demanding much more labour and incurs much more costs. But because of this Beto gets more coffee he can sell as specialty, and the cup profile improves. 

In the cup you can expect baker's chocolate, sweetness and a lovely body. Although there is a gentlepear acidity, this coffee is all about the body and sweetness. 

• Country: Bolivia

The Vieira Ferreira family has specialised in coffee production for three generations and is now headed by Adolfo Vieira Ferreira, whose attention to detail and commitment to producing top class specialty coffee is second to none.

In order to guarantee quality, the farm employs a high number of skilled workers to carry out most of the production process by hand, from soil preparation for planting to hand-picking the ripe cherries. In return, the farm looks after its workers. Permanent workers and their families live on-site and are provided with schooling for their children, professional training and environmental education.

The farm also takes environmental sustainability seriously and abides by all Brazilian environmental protection laws. Its native forests are set aside as protected reserves and are often visited by tourists, school children and ecologists. The farm also regularly plants new trees, particularly around its water sources, in order to maintain the local ecosystem.

Passeio’s coffee is picked by hand only when the cherries reach an advanced stage of ripeness, to avoid processing green beans.

The farm cultivates several different varietals: this Rubi lot, a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Catuaí. This single varietal lot was harvested and processed separately from other lots, to maintain its own distinct characteristics.

In the cup expect dark chocolate tones with a buttery mouthfeel, and a hint of black cherry with asuper bass-note finish. The strange thing is that you struggle to guess it's a Natural.

• Country: Brazil

We first bought this coffee back in 2007 in a buying group. I loved it from the first time I cupped it, and it was one I had to get. It was only after the auction closed that I found out it was owned by a family in Nicaragua who are probably the only people I know from the country, and are good friends.

The following year I visited the farm with our importers and spent the whole trip begging them to bring it in for us. Eventually they caved in and kindly did this for us. This has worked well for a couple of years. But we received a notice a couple of years ago that the importers were not going to be buying the coffee any more for reasons other than the cup quality. This led to some frantic phone calls and some thorough searching of the back of the sofa for the loose change to fund buying 12 months' worth of coffee in one go.

Many obstacles were in the way of doing this deal, but we were lucky that we were able to pull all the strings together with so little time.

So the upside of all of this is that now Limoncillo is part of our direct buying program and I see it as a symbol of how Has Bean's buying has developed, and how we are developing as a roastery. This coffee has come from Cup of Excellence, to long term relationship, to a direct trade relationship.

The farm is located in Matagalpa and is a huge 171 hectares. It's an amazing location with 9 waterfalls within the farm. It's owned by the Mieresch family; as I have already said they are good friends, but they're also well respected producers in Nicaragua. They're known for their experimental processing, varietal work, and exceptional coffee.

The fact that the family are friends helps us drill down into the details of what they do for the people who work for them, and continues to prove to me that good people grow good coffee.

The employers:

• Pay their staff 30% more than what is typical minimum wage

I'm pleased to say that in the cup it's very similar to previous years and remains as amazing as it's ever been, one of the most consistent cups we buy. The best way I could describe this coffee is that it's like eating a toffee apple. At the front you get the sweetness of caramel with a big sticky mouthfeel, then it turns into the juiciness of green apple acidity that cleans the mouth and refreshes the palate. Then the finish: you get the two flavours mixing together to give you a balanced and complex coffee.

• Farm: El Limoncillo