Description
Don’t know what to try but like exotic tastes in coffee? Than this sampler is for you!
In this sampler you will find top notch coffees that definitely don’t taste like normal coffee. From fruity naturals to bold wet-hulled. This is a wonderful collection of coffee that will showcase how diverse coffee can taste.
Be warned though, exotic tastes always pull a love/hate relationship, these are all wonderful top notch examples but not everyone likes super exotic tasting coffee.
The Indian Monsooned Malabar is a very unique and exotic coffee; usually people have a love/hate relationship with this bean but it is one of our top sellers year in and year out.
Monsoon Malabar coffee is prepared from Arabica cherries (“cherry” refers to dry-processed coffees in India). After grading, the coffee is transported to the coastal city of Mangalore where the “monsooning” is carried out in large openwalled warehouses.
Tasting Notes:The Indian Monsooned Malabar is a very low acidity, thick and creamy, overly earthy style cup of coffee. There is a lot of sweet tones in this cup depending on the roast and one can taste a little hint of the natural processing soft fruit tones and classic Indian spice notes. A pretty wild cup for you stronger coffee fans or espresso heads.
Roasting Notes:Usually used for espresso at the darker roast points but many of our customers enjoy the single origin drip brew or french press at a slightly lighter roast point.
Vietnam Lam Dong – Duc Trong Mill – Washed Processed Arabica
The average farmer in this the Dung K’No region of Vietnam cultivates on about 1.2 hectares of land. They grow a mix of Catimor with some heirloom Arabica varieties, though the country is more famous for its Robusta production. Coffee is delivered in its cherry form and is processed at a central washing station named Bao Loc located in Dung K’No. Ripe cherries are harvested, de-pulped, and dried partially in their mucilage, then washed clean and dried on raised beds and/or patios for 3–5 days. Once the coffees are done, the tasting experts screen and sort the beans into regular lots and premium lots to sell them accordingly. This is a premium top lot, large beaned; very tasty & clean cup.
Tasting Notes: Medium to dark roast beans & a great daily drinker! This cup is very thick and creamy, filled with semi-sweet chocolate and nutty tones. A very easy to drink coffee. A hint of soft fruit can be seen at the light to medium roasts but pretty faint, not super noticeable until the cup cools. A bit of peppery spice at the darker roasts with some complimenting roasty and smoky tones. Lighter roasts will show some lemony acidity and can accentuate the fruitiness of the cup but often will come off a bit too dry. These beans are more about the creamy fuller bodied and smooth chocolate and nutty tones which will come out from medium roasts and beyond.
Roasting Notes: A beautiful large bean screen, nice color and low defect rate. Roasts slightly two toned and will be a little higher chaff then average for a washed processed coffee. Our favorite was a nice medium roast but darker roasts fans will definitely love it as well with its full body and creamy features. 48 hour setup recommended or risk of a little sour note upfront.
Indonesian Bali Org. – Kintamani – Natural
Very unique, overly fermented (very fruity) cup of joe. Bali is a tiny island– actually, a submerged volcano peak – just off the east coast of Java, with many small coffee farms. The farmers who grow Kintamani Natural belong to cooperative organizations known as Subak Abian (SA) founded on a Hindu philosophy known as “Tri Hita Karana” (the three causes of happiness). SA co-ops foster community in agricultural, social and religious activities, and have been certified Organic since 2008. Pesticides are never used on their coffee farms, and fertilizers are 100% organic.
SA farmers grow almost all heirloom Arabicas, Typica & Bourbon. They use trees such as Erythrina, Tangerine, and Orange to shade the coffee, which improves yield and cup quality and enhances wildlife habitat.“Kintamani Natural” is 100% sundried on raised beds; It’s perhaps the first ever special prep natural Indonesian. Raised beds keep the cherry free of dirty flavor, and facilitate very quick drying in Bali’s high altitude sun and constant island breeze. The cup is extraordinarily exotic and unique with a rich, buttery mouthfeel, while retaining Indonesia’s full-bodied, savory character. It features super-intense, brandyish fruit flavors of plum and sweet cherry at lighter roasts; darker roasts develop much heavier body with a spicy, smoky twist. An easy roaster that’s exceptionally versatile, roast Bali “Kintamani Natural” any way you’d like; slow or quick, from first crack to French, you’ll get very unique and terrific flavor!
Tasting Notes: Very fermenty/fruity, lower acidity cup with good body. A wild old world natural processed good from light to dark. A beautiful tasting bean this season: slightly fruitier but still balances with traditional Indonesian character. Hints of acidity with stronger fruitiness at lighter roasts, strong fruit/oak tones on a more nutty/earthy/chocolaty profile at darker roast points. No missing the wild side in this cup. Medium roasts are where one should shoot for their first roast, mutes some nutty tones and pronounces the chocolaty factor for some balance, still plenty of wild fruity natural processed tones in the cup. Dark roasts will introduce some smoky accents but retain great sweetness. A great balance of slow dried natural with thick and creamy dark tones all in one cup.
Roasting Notes: Higher chaff and slightly uneven roasting. Right around a full city roast (close or touching 2nd crack) is going to be the sweet spot for a bulletproof roast level. Lighter can be quite tasty as well, much more emphasis on the fruitiness, but too light and one can get some sour/herbal. Most will want to push it more towards a medium roast or darker. Right before 2nd crack mutes up a bit of fruit but gets more like a single origin mokka java blend or Yemen type cup profile, a bit of rustic chocolate and a bit of fruit – almost anyone would like that cup!
