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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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News from the source: Colombia 2017

Sourcing for coffees in this vast country is always an enjoyable experience despite the long and arduous flights that amount to 3 days stuck in planes and airports. This year, we did a pit stop in Frankfurt en route to Bogota. During the layover, we managed to do a quick cafe hop in this German capital to check out some local roasters. Similar to other European cities, specialty coffee is growing here in Germany. We managed to grab some caffeine fix at The Brewing Society, Hoppenworth & Ploch, as well as Bruhmrkt. As roasters, we are always curious to try out other international roasters, especially at times when we happen to have roasted the same coffee. It gives us an insight to the different approaches each roaster would have on a particular green coffee. The caffeine fueled us up for the next 12 hour leg to Bogota. (*Note: This is a long post, so fuel up!)

Having visited Colombia the past 4 years, Bogota has always been a transit stop where we hop on to a connecting flight to Popayan. We had never stepped out of the airport until this year, when we intentionally planned a day trip into the city. The specialty coffee scene seems to growing rapidly in this bustling capital of the 3rd largest coffee producer in the world. Usually when we travel to coffee origins, it is hard to find a decent cup of coffee, which is ironical as these countries produce amazing coffees which are exported around the world. We did our homework and visited these cafes which roast their own beans. The cafe scene is vibrant and we tasted some delicious brews at Cafe 18. While many locals still frequent the big chains, like Juan Valdez, there is a trend of more specialty-focused cafes as the demand for better coffee increases.

This year, our trip was highlighted by a special event, which was the wedding of our good friends, Jairo and Juliana. Jairo Ruiz, one of the co-founders of Banexport has been a dear friend since we started sourcing from Colombia. We are extremely honoured to have been part of their special day. We had no idea what to expect in a Colombian wedding, except there will be plenty of booze and salsa. It was one wedding to remember, never had we attended a matrimonial ceremony with so much music, dancing, karaoke, aguardiente (anise-flavoured liquor) and fireworks on the dance floor!

After a heavy night of boogie that lasted into the wee hours, we took the following day off to give ourselves and everybody some well-needed rest. The following day, we started with 2 rounds of cupping at Banexport's office to have a preview of the new harvest from Cauca before heading out to visit some producers in the surrounding towns within Cauca. Over the years, Banexport has worked with countless small producers, helping many to improve the coffee quality. They spend valuable resources, both financial and time, to form a community of like-minded small producers, who want to make a sustainable living out of growing better coffee. The goal is simple, better coffee = better prices = better livelihood and eventually a brighter future for the producers.

One of them is Hugo Trujillo. His farm, named Finca Las Orquideas, is situated in Caldono. The farm is about 3 hectares located about 1500 metres in altitude where Hugo is growing Castillo, Colombian varietal and Yellow Colombian varietal. Hugo is currently selling his coffees to cooperatives and some to Banexport. It is unusual to meet a producer less than 30 years old. While he is young, Hugo has grand ambitions. He has been working with Banexport to improve on his coffee quality. With some technical advice from Banexport, Hugo experimented with the way he processes his coffee after picking. He has been doing double fermentation in his wet mill for some of the micro-lots, meaning fermentation in a "hopper" (tolva), then in a tank. This processing method is currently being implemented by some small producers at lower altitudes. According to Banexport, the cupping scores have been generally 1-2 points higher compared with the traditional fermentation method.

The second producer we visited was Señora Cenaida Flor, whose farm is called La Esperanza, located in the town of Santa Barbara in Cauca. Cenaida is new to specialty coffee, but we can see there is much potential. The coffee trees are spaciously planted in neat rows. She grows Castillo and Colombian, and has recently acquired some seeds of Maragogype from a friend. She will experiment growing this "elephant bean" varietal which can potentially increase her income in future years if this project becomes successful. From the conversation, we understand that Cenaida is keen to pursue growing more specialty coffee (micro-lots) in her farm, but she will need the support from Banexport in providing technical advice. It is encouraging to see her determination in improving the quality of her coffees and we hope she will persevere to make it happen.

The last producer that we visited is El Naranjal, a farm that came in #10 in the Best Cup Cauca 2016. It was also the lot that we successfully bid and won, allowing us to share the fruits of Martha and her husband, Luis Alberto. After a quick tour around the farm and understanding the processing of the harvests, we presented the couple with a bag of their coffee which we roasted to share with them. The coffee has finally come one complete circle after they were grown, picked, processed in the farm and shipped out to us in Singapore, we were able to roast this awesome coffee and share them with our customers around the region, and they can also get to taste the fruits of their labour. It was quite a heartwarming moment..

We got to know a new friend during this trip, Aldemar Sarasti. Aldemar has been working with Banexport for 1 year and his role is to provide technical advice to the small producers. He is extremely knowledgeable as we hear him dispense information about the type of fertilizers, the type or nutrients the plants would need, and what trees/alternative crops the producers can grow to help maintain the farm. He had been most patient in driving us around, acting as our local guide. We departed Popayan and headed towards another coffee department of Huila. Driving across the Purace National Park, we were occasionally hypnotised by the landscape in this vast country. It was almost a 6 hour journey before we reached Pitalito, located in the south of the Huila department.

