TRADITIONAL 

    Nº 163 Costa Rica Caraigres

    Country: San José Province
    Process: Washed
    Grown / Region: Caraigres, Central Valley
    Altitude: 1550m
    Varietals: Catuai 
    Producers: Fernando Prado
    Tasting Notes: Baked Plum, Cinder Toffee, Praline
    Roast Level: Dark 5/5



    FARM NOTES:
    Together with a community of coffee growers, Fernando Prado, manager of the local wet mill, selects each coffee lot and oversees processing. The producers are situated in the small town of El Cedral, and coffee is collected here and taken to Prado's mill where pulping takes place overnight to avoid over fermentation. A combination of sun and mechanical drying is used, and the result is a classic sweet profile with lots of body, depth and clarity. 

    This coffee is roasted with consideration for the quality produced by this region in Costa Rica. The coffee is grown and processed in order to maintain maximum natural sweetness, and this should translate into your cup as baked stone fruit, cinder toffee & caramelised nuts.


    These flavours are best extracted as espresso and work very well with milk. If a cafetière is more your vibe, use the method of pouring through the filter, rather than aggressive plunging, to keep extraction levels optimal.


    DISCOVERY

    Nº 162 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Kivu Kahondo

    Country: Central Africa 
    Process: Washed
    Grown / Region: Isala, Nord-Kivu
    Altitude: 1550m - 1900m
    Varietals: Bourbon
    Producers: Smallholders of Virunga Coffee Company
    Tasting Notes: Stewed Rhubarb, Lemon, Candy Floss 
    Roast Level: Light / Medium 2/5


    FARM NOTES:

    A lesser visited origin for our subscription coffees - the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kivu region is home to the Rwenzori mountains, so altitudes here are high and perfect for coffee cultivation. The country is reknowned for its precious metals and natural resources, but instead of bringing prosperity, it has bough corruption, violence and instability - making coffee trading extremely difficult. The infrastructure can be poor in some areas, and there is little to no support or financial help for coffee farmers. Things are beginning to change as coffee quality improves, and investment floods in. 

    Kahondo village is located on the edge of the Virunga National park, close to the Ugandan border. Whilst the region has excellent growing conditions for coffee, local poverty and poor infrastructure has hindered producers in making better returns on their crop. The Virunga Coffee Company was set up in 2012 to help combat some of these issues, and since its foundation has built roads, bridges, and significantly increased market premiums for its members.

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