Moon Roast Coffee

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This coffee from Finca El Rubi comes from the Acevedo region of Huila where Heiner Lazo has been farming coffee for many years. Heiner has owned El Rubi for 25 years alongside his wife, Johanna. The farm got its name after a ruby was gifted to the previous owner when she got married and Heiner and Johanna now see it as their precious jewel.

For many years, El Rubi have grown caturra, colombia and castillo but in recent years they have decided to start experimenting with more exotic varietals. On the farm they have a variety called papayo (named after the papaya fruit), SL28 and also 7,500 pink bourbon trees which they started to plant 3 and a half years ago. Heiner and Johanna are also experimenting with processing and are working with temperature controlled fermentation and anaerobic fermentation.

Cultivated from hybrid of Red and Yellow Bourbon, Pink Bourbon is said to have been first found in Pitalito, Huila. This variety can be hard to grow and cultivate due to the genetic volatility but it is shown to have good resistant to rust and produces exquisite cup qualities. Pink Bourbons have a substantial amount of glucose which is thought to help give the coffee its more delicate, soft and complex profile.

Heiner takes great care in the selection of this coffee ensuring it is collected at the optimum point of ripeness before then being pulped and dry fermented over night. After this the coffee is then sun dried for between 7-10 days depending on the weather, down to between 10-11% moisture.

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To kickstart the 2020 year, we have worked closely with James of Omwani Coffee Co to help search for our next natural processed coffee. He sources some of the best Ugandan coffees to the UK and aims to build long term relationships with farmers. Aiding the farmers with market information, improved prices for better quality and advice on how farmers can improve their primary processing techniques to improve the coffees cup score.

This coffee from Lead Farmer Kananga Neckson wowed all of us when it was first sampled and we knew it was a taste we wanted to highlight. The Rwenzoris are famously known as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ and they stretch for 230km along the Western Uganda border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The farmers harvest their coffees by hand, carefully selecting the ripe cherries. These are then pre-sorted before being placed in a tank of water; those that float are removed, leaving only the best cherries to continue in the process. The cherries are then sun-dried on raised tables inside purpose built poly-tunnels.

Farmers carefully turn the cherries throughout the day, ensuring uniform drying. Once dried to the required moisture content, the coffee is sorted and processed via the wet mill in Kisinga Town.

After processing, the coffee beans then undergo a final check to remove any black beans or defects. The coffee is then bagged and transported to a dry mill in Numanve on the outskirts of Kampala, here it is prepared for export through Mombasa.

Many farmers choose to sell the fresh cherries after they have been sorted and floated, often with the assistance of the field team based out of Kisinga. This enables farmers to access quick payment for coffee and takes away the risk of processing coffee at their farm, many of whom are not well equipped to dry coffee. The cherries are delivered to the wet mill in Kisinga Town where a team of trained workers are able to carry out the whole process to a high standard,

Expect flavour notes of Pineapple, mango and lychee.

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This is a very special lot consisting of coffee grown by 8 amazing women across 5 different villages in Huehuetenango.

The women who contributed to this lot are Minga, Juana, Lety and Victorina, Sandra, Maria, Luz, and Petrona.

Once the coffee is dried, Fredy’s wife cups every lot, and combines similar qualities and profiles together.

The concept of our community lots is to support the producer. Each producer will process their own coffee: hand pulp, use a tank foot remove floaters, ferment for 22-24 hours, move coffee, and bring in the next batch. After fermentation, the coffee is washed and moved to the channels. The time spent here depends on the capacity of each farm/parcel. Most parcels of land benefit from natural spring water. In some cases, the women don't have access to water. In this case, the coffee will be quickly washed in channels.

Once the water runs clear, the coffee is then moved to patios. The coffee dries for 7-10 days during sunny period, or up to 20 during cloudy days.