This visit to Huila was much anticipated because we had planned to meet Elkin Guzman from Finca El Mirador. We have been corresponding with Elkin via email and Whatsapp when we wanted to understand more about the techniques involved in the way he manages his family farm. Elkin is a young producer, who studied agricultural engineering in Popayan at the university of Cauca. He has been instrumental in the development work within the farm. 6 years ago, he started to collaborate with Banexport in developing new processing methods to improve the cup quality. With Banexport's support Elkin uses Finca El Mirador as a test bed to try out different approaches to cultivation, harvesting and processing. He had also joined the Banexport team as an agricultural engineer so that he can help other producers in the region with his experience.

After a quick cupping at the Banexport's office/coffee lab, we set off to Finca El Mirador. Last year, we won a small lot in a silent auction from this farm and we were naturally very excited to finally visit. At the farm, we met Elkin's mother, Señora Fanny Vargas. While Elkin manages most of the cultivation, harvesting and processing work at the farm, Fanny oversees the quality control within the wet mill (beneficio) and the drying of the coffees. Elkin gave us a brief overview of the farm. Currently, he grows Caturra, Castillo, Colombian, Catiope, Mokka, Tabi, Bourbon and Typica with some orange Bourbon in the pipeline. Most of the coffees are processed as honey or natural, with a small portion of washed processed. Cherries are harvested when the Brix level is at least 20 degrees. Understanding the genetics of the differental varietals have helped Elkin to decide on which fermentation methods to use for each varietal. For example, the fermentation process for Caturra and Bourbon is different compared to the Castillo, Colombian, Tabi. For the former, he does dry fermentation with Day 1's picking of the coffee cherries, then he adds Day 2's picking, so this is one form of "double fermentation". Elkin explains that the micro-organism is more active on the 2nd day, so less time is required to ferment Day 2's pickings. The pH level and Brix of the dry fermented coffee is measured to decide when to send the coffees for washing. For some other varietals like Castillo, Colombian and Tabi, there is another form of double fermentation which involves 2 stages: 1st stage in a tolva ("hopper") and 2nd stage in fermentation tanks (similar to what we saw in Cauca at Finca Las Orquideas). Elkin explained that such varietals have lower sugar content genetically, so fermenting in a funnel-shape tolva helps to increase fermentation and hence higher sweetness. The length of the fermentation depends on the environment and temperature. There was also some insights to how he is experimenting with carbonic maseration and freezer method of fermentation. Such methods are at the request of some of his clients who are looking to achieve a certain cup profile with these experimental methods.

After explaining in-depth the different fermentation techniques, Elkin then led us to where he dries the parchment. There are 5 types of drying methods used in Fincal El Mirador:

Traditional: plastic, transparent roof, with 2 layers of drying beds; minimal ventilation resulting in high humidity and temperature,

Open ventilated beds without plastic roof; lower temperature,

Similar to 1) but with blue coloured roofs and 2 layers drying beds; cooler temperature than (1),

African raised beds in shade and

Traditional plastic cover with some ventilation, single layer drying bed (biggest area for bigger quantity coffee); parchment are moved every hour.

Elkin has one of the cleanest drying beds we have seen as we were pleasantly impressed by how his workers change to clean slippers before stepping onto the drying beds to rake the parchment.

For natural processed coffees, the coffees are spread out in a thin layer first, then when it drops to a certain moisture level, the coffees are moved closer together to form a small heap. This is to reduce the rate of loss of moisture which protects the cell structure when drying. Natural coffees usually takes about 25-35 days to dry fully. As they are more difficult to mill, so Elkin is trying a modified way of drying, which involves 2 stages: drying the naturals as usual naturals to a certain moisture level, afterwhich the beans are soaked in water for it to expand a little. The coffee cherries are then depulped and dried again. This method leads to a cup that taste like a natural processed, but benefits from easier milling.

We learnt so much from Elkin as he walked us through his farm and his beneficio. As the whole session was explained in Spanish, we probably only absorbed half of the knowledge he was sharing, but nonetheless, it was extremely educational and valuable. Our visit ended with a simple home-cooked lunch together with Fanny. This is true Colombian hospitality! We chatted more over lunch, sharing some history and background about Singapore and Nylon. While Finca El Mirador receives many international visitors, we're pretty sure we are the 1st Singaporeans here....

We concluded the visit by expressing our gratitude to Fanny and Elkin with a bag of Finca El Mirador coffee roasted by us. It was about 1 year ago when we first got to taste coffee from this farm and we are glad we finally met the wonderful people behind this beautiful coffee.

