Dear coffee subscriber,
This time of the year is always a challenge for us to send out something «new» to our subscribers as we are in the middle of harvest season in most origins we buy from. That means we are waiting patiently for new crops to arrive in the coming months (I am actually writing this while visiting Jobneel at Nacimiento in Honduras to get an update on the harvest).
We do still have a lot of tasty coffee in our warehouse though, and as I went through our inventory I picked out three coffees that for me are tasting really good at the moment.
I hope you will enjoy them.
Please note that this month, the subscription coffee will leave our roastery on Tuesday, April 4th. Due to Easter holidays in Norway, some delays in shipping may occur.
Tatmara Coffee Plantation (1st and 4th bag)
Flavour notes: Ripe mango, red grapes & strawberries
Producer: Negussie Tadesse
Harvest: December 2021
Origin: Dakiti, Kaffa, Ethiopia
Process: Natural
Cultivar: 74112
Tatmara is one of the most beautiful coffee plantations I have ever been to. The coffee grows inside a native forest full of old native trees, spice plants, shrubs and wildlife. Negussie does not apply any mineral fertilisers or agrochemicals to his farm and weed control is done manually. Still the trees are healthy and producing well which is most likely due to the healthy forest soils that are rich in soil biology that provide the trees with nutrients. I personally believe that these coffees are so complex, full of flavour and easy to extract not only because of the cultivars that are grown but because they grow slowly under shade trees in very healthy soils in their native environment. (After all the arabica coffee trees are native to the forests of Kaffa.)
Negussie has mainly planted two different cultivars named 74110 and 74112 on his farm that he separates when picking and processing his coffees.
Both cultivars are selections made by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) and although they have very similar qualities, there are some subtle nuances in the flavour profile.
The two cultivars begin with the number “74” that indicates their cataloging and selection in 1974.
The 74110 cultivar was selected from an original “mother tree” in the Bishari village of the Metu Province in the Illuababora zone. After research in their field laboratory (coffee farm) in Jimma, the JARC researchers found the cultivar to be resistant to coffee berry disease and to have a high yield potential. JARC released the cultivar in 1979 as a new and improved cultivar and since then it has become one of the most popular cultivars in Ethiopia known for its floral and citric flavour profile.
Cultivar 74112 also originates in the Metu-Bishari forest and was similarly released in 1979 for its resistance to coffee berry disease and high yield potential. Like the 74110 it is also among the most commonly planted cultivars in Ethiopia today, especially on recently established farms in the southern, southwestern and western coffee-growing parts of Ethiopia.
There are subtle differences in flavour between the two cultivars and we just started roasting the 74112 after offering the 74110 for a good while. I find it to have a bit more winey and ripe flavours like ripe mango and really ripe strawberries still with a floral touch that makes the coffee taste more like fresh juice. If you are making this coffee as espresso I highly recommend making it a bit longer shot (like 20g dose to 50g yield in the cup) Make sure to cool it down as always to get the most out of it when you drink it and you will get a lot more balance and expression of flavours.
Los Pirineos Ethiopian «Konka» (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes: Milk chocolate, stone fruits & apples
Producer: Fabiola & Diego Baraona
Harvest: February 2022
Origin: Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Process: Semi-washed
Cultivar: Ethiopian
This is an Ethiopian cultivar that is grown at Los Pirineos that they have named «Konka.» I suspect it is supposed to be named Konga like the washing station in Yirgacheffe in south-Ethiopia ( but that is not so important).
This coffee is not really tasting like an Ethiopian coffee though. Normally I would expect it to be floral and citric when I see the word Ethiopian on a coffee but this coffee has a subtle stone fruit and apple like character with sweet milk chocolate notes.
A fun fact is that Gilberto gave me seeds from these trees to plant on my farm Finca el Suelo in Colombia, and so far it tastes very different there with more of a classic Ethiopian character. Still the Konka from Los Pirineos is a really sweet and tasty coffee with a mouth watering sweetness and acidity.
Nacimiento Pacas (3rd or 6th bag)
Flavour notes: Fresh herbs, red berries & chocolate
Producer: Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest: February 2022
Origin: El Cielito, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Process: Washed
Cultivar: Pacas
For a long time we have asked Jobneel to separate his coffees by cultivar and harvest date. As a result we have not only gotten coffees with different flavour profiles due to the variations in cultivars but we have also noticed that the flavour intensity tends to increase from the start of the harvest in January / February towards the end of the harvest in June.
This is most likely due to the later pickings being harvested from the higher altitudes on the farm. Although the growing season 2021-2022 was challenging due to harsh weather conditions and shortage of available labour, Jobneel still managed to produce sweet good quality coffees. It shows that even in challenging years, skilled and dedicated producers like Jobneel are still able to make the most out of it. This particular lot is from the beginning of the harvest which means it has medium intensity of fruity flavours with a more chocolaty and herbal cup profile.