In My Mug

Episode 317 on Monday the 8th of December 2014 Costa Rica Finca La Pira Tarrazu Washed Caturra

This coffee is in its third year with us and is a sign of the progress we have made working with Alejandro. The first time we came across this it came as a very well presented sample which just landed on my doorstep. It came from someone who had visited the farm and offered to try and 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 three times in El Salvador, last time stopping at his house with his family and enjoying a day at the beach. Alejandro even came to see us last year in Stafford. 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).

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

This coffee comes from the 2nd highest part of the farm called Fincona 2 that is about 12 manzanas and is the most productive of all the tablones. The soil has less clay, so it is softer which allows for the coffee tree roots to grow better. It is not unusual for Fincona 2 to produce above 25 quintales manzana (which is probably the norm at most coffee farms but at Argentina its a much lower yield normally). Altitude is from 1,200 to 1,300 m.a.s.l. Fincona 2 has a nice, gently sloping area and then a hard steep area as you get higher towards San Jorge and begins at the farms Casa (house)

The coffee is a 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 butter in texture and in taste, a very very balanced cup with a hint of citrus acidity, enough to get you interested, with lemon rind tartness. Balanced, smooth, sweet with acidity hints, delicious.

Country: El Salvador

A staple, a big favourite, a stunning example of what a very fine coffee from Brazil should be. Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Yellow Bourbon pulped natural from the Minas Gerais area is one of my all-time great cups. This coffee has always been fantastic, and has such amazing memories for me.

This farm sparked a massive change in what I thought I knew about coffee. I remember the first time I ever cupped this coffee: time stood still as the cup opened my mind to what great coffee is and can be. Gabriel, the farmer, continues to produce great coffee year on year. Because of the special relationship we and our importers enjoy with Gabriel, we have access to the best of the crop this year (and for the last three) on a European exclusive.

Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has been in the Carvalho Dias family since 1890 and recently celebrated its 109th crop. It is located in São Paolo state, just 3 miles from the border with Minas Gerais state. It enjoys the typical characteristics of the mountainous Mogiana and Sul de Minas regions and is located at an altitude of 1,100-1,250 metres.

Gabriel de Carvalho Dias is one of Brazil’s leading agronomists. His family owns several farms, which border each other in this area. With a total area of 417 hectares, Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has a coffee plantation area of 165 hectares. On this farm, everything is done manually since its topography does not allow any kind of mechanisation. The mill is located close to the spa town of Poços de Caldas, which is 45 minutes from the farm.

Social and environmental sustainability is considered to be very important here. The farm has a programme of planting native species to maintain a better ecological balance. There is also a school, a club, and an official size soccer field for the employees and workers. There are 47 houses, all with modern facilities. The waste water is treated to avoid polluting the stream that runs across the farm. The farm has a small hydroelectric plant and only buys energy during the peak harvest. Some of the original Bourbon varietal trees are as much as 108 years old.

The beans are harvested on a sheet and prepared by the ‘pulped natural’ process, which separates the greens. After harvest, the beans receive the maximum attention possible so as not to lose any of the body and cup qualities for which this region is famed.

In the cup what really hits you is the outstanding sweetness. There is chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Is this the perfect espresso?  Well, it is an example of how good single estate coffee can be in the espresso machine.  For me, it is close to perfection in a cup.  This is the kind of coffee that has improved Brazilian coffee, showing others what is possible.

Farm: Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama

Located in the La Casiana region of Jardin in the department of Antioquia in Colombia, this farm sits at 1,800 m.a.s.l.

This particular coffee is a fully washed, underwater fermentation coffee from the Franco family.

The farm has 15 permanent workers and 25 temporary workers, who all live in the local area. The farm is also a place of friends; they have formed a football team and regularly socialise together.

The picking stage is all done selectively. One of the brothers, William, is responsible for making sure the workers only select the ripest cherries. This is done over many passes to make sure they pick only the best and ripest coffee. Once harvested the coffee is rested for 6 hours, then de-pulped and left submerged in water overnight. Then the water is changed in the morning, and the coffee left for a further 12 hours. Finally, the coffee is sun dried.

In the cup expect an up-front white grape acidity that's delicious. Then it turns into a treacle and toffeesweetness, which gives it amazing balance.

• Farm: Los Pomos

Back in 1870, Fabio Morán and Etifanio Silva decided to conquer this hostile territory, sowing coffee trees in one of the highest summits of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. They named the 28 hectares of land Siberia, for its chaotic weather conditions, along with its difficult accessibility: very apt really. One century later, Rafael Silva inherited the property. It is located at 1,450 meters above sea level.

It is only shade-grown coffee, of which we have two varieties; 75% Bourbon, and 25% Pacamara (this is the 100% bourbon lot).

The name Rafael Silva might be a familiar one to lovers of El Salvador coffee. Rafael and Carmen being the owners of one of my favourite coffees: La Fany. I visited both La Fany and Siberia farm with them back in 2007, and I stocked this coffee and loved it. But it fell off our radar a little, El Salvador is somewhere we have worked very hard, and have some amazing friends and coffees, but somehow Siberia got lost.

