Our coffees : « Mélanges Maison » and Grands Crus

Brazil is the 1st world producer ; 5 million people live from coffee there. From the Santos Jundiaí and Central do Brasil district (São Paulo), this coffee is used mainly as a base for blends ; it is gentle and marries with Central Americas by attenuating their acidity. It is also excellent drunk on its own. This coffee is characterised by a gentle and mellow taste.

Benefiting from a microclimate due to its exceptional location in the Cerrado Mineiro, speciality coffees are a true must in this region. The farm is situated at 1,050 metres of altitude, between the two towns of Belo Horizonte and Uberlândia.

Euller comes from a family of coffee producers for three generations ; after living in Belgium for a few years, he decides in 2014 to return, with Martine and their children, to his roots. Since then, they invest each year in installations to improve the handling and quality of their coffees with each new harvest.

Intensely gentle and mellow, elegant aroma, medium body and very gentle acidity. 5 million people live from coffee in Brazil. Brazil Daterra is grown and processed in a very precise way north of São Paulo, in the Campinas region ; it benefits from the Environmental Preservation, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ labels. It is packed before export under vacuum, in cartons of 2 × 12 kilos. It is characterised by great gentleness and marries with Central Americas by attenuating their acidity. It is also excellent drunk on its own.

The bean size of Supremo is greater than that of Excelso quality. Supremo comes mainly from the private sector and its production is very carefully attended to.

One of the Central Americas best known for its SHB (Strictly Hard Bean – grade, acronym, firmness of the beans). A very good complete coffee, slightly acid. The Tarrazús are true grands crus.

This coffee is grown in the centre, on the plateau and the volcanic ridges around Antigua. The rich volcanic soils, the little humidity, the intensity of the sun and the cool nights are so many elements that have a positive influence on the quality of this coffee.

The best Guatemalan coffees come from the Centre ; they are processed by the wet method, dried in the sun or in vertical and horizontal ovens heated with parchment or wood, mechanical then electronic and manual sorting, shade, no irrigation. The Strictly Hard Bean (1,600 to 1,700 metres) rank among the best coffees in the world : complete taste, balanced and aromatic acid cup.

This coffee, bearing the mention HG (High Grown), is harvested between 1,000 and 1,250 metres : these altitude beans reach maturity more slowly and are denser than at a lower altitude, but they will be less acid than those harvested at a higher altitude.

Honduran coffees are grown mainly in the centre and south-west of the country, in the Santa Barbara region, but also in Copán, Lempira, Comayagua and El Paraíso. They are washed arabicas, grown under shade, harvested by hand in 2 or 3 passes.

Close to the Guatemalan border, it can rival the finest coffees of Guatemala. A variety of arabica grown between 1,100 and 1,800 metres, on volcanic and shaded soil. Harvesting there is by hand and is carried out in three passes ; the coffee is wet-processed and fermented for 15 hours. 3 million people live from coffee in Mexico, where it is the leading export commodity.

It is found in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The coffee tree is taller than other arabica varieties and less productive, which explains its relative rarity on the markets and its higher price. This variety was discovered in the town of the same name, Maragogipe, in Brazil.

Most Maragogypes come from the Matagalpa region, north of Lake Managua, in the centre of the country. This Maragogype comes from the north of the region. The soil of volcanic origin is of great fertility ; Maragogype is harvested between 1,500 and 2,000 metres. These coffees are wet-processed ; depulping is carried out by the peasants, who deliver their coffee in parchment to the cooperatives.

Wet-process treatment. Relatively cool temperatures and fog contribute to a slow maturation of the cherries.

The size of farms in Panama is relatively small, from 1 to 10 hectares. The prices of these speciality coffees are fairly high : there is indeed a strong demand for land purchase from North Americans, and many plantations have been sold and have changed use. Wage standards are also higher than those of neighbouring countries and seasonal workers are better paid there.

Coffee is introduced to Peru in the 18th century and today constitutes the 1st export product. 92 % of production comes from the forest regions of the centre. Shade is used at 95 %.

