Embassy Blend

Embassy Blend - Our latest edition of Embassy Seasonal Blend has introduced a second Colombian to the blend, Tablón de Gomez. Prior to this update, since the beginning of the year Embassy has been made up of Brazil Araponga, Colombia Hulia Reserve, and Ethiopian Limu Kossa.

Before we get stuck into the details of the origins we would like to go over a few of the coffee terms/language we use every day.

What is a Seasonal Blend? - A Seasonal Blend is to offer an exciting and complex coffee that is linked up with the coffee harvest season. This allows us to bring you a coffee that is always fresh and flavour driven.

Cup/Quality Score - Scoring coffee is used to define the quality of the coffee. Scores are given to the individual origins. To be considered Specialty, the coffee(s) must score a minimum of 80/100. Most Specialty coffees score between 80 – 87. Only a few outstanding coffees will score higher than this. 

Roast Degree/Type/colour/style - Back in the days of old, coffee roasts were (and still are by some) only described as being light, medium and dark. These descriptions are still relevant to a point but coffee is no longer as straight forward.  These days ones interpretation of colour can vary from roaster to roaster.  We try to triangulate roast degree (Temperature) Colour and Development of the roast, not just the colour (as different origins can colour differently)

Styles: Spot Seasonal Blend,  Seasonal Blend, Modern Blend, Classic Blend, Filter.

___

The Origins - Now we can get stuck into the coffees themselves. 

Brazil:  Araponga

Score:  84

Flavour Profile: Milk Chocolate, apple, macadamia, toffee

Process: Natural 

The Araponga region is a micro-region within the Matas de Minas in the estate of Minas Gerais. The region is embraced by the Atlantic forest, which makes it very suitable for the production of specialty coffees.

Another characteristic of the Araponga region is its microclimate. Sometimes a farm can have different microclimates from one crop to another. This contributes to different nuances of flavour in the cup. This region is privileged with high mountains that lead to a range of temperatures and levels of humidity creating the perfect place to grow amazing coffees.

This coffee went through the following process: from the harvest, it was taken to the washing machine for separation by density. Then, cherries were taken to the suspended beds, which remained open for the first two days. In these first two days, the coffee layers were kept thicker to stimulate the natural fermentation of the fruits. After two days, when the moisture content was lower, the layers were thinned and the suspended bed was covered, to ensure a slow and uniform drying. The rest of the drying took an average of 10 days.

___

Colombia:  Huila Reserve 

Score:  85

Flavour Profile: Stone fruits, Caramel, Citrus

Process: Washed

The Huila Reserve program encourages farmers to improve the quality of the coffee they produce through improved farming practices and is rewarded for their efforts with better premiums. All the selected farmers in our program deliver their coffees directly to our collection warehouse in Huila. The coffees are then carefully assessed to ensure they fulfill all the requirements in terms of grading and quality. Every lot is cupped separately and then are blended depending on the characteristics of each one. Once coffees are approved by our quality control team, farmers are paid the next day for their coffees. This lot is composed by smallholders from Isnos, Pitalito, Acevedo, Iquira, Palermo, La Plata, Oporapa and La Argentina, Huila. The average size farm is 2 hectares

___ 

Colombia: Tablón de Gomez

Score:  86+

Flavour Profile: Caramel, spices, and orange

Process: Washed 

Produced by small holders from Tablón de Gomez, Nariño. This small municipality is 2 hours drive away from Buesaco, Nariño, where some of the most unique micro-lots from Nariño are produced. The region is characterized by its mountainous topography. Its cold climate is perfect for a slow ripening of the cherry that leads to a sweet coffee.
It rains frequently in this region so coffees need an average of 20 to 25 days to dry.

___

What is Embassy?

Embassy: A Modern Espresso Blend focused on using seasonal coffees in line with the harvest seasons, roasted to be suitable for both black and white coffees offering a complex, fresh and exciting drink.

Score:  85.5

Flavour Profile:  Stonefruits, Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut

If you would like to know more about the coffees we are always happy to chat!