TRADITIONAL
Nº 225 El Salvador El Horno
Country: El Salvador
Process: Washed
Grown / Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range
Altitude: 1050m
Varietals: Caturra, Pacas & Sarchimor
Producers: Jose Gutierrez
Tasting Notes: Toffee, Hazelnut & Baked Plum
Roast Level: Dark 5/5
El Horno has become a trusted Rave partnership - we buy coffee from this farm each year, and it features in some of our best loved blends. Roasting this coffee as a single origin, however, allows us to showcase it for its own merit. The coffee is sweet, nutty, and has a subtle baked fruit note - making it the perfect early morning brew or base for an espresso drink.
DISCOVERY
Nº 224 China Banka Washed
Country: China
Process: Washed
Grown / Region: Menglian Dai, Lahu and Va Autonomous, Yunnan, China.
Altitude: 1350 msl
Varietals: Catimor
Producers: Yunan Coffee Traders
Tasting Notes: Almond Butter, Crème Caramel & Biscuit
Roast Level: Medium 3/5
FARM NOTES:
Banka is the name given to both the farm and the wet mill that processes the coffee cherries. It is managed by ‘Yunnan Coffee Traders’ who have driven the improvements to speciality coffee in the region. They installed one of the first optical sorters locally and are keen experimenters, using yeast fermentations and introducing some lesser found varietals.
YCT has a three fold mission to:
- Create opportunities for Yunnan farmers to engage in sustainable production practices.
- Employ industry best-practices for sourcing, processing, wholesaling, and exporting coffees.
- Supply coffee to importers and roasters who care about sustainability, traceability, and transparency.
In the case of this particular lot, picked coffee cherries are pulped and dry-fermented for up to 18 hours. The coffee then passes through a series of washing channels that help loosen the final layer of fruit pulp and mucilage. From here, the coffee is referred to as ‘parchment’ (coffee bean(s) with last layer of husk still intact), and is patio dried for 5 - 8 days.
Speciality coffee in China is still a small industry, and there is still a reputation to build globally. We have been sourcing coffee from the region for 4 years and have enjoyed how the quality and taste profile has matured in that time. This particular iteration is very clean and well balanced, offering a more rounded sweetness and nutty flavour profile than before.
Chinese coffee has not typically been well regarded in the speciality sector in the past. However over the last few years, this has begun to change. This particular coffee hails from China’s tea growing regions in Yunnan, close to the city of Pu’er. The relatively high altitudes and good soil quality here have produced a coffee as good as any. This particular lot is very reminiscent of a super nutty Brazilian coffee.