Coffee

Anoxic Washed, Gesha, Lightest Roast Influence - Best brewed with Filter
3 key notes: [Tangerine, Honeysuckle, Elderflower]

We've been working with Osito since we started, and they're one of our key supply chain partners. For the past 4 years (and some years before that with smaller regional events), Osito have run the "Copa de Oro" competition in Colombia - running over the 3 main regions they buy coffee from. This is the first year Copa de Oro lots have come to the UK/EU (typically they'd all been snaffled by the US), and we were very lucky to secure 2 of those - including this overall grand champion - first place central region and top overall - lot from Hugo González. A banger and top example of excellent Colombian Gesha

We're tasting:
Huge floral aromatics - we're finding fresh elderflower blossoms, honeysuckle and magnolia. In the cup it's creamy and very sweet - we find fresh tangerine, honeydew melon, and loquat, with a zippy white wine acidity. As it cools becoming more delicate - we find white tea, lemongrass, and dried jasmine.

Advanced Natural, Sidra, Lightest Roaster Influence - Best for Filter. Turbo-espresso or pourover
3 key notes: [Strawberry Cheesecake, Papaya, Banana]

This is peak Modern Colombia - the highest level of human intervention, this coffee is funky AF and not afraid to shout about it in the cup. We enjoy the challenge of roasting them to expose maximum complexity. Selected as one of the standouts on the table when we hosted Edinson for a cupping and bar takeover back in november last year, when we cupped some of his latest shipment advanced naturals, quite a few of them were a little too extreme for us - but this had a good balance (as much as any of these style of lots could ever be said to be "balanced") of defined fruit notes amongst the heavy process notes. Sidra - is a cultivar that was likely developed alongside Mejorado in a Nestle research plot in Ecuador, looking at improved yields/cup quality and resilience. Sidra has long been praised for its florality and sweetness, but can often also display quite herbal and savoury character in the cup. In this case, the processing is so loud (we're picturing the maxell casette advert as we type this) the more delicate variety characteristics are mere secondary notes.

We’re tasting: Huge funky aromatics - lacto-fermented berries, ripe papaya and banana lead the nose. In the cup it's super sweet and mildly lactic - reminding us of strawberry cheesecake, and the aromatics carry through into the cup. The acidity reminds us of the more boundary-pushing style of natty orange wines, especially those that show a little more oxidation character. As it cools, we're getting blackberry, bruised plum and passionfruit yoghurt. The dictionary definition of process-forward

Traditional Washed, Ají, Lightest Roast Influence
3 key notes: [Apricot, Earl Grey, Orange Blossom]

Our second time purchasing coffee from Yulieth Mora, this is the complete opposite style of production as her Ombligon lot but still superlatively good. On several blind cupping tables alongside fresh crop Ethiopian offers & pre-shipments, this coffee keeps surprising us that it's NOT an Ethiopian washed lot. We think this an excellent variety-driven cup that really showcases the Ají cup profile, and that Yulieth is a great producer capable of delivering both high quality traditionally processed lots as well as the more modern, higher intervention style - and crucially, that the latter does not need to supplant the former.

We're tasting:
Super nice aromatics - we find apricot yoghurt and orange zest. In the cup it's bright and super vibrant, with green apple, yuzu, mandarin, and milky earl grey as the prominent notes alongside ripe mango and chamomile. As it cools the florals become more prominent, with orange blossom and lilac, and we find a little hint of granadilla. Really Ethiopian like

Version 15 - 25% Burundi FW, 25% Colombia FW, 50% Brazil Nat. Medium to Heavy Roaster influence - solid milk espresso choice but great across all purposes.
3 key notes: [Milk Chocolate, Dark Fruits, Sweet]

Roasted to produce a solid “house espresso”, with distinct chocolate and darker fruit notes, an all-rounder suitable for milk, alt-milk and black coffees. Coffees seasonally sourced to ensure consistent core flavours year round.

We're returning to a run of Burundi and Rwanda again for the winter to spring season. There is no two ways about it - by engaging with meaningful purchase volumes from these countries, you will hit the odd potato. Running a higher ratio of Brazil will reduce it, and all the partners we purchase from have excellent sorting that reduce the incidence further. We recommend discarding any you find and giving a little extra purge, they should be very infrequent; using a tupperware to hold the discard grounds instead of an open knock box can be a useful trick.

We're tasting: Creamy milk chocolate and almond butter as the dominant notes, with muscovado & dried fruits - apricot & golden raisin, alongside
gentle baking spice. 

In milk: Butterscotch & saffron bun

Natural / E.A Decaf, JARC 74112/74110, Medium-Heavy Roaster Influence - Profiled mainly with balanced and soluble espresso in mind, but versatile
3 key notes: [Chocolate Orange, Malted Milk, Fudge]

After featuring a run of FW Kebena estate in Facility last year, we've had this lot patiently waiting in the wings for us to wait out our Colombian allocation. A touch more development - as befits the time off the trees - has produced a very balanced and enjoyable decaf.

We’re tasting:
Syrupy and thick, we're finding chocolate orange as the dominant character, alongside malted milk biscuits, light fudge, brazil nuts and a hint of baking spice; with a balanced acidity
In milk - bourbon biscuits, super sweet.

Anoxic Natural, Typica, Caturra, Catimor, Light-Medium Roaster Influence - Best brewed with espresso - funky guest option or more chunky batch.
Extremely high altitude farms
3 key notes: [Mixed Berry Muffin, Choc Raisins, Dense]

This short run espresso is covering a logistical mishap - our next espresso was due to be unloaded into the warehouse on the first of may - we found out on the 5th that not only had it not landed in the country, it was delayed by 3 weeks with a transhipment and was still on the water.  A mad scrabble to look through the proverbial rolodex of cupping notes alighted us on this community lot from Chacra - super high altitude farms from a somewhat inaccessible and under-appreciated region of Peru, Cumaccha is named after the "Cataratas de Cumaccha" waterfalls, a local beauty spot hidden in the cloud forests - which is the perfect fodder for a brief to Lucas!

We’re tasting: 
Mega sweet & chocolate forward - we're getting yorkie esq biscuit & raisin with sweet milk chocolate. There's a mixture of fruit compote and cakey notes behind that remind us of mixed berry muffins with a crumble top, alongside dried mango and strawberry. There's a slight catimor note present that is expressing as walnut & brazil nut, and the processing is evident in the finish as just a hint of aperol style booziness, with a super dense body

In milk: Rum & raisin ice-cream

Variety: Geisha
Country: Colombia
Region: Alto Cañada, La Plata, Huila
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1860 MASL
Producer: Yilver Andrés Pajoy Ipia
Farm: Finca El Arrayan
Roast Level: Light

Award
5th place award at the Western Copa de Oro competition.

In the cup
Sweet and tart key lime pie and juicy citrus reminiscent of lemons and grapefruit. This coffee has a light body and a long citric finish.

About The Producer
Yilver Andrés Pajoy is a second-generation coffee grower from the rural town of Alto Cañada in La Plata. Besides coffee, Yilver and his family grow beans and raise cattle. He is related to two partner producers of our importer Osito: Yesid Pajoy and Didier Pajoy. This is his first time placing in the top five for the Copa de Oro of the Western region, a very exciting feat to accomplish!

Processing
This Geisha micro lot was fermented in its whole cherry form for 36 hours after coming in from the coffee fields. The cherries were then de-pulped and dry-fermented for an additional 36 hours. The coffee parchment was then rinsed and placed to dry on raised beds inside a parabolic greenhouse dryer for 18 days.