We returned to Pitalito and did another few rounds of cupping. The harvest period in Huila is different from Cauca, with the main harvest starting in October and ending in December. There are parts of Huila with mitacas (small harvest), and we had a preview of those available. Coffees from Huila seem to be more diverse in varietals compared to Cauca. We were excited to try some varietals which are new to us, such as Tabi and Ombligon. Tabi is a hybrid variety obtained by crossing Typica, Bourbon and Timor Hybrid. It was developed by Colombia’s Coffee Research Institute (CENICAFE). Ombligon, according to Elkin, is a mutation of the Colombian varietal. The trees grow well at high altitudes and is quite productive. The cherries are bigger in size compared to Colombians, with pointed ends. We also cupped samples from Finca El Mirador which included some naturals and honey-processed coffees. After shortlisting some potential lots, it was time to head back to Popayan.

During the journey back, we chatted with Aldemar about his work at Banexport and his aspiration of owning a farm like Finca El Mirador in future. Coffee farming is a long term commitment and with threats of climate change, there would be challenges and uncertainties for future coffee growers. We hope that there will be a pool of the younger generation of coffee producers to continue with cultivating specialty coffee within the country. In order to encourage them to carry on with coffee farming, the industry has to provide the right financial incentives and technical support as well as know-how to drive it forward.

Arriving back in Popayan, we did a final day of cupping at Banexport for coffees from Cauca. Slurping through all the samples, we picked out a few that caught our attention. Besides finding the coffees we like, we also spend time catching up with our friends at Banexport about updates on recent development and what is in their pipeline. For us, this form of in-person communication is the most effective way to maintain and strengthen relationships with partners. It is the reason why we continue to make time to travel the distance. It's not only for coffee, it is the connection with these incredible individuals that builds the foundation of what we do.

It was another amazing trip to Colombia. Lovely coffees, great food, incredible people. We will be looking forward to the fresh crops of Colombians end of the year.

Viva Colombia!

#nylontravels

#origin #sourcing #colombia

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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Thank you for your support!

We finally managed to get around the banking hoops to have our donations over to charity: water for a grand total of S$9,875.58 (US$7,128.33) collected on our 5th anniversary and throughout the month of May in our shop. We brewed a record number of coffees on our anniversary for those who dropped by on this special day. While celebrating Nylon's birthday, we were also eager to raise awareness to the lack of clean water in many parts around the world. This meaningful event gave us an avenue for us to thank you for supporting us throughout our 5 years of coffee journey together. It is a massive milestone for us and we are grateful to have our beloved Nylon community growing along with us in this journey.

Again, the entire team at Nylon would to say a big THANK YOU and we hope to continue to roast and serve you delicious coffees for more years to come.

#charitywater #nylon anniversary

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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El Naranjal, Cauca Best Cup #10

This is a little overdue as some might have already seen this coffee on our retail rack & web shop or consumed it at our shop. There is much to share about this coffee which comes from a familiar region called Cauca in Colombia. When we participated in judging for the Cauca Best Cup competition, we were looking out for some special coffees which would be a showcase of what micro-producers can produce with limited resources. We know it is not possible for some small producers to try experimenting with growing different varietals or processing the coffees in very "non-traditional" method because if things do not turn out well, their livelihood will be at risk. They do not have adequate financial resources to be too experimental, hence for these small producers, they can only improve their quality by taking baby steps, such as by improving the picking of only ripe cherries first, then better sorting of the ripes & unripes prior to the fermentation of the cherries.

This new coffee we are rolling out was ranked number 10 in the Cauca Best Cup competition. To refresh a little about this competition, the national cuppers (mainly the cupping team from Banexport) cup through more than 700 coffees that were submitted for this competition. 30 were shortlisted to enter the last few rounds of cupping by international judges during the competition. Together with a group of roasters/buyers from US, Russia and Korea we judged through 3 rounds to narrow down to the top 15 coffees which was auctioned off on the last day of the event. We knew it was a tough fight for some of the top lots as there were some very serious and experienced bidders in the group. The goal of this competition and auction was to motivate and inspire small producers that hard work will be rewarded. We wanted to be part of this movement, so instead of joining the big guys in a bidding war for the top few lots, we bidded for one of the coffees which we really like.

Ranked at 10th place in the Cauca Best Cup, Finca El Naranjal is owned by Martha Luz Peña. The farm is located in the Caldono municipal of Cauca. Her farm area is approximately 0.8 hectares and all the land is used for coffee production. She has about 2700 trees with a mix of Caturra, Castillo and Colombian. Martha lives in the farm with her husband, Luis Alberto Chate. They have been farming for more than 2 decades. About 5 years ago, they started producing specialty coffee, it was not easy but with lots of effort they are slowly improving each year. With help from Banexport, they started to pick Castillo and Caturra varietals separately. Luis coordinates the cherry pickers during the harvest season. He makes sure that they are doing a good job, so that there would be no unripe beans when it reaches the wet mill. They also monitor the drying process to ensure that the coffee parchment has enough ventilation in the parabolic dryer.

