Dear coffee subscriber,
Spring is finally here and I have selected some refreshing coffees for you to enjoy while we are waiting for fresh crop coffees to arrive to Norway in the coming months.
For the fruit lovers, we are sending out a Kenyan coffee from one of our favourite washing stations, Karogoto. The washed Ethiopian coffee from Echemo is a really delicate and tea-like coffee with subtle peach like flavours. The Pacas from Nacimiento might seem like a more chocolaty and rich coffee compared to the African coffees we are sending out, but if you compare it to other coffees from Honduras you will find it to be quite a fruity and refreshing coffee too.
For more information on each coffee please continue reading below or watch our subscription tasting video on YouTube.
Karogoto (1st and 4th bag)
Flavour notes: Blackcurrants, hibiscus & ripe cherries
Producer: Several smallholder farmers
Harvest: December 2021
Origin: Nyeri, Kenya
Process: Washed
Cultivar: SL28, SL34, Batian & Ruiru 11
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.)
This is the second lot we bought from Karogoto in the beginning of last year. The coffees from Karogoto are always super clean and have an intense fruity and floral flavour. This is most likely because most of the members / farmers are still growing the SL28 cultivar and have received a lot of agricultural training over the years. The climatic conditions also contributes to the coffees intensity. The cool nights and moderately hot days slow down the ripening process and gives a very sweet, intense and unique coffee.
This particular lot is a bit more tart and structured than the lot we sent out in September, but still with the intense fruity character that the coffees from Karogoto are known for.
Nacimiento Pacas (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes: Red berries, mango & chocolate
Producer: Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest: April 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 tend 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 are 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 lot is from the end of last year’s harvest and comes from the highest part of the farm. It has a bit more flavour intensity than the lots we sent out the previous months with hints of ripe mango and red berries.
Echemo (3rd or 6th bag)
Flavour notes: White tea, stone fruit, floral & honey
Producer: Khalid Shifa
Harvest: December 2021
Origin: Goma, Jimma, Ethiopia
Process: Washed
Cultivar: Heirloom from Coche forest
Organic certified by Debio NO-ØKO-01
Two years ago, Khalid built a new wet mill on his farm. He is now able to produce washed coffees whereas before we were only able to buy natural- and honey processed coffees from him. Interestingly I find his washed coffee to be much more expressive and flavourful with more of the classic citrus, stone fruit and floral flavours that is so common for the best Ethiopian coffees.
In the 2021 harvest we were able to separate all the different pickings / batches of washed coffee that Khalid produced. We were able to taste them separately and purchase the ones we liked the best. Although the lots we bought taste very similar to one another it was important to separate each batch as we were able to reject one batch that did not meet our quality standard. In previous years, Khalid would bulk-blend all his batches together in to one lot of coffee which is more risky as one bad batch might affect the quality of the bulked lot.
This coffee has a slight less intense acidity compared to a lot of other washed Ethiopian coffees we have offered over the years, but it does not mean it is not packed full of flavour. I love how this coffee changes in flavour as it’s temperature drops, so make sure you taste it at different temperatures for maximum enjoyment. This is one of three lots that we bought last year and it has a more delicate flavour profile than the lot we sent out in December. I find it to have a very soft nectar-like sweetness with a white tea and stone fruit flavour character. It tastes super juicy if you brew it with our standard Aeropress recipe.