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#whatgoesintoyourcup⠀
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MILLING, SORTING & SHIPPING⠀
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Once the coffee beans have been processed, it is time for them to be prepped for export.⠀
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With specialty grade coffee, there are strict requirements in place for the quality of the raw (green) coffee with a maximum number of defects allowed within a 300g sample - attentive sorting and careful milling to remove the outer parchment layer is essential.⠀
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For many of the lots we buy, this is done by an army of dry mill workers (usually women) to handpick through the lot alongside electric light machines and gravity sorters to ensure the best quality beans are separated for the specialty market.⠀
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This process is hugely important to the resulting quality of what we receive and influences our ability to buy the same coffee each year.⠀
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Once the coffee has rested to allow the water activity within the beans to settle, it is packed into sacks and loaded into a container to ship. Specialty grade coffee demands an extra lining layer between the beans and the hessian sack to ensure no straw-like/hessian taints reach the precious beans. ⠀
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Prompt and careful shipment is also required to uphold all the amazing work done so far, if a container is stuck at port the coffee is at risk of ageing more quickly due to exposure of hotter temperatures and increased humidity at sea level. This can mean all of the aroma potential within the coffee is lost with woody/cardboard like notes coming through instead.⠀
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We have stringent quality control procedures in place to ensure the quality of the landed coffee matches that of the pre-shipment sample we approved. It is a huge risk to take though particularly when sourcing more directly as the responsibility for the quality passes to us as soon as the ship leaves the port 😱

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#whatgoesintoyourcup⠀
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DRYING⠀
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Once the beans have been washed, they need to be laid out to dry to bring down the moisture content for export to avoid mould formation.⠀
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This is done using a variety of methods, for most of our coffees the producers use raised drying beds where they are manually turned several times an hour to encourage even drying. It is also important to protect the coffee during the hottest hours of the day so they are covered between 12 and 3. ⠀
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In some instances, patios are used. Pictured here is Leonecio Guillen who contributes to our El Salvador Chelazos coffee (now available as espresso on the bar) - he completes nearly all of the picking, processing and drying of his coffee himself. It is intense work but he is committed to getting as much of his coffee as possible to a specialty grade for us to purchase. Drying is one of the most important stages of the process and can have a real impact on the shelf life of the coffee. You will see on the back of our bags that we talk about buying with principles of seasonality and longevity of quality in mind. We do not just buy based on quality of the cup at the time of purchase but on the potential that coffee displays to hold on to what makes it special - that potential really comes from this part of the process ⭐️

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#whatgoesintoyourcup⠀
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Once the beautiful ripe cherries have been harvested, it is time for them to be processed for export.⠀
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We are so lucky to work with some of the most innovative producers across the world. Through them, we are able to access a whole range of experimentally processed coffees which push the boundaries of flavour introducing us to new sensory experiences and showcasing the incredible versatility of coffee.⠀
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Within our range, we generally always have washed and natural processed coffees so we will focus on these in the next couple of posts... stay tuned! ☕️

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#whatgoesintoyourcup⠀
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Once the cherries have reached optimum maturity, they are ready to be harvested. For the specialty grade coffee we buy, we are absolutely reliant on an army of skilled workers who traverse the coffee lands throughout the harvest season to selectively pick each ruby red cherry, holding onto all the potential quality that has been carefully cultivated thus far. ⠀
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Much of the worlds coffee is strip or machine picked whereby a whole mix of sticks/stones/ripe/un-ripe cherries can make their way into the lot, dramatically impacting the quality. The advantage of working in this manner is it keeps labour costs to a minimum allowing companies to sell their coffee cheaply. The huge impact of this method is on the quality of the coffee. Not only does this leave the lot more susceptible to defects such as over fermented beans or withered beans, it will also produce a coffee that is very unbalanced with an unpleasant aftertaste. It is for this reason that large companies sourcing commercial grade coffees have to roast their beans excessively to help mask this poor quality.⠀
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The beans we buy have been handpicked one by one as they slowly reach full ripeness. This can often mean passing a farm 10-15 times picking the ripe cherries as you go on terrain so steep and uneven that ropes may be required. It is back breaking work and is possibly the most crucial step in the whole chain in influencing the resulting cup quality.⠀
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Working in this manner is much more costly but we think the result is worth it ☕️

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Chocnog ❄️🎄creamy, mousse-like chocolate eggnog, spiked with rum and served chilled. A perfect little afternoon treat to get you feeling festive ☺️