Coffea Blog
Today we are featuring Horsham Coffee Roaster based in Sussex
Horsham Coffee Roaster focuses on ethical sourcing of speciality coffee combined with sustainable environmental practices.
They source many of their coffees directly from producers around the world with a specific focus on true direct relationships in Rwanda and Costa Rica.
All their coffee is roasted on a Loring S35 low emissions roaster and delivered to you in fully recyclable packaging.
Horsham coffee roaster pride their approach to sourcing specialty grade green coffee from the countries of origin based on four main principles.
First and foremost they are committed to establishing and cultivating fair and sustainable, long-term, direct relationships with coffee producers and co-operatives.
This means going beyond simply ordering coffee from an importer from an offer list.
They aim to ensure ethical transparency in working practices with the producers we work with and their aim is to make sure that they invest in long term relationships with these producers.
The team practice science-based quality control on the coffees they buy to ensure we are working with only speciality grade (i.e. the best quality) coffees.
Horsham coffee team focus on the seasonality of the coffees they buy to ensure that they are bringing their customers the world’s freshest crops available.
Speciality coffee is defined as coffees scoring 80+ on the SCA and CQI score sheets and having no primary defect in the cup or green coffee. Horsham coffee roaster aim to source coffees scoring 84+.
Relationship coffees and direct trade
In May 2015 Horsham Coffee Roaster started sourcing coffee directly from Rwanda following a visit to several washing stations.
They visited Rwanda again in May 2016 and 2017 and are continuing to work with Gishyita washing station, a small co-operative located on the eastern shore of lake Kivu.
Prior to the 2016 harvest they donated $1000 to the co-operative to help fund new facilities (flotation tanks, fermentation tanks and grading channels) which has enabled them to further increase the quality of the coffee that they are producing.
In 2017 they completed a school repair project at the Shye school in Gishyita village.
This involved significant repairs to the primary school building in order to provide a safe learning environment for the children of the village.
In Costa Rica some of the producers that they work with are very small.
Direct relationships mean that they are able to produce great coffee knowing that Horsham Coffee Roaster will be willing to support them year on year.
To Find out more about their great work and coffees available visit Horsham Coffee Roaster
Colombia – Planadas Community Organic Coffee
Varietal – Various
Preparation – Washed
Location –Planadas, Tolima
Altitude –+-1600 masl
Tasting notes: Chocolate, brown sugar and tangerine
Rwanda – Bwishaza Lot 6 Washed
Preparation – Washed
Location – Near to Kibuye, Lake Kivu
Altitude – 1600+ masl
Tasting notes: Balanced and juicy with notes of orange and caramel.
Horsham Coffee Roaster coffees from Rwanda are directly traded with producers and they are able to offer full transparency and detailed information on these coffees. For more information on how we source coffees take a look at their Transparency Report.
For every kilo of Rwandan coffee sold they will ensure a tree is planted in the Gishwati-Mukura forest in Rwanda. For more information visit their OneTreePlanted page.
Producer Overview:
Bwishaza co-operative is located north of Kibuye close to lake Kivu. You can view the exact location via the link to google maps. The co-operative produce a wide range of coffees with their main focus on clean, juicy, bright washed coffees. They also produce a range of natural processed coffees specifically for us.
Today we are featuring Hundred house coffee roasters multi-award winning speciality coffee roasters based in the Shropshire Hills.
Hundred house characterful speciality coffee is ethically sourced from sustainable, eco-conscious growers from around the world. With an adventurous range of blends and single origins, their beans are the perfect choice for cultured coffee drinkers who appreciate something different. Sales of their coffee help support the creative community through our Art + Industry Programme.
To find out more about Hundred house coffee roasters visit www.hundredhousecoffee.com
Coffea Arabica has been using Hundred house coffee many times at events we run for our corporate clients in the UK and Europe.
We are very found of their espresso blend Bon Bon
A sweet and jammy espresso blend.
Soft macaroon, hard boiled sweets and chocolate flavour notes, this espresso blend is made up of single origin coffees from 3 different farms. Focusing on naturals and honey processed beans, Hundred house has worked towards a beautiful balance of sweet, over-ripe strawberries with full bodied acidity.
Coffea Arabica will be showcasing through the month a selection of delightful coffees available before Christmas!!
AN INCREDIBLY ELEGANT COFFEE OF JASMINE AND CHERRY LOLLIES WITH KEY NOTES OF RASPBERRY LEAF AND RASPBERRY SYRUP
The first in Hundred house coffee roasters very limited series, Freak & Unique.
This coffee comes with a limited edition framed print by Toucan Tango.
