We're launching a new product category! This is the first of our Seasonal Single Origin Espresso options. They're coffees that are designed to be really affordable, really approachable, and the best 84-point coffees we can find in that growing season. These are roasted just one or two degrees C darker than our normal roasts, so they'll be soluble and easy to work with on espresso, and equally be delicious as a crowd-pleaser batch brew. We think this will be a hot category for us, so let us know what you think! This one has notes of Milk Chocolate, Hazelnuts, and Cherries.
We sourced this coffee with our excellent importers at Falcon, who partner with us on all sorts of sustainability projects (like the Stumping Project in Ethiopia). We're increasingly partnering with them on Colombian coffee cooperatives where we feel we can make a difference. This one is from the Anserma cooperative, which has supplied about 50 70kg bags of our Colombian coffee this year, and will probably supply half a shipping container to us next year! We couldn't think of a better partner for our first SOE!
Established in 1967, the "Cooperativa de Caficultores de Anserma" emerged from a shared desire of coffee growers to pool their collective strength and knowledge. This unity was not merely symbolic, but practical, aiming to garner greater value for each associate's coffee crop.
One significant advantage the Coop provides is its Wet-Milling Plant, a haven for smaller growers who lack the infrastructure for their own coffee processing. These growers can deliver their cherries to the Coop and receive fair compensation. This arrangement is made possible by the Coop's natural processing plant, which elevates the quality of the coffee and in turn allows for better payments to the growers. Boasting an association of 2,083 members, the Coop's crops thrive in altitudes ranging from 1,790 to 2,200 meters. The varieties produced include Castillo, Colombia, and Caturra, with a primary focus on the natural process, although a small amount is fully washed.
The Coop purchases cherries from its associate growers, each cherry undergoing a classification process to determine its use in either natural or fully washed processing, based on its quality. Post-selection, the cherries undergo a cleaning phase, eliminating any unwanted solid particles and washing the cherries. The cleaned cherries then pass through an optical selection machine. This separates the ripe cherries from the greener ones, the latter being directed towards the washed process coffee, with the best ones assigned to the natural process. The selected cherries are moved to baskets, marking the start of an aerobic process lasting 24-36 hours.
These baskets find their place in a temperature-controlled room. This is an aerobic process in an open basket, allowing the free circulation of oxygen and CO2, which is produced during fermentation. The coffee is then relocated to a mechanical drying system, maintaining a temperature between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius until reaching a moisture level of 10-11%. Post drying, the coffee is packed in GrainPro bags to stabilize it for 15 days, with each processed batch kept separate to ensure careful management of this phase. The journey ends with the coffee moving to the dry milling plant, ready for the next stage in its story.
Elevation: 1400-2000 Meters above Sea Level
Varietal: Caturra, Castillo, Colombia
Cup score: 85
Price paid per kg: £6.95
Process: Fully washed, with an 84 hour fermentation as standard. Co-op lot.
