Name: Yirgacheffe Kochere (natural)
Year Production Started: 2006
Varietals: Heirloom
Altitude (masl.): 1800-2000
Processing: Sundried

About

This coffee is produced by a private company that purchases cherries from growers in the surrounding areas of the washing station. Production for this coffee was started as a special project for Japanese clients and the Collaborative will be offering it for the first time this year.

The cherries are collected when fully ripened and are spread on elevated African beds, which are perfectly streched—allowing for even drying throughout. The drying period lasts from 10-15 days.

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Name: Fazenda Serra do Boné
Owner: Carlos Sérgio Sanglard
City: Araponga
Region: Mata de Minas, Minas Gerais
Total estate area (ha): 160
Total area planted with coffee (ha): 87
Altitude (masl): 1200
Variety: Catuaí

About
Fazenda Serra do Boné was purchased in 1988 by Carlos Sérgio Sanglard and is located in the mountain city of Araponga in Mata de Minas, Minas Gerais region. At the time, seven hectares of the farm were dedicated to coffee planting, which has since expanded to 87 hectares.

Mr. Sanglard is committed to conservation and preserved native forest make up the remainder of the property’s area. Serra do Boné uses an organic approach in its farming practices, which Mr. Sanglard believes is good not only for the land, but also for the health of his colleagues and the people drinking his coffee.

The farm is dedicated to producing specialty coffee and ensures attention in lot separation, washing, pulping and drying on suspended concrete patios. The special care and attention paid to coffee production on this farm has led to numerous awards, including winning spots in Cup of Excellence competitions (1st place in 2003). Recently, Serra do Boné placed 2nd at Cup of Excellence in 2010.

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London in Review

Thank you to The Association and Prufrock Coffee for being such excellent hosts for our recent cupping events!

To recap: Our focus during the Association cupping were the Hacienda La Esmeralda Special auction lots. The Peterson family produces separate lots based on geographic areas, microclimates and picking dates from their farms and then auction these lots each year. The date for this year’s auction is May 21st and we wanted to give UK roasters the opportunity to taste and form a buying group to bid on these amazing coffees during auction.

Our cupping at Prufrock had a broader focus and in addition to cupping the Esmeralda lots, cuppers tasted  fresh crop Guatemalan and Honduran coffees coming from our friends at Bella Vista in Antigua and San Vincente in Santa Barbara. Also in the mix were soon-to-arrive Kenya and Ethiopia coffees.

There were great turnouts at these events! Thanks to all who took the time to join us.

May and June Events

For all you out there who couldn’t join us in London, don’t despair! We’re make the rounds again in May and June. Mark your calendars!

Oslo: May 15 @ Kaffa Roastery. Esmeralda auction lots, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Berlin: May 21 @ the Barn. Esmeralda auction lots. Auction is that day!
May 28 @ the Barn: Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Nice: June 26-28 during SCAE World of Coffee. Details to follow!

RSVP

London has become a second home for us at the Collaborative – especially at Prufrock Coffee, which has now welcomed and helped us co-host several cuppings since the very beginning. We have cupped some fantastic coffees and met some great coffee people within these walls, and now we are heading back to our London home again next week.

This time around, however, we have another venue and event to talk about: an exclusive cupping of coffees from Hacienda La Esmeralda at The Association. We have developed a great relationship over the years with the Peterson family, owners of Hacienda La Esmeralda. Throughout the history of Panama’s Best of Panama competition, the Petersons and their geisha coffees have performed very well – winning or placing close to the top, many times. The quality and unique flavour characteristics have become so well regarded, that the family decided to hold their own auction, where lots are separated amongst their farms based on geographic areas and microclimates, and picking dates. These auction coffees comprise the Hacienda La Esmeralda Special lots.

Since 2006, we have been buying coffees from the Petersons and will offer their Esmeralda Boquete geisha blend this year, as we did last year. In addition to the Boquete Blend, we are excited to announce that we will be cupping this year’s auction lots at The Association next week. This is an opportunity to be amongst the first to taste these amazing coffees, as well as provide interested roasters the opportunity to organize a buying group during the auction, which takes place on May 21st.

