New coffees, new relationship

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As we enter the 4th quarter of 2017, we are thrilled to roll out 2 new coffees from Nicaragua through a new relationship with the Peralta family. We got to know Peralta Coffees through a roaster friend, who has been buying from them for a few years. The Peralta Family coffee growing history goes back to the beginning of the 20th century; but it was until 2008 that they started focusing on developing new ways to market their coffees to international specialty coffee markets. Peralta currently processes and exports all of their production to specialty markets around the world and also provide financing, milling, quality control, export and consulting services to other small and medium farms and cooperatives from different regions of Nicaragua. Currently they have 7 farms located on the Dipilto and Jalapa mountain range.

We have 2 new coffees from the Peralta family. First is a washed Java varietal from Finca El Bosque ("the forest" in Spanish). It is a farm located in the municipal of San Fernando in the Nueva Segovia region, owned by Julio Peralta since 1991. The farm lies on the mountainous slopes in the Nueva Segovia region on the border of Honduras, providing spectacular views of the surrounding forests and mountains. The environment is incredibly wild and coffee grows densely amongst shade trees of banana and inga. El Bosque produces coffee at altitudes of between 1250 to 1560 meters above sea level and has an annual rainfall of approximately 1800 millimeters. These factors, along with Julio’s inherited passion and dedication for growing exceptional coffee, combine to produce lively, bright and complex flavour nuances in the cup. Javier Antonia Mayorquin is the manager of Finca El Bosque and of the 140 hectares that make up El Bosque, only 30 of them are allocated for coffee production. The rest of the land has been set aside for the growth of different varieties of pine and oak, and it is this factor along with a clear commitment to sustainable environmental practice that has resulted in Rainforest Alliance certification for El Bosque. All power on the farm is provided by solar panels and a rainwater harvesting tank which produces hydroelectricity.

Ripe cherries are handpicked and sorted between December and March. There is a wet mill on the farm. The selected cherries are then pulped in a Penagos eco-pulper, the water is recycled and reused in this process before entering oxidation ponds to remove by-products. For this Java lot, the washed beans were taken to the nearby mill of San Ignacio where they were dried on raised beds for 11 days. The coffees are regularly turned by rake to ensure good, even drying.

We love how clean and sweet the Java is tasting. When hot, the cup highlights cantaloupe-like fruit tones, but as it cools, mandarin oranges comes through along with its candy floss/marshmallow-like sweetness. This coffee exhibits subtle citric acidity and floral undertones, great for pour-overs.

Farm: Finca El Bosque
Producer: Julio Peralta
Farm Manager: Javier Antonia Mayorquin
Region: Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua
Dry mill: San Ignacio
Varietal: Java
Processing: Washed

The second coffee we purchased from the Peralta family is from Finca Santa Maria de Lourdes. Situated in the same region as Finca El Bosque,  the 50 hectares of natural mountainous forest has been under the ownership of Octavio Peralta since 1970, though for many years the area was used as war land during the Sandinista uprising and was heavily mined. The UN cleared the area of mines in the late 1980’s and Octavio began to restore exceptional coffee production to this relatively wild area in 1994. Octavio has been dedicated to this cause as well as preserving the natural habitat which is recognized as a main factor in the production of his fantastic coffee. Of the 80 hectares of available arable land, 40 have been set aside for the sole purpose of maintaining and improving the natural habitat. The climate at Santa Maria de Lourdes is much more humid which means the coffee trees are more sparsely planted to ensure everything is properly aerated. The farm has achieved Rainforest Alliance Certification in recognition of this decision and contributes towards the on-going conservation of the surrounding area. There is also a well equipped kitchen which caters for the 60 permanent workers and 150 pickers during the harvest. The general manager is Gladys Gutierrez who oversees the running and upkeep of the farm and is instrumental in the production of high quality coffee.

The lot we chose from Finca Santa Maria de Lourdes is a yellow honey processed Catuai. The degree of "honey" depends on the amount of mucilage left on the parchment after being passed through a mechanical demucilaginator, so a white/yellow honey would have the least amount of mucilage left on the parchment, compared to red or black honey. Honey-processed coffees generally take longer to dry. For this lot, it was dried over 16 days on raised beds.

When we cupped this coffee earlier this year, we felt it would work great for espresso. Its soft and gentle acidity and medium body is complemented beautifully by the rounded mouthfeel from the cup. Indeed, this coffee turned out to be really enjoyable. There is a tropical fruit tone at the front, like starfruits, and the back is coated with hazelnuts and milk chocolate. Very balanced and pleasant for those looking for a comforting espresso.

