The Bean Blog

Rwanda A+ Gatare Station

roastmonkey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:28:08 +0000

This coffee comes from tiny farms that dot the mountain sides around Lake Kivu. Milled at the cooperatively owned Gatare washing station, these beans come from
strictly bourbon varietal trees that grow in volcanic soil at altitudes of between 1,700 and 2,000 meters.

Tasting Notes: white grapefruit, creamy

Price: $12/12oz

Rwanda Gatare

Uganda Bugisu AA Double Pick

roastmonkey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:23:15 +0000

This twice-sorted coffee from the Bugisu region grows on farms perched along the steep sides of Mt. Elgon, which sits along the eastern border with Rwanda and Kenya. Due to rocky terrain and a lack of roads, farmers transport their coffee to the processing mill by donkey.

Tasting Notes: syrupy richness with anise overtones

Price: $11/12oz

Uganda Bugisu

Nicaragua Tepeyac

roastmonkey — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:18:20 +0000

Tepeyac is a small, close-knit community in the mountains of Matagalpa where local life revolves around the coffee harvest. This coffee comes from three family farms, all of which are located 1,000 to 1,2o0 meters above sea level.

Tasting Notes: Smokey, sweet, hint of molasses

Price: $11/12 ounces

Nicaragua Tepeyac

Guatemala Huehuetenango Slow Food

roastmonkey — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:32:31 +0000

This coffee comes from a presidium of 170 smallholder farms that grow and process coffee in accordance with protocols designed to guarantee the sensory, environmental and social quality of the final product. The organization is a project of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, which was established to fund efforts that “defend local food traditions, protect local biodiversity, and promote small-scale quality products.”

Tasting Notes: medium bodied, cherry and cedar notes

Price: $12/12oz

Guatemala Huehuetenango

Malawi Pamwamba

roastmonkey — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:39:24 +0000

This coffee is grown near the town of Namadzi in the Southern Highlands of Malawi, an area better known for producing world-class teas. Coffee has been grown here only since the early 1980′s, but with increasing sophistication. The coffee trees, consisting mainly of Catimor and to a lesser extent SL 28 varietals, grow in clay loam at between 3,400 to 3,800 feet above sea level. The coffee farms all maintain programs to subsidize the cost of housing, health care and education for workers and their families.

Tasting notes: medium bodied with caramel and green apple notes

Price: $12/12oz

Malawi Pamwamba

Tanzania Ruvuma AA

roastmonkey — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:27:08 +0000

This coffee is from the Ruvuma region, which is located at the southern tip of the country along the border of Mozambique. Coffee trees, mainly bourbon hybrids, grow in rows on steep hillsides in volcanic loam at altitudes of between 1,200 and 1,800 meters.

Tasting Notes: citrusy with floral notes and earthy body

Price: $12/12oz

Nicaragua Las Nubes-Pastor Alejandro

roastmonkey — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:58:15 +0000

We are proud to offer this Fresh Off the Roast exclusive, the 2011 harvest from the farm of Alejandro Picado, which is located at 1,200 meters above sea level. Known locally as Pastor Alejandro (he’s single, but helps to support his extended family), his farm is part of Las Nubes (The Clouds) Cooperative, made up of small farms that dot the border between Matagalpa and Jinotega. These farms are high up into the mountains, far from the nearest town and mostly off of the electrical grid.

Most of the officers of Las Nubes are women, who many of the members consider to be more prudent managers than men. The cooperative has been working to separate their coffees by producer in order to effectively regulate quality. Growers hand select out imperfections on raised screens on their farms before further sun drying and processing occurs in the valley below. Farmers receive technical assistance through their producer’s association, and some have received zero-interest loans to improve their wet mills and to build storage sheds.

We were able to purchase this coffee directly from Pastor Alejandro through our partnership with Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, LLC. The relationship between Las Nubes and Gold Mountain has resulted in the highest prices coop members have ever received for their coffee.

Tasting Notes: malted barley, floral notes, cocoa

Price: $12/12oz

Nicaragua Alejandro

Reusable Nylon Filter for Hario V60 and Beyond

roastmonkey — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:47:19 +0000

Manufactured for us, we find that these food-grade nylon cone filters allow more of the coffee oils to pass through to the cup while still filtering out any fine particles. We designed them for the Hario V60s, but they are cone shaped and can be used with several other hand-pour devices. The material is durable enough to last hundreds of use (though care should be taken to preserve the seams to extend the life of the filters).

Price: $7.50 per filter, shipping is free.

Size #2

Size #3

Burundi Kayanza

roastmonkey — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:41:17 +0000

This select lot of coffee from the “Heart of Africa” consists entirely of bourbon varietal beans from the Kayanza region. As the largest export of this until-recently-war-torn country, coffee revenues have helped to rebuild the country’s farming communities.

Tasting Notes: wine-like acidity, burnt toffee, hint of fruit leather

Price: $12/12oz

El Salvador Santa Rita NATURAL

roastmonkey — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:41:42 +0000

These strictly high-grown coffee beans come from the western region of El Salvador in the Ataco and Apaneca mountains, where they have been grown, harvested and milled under the supervision of the Salaverria Family for more than 100 years. The growers separate a portion of their crop and dry them in the sun with some of the fruit to attached to give these beans a wonderful fruit essence.

Tasting Notes: cherry, bittersweet chocolate, hint of lime and sage

Price: $12/12oz