Roasted Beans
Roasted - Colombian Supremo SC 17/18
$11.72
About the bean
Do you like a medium to dark roast? Do you like espresso? Do you like a brew rich in flavour and bold in body? Yes? Then our new batch of Colombian Supremo SC 17/18 is for you! These beans are sourced from the central northwest of Colombia in the Antioquia region, the country's largest coffee producing region. Coffee here is mountain-grown by small farmers and large estates. The high altitude slows the pace of ripening and the result is a classic Colombian - rich, full bodied, and a toasted chocolate taste that cools to a cold brew perfection.
No surprises and that's OK because this coffee is super good. And the crema! Go espresso, go cold brew and get happy.
Taste Test
City roast, medium-fine grind, brewed in a Hario V60 pour over (30g of coffee to 500ml of water)
This combination produced a silky body and a sweet taste with a light acidity. Pleasant indeed with a smoky finish.
Vienna roast, medium grind, brewed in a French press (40g of coffee to 500ml of water)
Oh, yeah! We upped the ratio of coffee to enhance the body, which at this level was syrupy strong with a potent chocolate, almost brownie flavour. When the cup cooled, the flavour balance evened out, making this one a great pick for cold brew.
Our only regret? We didn't pull an espresso shot. And that's where this bean shines.
Roast recommendation: Medium to dark. Oh, Vienna! You were nice. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
Roasted - Ethiopian Yirgacheffe GR2
$15.87
About the bean
A number of the major coffee-growing countries we source from may not know how great their product is. When the "good stuff" is exported elsewhere, local coffee can be a sub-par experience, roasted dark to hide defects and mixed with filler to increase volume. Happily, that isn't the case with Ethiopia, which consumes half of its annual coffee production and boasts a thriving domestic coffee culture (Google for examples of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony). The birthplace of coffee according to legend, Ethiopia is where Coffea arabica originated, which is said to be the first species of coffee ever cultivated; it remains the dominant species and accounts for more than 60 percent of the world's commercial coffee production. Given its genetic wealth and history, Ethiopia is a coffee region like none other and an unparalleled paradise of coffee flavour.
A delicious flavour combination and a must-try Yirgacheffe.
This wonderful batch of Yirgacheffe is from the Wonago district in Ethiopia's Gedeo zone, a region known for its Yirgacheffe production from farms run by local smallholder families.
Coffee cherries are sorted, depulped and then the beans, still covered in mucilage, are fermented for 36 to 48 hours before washing. The wet beans in parchment are placed on raised beds in thin layers and turned every 2 to 3 hours during the first few days of the drying process. Depending on the weather, the beans continue drying for 10 to 12 days until the moisture content reduces to 11.5 percent. The beans are then transported to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, to be milled and bagged prior to export.
Quick Notes
BEAN: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Wanago Surafel Burhanu GR2
REGION: Wonago
PROCESS: Washed
FERMENTATION: 36 to 48 hours
DRYING METHOD: Raised African beds
ALTITUDE: 1780 – 1850 masl.
VARIETALS: Heirloom
SCREEN SIZE: 14+
GRADE: GR2
DIRECT TRADE: Yes (bought directly from the farmer)
GRAIN PRO: Yes
CUPPING NOTES: Strawberry, rose, dried fruit, toffee, good acidity.
SPECIAL NOTE: This batch of Yirgacheffe is an entirely NEW entry to our inventory (a different supplier from our usual).
Roast recommendation: Typically, light to medium. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
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Roasted - Espresso Sweet Santa
$13.53
It doesn't get much sweeter than this! No sugar needed.
For an explanation of our different roasts click http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart View full product details
Roasted - Tanzanian Peaberry
$9.64
About the bean
In the coffee world, when you hear "peaberry" you think "Tanzania". Why? Nobody's quite sure! Peaberry is not unique to the country and Tanzania doesn't produce more peaberry than other regions. The instant brand recognition is thought to have been cemented during the early development of specialty coffee from Tanzania, perhaps at the expense of its other offerings.
Peaberries are remarkable in that only one seed is fertilized in the coffee cherry: twins are the norm for the coffee species, peaberries are an only-child exception. Do they taste different? Some say most certainly, yes. Tanzanian Peaberry is often described as light in the cup and rich in flavour (a combination of soft and bright notes).
The peaberry tends to invoke a lot of mythology (the single seed contains more caffeine; the flavour is more intense, etc.). Of the various claims, one point of interest does appear to bear substance: a single, rounded seed (more uniform in size), like the peaberry, makes for an easier bean to roast and should produce a more consistent roast.
A popular peaberry at a great price; a pleasant bolt for a morning brew.
Taste Test
We like a strong start to the a.m. and this peaberry is definitely a cup to build the day on. If you're thinking of going to Vienna, you might want to skip that roast profile (too bitter) and opt for a City+ or lighter roast. Brewed in a plunge-press or pour over, a City+ roast produced sweet notes (including sugar cane) and an excellent body: bright, piquant with a tangerine, caramel finish. Now, that's a good morning!
