Hope you are all staying safe and looking after each other. It's business as usual at Django HQ and we are still roasting and posting coffee to keep you all caffeinated.
I'm very grateful for all the support and lovely emails that I have received over the last couple of weeks. It really does mean a lot in these difficult times.
This month's special offer is a little different as we are going to share the profit made from the sales between two very worthy causes. The first is Southport and Ormskirk District General Hospital. The money will enable them to buy Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and any other equipment needed to support the health care staff as they work tirelessly and heroically to fight Covid-19. The other recipient will be a local food bank whose volunteers are working so hard and selflessly to provide basic foods to the needy.
The coffee will be roasted Thursday 2nd of April and posted Friday the 3rd of April.
*Wholebean Only*
*THIS HAS NOW SOLD OUT. *
Producer: Cooperative members
Origin: Southern Shan State in Ywangwon township, Myanmar
Varietal: Catuai, S-795, San Ramon, Caturra
Altitude: 1100-1540 metres above sea level
Process: Washed
Flavours: Coconut, dates, tamarind and grapefruit with notes of orange marmalade and dark chocolate and a spicy finish. Very balanced cup and a creamy body
Cup Score: 85
Harvest: (Arrival in UK 1 September 2019)
Where is it from?
On the farms, they have mixed crops, livestock and shade trees to supplement the growing of coffee as smallholders. These smallholder farmers have been supported the Mandalay Coffee Group (MCG) who have worked with these farmers supplying training to the small groups to help improve quality. Some of these farmers also received training from a USAID program led by Winrock international. A focus of this project of Rift Valley trading who exported these coffees with MCG was to focus on farmers who hadn’t received training from the program and reach out to those as well to help them improve their standards.
During the harvest, Thint Lwin who works for MCG will coordinate and purchase the cherry with his local village collectors from the farmers where all money is paid upfront. The coffee is then transported directly to the wet mill owned by MCG in Pyin Oo Lwin. By taking the cherry, MCG can help reduce the risk for farmers and have greater control over the process and quality of washed and natural coffees.
In 2017 they achieved a score of 89.5 in the national competition with a natural lot which has encouraged them to continue this and expand the operation growing from 15 to 100 raised beds as well as building parabolic driers.
This lot made up of 80% Catuai, 10% S-795, 10 % other arabica (San Ramon, Caturra, Typica) will be picked and then sent overnight to the processing facility in Pyin Oo Lwin. Cherries are pulped the same day in a Pinhalense vertical eco-pulper, and parchment is fermented in tiled tanks overnight. After thorough washing, parchment is dried on concrete patios in the sun, with workers turning it hourly and covering it before dusk to prevent dew from reaching the coffee at night. The drying can take between 7 – 21 days weather depending. Each daily lot is kept separate and cupped and assessed by a Q grader to assess the quality and profile which can be mixed in final dry milling. Coffee is then hulled, sized, and sorted ready for export. The speciality lots also undergo a final hand sorting to ensure the quality is as requested.
Roast
Medium
Brew
Filter & Espresso