We are proud to share the fruits of Martha & Luis's hard work. It took us a while to start roasting this winning coffee, but we feel most of the Colombians seem to taste better after "acclimatizing" for a few months here in Everton Park. So it is tasting super duper yummy now with more complexity than when we first cupped it. Melange of mandarin orange, plums, hint of florals with cane sugar sweetness. Well-structured body, rounded and smooth.

Farm: El Naranjal Producer: Martha Luz Peña Location: Caldono, Cauca Altitude: ~1850 masl Varietal: Caturra and Colombia Processing: Depulped in the afternoon after the cherries are picked. Wet fermentation for 16 hours and fully washed 4 times before drying in traditional parabolic dryers for 4-5 days depending on weather conditions.

This coffee is available now.

PS: Our friends from Patriot Coffee Roasters had this video of the endless cuppings, farm visits of music blasting the local chiva bus and endless discussions/tabulations of scores that culminate to a night of crazy bidding frenzy. Enjoy! :)

#Colombia #bestofcauca

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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A sweet innovation for quality

Some might recall that we went to Colombia last year to participate in the judging panel of the Cauca Best Cup event. During this event, we cupped the top coffees from the Cauca region that were already screened through by the local cuppers. The top 10 coffees were then sold through a live auction where the producers get to meet the buyers who successfully won the bid. Together with this event, there was a separate silent auction held by Cafe Imports and Banexport. In this silent auction, there were 10 coffees from the Huila region of different varietals and processing methods. Some of the varietals included Geishas, Pink Bourbon, Orange Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Caturra and Castillo. 8 of them were washed coffees, 1 was natural-processed and 1 was honey-processed. These are micro-lots which ranged from 2 bags to 15 bags. We had an amazing experience cupping through such a spread of interesting coffees.

Some of the coffees were super delicious but we had our mind set on that one special coffee on the table after the cupping. It also ended up to be the highest scoring coffee amongst the 10 cups after the scores were tabulated from almost 30 roasters/cuppers from around the world. The coffee turned out to be a honey-processed Red Bourbon/Caturra lot from Finca El Mirador.

As it was a silent auction, we had no idea how much other buyers will bid for it so we had to work out our sums to decide how much we would be willing to pay for this special coffee. In the end, we placed a bid of US$7.00/lb. This is easily double the price of what most of the specialty coffee producers would receive. Maybe lady luck was smiling upon us or maybe other buyers/roasters were bidding for the Geishas and Pink Bourbon, we actually won the bid! To cover the cost of event and logistics incurred by Banexport, US$0.60/lb was added on to our bid price, so the final price for this coffee was US$7.60/lb.

What made this coffee score so high amongst the panel of buyers/roasters? Some of the taste descriptors from the cupping session included: blackberry, red apple, nectarine, soft peach, vanilla, panela, oreo cookie, passionfruit and wine. For us, it was that melange of berries, red wine, sugary goodness and lush mouthfeel that really left an impression. At that time, we were also sourcing for a coffee which had qualities that we felt would be suitable for competitions. So this lot seemed to fit the bill and we were glad that our friend, Hee Wei, from Vanilla Bean in Johor decided to compete in the Malaysia Barista Competition earlier this year with this auction lot.

There is plenty to share about this coffee from El Mirador. Firstly, this farm is owned by Fanny Vargas and his son, Elkin Guzman. The farm was handed down from Elkin's grandfather, Tomas Vargas. It is located in the municipal of Pitalito in the Huila department. The farm is approximately 18.7 hectares, with about 11 hectares used for coffee production. Elkin studied agricultural engineering in the local university and after graduation, he started working in his family farm full time. That was more than 8 years ago. As a young and progressive producer, Elkin is using new technologies in innovative ways to improve his techniques in terms of cultivation, harvest, and process.

The auction lot came from Lot 13th at the farm, which consists of 2200 trees. In order to develop coffees with a particular process, quality control protocols have been established at the farm:

1) Picking process: pickers are trained to pick only the ripe beans by recognising the colour of the cherries and using the Brix meter to measure the development of sugars. For this Red Bourbon/Caturra lot, the average Brix measure is 25 degrees. This measure was identified to reflect optimal ripeness of the cherries for these 2 varietals.

2) Balseo: The cherries are submerged in water, afterwhich a manual mesh is used to remove low quality beans such as the dry, empty beans as well as those affected by coffee rust. This process also are clear out unwanted "dirt" such us leaves or sticks.

3) Filtering out unripe beans: in the wet mill, these unripe beans are selected by hand to be removed from the optimum cherries.

The cherries are picked in the morning, depulped with some mucilage left on the beans and dried just after mid-day. Most coffees in Colombia are dried for 5-7 days in parabolic dryers, but for this special lot, Elkin dried the coffee in parabolic dryer on African raised beds for more than 30 days. The humidity level in the dryer is controlled by allowing air flow with openings on the top and sides of the dryer. The temperature is kept at an average of 30℃. The objective is to slow down the drying process to enhance the sweetness in this honey processed lot.

The result of the above is a super sweet coffee that has comes with bountiful notes of berries (closer to blueberries), dried fruits and a decadent finish reminiscent of Moscato wine.