Roast recommendation: Medium to light. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
Roasted - Ethiopian Sidamo GR2
$15.61
About the bean
Sidamo is a popular coffee. A classic Sidamo offers notes of blueberry and dark chocolate and makes a pleasant and tasty brew - it's typically a reliable cup. In fact, Sidamo is a real coffee buddy - this bean suits a variety of brew methods and works as a standalone bean or mixed into a blend (Sidamo contributes flavour and brightness). It's also a good pick for cold brew and espresso.
Expect notes of red fruit and a silky body. Roast darker for a more bold cup.
Quick Notes
REGION: Nensebo, West Arsi
PROCESS: Washed
WASHING STATION: Badessa Station
ALTITUDE: 2300 masl.
VARIETALS: Heirloom
SCREEN SIZE: 14+
DIRECT TRADE: Yes (bought directly from the farmer)
GRAIN PRO: Yes
CUPPING NOTES: Honey, vanilla, raspberry iced tea, delicate.
Roast recommendation: Light to medium-dark. For an explanation of our different roasts, see: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
Roasted - Brazilian Peaberry
$10.16
About the bean
The BRA PEA, as we call the Brazilian Peaberry here at Green Beanery, is a servery staple and the modest star of our coffee world: sweet and strong, tasty with a choc-note finish, this is our go-to bean for espresso.
Much is made of the peaberry, lone child champion of the coffee cherry (in which one seed is fertilized instead of two because one failed to develop). Science hasn't yet proved that the smaller, denser peaberry really is more flavorful than twin-seed normals because it might absorb more nutrients that would otherwise be divided. That said, the BRA PEA packs quite a flavour punch.
Generally speaking, what can be said of the peaberry is that it is rounded (as there's more space to form without having to lie flat against another) and this free-to-be-ness rolls well in roaster drums to produce a more even result. Because peaberries are typically hand-sorted to separate them from regular beans (that's how these natural mutations are discovered), they can be quite pricey. Producer countries like Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania are usually the source of peaberry coffees as their infrastructure facilitates the finding and sorting of these beans.
This tasty coffee is a servery staple for a variety of espresso drinks; use in blends or as a morning brew. Unlike others of its kind, the price for this peaberry is extra nice.
Variety: Peaberry
Region: Vale da Grama
Source: The award-winning Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama
On this farm everything is done manually, which includes coffee plantation handling and harvest, since its topography does not allow for any kind of mechanization.
Process: Natural and Pulped Natural
Drying Method: Sun dried on patios
Altitude: 1,100-1,250 masl.
Certifications: BSCA and Rainforest Alliance
Taste Notes
We played around with a medium roast profile and enjoyed a strong base of cocoa, top notes of ripe fruit and a nice chocolate finish. Good body. Expect a strong, flavorful brew with little in the way of complexity. Reviews of the Brazilian Peaberry have always impressed us over time - folks really dig the BRA PEA. And with a forgiving price, this bean is open to experimentation.
Roast Recommendation: City to City+. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
Roasted - Mexican HG EP Fair Trade Organic
$13.92
About the bean
Lovers of Mexican coffee can be quite insistent on their beans from the Chiapas region of southern Mexico. If it ain't from Chiapas, it just ain't, according to some. Well, here you go, folks: come and get your Chiapas beans.
Our current crop of FTO beans from one of our favourite coffee nations is sourced from a large group of small producers in four different areas of Chiapas: Escuintla, Huixtla, Motozintla and Siltepec. Having formed a cooperative in 2016, the Fereración de Sociedades Cooperativas Cafetaleras de la Sierra Madre FC de RL (FEDESI) now represents 3,279 such producers, each with their own wet mill and drying patio.
Why is Chiapas coffee so good? Coffee was originally introduced to this part of Mexico by border neighbour Guatemala, which may explain why Chiapas offerings are so often compared to the best of Guatemala: medium body, medium brightness, a dash of spice and a sweet complexity with a lovely chocolate finish.
Chocolate lovers - get on this!
Quick Notes
Region: Chiapas
Source: Fereración de Sociedades Cooperativas Cafetaleras de la Sierra Madre FC de RL (FEDESI)
Process: Washed and sun-dried
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor
Altitude: 800 - 1500 masl.
Certifications: Fair Trade and Organic
HG: High grown.
EP: (European Prep) Indicates the coffee has undergone rigorous sorting - usually by hand to ensure defective beans and foreign material have been removed.
Taste Test
Our last batch of Mexican FTO was also from Chiapas; different cooperative, same chocolate character.
We went straight for a Full City roast brewed in a French press and this is what we got: rich, strong, with notes of dark chocolate, toasted almond and sugar cane; the finish was especially nice and lingered on the chocolate note. We didn't get too much in the way of complexity at this roast profile. A lighter roast might accentuate some of the other expected notes this crop should carry: nutmeg, clove, lemongrass and tangerine.
