This month at Blue Coffee Box, we are featuring 6 new gourmet coffees for May. 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 May
San Martin
Producer: Nicholas Hammond
Varietals: Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1600m
Country: Guatemala
Region: Chimaltenango
Cupping Notes: Honeydew, apple, butterscotch, chocolate
Roaster: Rounton Coffee Roasters
The San Martin comes from an area just north of Antigua. The coffee in this region has long been purchased by traders and coyotes and sold as Antigua type due to the global recognition of the Antigua name.
Nicholas Hammond took over his family farm when his father passed, he was just 16 years old. Since then he has developed Finca Catalan into a COE winning farm and built a community of coffee growers in his area that he supports.
With the help of local exporter Unitrade, Nico built a washing station on his property that would allow him to buy cherry from his neighbours. By centralising the post-harvest processing Nico can consolidate and better control the quality of much larger volumes than any one farmer could manage.
The increased quality has allowed them to increase farmer income in the region and market San Martin as region in itself that commands a premium without relying on the Antigua' brand recognition.
Cuzcachapa
Producer: Cuzcachapa cooperative
Varietals: Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1400m
Country: El Salvador
Region: Cuzcachapa
Cupping Notes: Citrus, oranges
Roaster: Rounton Coffee Roasters
The Cuzcachapa cooperative is situated North of El Salvador's Ilamatepec volcano, in the South West of the country. Growing from having 56 members when it was established in 1966, to over 1200 members today, the mill is now the largest cooperative mill in El Salvador.
The cooperative has a wide-reaching impact in the community at large, with a medical clinic, hardware store and gas station to serve the group's members. In addition, Cuzcachapa mill supports the local Santa Elenita school, which teaches around 40 children.
Farmers in the group are supported with agronomy training, and the mill also takes care of a certified nursery of coffee varietals, including Castillo, Catimor, and Sarchimor.
Salcedo
Producer: Marlon Salcedo
Varietals: Caturra
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1400-1600m
Country: Colombia
Region: Garzon
Cupping Notes: Chocolate, brown sugar, raisin, peach
Roaster: Iron & Fire
This is a high-quality single-origin coffee that's purchased directly from the municipality of Garzon in the central area of Huila, Colombia. This is Colombia's highest coffee production and quality region thanks to the soil rich in volcanic minerals and to the ideal microclimate for coffee cultivation.
This coffee is named directly after the owner of the farm, Marlon Salcedo. Marlon is committed to producing high-quality coffee on his coffee farm of 40 hectares with this The coffee is collected and then ready to be washed. The coffee is then dried naturally under the sun.
After being dried and has adequate humidity that must be between 12 and 13%, it is threshed. Finally, the coffee is filled in large sacks to be transported and exported. Being cultivated with arabica caturra variety, an evolution of the Red Bourbon variety, the coffee stands out for its fine citric acidity and its full-bodied cup.
Kiriani
Producer: Mrs. Rakeli Njeri Njoroge
Varietals: SL28
Processing: Washed
Altitude: 1700m
Country: Kenya
Region: Gatanga
Cupping Notes: Blackcurrant, rhubarb, apricot
Roaster: Iron & Fire
Kiriaini is a small coffee estate situated on the slopes of the Aberdare Mountains in the central highlands of Kenya, just south of the Equator.
The owner Mrs. Rakeli Njeri Njoroge has devoted most of her life to coffee farming, having worked her land since the 1960s and is nowadays training her daughter Jane Njoroge in the skills of coffee farming.
This small estate is typical of those in the area and has devoted some of the lands to the production of tea and bananas along with a small area for growing the family vegetables and the rearing of livestock.
Kiriaini is located in Gatanga in the Thika District, northeast of Nairobi, and stands at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level.
Finca Limoncillo
Producer: the Mierisch family
Varietals: Red Bourbon
Processing: Natural
Altitude: 850-1100m
Country: Nicaragua
Region: Jinotega
Cupping Notes: candied apple, red grapes, molasses
Roaster: The Missing Bean
Finca Limoncillo is located in Matagalpa and, at 171 hectares in size, it. is. huge. Situated at an amazing location, it boasts nine waterfalls within the farm and is owned by the Mierisch family.
They're known for their experimental processing, varietal work, and exceptional coffee.
Across their 11 farms _x0097_ one of which is located in Honduras _x0097_ the family takes pride in their dedication to sustainability, following the goals of the Rainforest Alliance program to decrease water pollution, soil erosion, waste, water usage, and threats to environmental and human health.
The family also has a strong commitment to gender equality and are proud that roughly 70% of its employees are women, from coffee pickers to upper management.
Cachoiera
Producer: Danilo Barbosa
Varietals: Red Catuai
Processing: Natural
Altitude: 1100m
Country: Brazil
Region: Minas Gerais
Cupping Notes: sweet maple, cherry, and vanilla
Roaster: The Missing Bean
Danilo Barbosa jointly with his sons Vítor Marcelo and Sérgio Ricardo represents the fourth and fifth generations of the family tradition on coffee production.
It all began with Mr. Elias Barbosa, back then the coffee was produced for family consumption and everyone worked on the fields, from the elders to the youngsters.
The entire family always had direct contact with the farms. And so on through Mr. Cláudio Barbosa and our wistful Mr. Jairo Barbosa. It was Mr. Jairo who developed and was responsible to remodel the coffee production into a family business, not because he wanted to be only a coffee seller, but so that people could experience the same sensations that he did.
Sitting around a table to enjoy a quality beverage, produced with love and that approaches people.
For more speciality coffees like these, be sure to subscribe to Blue Coffee Box. You can check out our past featured coffees here.