Farm: Finca Santa Maria de Lourdes
Region: Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua
Producer: Octavio Peralta
Farm Manager: Gladys Gutierrez
Dry mill: San Ignacio
Varietal: Catuai
Processing: Yellow Honey

Both coffees are available in store and online now. Kick off October with some fresh coffees from Nicaragua!

Fresh crops from El Salvador

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As we celebrate the nation's 52nd birthday, we are delighted to roll out 2 new coffees from our long time favourite producers in a country that has been close to heart. El Salvador was the first country which gave us a big leap in confidence when we start importing coffees directly from origins. The producers whom we have been fortunate to meet back in 2012/3 have been supporting us throughout our early years. Now that Nylon is 5 years old, we are glad we maintained this meaningful relationship with our friends in El Salvador. 

Finca Santa Petrona, is located around the Santa Ana volcano in the western part of El Salvador. Growing primarily the Red Bourbon varietal (80%), there is also a small amount of Pacas and Pacamara. Finca Santa Petrona has been recognised as one of the farms in Santa Ana that produces excellent coffees. The success of the farm is a result of its core values: respect to the workers and to the local communities as well as maintaining good harmony with the environment. The coffee from Santa Petrona is processed at Beneficio Tuxpal, which is managed by Federico Pacas, with the help of his siblings. Beneficio Tuxpal is well-organised, clean and professionally managed. Though this wet/dry mill is already quite impressive, Federico has been investing in raised bed drying and shade-drying. The coffee which we have selected from this year's harvest is a black-honey processed lot with 85%-90% mucilage left on the bean before drying on raised beds for 18 days. We selected this lot for its pleasing grapes and dried raisins notes, which together with the dark chocolate finish and milky texture, creates a fruity chocolate bar experience.

Farm: Finca Santa Petrona
Producer: Pacas Diaz family
Region: Santa Ana, El Salvador
Wet/Dry mill: Beneficio Tuxpal
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1450 masl
Processing: Black honey process; dried on raised beds for 18 days

The other new coffee we have started roasting recently is from another well-known producer with almost celebrity like status, Mr Gilberto Baraona. Over the years, we have been following Gilberto in his pursuit towards better quality. He has invested in securing better water source for his farm in Usulutan, and also put in more resources to build drying beds as the demand for his honey and natural processed coffees increases over the years. We decided on a honey-processed lot this year which exhibited juicy fruit tones and good sweetness when we first cupped the samples. This honey-processed lot meant that after the skin has been removed from the coffee cherries, 100% of the mucilage is left on the bean before sending off to dry on raised beds. We're tasting a mix of red plums and red grapes, coupled with brown sugar sweetness and a chocolate finish. This is a coffee that would be great for any time of the day. Comforting with just the right amount of fruit tones that is balanced out by the sweetness and body.

Farm: Finca Los Pirineos
Producer: Mr Gilberto Baraona
Region: Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador
Varietal: Pacamara
Altitude: 1480 masl
Processing: Honey process; dried on raised beds for 20-22 days.

Both coffees are available on our webshop.

Back with the Brazilian samba

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It's been a while since we have roasted a coffee from Brazil. It's probably rather odd as Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. It has always been a challenge when sourcing for coffees from this country. While this vast country has surpassed other countries in terms of coffee production, it has always been a challenge to find coffees that ticks the boxes in terms of our cup criteria that we're looking for. Many international buyers/roasters look to Brazils for their espresso blends for its lower acid profile, bigger body with distinct nutty or chocolatey finish. However, as the demand for specialty coffee increases globally, more Brazilian producers are moving towards more quality-driven initiatives that has helped to raise the bar locally, and there are gems to be found when one look hard enough.

A couple of months back, we reached out to our export partners for samples of the fresh harvests. We included a couple of Brazils in our request to broaden our coffee selection. We were looking for a sweet and clean Brazil. Fortunately, we found one which cupped the best amongst those we have tried. This cup is from Fazenda Machado. 

Fazenda Machado is owned by Mr. Agnon Araujo and is situated in Piatã in the Chapada Diamantina region of Bahia. The farm is at 1,240 masl and covers 100 ha, although only 18 ha are used for growing coffee. Mr. Araujo grows a mixture of different varietals, Catuaí, Acauã , Catucaí, Topazio, and Bourbon. Mr. Araujo is from a coffee producing family in this area. He grew up on a farm in Piatã with his parents who managed a small plantation. He initially left for greener pastures to São Paulo for work. After some years in São Paulo he realised that he was missing where he came from, the outdoors and lifestyle of farming and being close to his family. He enjoys working with his hands, planting fruit trees and began to plan to buy a farm. At Fazenda Machado, they strive to produce the best quality and to take advantage of the unique coffee growing region the farm is located in. They process the coffees in all 3 forms - Natural, Pulped Natural and washed. Currently the coffees are dried on a cement patio, and raked regularly.

