Unroasted - El Salvador SHG EP

Unroasted - Bolivia Fair Trade Organic SHG EP

$10.31

About the bean

We have long wanted to try coffee from Bolivia and, finally, our ship(ment) has come in.

Referred to as the Tibet of the Americas, Bolivia is the most isolated of the Andean nations. Its diverse landscape ranges from high-altitude mountains to jungles teeming with wildlife. Visitors treasure Bolivia for its lively culture steeped in tradition, as well as its numerous attractions ranging from Inca trails to fossilized dinosaur footprints (the world's largest collection). Of special interest is the spectacular Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat (10,582 sq km) on earth, with a surface resembling mirrored glass when wet. Other "attractions" include the notorious Death Road - a 64km route, with a 3,500m descent, that draws thrill-seekers at their peril.

Bolivia isn't as well known for its coffee, yet; although the country certainly has what it takes to become a producer of note thanks to that magic bean combination of elevation, fertile soil and consistent rainfall. Driving the industry's momentum is a growing cooperative movement (and the broad benefits of more money in the hands of growers), and the country's move into specialty labelling (Fair Trade, organic and shade grown). 

Discover this rare treat.

Quick Notes

Region: Pumiri
Source: Asociación Integral de Productores Ecológicos de Pumiri (AIPEP)
Process: Washed Arabica
Varieties: 30% Typica, 25% Caturra, 20% Catuai, 15% Castillo, 10% Mundo Novo
Altitude: 1300-1550 masl.
Certifications: Fair Trade and Organic - IMO Control since 2002
SHG: Strictly High Grown; same as Strictly Hard Bean/SHB. High grown, usually denser and higher quality than a Hard Bean (HB) or High Grown (HG). These beans are grown above 1,200 masl. (metres above sea level).
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

At a light roast (American brewed in a V60 pour over), the Bolivia offers a pronounced sweetness. A smooth mouthfeel with a medium-light body, the cup delivers a range of chocolate flavour from milk to salty caramel.

At a darker roast just shy of Full City (brewed in a French press), the bean's chocolate character really hit the mark; light in the mouth but richly flavorful. This gave us our best impression - a very nuanced cup, strong in personality; an excellent combination.

As a latte at a Full City profile, the Bolivia produced a standout specialty brew - bold and tasty.

When we roasted darker (Vienna brewed as a pour over), the Bolivia's character changed quite a bit: a hard-to-miss licorice underlay that carried to a burnt finish. 

Roast recommendation: Light for nuance and medium-dark for chocolate gold. Clearly, we were sold on the Full City profile. Home roasters tell us they really enjoyed a "velvety" result at a City roast. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.

 Our warehouse is moving! This bean should be available again after April 1. Stay tuned!

Unroasted - Brazil Natural

$6.50

About the bean

We're thrilled to welcome this natural Brazilian to our inventory. Our former in-house beans expert, cupper and roaster, Priscila Fonseca, has a family tie to this particular Brazilian - it's from her family farm!

Monte Verde farm is located in the south of Minas Gerais - the big wheel on Brazil's coffee producing campus - in the municipality of Santana da Vargem. The farm grew and modernized under the innovative eye of the family's matriarch, and all who work here are treated like family. Two sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, along with collaborators have taken Fazenda Monte Verde and Fazenda Nevada (another farm in the municipality of Campanha) to where they are today. The greatest of care during harvest and post-harvest is evident in the cup.

This pick represents the flavours of southern Minas Gerais and was produced by Danielle Fonseca and Ana Elisa (Ana also runs a farm in Santana da Vargem with her brothers Wander and Wagner). 

Pictured are Danielle and sister Priscila. Granddaughter and coffee farmer's daughter, Danielle Fonseca started managing the family farm with her father in 2016. When her parents moved to another city and Priscila moved to Canada, she took over management of the farm by herself. She works tirelessly to implement sustainable practices and to improve post-harvesting methods so her coffee's special characteristics shine. Traceability of every step involved in harvesting is available for all lots produced by Fazenda da Serra.

Our favourite Brazilian.

Quick Notes

Farm: Fazenda da Serra & Fazenda Monte Verde
Producers: Danielle Fonseca & Ana Elisa Inacio de Brito
Region: Sul de Minas
Sub-region: Santana da Vargem
Community: Serras de Minas Group
Process: Natural
Altitude: 900 masl.
Varietals: Mundo Novo
Screen Size: 15+
Drying Method: Sun-dried
Grain PRO: Yes
Direct Trade: Yes (bought directly from the farmer)

Cupping Notes: Chocolate, malt, sweet, peanut butter. Delicate body and nice aftertaste.

Roasting recommendation: Roast at a City or Full City profile to enhance body and sweetness. Lighter works very well. For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.

Unroasted - Brazil SC 17/18 Swiss Water Process DECAF

$7.88

About the bean

Strictly Soft (SS) | Fine Cup (FC)

The Swiss Water Process begins with pure water and ends with amazing coffee that is 99.9% caffeine free.

Brazilian beans with a 17/18 screen size tend to be a more consistent, higher quality offering without the pungent floral notes associated with smaller, less mature beans.

Fine Cup (FC) beans are a specialty grade coffee. Strictly Soft (SS) beans are grown at relatively low altitudes (under 4,000 ft).

Medium body, chocolate and nut notes. Good for both drip and espresso.

Unroasted - Brazilian Cerrado 2/3, SC 17/18 SS FC

Sold out. More stock expected soon

About the bean

We like a strong cup in the morning that's more of a classic brew: good body, sensitive to our new-day tummies, and reliably flavorful - chocolatey sweet and nutty; no big shakes but not a dull drink, either. The Cerrado is consistently this and more: we use the Cerrado for all of our coffee whims - espresso, specialty options, cold brew, blends ... And the price is so nice! Just what we need for this time of year as we move into darker days and find ourselves gobbling our caffeine supplies a little/lot more than we have been.

Sweet, nutty and priced to please.

This coffee is an SS/FC grade - what does that mean?

FC (Fine Cup): Indicates specialty grade coffee.

SS (Strictly Soft): Grown at relatively low altitudes. 

Taste Test

We sampled the Cerrado as a City and City+ roast brewed in a Hario V60 pour over (for the City) and a French press (for the City+), as we do, to give you a sense of a new crop in the cup. At the City roast, the Cerrado gave us that Good-Morning-Wake-Up we were after. Sweet and strong with a syrupy body and a chocolate belly. Softly acidic. 

At a Full City+ we enjoyed a more mellow result, which is surprising for a darker roast profile. The sweetness remained pronounced, the body grew heavier and the nutty notes came out to play. A stronger flavour overall.

We also put the Full City+ to work as a latte. The Cerrado's sweet, nutty character performed to good effect here; nicely uniform and tasty.

Roast recommendation: City to Full City (soft bean, will roast quickly). For an explanation of our different roasts, see here: http://greenbeanery.ca/pages/roasting-chart.