Farm: El Mirador Producer: Elkin Guzman and Fanny Vargas Location: Pitalito, Huila, Colombia Altitude: 1680 masl Varietal: Red Bourbon (~80%) Caturra (~20%) Processing: Honey, and dried for 30 days on African raised beds (read above)

The extensive work that has been put in to produce such amazing coffee is what drives us to make the extra mile in sourcing for such gems. The progressive nature of specialty coffee has really pushed the boundaries of coffee cultivation and processing. We are inspired by producers like Elkin and we hope we have done this coffee justice by roasting it the way we feel that it should be presented. Grab a bag and let us know if this is the sweetest cup you've tasted.

Available in-store and on web now.

Photo credits: Cafe Imports

#Colombia #el mirador #pitalito #honey processed #pulped natural

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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Colombia Cuatro Esquinas

Finca Cuatro Esquinas is a farm located in the municipal of La Union within the Nariño region of Colombia. It is a tiny farm of only 1 hectare in size, of which half is used for coffee cultivation. The producer is Señora Maria Edlima Muñoz. Maria has around 2,700 coffee trees in this small plot of land which are of the cultivar Colombia. Variedad Colombian was introduced by Cenicafe in 1982 as a disease-resistant strain of coffee. In recent years, Cenicafe developed the Castillo variety to combat the coffee-leaf rust infestation of 2008. Both of these varieties were created by splicing together the genes of a Caturra and a Timor Hyrbid variety.

Maria lives in the farm with her husband, Carlos Alberto Burbano, to whom she has been married for the last 30 years. They have two children that are grown up now and do not live with us at the farm. Maria grew up in a coffee family. After her marriage to Carlos, they bought this farm and for the past 3 decades, the farm has provided the family with stable income to provide for the family and the education fees of their children.

When we visited Colombia last year, we had asked our friends at Banexport to help us to source coffees from different regions in the country. We had previously bought coffees from Nariño and the cup and bean quality had been very good. From the cupping table, we picked Maria's coffee as it stood out for it's clean and fruity cup. As it consisted of only a small lot, we decided to buy her entire harvest. We're glad we did as we really enjoy what we're tasting now.

This coffee is front loaded with notes of berries creating a juicy mouthfeel. Similar to Las Brisas, the finish is predominantly chocolate, but the type of sweetness is leaning towards brown sugar.

Farm: Cuatro Esquinas Producer: Maria Edlima Muñoz Location: La Union, Nariño Altitude: ~1,870 masl Varietal: Colombia Processing: Depulped in the afternoon after the cherries are picked. Dry fermentation for 20 hours and fully washed 3 to 4 times before drying in traditional parabolic dryers for 5 days depending on weather conditions.

This coffee is available now.

#espresso #Colombia

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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Maragogype, the giant amongst them all

As we march into our 5th year mark at Everton Park, we are keeping our customers happy by bringing on new coffees. Our inventory for Central American coffees is reaching its end soon. So the last Guatemalan coffee to hit the retail rack is from a farm which should be familiar to some of you. Finca Vista Hermosa ("FVH") is located in Agua Dulce, Huehuetenango in northwest Guatemala. The new coffee, is an interesting varietal, Maragogype. Maragogype beans, sometimes known as “Elephant Beans”, are a genetic mutation of the Typica variety of Arabica coffee. The name comes from the town of Maragogipe which is in the state of Bahia, in the northeast region of Brazil. This is one part of the parent of a more common varietal, Pacamara (which we have featured at Nylon a few times over the years). Proportional to the size of the beans, the coffee trees and leaves themselves are distinctively larger too. Typically, Maragogype plants have lower production. This new coffee is grown in a lot called "Edlyna" in FVH. Edlyna consist of a long vertical lot that spans roughly from 1400 masl all the way up to 1750 masl. As there are very few Maragogype trees in the farm, there is only one person tasked to look for these trees and pick the ripe cherries. Due to the bean size, the wet mill has to be adjusted a little when processing the Maragogype to avoid breaking the beans at the depulper stage.

We cupped this coffee at FVH last year and it stood out for its balance and sweetness. The fruit tones relate to darker skinned fruits like black plums and grapes. Brown sugar coats your palette, ending off with mild sweet goji berries in the finish.

Farm: Finca Vista Hermosa Producer: Edwin David Martinez Keyes and Edwin Amilcar Martinez Pineda Location: Agua Dulce, Huehuetenango Altitude: ~1,400 - 1750 masl Varietals: Maragogype Processing: Depulped on the same day the cherries are picked. Fermentation for 48 hours and fully washed and sun-dried on cement patios for 7-10 days depending on sun

We have only secured 1 bag of this interesting varietal so this coffee won't last long. Grab one soon before it runs out. Available in-store or on web now.

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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5 years of good coffee in good company

This May, we turn an incredible 5!