The coffees from Bahia are particularly distinctive compared to coffees grown in other parts of Brazil, this coffee from Fazenda Machado stands out for its sweetness, balance and subtle fruit tones. As an espresso, the red apple notes come through prominently followed by macadamia nuts in the finish. Its lush mouthfeel reminds one of creamy peanut butter. Yums!

Farm: Machado
Producer: Agnon Araujo
Region: Piatã, Bahia, Brazil
Varietal: Catuai, Acaia, Bourbon
Altitude: 1240m asl
Processing: Pulped natural

Available now in store and on our webshop.

El Naranjal, Cauca Best Cup #10

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Luis Alberto picking coffee cherries

This is a little overdue as some might have already seen this coffee on our retail rack & web shop or consumed it at our shop. There is much to share about this coffee which comes from a familiar region called Cauca in Colombia. When we participated in judging for the Cauca Best Cup competition, we were looking out for some special coffees which would be a showcase of what micro-producers can produce with limited resources. We know it is not possible for some small producers to try experimenting with growing different varietals or processing the coffees in very "non-traditional" method because if things do not turn out well, their livelihood will be at risk. They do not have adequate financial resources to be too experimental, hence for these small producers, they can only improve their quality by taking baby steps, such as by improving the picking of only ripe cherries first, then better sorting of the ripes & unripes prior to the fermentation of the cherries.

Typical parabolic dryers found in Colombia, also used in El Naranjal

This new coffee we are rolling out was ranked number 10 in the Cauca Best Cup competition. To refresh a little about this competition, the national cuppers (mainly the cupping team from Banexport) cup through more than 700 coffees that were submitted for this competition. 30 were shortlisted to enter the last few rounds of cupping by international judges during the competition. Together with a group of roasters/buyers from US, Russia and Korea we judged through 3 rounds to narrow down to the top 15 coffees which was auctioned off on the last day of the event. We knew it was a tough fight for some of the top lots as there were some very serious and experienced bidders in the group. The goal of this competition and auction was to motivate and inspire small producers that hard work will be rewarded. We wanted to be part of this movement, so instead of joining the big guys in a bidding war for the top few lots, we bidded for one of the coffees which we really like. 

Martha Luz Peña and Luis Alberto Chate overlooking their farm

Ranked at 10th place in the Cauca Best Cup, Finca El Naranjal is owned by Martha Luz Peña. The farm is located in the Caldono municipal of Cauca. Her farm area is approximately 0.8 hectares and all the land is used for coffee production. She has about 2700 trees with a mix of Caturra, Castillo and Colombian. Martha lives in the farm with her husband, Luis Alberto Chate. They have been farming for more than 2 decades. About 5 years ago, they started producing specialty coffee, it was not easy but with lots of effort they are slowly improving each year. With help from Banexport, they started to pick Castillo and Caturra varietals separately. Luis coordinates the cherry pickers during the harvest season. He makes sure that they are doing a good job, so that there would be no unripe beans when it reaches the wet mill. They also monitor the drying process to ensure that the coffee parchment has enough ventilation in the parabolic dryer.

We are proud to share the fruits of Martha & Luis's hard work. It took us a while to start roasting this winning coffee, but we feel most of the Colombians seem to taste better after "acclimatizing" for a few months here in Everton Park. So it is tasting super duper yummy now with more complexity than when we first cupped it. Melange of mandarin orange, plums, hint of florals with cane sugar sweetness. Well-structured body, rounded and smooth. 

Farm: El Naranjal
Producer: Martha Luz Peña
Location: Caldono, Cauca
Altitude: ~1850 masl
Varietal: Caturra and Colombia
Processing: Depulped in the afternoon after the cherries are picked. Wet fermentation for 16 hours and fully washed 4 times before drying in traditional parabolic dryers for 4-5 days depending on weather conditions.

This coffee is available now.

PS: Our friends from Patriot Coffee Roasters had this video of the endless cuppings, farm visits of music blasting the local chiva bus and endless discussions/tabulations of scores that culminate to a night of crazy bidding frenzy. Enjoy! :)