FARM: Diego Samuel
REGION:El Tambo, Cauca
ALTITUDE: 1700 MASL
VARIETAL: Geisha
PROCESS: Washed
ARTWORK: Freak & Unique I, Toucan Tango, screenprint on 350gsm natural uncoated card, edition of 120, 2020
Diego Samuel is in his thirties and was born in Bolivar, Cauca. He has dedicated the last 13 years of his life to growing coffee, and to also gaining a deep understanding and knowledge on the processing and production of high-end specialty coffee that is almost unparalleled in the unique flavour and profiles produced.
As part of a tight knit family Diego works on their farm in Cauca with his wife, two daughters and two brothers. Together they are involved on the pursuit of continual learning and striving to achieve the next level with their processing. They built their own lab on the farm to firstly understand about cupping and roasting so they could then start to curate their own fermentation protocols for them to begin experimenting with. These experiments and novel approach to coffee have allowed to him to soar and exceed, winning several awards since 2015.
As well as being an accomplished cupper, Diego has also achieved the CQI level 2 processing course qualification which allowed him to get an understanding for seeing how cup profiles can be affected by microorganisms, pH and temperature. With his partner Wilton Renso Benitez he is part of Indestec who are at the vanguard of coffee processing.
The Villa Esperanza-Paraiso farm in El Tambo, Cauca sits at 1700 masl and covers 27ha of land and is planted with Castillo, Caturra and Geisha.
The farm focuses on technology and the critical and intricate processes that go into producing coffee of this calibre. Fine tuned detail is put into the selection through to the drying processes, which are done in a way that mitigates the changeable climatic conditions, allowing them to replicate coffees of such high standards every season.This Geisha lot has undergone a detailed and meticulous 9 step process leading to the exquisite results in the cup:
1. Picking of ripe coffee cherries (90%) and semi ripe coffee cherries (10%)
2. Cherry washed with sterilised water to decrease microbiological contamination
3. First phase of fermentation in cherry for 60 hours in tanks with pressure relief valve (2 bar) at a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius.
4. Coffee is then de-pulped and floated
5. Second phase of fermentation is anaerobic for 36 hours at 18 degrees Celsius.
6. Thermal shock wash – this phase is thought to transfix the secondary flavour development that had occurred in the fermentation
7. First: Washed in water at 35 degrees centigrade.
8. Second: Washed in water at 12 degrees centigrade.
9. Controlled drying for 29 hours, with air recirculation at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 25%, until reaching a grain humidity between 10% and 11%.
Today we are featuring Curve Roasters as our recommended roaster of the month! Coffea Arabica is really pleased to have such a quality speciality roaster on their doorstep. Tereza and Jon have been dedicating their passion and focus delivering coffees of the highest quality.
They also have a great understanding of the industry as they own and operate a cafe in Margate.
Next time you are in Margate we recommend you to visit their Flagship coffee shop & general store Storeroom.
We received a great selection from Curve coffee roasters this week and we are pleased to recommend the following single origin coffee roasted for espresso :
EL RANCHO by ELIAS SOLIS, Guatemala ESPRESSO
Producer: Elias Solis
Farm: El Rancho
Region: San Antonio Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: 1500-1675 masl
Varietal: Caturra, Bourbon & Typica
Process: Washed & dried on patios
Importer: Primavera
Cup profile: Creamy, stewed apple, blackberry compote, sticky toffee, caramel
Buy online click here
About Curve roasters:
Curve is a speciality coffee roastery based in Margate, East Kent.
“Curve is dedicated to responsibly sourcing the most interesting fresh crop green coffee we can get our hands on and roasting it to bring out the best of its intrinsic flavours. Our roasting style focuses on sweetness, balance and drinkability.
Our mission is to put our producer partners in the spotlight and celebrate the dedication and hard work that happens at coffee origins as well as all the way long the supply chain. Each coffee has a unique character and a story behind it, and we want to share them.
We believe the world of speciality coffee is endlessly inspiring and fascinating but it should also be fun, accessible and sustainable. We strive to be at the forefront of the industry, constantly exploring, learning and improving our practices in quest of outstanding quality and sustainability.
We’re determined to become an acknowledged source of coffee and education and nurture the growing speciality coffee community in the Kent area as well as to make positive contribution toward enhancement of the vibrant global speciality coffee community.”
About Storeroom:
“At Storeroom we want to showcase the wonderful coffees we have the privilege of sourcing and roasting and share stories of their origins and producers.
It’s all about exploring variety of flavour and celebrating coffee’s seasonality whilst bringing you a delicious experience. Our coffee menu changes regularly depending on what we’re roasting at a given time according to what’s fresh in from the most recent harvests in the origins from which we source. It always includes two different choices of single origin espresso, one batch brew filter and two options of brewed-to-order filter coffees. Every coffee has a story and we want to share them with you.
Although coffee is our main focus, we also offer a range of carefully sourced teas from Storm Tea, a selection of cold drinks and a simple but considered menu of baked goods and fresh seasonal breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.”