It's pretty amazing to reach this milestone looking back at how small we were when we started in 2012. Over the past 4 years, we have taken the opportunity to thank everyone who have supported us along the way by serving free coffees all day on 1st May. It was a small gesture to express our gratitude to this loving community. We also wanted to use our reach to do something that we can all be proud of, in the form of raising money for many of those around the world who do not have access to safe and clean water through charity:water.

We started with a modest year 1 helping the folks in Rwanda, followed by an equally impressive 2nd year. What we achieved for the folks in Nepal during our 3rd anniversary reiterated our goal of helping those in need using collective efforts. Year 4 continued to break all our records, both in terms of the cups we served on the day, number of merchandise sold and most important of all, the amount raised from the event. As we turn 5, we want to continue this meaningful tradition which have shown us that every little effort will make a difference to someone in the other side of our planet.

The lineup for this year is going to be pretty exciting. From 9am-6pm, we kick off with a big thank you to everyone who has been giving us your unwavering support with our usual free coffees. We also have some limited edition merchandise to commemorate this special day, consisting of some custom-print tees (Supima tees from Uniqlo), a new stylo tote bag to go with the tee and a cool-looking screen wiper to help you get rid of those annoying fingerprints on your phone. We also welcome back our very popular buttons for those crying out for them since we had them in 2014! For those folks with green fingers, don't forget our offer of a Geisha plant on eBay. There will also be a couple of Caturra seedlings for sale for those who missed out on the auction.

On top of that, we have invited some of our talented Nylonites, Jen-Li, Andrew, Raymond & Deborah, who happen to be some serious bakers to volunteer their time to bake some super delicious cakes and incredible baguettes. They come highly recommended from us and we suspect the bake sale won't last long. In return for the free coffees, we humbly ask for your support towards our cause by dropping in generously to our fund-raising jar for every coffee that you order. All profits from the merchandise will go towards the total collected for charity: water. Our bakers have also very kindly decided that 100% of what they sell will go into the pot as well. Lastly, a very special mention to our wonderful friend, May who has spent countless hours helping us with the design for all the anniversary merchandise and collaterals despite her crazy schedule.

We are super excited about the day and we hope you will be part of an incredible turnout to support our cause, but most important of all, drop by to say hi, or a fist bump, for we know it's you who have helped us to achieve this amazing milestone of 5 years of making good coffee. With your company, we look forward to our next milestone.

Mark your dates and we’ll see you down on 1 May 2017!

For those who are not able to make it down but will still like to contribute to the cause, please donate to https://my.charitywater.org/nyloncoffeeroasters/5-years-of-good-coffee

#nylon anniversary #anniversary #charitywater

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nyloncoffee · 7 years

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New coffees from Kenya & El Salvador

Kicking off the 2nd quarter of 2017, we have rolled out 2 new coffees. First up is Kagumoini AA from the Nyeri region of Kenya. This coffee is named after the coffee factory, which handles the post harvest processing. The Kagumoini coffee factory belongs to the Kamacharia Farmers Cooperative Society. The farmers are very active, maximising their production by following training in Good Agricultural practices, with application of manure and inputs when required. The society is made up of approximately 800 smallholders growing mainly SL28, with a small amount of Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties.

There are a lot of competition in Nyeri. Many of the farmers are surrounded by several wetmills. They are free to choose where they want to deliver their cherries as members. Due to the traditional auction system in Kenya, quality is rewarded with higher prices. The better factories will then attract more farmers by producing coffee getting the highest prices, as well as giving high payback rate to the farmers. This can in some cases be about 90% of the sales price after deducting the cost of marketing and preparation.

Wetmill: Kagumoini Factory Region: Nyeri Varietal: Mainly SL 28, some Batian and Ruiru 11 Altitude: 1750 masl Processing: Cherries are hand sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go in to production. A 4-disc Agaarde pulping machine removes the skin and pulp. The coffees are graded by density in to 3 grades by the pulper. Grade 1 and 2 go separately to fermentation. Grade 3 is considered low grade. The coffee is fermented for 16-24 hours under closed shade. After fermentation the coffees are washed and again graded by density in washing channels and are then soaked under clean water for 16-18 hours. Then the coffees are sun-dried up to 21 days on African drying beds which are covered in plastic during midday and at night.

Kagumoini is a reflection of a juicy cup of Kenyan coffee, bursting with notes of currants and prunes. It has cane sugar-like sweetness that balances its front-loaded fruitiness.

The second coffee is from a familiar name from our dear friends at Cafe Tuxpal. Finca San Jose has been featured at Nylon for the 4th year in a row. Back in December, we had a coffee from this farm which was a honey-processed coffee. Many enjoyed this coffee as an espresso for its sweetness, balance and mouthfeel. We are now roasting the washed process lot of the same coffee. There are some differences in the flavour notes resulting from the processing method. In the washed lot, we taste more cherries and black grapes, whereas in the honey processed lot, it was predominantly dried fruits. However, both coffees exhibit balance and sweetness, which is why we always enjoy coffees from this farm.

