This month at Blue Coffee Box, we are featuring 6 new gourmet coffees for January. Instead of doing a post on each coffee, we decided to put them all in one place for you.
Below you will find the list, as well as the roasters we are sourcing these coffees from this month as well.
Gourmet Coffees for January
Fazenda Palmital
Producer: Carlos Augusto R. de Melo
Varietals: Catuai, Mundo Novo
Processing: Pulped Natural
Altitude: 950-1150m
Country: Brazil
Region: Minas Gerais
Cupping Notes: Milk chocolate, praline, walnut
Roaster: Coffee Central Roasting Co.
Fazenda Palmital, in the mountains of the Serra So Pau S'Alho in the district of Cabo Verde, southern Minas Gerais, was purchased in the 1920s by Joaquim Sebastião de Souza, the current owner's grandfather.
Over the years, Fazenda Palmital has built a tradition of producing top quality coffee in a sustainable way. In 1950 the farm's management passed to Augusto de Melo Souza's Hands.
In the 1970s his wife and son started to take care of the property and the family's offspring is getting ready to do it so, as he's studying agriculture.
Their dedication to the plantation and natural aptitude to it led the average annual production to rise from 2,00 to 6,500 bags of 60kg. All workers have full legal benefits.
The farm also provides employees and their families with free transportation to primary and secondary schools and medical care in Cabo Verde.
Currently, 36 families live on the farm in houses equipped with running water, sanitation and electricity, as they should.
Finca La Albania
Producer: Israel Agudelo
Varietals: Caturra
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1070-1800m
Country: Colombia
Region: Quindio
Cupping Notes: Almond, melon, cherry
Roaster: Coffee Central Roasting Co.
La Ablania is a small 35 hectare farm run by Israel Agudelo. He also runs the Racafe dry mill in Armenia who export his coffee. He has been working there for over 2 decades and certainly knows his green beans.
Coffee is a passion of his, but he is also an avid collector of Turkeys and currently has 32 that roam the farm. Coffee runs in the family and Israel's son Juan Pablo runs the La Albania Farm on a day to day basis.
They have built custom-built accommodation and dining areas to keep the pickers fit and healthy. There is an on-site cook who knocks up lovely Colombian food every day to satisfy their large appetites.
Bwishaza
Producer: Bwishaza co-operative
Varietals: Red Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1650m
Country: Rwanda
Region: Near to Kibuye, Lake Kivu
Cupping Notes: Blood orange, black tea, caramel
Roaster: Horsham Coffee Roasters
Bwishaza are a co-operative owned and operated washing station. They produce a range of different processes specifically for us and these include experimental washed coffees and natural processed coffees.
This lot is one of their larger ones processed using a washed double soaked method. Ripe cherry is hand-harvested and delivered to the washing station and flotation in tanks is used as the first step to removing any defects.
The coffee cherry is then pulped and fermented for 12-16 hrs before being graded in grading channels. The coffee is then soaked a second time for 10-12 hrs before it is dried on raised beds.
Capucas
Producer: Cooperativa Cafetalera Capucas Limitada (Capucas)
Varietals: Catuai
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1700m
Country: Honduras
Region: Las Capucas, San Pedro de Copán
Cupping Notes: Dark chocolate, cocoa, cherry, brown sugar
Roaster: Horsham Coffee Roasters
Capucas was founded in 1999 by Jose Omar Rodriguez and takes its name from the local town of Las Capucas. In 2004 Omar was chosen to become the general manager, a role he continues today.
Coffee trees are pruned to a low height so it is easier to pick the cherries, however, if it's cut too short too soon they fall over.
Therefore, the pruning is staggered: in the first year they prune to 180cm, 170cm in the second year, 160cm third year and 150cm in the fourth year; then when the tree is cut down to the bottom, the trunk is strong enough to support the new growth.
The coffee is harvested at its optimum ripeness and handed in at the cooperative washing station. It is then washed, dried in a solar dryer, and stored in parchment before being trucked to the port of Puerto Cortés.
Capucas was the first in the country to build a facility to dry microlots on a large scale with solar dryers.
Los Cocos
Producer: Los Cocos Association
Varietals: Typica, Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1750-1850m
Country: Peru
Region: Amazonas
Cupping Notes: Honeydew, cream
Roaster: Mission Coffee Works
Los Cocos Peru Coffee is a private association located in Chirinos, department Amazonas close to San Ignacio.
In april 2015, 26 coffee growers constituted Los Cocos Peru Coffee under the lead of Wilmer Huaman Goicochea. All are small growers who depend on their coffee farming activities.
Los Cocos has recognised that their growing conditions are worth to be kept steady. At present, the group works at the extension of the shaded system through the planting of fast-growing acacia trees to ensure a stable air temperature.
The group aims to retain their high cup scores and consistent cup profile.
According to Wilmer the characteristics of the micro-climate with an idea relative humidity, the predominant varieties of typica and bourbon and the soil of deep sandy loam are primarily responsible for the groups outstanding coffee cup profile, marked by a fine lemony acidity a sweet, honeydew taste and a creamy aftertaste.
Gitega Hills
Producer: Bernard Uwitije
Varietals: Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1600m
Country: Peru
Region: Rwanda
Cupping Notes: Plum, pears, caramel, mulled wine spice
Roaster: Mission Coffee Works
The Gitega Hill's washing station is located in the Nyamagabe District of the southern province and is located very close to Nyungwe Forest and the traced source of the Nile River.
Bernard Uwitije, a native of the area, had been trading non?washed Ordinary coffee up until 2015, when he realised the potential for fully washed speciality grade coffee.
He equipped the station with a 1500kg Penagos machine, fermentation tanks, and raised drying beds. The average farm supplying to Gitega is at an altitude around 1650m, and that high altitude along with the volcanic soil of the area make Gitega an excellent location for high-quality processing.
Following the pulping of freshly delivered cherry, the coffee is wet fermented and then the beans are sorted by density using water filled grading channels. The wet parchment is dried undercover for 24 hours before being moved to uncovered drying beds for an average of 15 days.
For more speciality coffees like these, be sure to subscribe to Blue Coffee Box. You can check out our past featured coffees here.
