Dear Coffee Subscribers,
This past year has flown by and we are almost at the finish line of 2020 which we will remember as the year when a pandemic controlled the world. Hopefully the upcoming year will allow us to progress more, spend time with our loved ones and not at least more hugs. In the meantime let’s enjoy the change of season while prepping for these last couple of months.
For the October subscription I have picked out three different cultivars from our friends Marysabel Caballero and Moises Herrera. All three cultivars harvested in February this year. Some of these lots are very small volumes and since they taste delicious, I find them to be perfect coffees to share with our biggest fans, our subscribers.
Caballero Catuaí 1 + bag
Flavour notes: Chocolate, dried fruits & figs
Producer: Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest: February 2020
Origin: Chinacla, La Paz, Honduras
Process: Washed
Cultivar: Catuaí
The 2020 harvest from Moises and Marysabel is in my opinion the best one we have ever tasted from them. I know I said the same about the last years harvest too, but Moises and Marysabel have really focused on improving their farms and have also made huge improvements to both their wet and dry mill. The results are especially noticeable in their Catuaí coffees. This year you will find them to be more fruity, still with the characteristic chocolate flavours, big sweetness and rich mouthfeel. They remind me of eating high quality dark chocolate that has a fruity character.
Although Marysabel and Moises produce a lot of Catuaí coffees, not all lots are produced the same way. Some are dried on patios, others in mechanical driers or on raised beds under shade. Over the years I have developed a protocol in cooperation with Moises and Marysabel on how to separate, process and especially dry and store the coffees. During the last 5 – 6 years they have been producing a lot of Catuaí coffees following this protocol. It means we do get plenty of lots / batches to choose from and we are fortunate to be able to buy the cream of their crop. All the lots we buy from the Caballeros are now dried on raised beds in shade and are hand sorted and milled with extreme care and attention. It really makes a difference in the final cup. In fact Moises was the one who let me experiment with shade dried coffee in the first place. That is how we learned that the green coffee that was dried this way will stay fresh for a longer time and taste much cleaner than the patio or mechanically dried coffees they produce.
Caballero Java 2 + bags
Flavour notes: White chocolate, green tea & almonds
Producer: Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest: February 2020
Origin: Chinacla, La Paz, Honduras
Process: Washed
Cultivar: Java
The Java cultivar, which is originally from Ethiopia, was brought to the island og Java by the dutch in the early 19th century. In the mid 20th century it was brought to Cameroon where it was released for cultivation after a 20 year selection process. From there it was brought to Costa Rica and have only recently become popular among farmers who are seeking out rare cultivars for their farms. I have tasted Java coffees that are very fruity and floral and others that taste like chocolate and nuts. In recent years we have been buying this cultivar from Marysabel and Moises and it has become a favourite among some of our team members. Maybe because it is so different from other coffees we buy. This Java coffee does not have a lot of fruity or floral flavours which we tend to favour. It tastes more like the green Kit Kat chocolate bars sold in Japan. It has a milk / white chocolate character with a distinct taste of umami-rich Japanese green tea. A really pleasant coffee with a big mouthfeel and sweetness. Marysabel and Moises do not produce a lot of this coffee and they sell the majority of it to us. This years crop was quite small and most of it is being sent out to you, our loyal subscribers.
Caballero SL28 3 + bags
Flavour notes: Black tea, red berries & floral
Producer: Marysabel Caballero & Moises Herrera
Harvest: February 2020
Origin: Chinacla, La Paz, Honduras
Process: Washed
Cultivar: SL28
Speaking of rarities. This is the second harvest of the SL 28 variety that we planted together with Moises and Marysabel 6 years ago. This year the volumes are slightly bigger which means we are able to send it out to our 3 + bag subscribers. As you may know the SL28 variety is the one commonly grown in Kenya and is famous for its fruity black currant and red berry flavours. However, the intensity of this coffee from Marysabel and Moises is not even close to what you can expect from an SL28 grown in Kenya. Possibly because of the growing conditions being very different from the highlands in Kenya or maybe because the trees are still very young. In time we will see how this cultivar develops on their farms.
It is no secret that the SL28 is one of my personal favourites among cultivars. We have planted and tasted the SL28 both from Nacimiento in Honduras and Finca Tamana in Colombia all showing different cup profiles. The one thing they do have in common is the fruity character but with a varying degree of intensity. The Caballero’s SL28 is probably the most subtle of them all but it is still a delicious and refreshing cup of coffee.
Cheers,
Tim & Co