Farm: Finca San Jose Producer: The Pacas family Region: Sonsonate, El Salvador Wet/Dry mill: Beneficio Tuxpal Varietal: Red Bourbon Altitude: 1379 - 1645 masl Processing: Washed

Both coffees are available in-store or on web.

#kenya #El Salvador #espresso #Filter Coffee

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nyloncoffee · 8 years

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Vista Hermosa, a beautiful view indeed

It's been a year since we visited our friends at Finca Vista Hermosa ("FVH") in Guatemala. How we miss the days of waking up to lush greenery high up on the mountains and that tantalizing aromas of home-cooked breakfast awaiting for us in the communical kitchen.

This year, while we don't get to see our friends in Huehuetenango, we are roasting their coffees that remind us of the good times we had there. FVH is separated into a few different lots. We got 2 lots last year and the first one to be showcased is from a lot called El Eden. This lot contains a mix of 2 varietals - Typica and Arabigo. Arabigo is a mutation of Typica, These trees are tall and it is not easy for the cherry pickers to harvest the ripe cherries. The Typica varietal is one of the granddaddies of most coffees where it has been used as the base to develop other cultivars. It is generally not high yielding and not resistant to coffee rust, so some producers do not grow much of it or choose to replant with other varietals. The fact that it can grow to a height of 4 metres also meant that most producers do not tend to keep this varietal. Thankfully, Don Edwin kept his Typica trees and we get to bring some of these coffees to Singapore.

Farm: Finca Vista Hermosa Producer: Edwin David Martinez Keyes and Edwin Amilcar Martinez Pineda Location: Agua Dulce, Huehuetenango Altitude: ~1,750 - 1,830 masl Varietals: Arabigo and Typica Processing: Depulped on the same day the cherries are picked. Fermentation for 48 hours and fully washed and sun-dried on cement patios for 7-10 days depending on sun

This Eden lot from FVH has upfront berries-like acidity, coupled with brown sugar sweetness and a comforting chocolate finish. Rounded mouthfeel and superbly balanced.

Available in store and on our webshop.

#guatemala #FVH #coffee farm

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nyloncoffee · 8 years

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The Story behind this Longberry

Not to be confused with the "Finca San Jose" from El Salvador, this new coffee comes from Fincas Mierisch, whom we have been working with for more than 4 years. Some of you might recall that we had Finca San Jose Javanica last year. For those who have tried brewing this coffee, you would have noticed that the coffee beans are elongated, which looks rather different from other varietals which are generally rounder. There is little information of this varietal except that it is related to the Typica and Geisha varietals due to its elongated bean shape. If you are interested to read more about Javanica, Erwin has a very interesting story about how this coffee came about to its family farms.

We first came across the Javanica varietal when we cupped it at the lab of Fincas Mierisch a few years back. Since then, we have been a fan of this unique varietal and have bought this varietal from both Finca Limoncillo and Finca San Jose. Last year, we cupped this sample labeled as Longberry Javanica. We were curious about the "Longberry" element, so we asked our friend, Erwin Mierisch, about the background of this Longberry Javanica against what we have always been buying (Javanica).

This is a summarised version of the background information from Erwin himself:

"There are generic differences in Javas. As we have gotten to know this varietal throughout the years, we have noticed several different mutations within the variety itself. We have taken the time to separate each difference that we noticed and experiment with them.

We first started with the regular Java. With this general variety we have noticed that naturally, there are changes in the structure of the tree and analyses were done to see if these changes also occurs in the cup.

We first started separating all the trees that look structurally more and more like a typical Java and then segregated them and obtain what we'd like to call a purer variety. Since we do not have scientific certification for these procedures we just call them the name we see fit. We were very proud with our first accomplishment so we called this first generation segregation as JAVANICA.

As time passed and we have become more familiar with this new segregation, we noticed further differences and with cup trials we noticed that the cup improves with new changes in the tree variety structure. We also noticed other changes that do not improve the cup profile so we tend to eliminate this “generation” from the coffee field of the JAVANICA (this improves the coffee that we produce from that particular plot year after year).

We took a positive mutation and segregated it to obtain what it would be a third generation of the Javanica and we are now calling Longberry Javanica. As you look through the green coffee it will have a greater percentage of “longberry type beans.” The cup caracteristics for longberry Javanica is that it exhibits more citric acidity and jasmine profile so the overall cup has more defined and elegant acidity."

We are fortunate to have the secured some of this 3rd generation Longberry Javanica from Finca San Jose. The lot we have bought is pulped natural processed. This processing method enhances the sweetness in the cup and really elevates the lushness of the mouthfeel while preserving its more delicate notes. As an espresso, there is an interesting array of tropical fruit notes, jasmine undertones as well as a milk tea finish. Its syrupy mouthfeel is truly decadent. Farm: Finca San Jose Producer: Mierisch Family Community: Lipululo Region: Jinotega, Nicaragua Farm Manager: Jesus Antonio Cruz Varietal: Longberry Javanica Altitude: 1275-1400m asl Processing: De-pulped with some mucilage left on the parchment then and dried on African beds

Available in store and on our webstore.

