Pulped-natural coffee is removed from its fruit but then laid out to dry (on large concrete patios in this case) with the sticky flesh still attached. The beans absorb some of the sweet fruitiness of the flesh, ultimately yielding a coffee that has more sweetness and body, with a slightly softened acidity.

One thing I’ve noticed about pulped-natural coffees is that they need a gentle roast. I suspect something about the altered drying process makes them softer, or less dense, or more porous (all guesses!).

Cupping notes:

Aroma: caramel, buttery-cakey, popcorn, malty, spices (cinnamon), hint of pear.

Flavour: choc-orange, Jaffa cake!, almond, caramel, gentle orange acidity.

Texture: light and fluffy, very rounded.

This is our featured coffee for May 2013, and can be found online.

Seriously, this is what our latest Reserve Blend reminds me of. Toffee, then creamy with a honey-like sweetness – and let’s add a dollop of berries at the bottom of the bowl.

It comprises:

40% Burundi Mugirampeke

40% Colombia Los Naranjos (Nov 2012 harvest)

20% Ethiopia Sidamo Korate natural

This blend is a good representation of how we like to roast – a nice balance between the coffee’s natural sweetness and acidity, while retaining all the unique characteristics of each coffee.

Suitable with or without milk.

You can find this blend featured at Amelia Espresso.

Our Reserve blends evolve according to what’s freshly harvested; this version will be available April-June 2013.

It’s the third season we have bought their coffee, and we’re enjoying how each harvest is unique. This lot seems to have a creamier, more rounded sweetness; the acidity is gentler and more like apples than citrus. A great harvest!

Cupping Notes:

Sweetness: buttery, creamy – nougat, brown sugar, caramel. Acidity: red fruit, crisp apple, juicy, tangy orange, peach, complex. Overall: rich and balanced, ideal single origin espresso.

Recommended for…

Espresso or brewed (plunger/filter etc.); black or with milk. This is a truly versatile coffee!

Where you can drink it:

Since Colombia has two harvests per year, we can expect another fresh shipment in August – and what that means is that we can use this wonderful coffee in our Seasonal blends all year ’round! It’s featured in our Autumn blend right now.

Since we love it so much, we’re also offering it online as a single origin – as well as in a handful of retail outlets around Launceston.

Lastly, we’re sending it out as the April bean for our subscribers to the Ritual Coffee Circle!

Colombia Los Naranjos (33%)

Burundi Mugirampeke (17%)

Autumn is here!

And so is our newest version of our Seasonal Blend.

Expect up-front caramel sweetness and a big, syrupy mouthfeel. There’s sweetness aplenty from the Colombian, and a citrussy finish from the Burundi.

For this blend we welcome the freshest arrival of our beloved Colombian. It is from the late-2012 harvest and landed in Australia just last week. As well as being super fresh, we think this is the best coffee we’ve ever had from Asociación los Naranjos!

We are also using a fresh arrival of our Brazil Sertãozinho. This is from the same crop as our first shipment (harvest: Jun-Aug 2012), but has been stored in its protective parchment layer in huge silos until just before shipping. This keeps it fresh, so it’s almost like receiving a fresh harvest. (FYI, this is why we are happy to use coffee from Brazil all year ’round.) We’ve also roasted the Brazil a touch lighter this season to highlight its syrupy body.

The third component is the lovely Burundi Mugirampeke. This is a fantastically caramelly coffee – see if you can’t taste a hint of creme brûlée in there!

Our Seasonal Blend for Autumn 2013 is available here.

50% Colombia Asociación Los Naranjos, washed

50% Brazil Fazenda Sertãozinho, pulped natural

To some, a blend comprising simply Brazil + Colombia might as well read “boring and derivative”. Which is a bit like someone saying they don’t like bacon and eggs. But what if the eggs are fresh, free-range double-yolkers, and the bacon is thick-cut, old breed, organic?

Both these coffees are amongst the best their countries/regions have to offer, and we think everyone should enjoy the resulting blend!

From the Colombian, we have a really intense sweetness – I think of it as a “high pitched” sweetness, contrasting nicely with the “deeper” sweetness of Brazilian.

There’s plenty of chocolate sweetness, with some buttery caramel notes, and a balancing acidity that is citrussy in character (orange & sweet lemon). It’s bold and rich and very satisfying however you drink it! Available online here.

It’s called Mugirampeke – that’s the name of the washing station where around 1200 producers bring their coffee cherries to be processed. The station is in the Ngozi region in the Central North of Burundi. The washing station is at an impressive 1778m asl.

This is a great coffee from an origin we would love to work with further. More info here.

We also have revamped our blends for the New Year!

We are incredibly happy with our Summer Blend right now; it is drinking beautifully. You want to know why? Because we’re using two great coffees that are in season: Colombia Los Naranjos & Brazil Sertãozinho.

There’s something extra delicious about coffee that is fresh, and that’s what our seasonal blends aim to showcase. It is available here.

Not to mention our Reserve Blend! This blend is where we pick some super special coffees and go for something adventurous.

The current blend has Guatemala Finca La Bolsa, Honduras Sñr Regalado & Ethiopia Sidamo Korate natural process. You can buy it online, or drink it at Amelia Espresso.

For both countries, the coffee industry has been a key to economic recovery from civil war. Today, over 800,000 people in Burundi derive the majority of their income from coffee – that’s over 10% of the country’s population.

Mugirampeke is the name of the washing station where around 1200 producers bring their coffee cherries to be processed. The station is in the Ngozi region in the Central North of Burundi. The washing station is at an impressive 1778m asl.

Coffee from Burundi deserves the great reputation it is gaining. The good stuff is delicous and sweet, with some of that typical East African intensity – but not too much. I sometimes refer to Burundian coffee as the “polite Kenyan coffee”.

The first thing you’ll taste is an intense sweetness – vanilla with deep caramel (like the top of crème brûlée). There’s a gentle red currant acidity, which mellows to a hint of berry with milk. It yields a very creamy texture.

Lovely coffee from an origin we adore.

We enjoy it with or without milk, brewed or espresso – versatile bean!

You can buy it from our online shop.

When: Saturday February 16th, 10am-4pm.

Where: Main grandstand, Royal Hobart Showgrounds, Glenorchy.

What: Competitions for Barista, Latte Art, and Cup Tasting.

Enter these competitions on the AASCA website.

Baristas are given 15 minutes to give the four sensory judges a round of espressos, a round of cappuccinos, and a round of their signature drink. They are judged on flavour & presentation, but also technical skill, and communication of their ideas behind the drinks.

These competitions also decide who will represent Tasmania at the Australian Barista, Latte Art, and Cup Tasting Championships in March.

This will be a great showcase of the rapidly growing pool of coffee talent in Tasmania, so come along if you are interested!

Find out more from the AASCA website, or call Craig on 0409 986 174.

This is a lot from Finca La Bolsa that they names ‘Dos Rios’, meaning two rivers.

Altitude: 1400-1600m ASL

Varieties: Bourbón & Caturra

Harvested: Nov 2011 – Mar 2012

Processing: washed & sundried.

It is a fresh and delicious taste experience!

The sweetness is intense and brown sugar like, with hints of candy (musk sticks!) and dark chocolate. It is quite floral in aroma, as well as hinting at citrus zest. The acidity is lively with more citrus but primarily a juicy green apple note.

Fantastic as a brewed coffee, and makes a great espresso. This bean is currently available as a single origin, or in our Reserve Blend from our online shop.