New Seasonal Blend: Early Summer Blend
EARLY SUMMER BLEND
Uganda Kapchorwa
Colombia Inza Cauca
Mexico Finca Guadalupe Zaju
Brazil Sao Silvestre
Flavour: Fruit cocktail, strawberry chocolate, minty finish
Acidity: Approachable, wine grapes
Body: Medium, syrupy
Roast: Light—medium
Suitable for: Mokapot, espresso, pourover, Aeropress
UGANDA – KAPCHORWA
Owner: 997 farmers
Town: Kapchorwa district, Sipi sub-county
Varietal(s): SL28, SL 34, & some SL14, Nyasaland & Bugisu
Processing: Fully washed & dried on raised beds
All participating farmers are smallholders whose families have grown coffee for generations. The average farm size is only around 1 hectare, and on this most families also farm a variety of subsistence crops such as matooke (cooking banana) and fruit trees, beans, peas, millet and coco yam. Although matooke is also an important cash crop, coffee is the more valuable source of income for most families, particularly for livelihood improvement investment. It represents about 77% of the farm acreage and provides the cash flow required for large investments (school fees, livestock, land, house construction etc.), whereas matooke provides week-on-week regular cash flow for smaller day-to-day purchases.
Environmental protection is very important, as well. The Kapchorwa area borders the Mt. Elgon national park. Park boundaries are clearly indicated and guarded by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, but Kyagalanyi know that ecological preservation across the board is very important for long-term sustainability.
COLOMBIA INZA CAUCA
Association: Asociación de Productores de Café del Oriente Caucano (ASORCAFE)
Varietals(s): Mostly Caturra (70%+) w/Colombia & Castillo
Processing: Fully washed & dried on parabolic and raised beds
Altitude: 1 500 – 1 800 masl
Owner: 52 small holder farmers
Town: Pedregal and San Antonio
Region: Inzá, Cauca
The municipality of Inzá is located in the corner of the Department of Cauca, bordering with Tolima and Huila and looking out to the west over the Pacific Ocean. Situated on the “Macizo Colombiano” (the Colombian Plateau), which surrounds the high peaks of Tolima and Huila, the region is an important source of water and wildlife, in addition to being prime coffee growing land.
The association of coffee growers, ASORCAFE, was founded in 2004 by 10 coffee growers with an entrepreneurial spirit who were tired of private parchment buyers who were paying them below national prices. The region’s violent past, with a heavy presence of FARC guerrillas, had historically prevented the FNC (Colombia’s excellent national coffee board) and specialty-focused exporters from establishing a presence in the region. As violence has diminished, it has enabled the growers in the region to seek increased access to markets for quality, not only taking advantage of the region’s wonderful coffee-growing conditions but also the economic resource that nearby tourist destinations bring (for instance, the World Heritage Site “Parque Nacional Arqueológico de Tierradentro”).
MEXICO – FINCA GUADALUPE ZAJU
Owner: Eduardo ‘Teddy’ Esteve
Town: Toquian Grande & Pavencul, Soconusco Region
Varietal(s): 30% Caturra, 50% Marsellesa, 20% Hybrids
Processing: Fully washed & dried in guardiolas
Beautiful Finca Guadalupe Zaju occupies 310 hectares right on Chiapas, Mexico’s famed ‘Ruta de Cafe’. This ‘Route of Coffee’ rides along the Guatemalan border, north from the border town of Tapachula, through Mexico’s famed Soconusco region. The route flows past some of Mexico’s most famous farms – including the Fincas Hamburgo and Irlanda. A neighbour of these farms, Guadelupe Zaju is well on its way to helping carry on the region’s reputation as a location for high-quality coffee.
When Guadalupe Zaju’s current owner, Eduardo ‘Teddy’ Esteve, purchased the farm in 2004, it was a true act of faith and commitment to making the formerly great farm into a bastion of quality again. Teddy’s family had been involved in commodity trading – including coffee, tea and cocoa – for over 150 years, and he had worked on the coffee end of the business for his whole life. In his own words, he says “I grew up cleaning up the cupping room in the office and being involved in clerical matters since my early days to complement my allowance.” He directly started working for the family company in 1983. However, he had never directly been involved in farming coffee.
After purchasing Guadalupe Zaju, Teddy purchased two neighbouring farms – La Gloria and Chanjul – in 2011, all of which are run, today, under the name of Guadalupe Zaju. Currently, only 350 hectares of the farm’s total 600 hectares are under coffee. Teddy has complemented his passion for coffee farming by surrounding himself with experts. All of this is to ensure that Guadalupe Zaju establishes a name for itself as a producer of high-quality coffee.
BRAZIL SAO SILVESTRE
Fazenda São Silvestre has been farmed by the Andrade Brothers since 1991. It is located in the north of Minas Gerais, in an area known as the Cerrado Mineiro on the border with Bahia state.
The farm’s volcanic soils provide ideal conditions for growing the farm’s main varieties – Yellow Icatú, Yellow Bourbon and Típica.
Combined with the natural conditions of the region, meticulous crop management, forward-thinking crop planning and post-harvest selection, the final result from all Andrade family farms is excellent quality, award-winning coffees that are appreciated both within Brazil and internationally as some of the best coffee the country has to offer.
IN CONCLUSION
Our seasonal espresso blends are made of high quality, speciality-grade coffees from several origins. Flavour, body and acidity profile are well-balanced which make it perfect for straight espresso and milk-based espresso drinks.
Most of our customers pour our seasonal espresso blend, which is designed for broad appeal and to make it easier for baristas to achieve consistent results (extraction) relative to some single-origin coffees.
Enjoy a cup of our seasonal blend at all Origin location or grab a bag for your home or office. Also available online at Cape Coffee Beans.