Where: The Association, 12 Creechurch Lane
When: April 23, 4:30-6pm
RSVP: Please confirm your attendance here

The next day, as part of UK Coffee Week, Prufrock is co-hosting a cupping where you will again have the opportunity to taste Esmeralda’s auction lots. In addition, cuppers will taste fresh crop Guatemala and Honduran coffees from our friends at Bella Vista in Antigua and San Vincente in Santa Barbara. This is your chance to decide which lots are coming to Europe and into your roasteries before they are shipped! Also in the mix are soon-to-arrive Kenya coffees and again, you will have the opportunity to reserve the names you want offered in your menus.

Where: Prufrock Coffee, 23-25 Leather Lane
When: April 24, 4-7pm
RSVP: Please confirm here

See you there!

Name: The BARN Roastery
Operator: Ralf Rüller
Location: Berlin, Germany
Services: Roasting, brew bar, wholesale
Equipment: 1955 refurbished Probat UG15 
Opening Date: September 2012
Collaborative Coffees: Hunapu, Antigua, Guatemala; Yukro Cooperative, Illubabor, Ethiopia

About

The BARN started its life in 2010 as a small coffeeshop in the “Spandauer Vorstadt”: the heart of Berlin’s art gallery district. Initially serving quality coffees roasted by European and UK roasters, the BARN began its own roasting operation in autumn 2012.

With the aim to “roast and serve the best coffees available in the world”, the BARN is helping to diversify Berlin’s coffee drinking landscape by continuing to showcase quality roasters from other places and now, buying and roasting fresh and seasonal green coffee produced by dedicated and passionate people, sourced by those committed to quality, sustainability and traceability. Rather than aiming to convert everyone, the BARN’s target customers are those with an appreciation for handcrafted, made-to-order products. Parallel to this emphasis on quality, Ralf’s ambition in the design of the brew bar and seating area is to encourage socializing: the brew bar allows for easy conversation with staff and seating is communal/moveable.

The underlying principle of the BARN is to be straightforward in all it does. Homemade food with local ingredients; a simple, open and warm space; green buying focused on quality, sustainability and traceability; roasting that emphasizes the cleanliness, sweetness and distinctiveness of each coffee.

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Name: Fazenda Serrado/Pereira Estate
Total estate area (acre): 300
Total area planted with coffee: 259
Varietals: Bourbon, Acaiá, Mundo Novo, Catuaí and Catuaí
Average Total Production (bags): 3 000
Average Pulped Natural Production: 1 200
Average Natural Production: 1 800

About

Fazenda Serrado is perched in the high mountains of the South Minas Water Spa Circuit, near the towns of Lambari, Carmo de Minas and São Lourenço. The estate boasts great altitude, climate and dedicated management and workers. The coffee bushes grow in fertile mountain soil at altitudes ranging between 3,500 and 4,000 feet. These high altitudes favor slow ripening of cherries and permits selective picking; both decisive factors in producing exceptional coffees.

Serrado utilizes top quality processing equipment: a state-of-the-art wet mill that recycles and reuses waste water, paved drying patios, mechanical driers and wooden silos for coffee to rest. However, the combination of these tools, combined with the exceptional climate and advanced agronomic techniques, would be wasted without the personal dedication of the estate’s owners and commitment the well-qualified team of 35 employees.

The day-to-day attention to detail of the Pereira Family and their staff leave a personal mark on the coffees produced on Serrado. These coffees are gaining widespread international recognition for their exceptional quality; in 2002, Serrado was one of the winners in the Cup of Excellence competition.

Serrado has an average annual production of 3 000 bags, processed by natural and pulped natural processes. The slow ripening and selective picking enable the estate to process up to 40% of its coffees by the pulped natural system. The remaining natural coffees benefit from the dry mountain climate during the harvest season.

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