Dear Coffee Subscribers,
It’s finally here: details of your first coffee subscription package of the new decade. Welcome to 2020 and I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and New Year’s celebration wherever you are in the world. In this month’s episode of our Coffee Subscription Tasting with Friends, I’m joined once again by our Digital & Marketing Manager, Krissa, who will also be announcing some exciting news for next month. So watch on to find out things like:
– what’s happening to our website next month
– the theme behind this month’s selection of coffees
– which of our coffees is a “blend” from Mexico, and why we chose to do that
– what does it take for me to call a coffee “juicy”
– whether slurping your coffee affects the taste
– which “intense” Kenyan coffee all our 2 bag subscribers will be receiving this month
– which of these coffees is my “coffee crush” and reminds me of a fresh bouquet of flowers
– what you can do to help taste your coffees better
Enjoy. And again, a warm welcome to all our new coffee subscribers, too.
Filter & Espresso
Mexico Chiapas, Mexico 1 bag
Producer: Alonso Luna & Pedro Gomez
Harvest: April – May 2019
Origin: Tenejapa, Chiapas, Mexico
Cultivar: Bourbon, Caturra & Garnica
Process: Washed
Flavour notes: Strawberries & cocoa nibs
These old Bourbon and Caturra cultivars really shine when grown in the cool climate of Tenejapa in Chiapas, Mexico. In combination with the meticulous picking of fully ripe coffee cherries and long fermentation times, these coffees tastes like a bowl of ripe cherries and red wine with sweet cocoa nib in the finish. These coffees were by far the best I tasted from Mexico when I was searching for coffees to be served at restaurant noma’s Mexican pop up in Tulúm in 2017. Since then we have been able to increase the amount we buy and this year we have bought 7 different lots from 7 different smallholder producers in the area of Tenejapa and San Pedro in Chiapas.
Karinga, Kenya 2 bags
Producer: Several smallholder farmers
Harvest: December 2018
Origin: Kiambu, Kenya
Cultivar: SL28 & SL34
Process: Washed
Flavour notes: Black currants, raisins & rose hips
This coffee is grown at around 1900 masl in Kiambu where the climate is cool and makes the coffee ripen slower and develop more flavour, sweetness and acidity. Most of the members who sell their coffee cherries to this wet mill grow mainly the SL28 cultivar and have not been planting the hybrids Batian and Ruiru 11. The SL28 cultivar is famous for its fruity flavour and high quality. It also has less problems with leaf rust at this altitude and produces well and that is why the farmers have continued to grow this cultivar. For me this coffee was a standout while I was buying coffees in Kenya last year and it still tastes super intense. Not only does it show the classic rose hip and black currant flavours, but you can also get hints of raisins and sometimes rhubarb. It is a very complex coffee that displays layers of flavour as it cools, so make sure you enjoy this coffee at various temperatures.
Nacimiento SL28, Honduras 3 bags
Producer: Jobneel Caceres Dios
Harvest: May – June 2019
Origin: El Cielito, Santa Barbara, Honduras
Cultivar: SL28
Process: Washed
Flavour notes: Blackberries, floral & sweet cherries
This is the very second harvest of Jobneel’s new SL28 variety. SL28 is a variety that is commonly grown only in Kenya and parts of East Africa but we managed to source some seeds in Central America and planted seeds with Jobneel in 2014. In 2015 Jobneel transplanted the seedlings to virgin land on top of his farm at the very highest altitude and I have been waiting ever since to be able to taste the fruit of his harvest. Last year we tasted the very first harvest and it tasted phenomenal, but the yields were very low so we only sold a tiny amount. This year we managed to get a bit more as the trees are getting bigger and hopefully there will be even more in the years to come. The SL 28 from Nacimiento has a bit bigger mouthfeel and more of a sweet blackberry flavour than the classic tart black currant notes you typically find in Kenyan SL28 coffees. I also enjoy a very delicate floral note in this particular lot.
Cheers,
Tim & Co.