This washed arabica of Chanchamayo type comes from the central regions ; a coffee of superior quality, a favourable climate, modern cultivation and processing. Hand sorting and wet-method preparation. Washed arabica, good acidity, excellent body, gentle cup, blue-green green beans, a fine bean. These arabicas can be superior to the very good classic Central Americas from the point of view of appearance and cup.

The beans are soaked in water, they swell and the caffeine becomes « mobile » ; then they are aerated, the caffeine will bind to the carbon dioxide, which will be eliminated by drying the coffee (evaporation). The caffeine and carbon dioxide are then separated to be reused. Decaffeination will give you a coffee whose taste and aroma will equal full coffees, while assuring you a good night’s sleep…

These coffees can be considered the best and similar to Jamaican coffees.

It rains all year ; ocean winds and currents allow the cherry to develop slowly to produce a bean of great quality. Hand picking, wet-method fermentation of the beans, sun drying, shade of the plantations (avocado, orange, banana, guava, macadamia). Harvest from August to February.

Coffee growing has a positive impact on the prosperity of farmers and more particularly for women.

The coffee grows in the shade and takes part in the prevention of deforestation ; only organic fertilisers are used, no pesticide. Each micro washing station is equipped with solar panels and the drying station uses hydroelectric energy.

Wet processing of the cherries and fermentation between 36 and 48 hours.

Coffee is indigenous to this region : it is the original land of the wild variety « Arabica Typica ». Limu contains fruit from these trees still growing in the wild. Cradle of coffee, all the arabicas of the world would come from the province of Kaffa ! In Ethiopia, « coffee » is said « bun » in Arabic, which could have given the origin of the word « bean » in English. It is estimated that 12 million inhabitants live from coffee in Ethiopia.

65 % of Kenyan production comes from small plantations of less than 4.5 hectares, organised in cooperatives for wet processing and marketing. Only ripe cherries are picked by hand, in 7 different passes. Cultivation is done following contour lines or by arranging stepped terraces on steep slopes, rarely under shade, except to protect from hail and wind in certain places. Coffee represents 50 % of agricultural product exports ; arabica planting represents 99.09 % of production !

A very floral coffee with a very tart taste ; industrial roasting at very high speed increases the acidity level to an excessive threshold, which explains the abandonment of this origin by certain roasters seeking gentler coffees. Kenya is the country that has developed the most sophisticated methods in the world as regards the production, processing and marketing of coffee : quality, light taxation, collaboration between the private sector and administration, as well as a certain liberalism !

Coffee is grown between 1,300 and 1,750 metres. The soil is protected from the sun during the dry season by mulching ; only ripe beans are picked by hand, in several passes. Processing is by the wet method, before sun drying and hand sorting. This coffee is harvested in the west of the country, on the shores of Lake Kivu.

The botanical species cultivated is arabica at 94 %. Only ripe cherries are picked by hand, in several passes. Wet-method preparation and hand sorting for A plantations.

The characteristics of this arabica are classified between Kenya AA and washed Ethiopia. Balanced, fragrant and acid arabicas, with body.

Coffee is the 3rd agricultural export product, after wood and rubber. Arabica was introduced by the Dutch in the mid-17th century to Java ; it is grown in volcanic areas, at altitude.

These arabicas are exceptional ; their aromas can seem heavy and very full-bodied, aromatic, for lovers of strong coffee.

Arabica of Jember, Bourbon, Timtim or Catimor type. This Sumatra is grown in the north of the island, in the Aceh region, between 1,200 and 1,400 metres. After the hand harvest of the beans and their depulping, they undergo a fermentation of 12 h. The cherries are hulled while still wet in order to dry them more quickly. This process is used only in Indonesia.

Washed arabica, screen 18.

Vietnam is the 2nd largest coffee producer behind Brazil. If Vietnamese robusta production is preponderant, that of arabica is rarer and represents about 6 % of harvests. The government is aware of its importance and its value and promotes the growth of its production thanks to the assistance of the French Development Agency.