Coffee Review - Costa Rica Terrazu

When God stops for a coffee he drinks Costa Rica!

Costa Ricans drink more than twice the amount of coffee consumed in Italy!

When coffee lovers die they want to wake up in Costa Rica.

A tiny country inhabited by only 3 million people of which about fifty tend more than one hundred thousand hectares of coffee. Over seventy per cent of production comes from the mountains whose altitudes range from one thousand to seventeen hundred meters above sea level.
Costa Rica enjoys the best possible growing conditions for growing superb coffee. High altitude, temperate climate, cool nights and rich volcanic soil. Access to two ocean ports and support from a commercial orientated government has helped position Costa Rica as one of the worlds premium coffee countries where, by edict, only the Arabica varieties may be planted.

Of the seven regions where coffee is grown at altitude we sell Terrazu - grown between 1200 and 1700 meters above sea level this origin can be best described (by me) as malty, clean and pure, tangy, winey, balanced but full flavour with light body and density, exquisite.
Some coffee lovers recoil at the thought of Cost Rica being drunk as anything but black but the complexity of the flavour is enhanced by a touch of milk or cream.

Guatemala Antigua

Guatemalan coffees are some of the most amazing fragrant and aromatic coffees in the world. The natural shade and jungle of the Guatemalan highlands are the perfect environment for the bourbon botanical variety of arabica.
The highlands produce several of the world’s finest and most distinctive coffees including Antigua. Named after the austerely beautiful colonial city: Guatemala Antigua, this is a coffee that offers a complex flavour including smoke, spice, occasionally chocolate with acidity ranging from bright to powerful.
Antigua is Guatemala’s oldest and most famous coffee, grown by peasants organised into mill cooperatives producing meticulous quality. The Lake Atitlan cooperatives practice coffee production at the ultimate end of environmental correctness: organically grown in a dense, bird-friendly shade** canopy of native forest.
Antigua is one of the highest grade of Guatemala coffee classified as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB). The regionally designated coffees (Antigua, Atitlan, Cobán, etc) are tasted and approved as meeting flavor profile criteria established for these regions by ANACAFE, the Guatemalan coffee association.
The overiding aroma of Guatamalan coffee when ground is roast lamb! Even with as little as ten percent in a blend the distinctive aroma can be detected. The start to the palate is full not very complex but quickly moves into the aromatic and exceptional body of this coffee. The acidity is medium and balanced at the darker roast colours and the finish is mouth filling and it has a rich syrup-like chocolate character to it, the finish leaves the palate full, satisfied and creamy. As a drip and plunger coffee it develops a stronger acidity and a cleaner finish but the body character is not as pronounced.
It is also very well suited to blend and create an outstanding plunge/filter
coffee on its own.
ENJOY!

credits to Scott Bennett , HA Bennett
"Shade-grown" coffee is a method by which coffee is grown. It can apply to commercial or specialty coffee, but is found more frequently in specialty coffee production. Shade grown coffee is grown under a canopy of shade trees, which provide habitat for birds and other species, enrich and conserve soil, and in many cases decrease the need for chemical inputs. Shade-grown coffee thereby contributes to protection of natural habitats and tropical forest conservation in countries where coffee is produced.

Cafe Cubano (for ECM Giotto owners)

One fine day a lady (originally from Argentina) came into the roasthouse and requested a Cafe Cubano. We had Cuban coffee roasted so she showed me how to make one. In Cuba the barista will add half a tspn of sugar to the ground coffee when loading the portafilter. The extraction gives a deep, sweet and intense espresso as a result of the sugar caramelising and blending with the coffee.

You could try this with any coffee type and achieve the same enjoyable experience.

Coffee Select Review - Indian Monsooned Malobar

Centuries ago, when coffee beans were transported from Asia to Europe in sailing ships, purely by accident a new coffee taste was discovered. Monsoon winds and high moisture levels below deck caused the beans to swell during their voyages across the sea, causing them to change colour and acquire a uniquely distinctive flavour.

Today, a handful of producers on the West Coast of Southern India with special open sided warehouses for ‘monsooning’ recreate the atmosphere of sending the beans across the sea. Raw, green beans harvested from December to February are spread across the floor of these special warehouses, where moisture laden monsoon winds circulate around the coffee beans as the storms roll in from June to September.

This process dramatically increases the aging process - the beans turn pale yellow in color and swell in size, reducing their acidity. As the acidity levels drop, the beans take on a mellowed but consistent, musty flavour and impart a heavy syrupy flatness reminiscent of aged coffees.
These ‘speciality’ coffees are predominantly used in blends to impart richness and body to fresher, more acidic full flavoured coffees.

Both Arabica and Robusta cherries (unwashed coffees) are used for the preparation of monsooned coffees. However, better quality beans make a significant difference to the final product. Monsooned beans are traditionally only available for shipment from September to March. The annual production in India ranges between 3,500 and 5,000 tonnes depending on that year’s general coffee production.

International demand for monsooned coffee has increased dramatically over the last few years. The monsooned style of coffee is extremely popular in Scandinavian countries, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, USA and Japan.

Pan Forte

Baby Pan Forte. For those who are unfamiliar with Pan Forte it's a long life bread/cake full of nuts/fruit spice all mixed and baked to give an intense taste combination perfect to eat with a coffee. (that's the short description). Anyway the best way to experience is to buy, taste and enjoy. You know we've always been driven by a pursuit of the highest quality and this product is made inhouse. It contains many of the products sold through our shop including Almonds, hazelnuts, figs, raisins ...............

Perfect for Christmas or all year around. Price $11.95ea (12cm).

Coffee Select Reviews - Timor Maubesse

East Timor (newly named Timor-Leste) Maubesse
Timor Maubesse is a sweet coffee with remarkable complexity. Starting with the aroma which has distinct leathery and winey notes to the cup, where the wine tones deepen and give a smoky edge. Certified as organic, Maubesse is considered to be full-bodied with subtle spice. A natural acid helps to provide a smooth balance.
This beautiful jade green coffee is grown by small holding growers in central Timor who bring their crop down from mountain gardens to be processed in the town of Maubesse (3000ft above sea level). Maubesse is the higher-altitude coffee and the brighter of the other Timorese coffee, Aifu so most prefer it. Since independence the co-operatively owned Timorese coffee processing plants have invested in new facilities, wet-processing equipment and improved standards of receiving and sorting only red, ripe cherry. Maubese coffee is also a favourite as a dark roast. You’ll find velvety, syrupy smooth body and smokey toasted nut sweetness in the cup. If you like dark roasted Sumatra coffee, this coffee will most likely become one of your favourites.