#Nicaragua #Longberry #Mierisch

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nyloncoffee · 8 years

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El Salvador Los Pirineos Pacamara & Ethiopia Danbi Uddo

2017 has been keeping us pretty occupied as we have been diligently test roasting new coffees one after another in a much tighter frequency. No complaints as we enjoy finding that sweet spot in roasting each coffee even though sometimes it gets really frustrating when it takes us longer than preferred to get it right!

We have recently started retailing 2 coffees, one from El Salvador and the other from Ethiopia. A few months back, we were showcasing a honey processed Pacamara varietal from Finca Los PIrineos. This time round, we are roasting the fully washed version of the same varietal. You will find the cup profile tasting quite different due to the different processing technique. The washed version exhibits fruit notes that are closer to plums and dried fruits. There is less chocolate in the finish compared to the semi-washed version but the sweetness is really enjoyable and long lasting in this washed version. There is a hint of white pepper in the aftertaste that makes it closer to what we would usually attribute to a typical Pacamara varietal taste.

Producer: Mr Gilberto Baraona Region: Tecapa-Chinameca, Usulutan, El Salvador Varietal: Pacamara Altitude: 1480 masl Processing: Fully washed

The other new coffee is from an Ethiopian washed coffee from a town named Danbi Uddo - Shakiso in the Guji zone. This coffee is processed in a privately owned communal wetmill, Gigesa washing station, owned by Faysel Abdosh. This wet mill is relatively new (opened in 2014) but they are already producing 8 containers of washed coffees and 7 containers of naturals. About 850 smallholder farmers delivering tiny amounts of cherries daily to the wet mill.

Wet mill: Gigesa Town/Zone: Danbi Uddo, Shakiso, Guji, Ethiopia Altitude: ~1900 masl Varietal: Ethiopian heirloom varietals Processing: Depulped using traditional Agarde disc pulper. Wet fermentation for 36 – 48 hours, depending on weather, then soaked in clean water for about 24 Hours. Drying time ranges from 10-12 days on African raised beds.

This new Ethiopian has plenty going on. Stonefruits at the front, florals start from the middle to the end coupled with a tea-like finish. The fruit tones are closer to white peaches with candy-like sweetness to complement the mild lavender undertones. We find it pretty complex and full of character. This coffee will keep you coming back for more...

#El Salvador #ethiopia #pacamara

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nyloncoffee · 8 years

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Colombia Mercedes Palta

This is the 1st Colombian coffee for 2017, the first of a series of delicious Colombian coffees to be rolled out over the next few months. As we came to the end of Four Chairs, we are coming up with a wider selection of single origins for customers to try. This coffee will be one of the 4 coffees that we are featuring as single origin (SO) espresso.

Mercedes Palta de Mosquera is a producer from a village called Melcho, in the municipal of Piendamo in the Cauca department of Colombia. She lives at the farm with her husband, Sergio Mosquera Paz and their youngest son, Duban Fernando Mosquera Palta, who is currently studying agronomy in the local university. Mercedes's husband has been growing coffee for a long time, and Mercedes helped him by cooking for the workers in the farm. It was only about 16 years ago that she wanted to grow coffee too that her husband gave her a small lot of land to try. The results from the subsequent harvests were very good and that encouraged her on. Since then, she had been doing well and managed to secure more land to focus on growing specialty coffee. She knows that she has to maintain proper cleanliness in the equipment used in the wet mill. She has also adopted a longer drying process with plenty of airflow to enhance the green coffee quality.

We had the opportunity to cup this coffee when we visited our partners at Banexport last year. This was presented to us together with a few other micro-lots from the Cauca region. Mercedes only has a farm area of 1.5 hectares of which only 1 hectare is used for growing coffee (about 5000 trees). The average altitude is about 1620 masl. She grows Castillo and F6 varietals in her farm and uses the traditional washed process for her coffees. The cherries, after depulping, undergo dry fermentation for 14 hours and are washed 3 times. She uses the parabolic dryer and some mechanical drying. Depending on the weather, the drying usually takes about 10 days.

Mercedes was advised by Banexport the importance of only picking ripe cherries, especially for Castillo varietal, with the optimum ripeness being purple cherries, instead of red. This has helped to enhance the sweetness greatly while avoiding much of the astringency that is typically mentioned for Castillos.

This coffee caught our attention when we cupped it at the coffee lab at Banexport for its berries-like acidity coupled with a sweetness that increases as the cup cools. We feel this coffee offers the balanced acidity and rounded mouthfeel which most will enjoy in an everyday espresso. Its chocolate finish is also a satisfying end to a cup of joe.

Farm: Finca El Ensueño Producer: Mercedes Palta Region: Piendamo, Cauca, Colombia Varietal: Castillo Altitude: 1620 masl Processing: Fully washed

Available in store or from our webstore.

#Colombia #Washed #Castillo

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