Fast forward to 2012 and the Cup of Excellence, This sample hit our table and we were wowed, really wowed. So much so we bought it at a crazy price, and this coffee retailed at £12 a bag. You snapped it up. We raved about it and thought it only right to follow up. In fact Siberia has been highly decorated and has been among the Cup of Excellence winners in the years 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2012.

So on my visit to El Salvador Rafael and Carmen very kindly gave me a day of their time and took me to see their lovely new mill, and cup some coffees and talk about how we could make sure we had Siberia this year and going forwards.

Siberia farm is located in the Cerro El Aguila canton, between Santa Ana and Chalchuapa, in the region of Santa Ana and the Apaneca- Ilamatepec Mountain Range. This estate is exactly at the other side of the mountain from the La Fany estate, which we love so much.

In the cup expect a milk chocolate body with a walnut edge to it, with a clean sweet aftertaste and delicate watermelon acidity that just goes on and on.

• Farm: La Siberia

Nejapa farm is owned by Gloria Rodriguez from San Jose Fame, this is the first time we have been able to secure this coffee and were very excited to share it with you.

The far was inherited by Gloria’s father, José María Rodríguez Herrera in the 50’s, by that time the property was only devoted to cattle for milking purposes, and it was José Maria who started growing coffee of the Bourbon variety, and little by little he noticed coffee was extremely productive on that area. Nejapa farm has 18.2 hectares of which 6.3 hectares are grown to coffee, divided in 3 plots Los Vientos 2.1 Ha, Santa Marta 1.4 Ha. and Roma (where this coffee is from) 2.8 Ha.

Nejapa farm has also 7 hectares reforested with cedar trees of approximately 10 years old. The farm also has a diversity of shade trees, which helps maintain and preserve both the soil conditions and a wide variety of birds and small mammals that can be seen even in that region. This farm is on the slopes of the Laguna de Las Ninfas (Water lilies lagoon) with a spectacular sight over the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range, including the impressive Itzalco volcano, and even the Pacific Ocean, and Port of Acajutla. Every year, Gloria establishes nurseries with selected seeds, giving special care to it and keeping her farm in good shape, balancing production and securing future crops.

NEJAPA - TABLON ROMA

Tablón Roma is located in the western side of Finca Nejapa that has belonged to the family over 4 generations, but was left unplated until 10 years ago, when Gloria obtained a loan through a local Investment Bank to redevelop and re plant this area. The variety chosen for this plot was Caturra, in those days it was in vogue planting this short-size producing tree with good yields needed to repay the loan, gladly variety and terroir combination resulted in great quality coffee as well.

The name ROMA was selected by combining the first to letters of her 2 children, Roberto and María Jose. This farm was awarded in El Salvador Cup of Excellence in 2008 and 2009.

Gloria works under strict specialty coffee standards such as fully ripe cherries harvest, careful milling, appreciative pruning, etc., while she is blessed by amazing coffee terroir conditions such as altitude, sandy loam soils and rich in organic matter, among others. Coffee pickers are selected from her staff based on their experience and passion, and their understanding on the requirements to obtain high quality coffee. She supervised the whole process directly with the support of Antonio Avelino, her farm foreman.

This is the red Caturra varietal and is a fully washed process. 

In the cup expect dark chocolate and cherry, think about one of those dark chocolate cherry liquid centre sweets. Delicious!!!

• Farm: Nejapa

Last year I took my first trip to Kenya. Not to meet producers but rather to get an insight into how the market works, and how we can improve the quality of what we buy from Kenya. But this is one project that did emerge from the visit. 

Much of Kenyan coffee comes from cooperatives, which means it's tough to go to visit a person or build a long term relationship. But speaking with the coops leaders and washing stations it is possible to get something interesting and work on projects.

The Chinga mill is located near to the town of Othaya just east of the Chinga Dam, it's approximately 5km south west of the town in the Nyeri country part of the country. 

The mill has some 783 members (587 male and 195 female) and each member only owns a small piece of land of an average 0.3 acres. They harvest the coffee themselves then sell it to the mill, who process and send the coffee to the government auction. 

The project part of this coffee was we asked them if they would naturally process a batch for us, to which they kindly agreed as long as we promised to buy it regardless of the final cup. So it's a small lot to make sure that we didn't mess up, we also spread the risk with two different quality of coffee lots, this is an NH we have here being screen 15 or above. They thought I was crazy as only the poor quality coffee in Kenya gets naturally processed, and couldn't understand why I wanted only the best quality processing this way. But they did it, and luckily for us it worked out better than we could have hoped.

NH and NL are new, and basically invented grades, as these are good cherries selected and then natural processed. They will not be official grades as yet (& probably not as this is the first time we've seen them used), and are not linked to the similarly named MH and ML grades - NH and NL (traditionally used for mbuni heavy and mbuni light) were created and used so the packers, mill operators, etc would have some degree of familiarity with the natural processed nature.

In the cup this is a smoked blackcurrant, but with a wood-chip and pipe tobacco finish. You can tell it wants to be one thing and wants to be another, a confused coffee that's clean, but with big base notes.

Name: Othaya Chinga

Episode 309 on Monday the 13th of October 2014 Costa Rica Finca El Pilon Natural Catuai