Description
Garry’s coffee special features three of our more interesting coffees. Higher acidity, interesting processing, this bundle is leaning towards more exotic coffee tones.
*Bundles change over time. You will get the listed coffees at the time of order. *
A pound each of:
Rwanda Huye Mountain Top Lot – Natural Processed Small-Bean/Peaberry
This is a smaller screen (bean size) with a high percentage of peaberries: a clean screen, low defect and even roasting. A very fun and tasty natural processed coffee from Rwanda, a different spin on tastes, being smaller beaned and natural processed, this is more like an Ethiopian Gr. 3 Natural or Yemen Mokka coffee than other Rwanda’s.
Huye Mountain Coffee is a private washing station established in 2011 to provide farmers in the region with access to international markets and buyers of specialty coffees.
Around 1,330 producers deliver their freshly picked coffee cherries to 26 collecting stations around the Huye community, where a truck visits daily to collect the farmers’ coffee during harvest season. This unique coffee comes from the Huye Mountain in the Huye District, in Southern Rwanda and grown above 1,900 meters. The natural process employed at Huye Mountain involves meticulous cherry selection and hand sorting prior to drying. Drying is done on raised African beds for between 14 and 28 days, depending on the weather, and the coffee is turned regularly.
Tasting Notes:We thought best served in the medium roast range but will be tasty from light to dark: a very sweet cup at any roast point. Lighter roasts have some stronger citric/floral acidity, a little hint of a grape-skin like fruitiness and a spiced (herbal) chocolate undertone. Medium roasts build a much creamier cup profile, just a hint of crisp floral upfront that fades into a strawberry like fruitiness balanced with a spicier chocolate dark tone. Dark roasts themselves are a bit flat but still very sweet edged, hardly fruity but makes up for it with the fuller bodied more robust chocolate and spice notes.
Roasting Notes: A bit higher chaff and slightly uneven roasting being natural processed but we would still consider it an easy to roast coffee. A refined natural processed, not old world crazy two toned like some. Shoot for a classic light to medium roast if you like more fruit and floral tones, any signs of second crack, cool it out right away. For more robust and creamy chocolate tone, take it darker, just touching second crack. If the cup is too sharp tasting, give it a couple day setup, gets nice and smooth.
Mexican Terruño Nayarita – El Kaladi Selecta – Natural Processed
This is a co-op that holds a special place in our hearts. This coffee is from 100% traceable, directly traded micro-lots. Each bag is uniquely identified with a bar code and a serial number which can be used to see everything behind its production, click here to check it out. Gathered around an extinct volcano, Cerro San Juan, a committed group of 260 cooperative coffee farmers are working together to produce arguably the best coffee in Mexico. Terruño Nayarita coffees come from heirloom trees. The word ‘Terruño’ means ‘homestead’. These are farmers that take great pride in their coffee. This is the top screen-size/grade from the Terruño Nayarita Co-op.
San Cristobal Coffee Importers takes great care to find and produce excellent coffee, making sure farmers use safe, sustainable shade techniques and provide a fair wage to the workers. Check out their webpage:
San Cristobal
Tasting Notes:
Always one of our favorite Mexican coffees. Good from light to dark. Although Natural processed, this is not a fruit bomb like many other natural processed coffees, has slightly fruity overtones that balance great with some citric, malt and nutty undertones. Its a little fuller bodied cup than most Terruno lots with well above average sweetness. Lighter roasting will have noticeable citric crispness upfront and will accentuate the fruitiness. Medium roasts balance the tones nicely and smooth out the citric tones. Darker roasts turn more chocolaty, gets pretty roasty and smoky, retains a sweet edge and shows hints of fruitiness as the cup cools. A good daily drinker across the roast levels.
Roasting Notes:
A nice medium roast is the way to go, can lean it a little lighter or darker depending on personal taste. Roasts pretty even for a natural, is a bit higher chaff, but would still make the easier to roast category.
Congo Org. Kivu – Virunga Coffee – Katana Station – Natural
I have always had a fascination with the Congo – perhaps from a movie I watched as a child. What a different place and culture! It is often seen in a dark light, but specialty coffee cultivation serves as a beacon of progress in a troubled place. Although I have still not personally been on the ground in the Congo (it’s on the bucket list). Our close buddies at Olam own a pretty cool coffee operation in the Congo called Viruga Coffee, it is bringing up specialty coffee in the Kivu region that is return, commands a higher dollar value and pumps much needed money back into infrastructure and expansion of the project.
This organic natural-processed ‘Kivu 3’ lot is from Katana station in South Kivu, one of 8 such stations operated by Virunga Coffee Company, set up by Schluter Ltd. (now Covoya Europe) in 2012 to produce specialty coffees in eastern DRC and improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers in the region.
The Katana area is blessed with abundant rainfall, and the excess water supply ensures ample irrigation for small-holder farmers. Situated at an altitutde of 1693 masl, the coffee in this region benefits from altitude, volcanic soils, and proximitiy to the equator, all contributing factors in its excellent quality. The station processes natural and honey coffee on shaded, raised beds.
Tasting Notes: A lovely, crisp, clean, but not overly fruity natural processed. We thought it best right around the medium roast ballpark but will make fans lighter or darker depending on your personal taste preference. Lighter roasting is a bit higher acidity, lemony and floral with some grape skin like fruitiness coming through. A bit more herbal spice right at first crack, needs a longer setup time to shine but will provide delicate chocolaty notes with much wilder acidity and fruity tones. Medium roasts were tasty without the wait! Balanced, tasty, and clean after 24 hours. A pronounced chocolaty factor, medium bodied, hints of crisp acidity backed with a little soft fruit tone and spice. Wonderfully smooth and delicate for a Congo coffee. Dark roasts were tasty right off the bat as well, roasty and stronger but with a sweeter then average edge. The smokiness does compliment the strong chocolaty undertones.
Roasting Notes: Slightly two toned at lighter roasts but even roasting for a natural. Medium chaff, have seen a lot worse out of boutique naturals but still higher than average. Darkens a little quickly, try and keep it between 1st and second crack for a smooth and defined cup. Right at first crack or into 2nd crack were our least favorite roasts. Anywhere in-between was quite tasty.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.