As always, Mexican beans are good and game for anything: espresso, specialty drinks, cold brew and more. Pairs well with food. What a bean!
Roast recommendation: City to Full City for the chocolate lovers. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
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Roasted - Ethiopian Limu GR3
$16.00
About the bean
This brand-new coffee to our selection is the Limu Kosa Akmel Nuri G3 Natural from Ethiopia: a wonderful bean from the farm of Akmel Nuri in southwestern Ethiopia's Limmu Kossa, located in the country's coffee-famous region of Djimmah.
Hand pickers on Akmel's organic farm collect ripe coffee cherries in buckets. The cherries are then sorted through on raised beds and left to dry there for 11-13 days - fermentation occurs at this stage. Akmel uses solar power to "electrify" his farm operation and coffee processing to naturally eliminate waste water. The great care taken is reflected in Akmel's commitment to supporting the local community through school and medical supplies.
A winey, spicy Ethiopian with floral overtones. Nice balance and finish, smooth to taste. Suits all brew methods - a standout flavour experience for pour over.
COUNTRY: Ethiopia
PRODUCER: Akmel Nuri
REGION: Limu Kosa, Djimmah
PROCESS: Natural
DRYING PROCESS: African bed
ALTITUDE: 1800 masl.
VARIETALS: Heirloom
DIRECT TRADE: Yes
CUPPING NOTES: Wine, cinnamon, grapefruit, brown sugar.
Roasting recommendation: Medium. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
Roasted - Panama SHB EP Boquete
$14.31
About the bean
Panama is a small coffee producer compared to other regions but its prestige worldwide for specialty offerings (including the breakout star Geisha/Gesha varietal) gives this country its quality, not quantity interest.
The Boquete area is Panama's oldest and most famous coffee growing location. Nearby to Boquete is the ultra spectacular Volcán Barú region (where our coffee is from), and where Panama's highest mountain rises above the clouds to afford a magical view of the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea simultaneously, as well as sunrises and sunsets that are the stuff of legend.
Our current crop of Panama Boquete hails, as it always does, from the marvellous Don Vicente Estate where four generations of family have farmed, dating back to 1930 when they first arrived from Spain. Their prize-winning varieties are grown beneath a canopy of native forest cover at 1,300m above sea level.
Stop to smell the roses with this quiet wonder.
Quick Notes
Brand: Don Vicente
Species: Arabica
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra
Drying Method: Sun dried and later mechanically dried. Given 60 days rest (permits carbon dioxide to escape; results in a more balance, sweeter coffee).
Altitude: 1,300 masl.
SHB: Strictly High Grown
EP: (European Prep) Indicates the coffee has undergone rigorous sorting - usually by hand to ensure defective beans and foreign material have been removed.
Cupping Score: 85.3 (out of 100 points; over 85 considered excellent)
Taste Test
We find the Panama Boquete is highly dependent on the roast profile.
At a lighter roast, an aromatic, clean and balanced cup gave us a soft body and lovely caramel aftertaste. A pronounced fruitiness at this profile.
Typically, we do favour nuance, but a darker roast profile and the increased body it delivered (we went for a 1/12 ratio instead of our typical 1/15 for a French press brew) was impressive. We're going to stay here! Notes of hazelnut, caramel and citrus brightness combined to give us a wonderful cup.
Suits a variety of preparation methods and roast profiles. Go light for a bright and fruity reward, darker for a more bodylicious brew. Serve filtered, French press style or as an espresso blend.
Roast recommendation: Medium to dark. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.
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Roasted - Guatemala SHB EP
$12.37
About the bean
The Huehuetenango growing region is not a volcanic terrain although it is rich in limestone and lies in close proximity to the mighty Cuchumatanes, Central America's largest non-volcanic peak stretching from the Mexican border to the highlands of north central Guatemala. The Huehuetenango climate is subtropical and the land runs high with altitudes of more than 2,000 metres; warm winds from Mexico's Tehuantepec Plains prevent frost from spoiling the goods grown here. Due to its rough terrain and remoteness, farmers process and dry their own coffee.
These particular beans are from the AAPICAFE Cooperative in the heart of Huehue, two hours from the main city (accessible only by truck). Rough roads? That's an understatement! The average farm size here is around 1 hectare. Each farmer processes their coffee individually and sun dries in small batches. Every available flat space is utilized for drying coffee, even rooftops.
A nice and simple Guat from Huehuetenango with a lemon buzz. This one works across all roasting profiles.
Quick Notes
FARM: AAPICAFE Cooperative
REGION: Huehuetenango
ALTITUDE: 1500 – 1800 masl.
VARIETALS: Bourbon, caturra and pache
PROCESS: Washed and fermented for up to 48 hours
GRAIN PRO: Yes
CUPPING NOTES: A lovely deep honey with a lemongrass aroma. Caramel sweet and juicy. Medium acidity.
Roast recommendation: Choose to preference. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart
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Roasted - Honduras SHG EP
$13.14