Indonesian Sumatra Aceh Gr. 1 Double Pick – Harimau Tiger
Not your average Sumatra coffee! Great prep and screen size, very unique for a wet-hulled coffee but does come with a higher price tag. Holds the terroir of Sumatra (thick and darker toned) but on a much cleaner profile, more of a straight chocolate cup instead of being loaded with peat and overly earthy. Hints of acidity and soft fruit tones can be found at medium to borderline dark roast, which also separate it from “average”.
Harimau Tiger captures the classic characteristics of a Sumatran coffee while also offering a sweet, cleaner profile and higher cup quality than a standard “Mandehling Double Pick.” We look for coffees that have a balance of sweetness with the earthy, herbaceous, and savory notes that are common to coffees from this region, and we pay close attention to the uniformity of the prep in these lots.
Tasting Notes: Best from a medium to dark roast, wet-hulled coffees are not light roast coffees no matter how premium of an offering. Hints of citric crispness and soft fruit with a little sweeter chocolate edge, pulls some balance with some earthy spice (the good kind). Very clean cup for a Sumatra that is drinkable and balanced from a medium roast and beyond. The darker you roast, the fuller the body gets along with reducing any hints of acidity. Into second crack will turn more into a chocolaty spice noted treat but will reduce the sweeter edge. Picks up some complimenting roasty and smoky tones into the more bakers chocolaty cup profile.
Roasting Notes: Easy to roast for a Sumatra coffee being such a gem. Roasts uniform for a wet-hulled coffee but one will still some diversity. Low in chaff and tasty from medium to dark. Often takes a little longer to achieve darker roasts, setup really smooths out the cup, we drink them after 24 hours but some may want to wait 3-4 days to ensure rich and smooth characteristics.
Zambia RFA – Kateshi Estate – Anaerobic Natural
Coffee was first planted in Zambia in 1978, on what is now Ngoli Estate. Overseen by a very energetic, active and supportive ZCGA (Zambia Coffee Growers’ Association), there was a rapid expansion in planting in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s with national production reaching just short of 7,000mt. Then the global coffee price crisis of 1998 to 2004 hit, and hard. Most of the estates required significant investment and infrastructure, including the installation of irrigation systems which could not be made. Low prices forced most estates to switch to other crops. However, since Covoya’s parent company acquired the northern estates in 2012, significant investment has led to a rejuvenation of the Zambian coffee sector. Our coffee estate company NCCL is now the largest coffee producer in the country and the largest single employer in Zambia.
Tasting Notes: Best at the light to medium roast levels. Comparatively to the other more traditional Zambia offerings, this cup has stronger acidity, a thicker body, stronger fruit notes ranging from citric/tropical to a bit of classic red fruit. One can still see the classic Zambia cup profile with its darker toned contrast, nice and chocolaty with a bit of spice. Easily the best depth of flavor out of the four: all sorts of delicate little flavors pop out at the lighter roast points especially as the cup cools. Light roasts are the most citric and fruit, produces a clean cup with a little chocolate/spice balance. At light roasts, the soft fruit tone is a bit covered up by the citric brightness but will be easier to see as the cup cools or the beans setup for a longer period. Medium roasts will pull a lot of the citric out of the cup, more along the lines of a buzzy acidity, a chocolaty cup with pretty exotic fruity highlights. Will pick up a little woody barrel aged tone to go along with the slight fruitiness to let you know you have something exotic. Darker roasts are interesting and strong, but will be bittersweet, not creamy and smooth like the washed processed.
Roasting Notes: Roasts pretty even and has a medium chaff level. Much cleaner bean preparation from last season. Surface color darkens up quickly, so if shooting for lighter roasts, almost easier to watch for the expansion in size, then give it a quick sec before cooling. Crazy coffees like these have a long setup period. Many think waiting 7-14 days after roasting on sizzling anaerobics brings a whole new level to the tastes. We have a hard time waiting that long but fun to save some beans to see how the tones develop.
Uganda Washed Robusta 17+
Coffee in Uganda remains largely a smallholder crop. Farms are typically less than 2.5 hectares, and coffee is grown intercropped with subsistence crops rather than in a monoculture system. This smallholder structure is fundamental: Uganda is widely recognized as a major origin for smallholder coffee, with the vast majority of production coming from small farms. While Uganda is best known for its Robusta coffee, Arabica was introduced in the early 20th century and today accounts for a smaller proportion of the country’s exports compared to Robusta. This lot is a classic Ugandan Robusta, prepared as Screen 17+, a size classification indicating larger beans, selected using sieves. This coffee is washed, harvested between November and January, and grown at an altitude of 1900 to 2200 meters above sea level. Wet processing methods vary by region but generally include pulping the same day, a short open-air fermentation, and drying on raised beds or tarpaulins.
Tasting Notes: Medium to dark roast beans. Fuller bodied cup with lower acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. The tastes are stronger and down the earthy chocolate and spice notes alley. There is a sweeter edge to this cup and a hint of a soft fruit tone making it a bit more interesting than most robusta coffees. Smoother and less herbal than the Indian Robusta which was a pleasant surprise.
Roasting Notes: This is a solid and versatile Robusta. Even though it is washed, its appearance is more like a natural coffee, so note this coffee has a little more chaff than normal, It generally benefits from a dark to medium-dark roast to soften the woody notes and enhance sweetness. If roasting for espresso or blends, allow for sufficient development to build body; simply avoid roasting it too long to prevent it from becoming flat or burnt-tasting.
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