FOUR New SO offerings from around the World!
Each year we release about 75 different Single Origin coffees. This means we are constantly sharing new and exciting options with you from around the globe! Recently we released four new options within a week, all from different coffee regions. Leaving you with the difficult decision of “How do I pick?” And with four new coffees comes a lot of new information to share, so we thought, why not make a blog post laying out all the nerdy, juicy, details! ENJOY!
Santa Ana SL-28 Rehydrated
Moscato | Mandarin Orange | Honeyed Nectarine
In 2015, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters shared an investment with farm owner Fernando Diaz of Finca Santa Ana to source and plant new seed stock. About 15 new varieties were planted in Santa Ana's experimental garden, including SL-28. When it was found to respond well to the microclimate of the area, Fernando decided to plant more SL-28 in two separate plots between 1,650 and 1,800 meters above sea level.
The SL-28 variety has a reputation for exceptional cup quality and a layered, long-lasting sweetness. These qualities are exemplified by the terroir of Finca Santa Ana, and enhanced by Fernando Diaz's innovative and experimental Rehydration Process.
The Rehydration Process can be thought of as a hybrid between a natural and washed process coffee. After the coffee cherries are picked, they're allowed to continue to ripen under the shade of the wet mill for 24 hours. They are then rinsed, sorted, and placed on the drying patio for 3 days. Once the cherries are dried to the texture of a raisin, they are recollected and soaked in spring water, softening the fruit and making it easier to remove. The cherries are then depulped, washed, and moved to raised beds to dry for 28 days.
This hybrid process imparts the fruity and wine-like flavors of a natural process onto the SL-28 variety while preserving the crisp acidity and clarity of a washed process. In the aroma you'll find notes of sugar cane, grape, and stone fruits. Flavors of honeyed nectarine and mandarin orange transform into peach jam and Moscato as the cup cools. A velvety mouthfeel is uplifted by a vibrant acidity that carries into a long-lasting sweetness and hint of baking spices in the aftertaste.
Ethiopia Dimtu
Honeysuckle | Glazed Apricot | Lemon Sugar Cookie
This tasty Ethiopian is imported by our friends at Crop to Cup. We are proud to work with Mancity, an outgrowers group of Dimtu Coffee Industries PLC, an organization in Southern Ethiopia that touches many parts of the supply chain: exporting, estate farming, processing facilities, and an in-depth outgrower/smallholder program.
In addition to the outstanding quality we’ve found from Dimtu’s outgrower groups, their support and consideration for smallholders are among the most impressive we have seen. Farmers who decide to work with Dimtu and deliver their cherry to one of their 8 collection stations receive extensive training by technicians who provide hands-on education on best organic farming practices, sustainability, and quality training. Farmers are also given seedlings, organic fertilizer, and local indigenous shade tree seedlings as a larger effort to restore local tree varieties that are in danger.
Dimtu staff does an annual outgrower report where they check in on farmers to track and advise on things like pruning and weeding practices, intercropping, protection of shade trees, and erosion susceptibility. The report also includes organic inspections, historical and expected production, and a map of the location of each farm. With all this support, plus a very competitive premium over the local price for cherry, choosing to work with Dimtu is an easy decision for many farmers in the area. The number of smallholders across all 8 of Dimtu’s collection stations has nearly doubled from 280 to 450 in just two years.
Peru Monte Grande
Pear in Syrup | Roasted Macadamia | Marshmallow
Montegrande is the name of an archaeological site located in the province of Jaen in the department of Cajamarca.
It's a ceremonial temple that dates back more than 5,000 years ago. After 9 years of research studying the temple, it was discovered that this site was part of a culture that developed on the border of Peru and Ecuador and extended to both countries.
First, it was thought that this site belonged to the Bracamoros culture, but after more studies were done in the US, it’s been thought that this temple belonged to a much older culture. The researchers in both Ecuador and Peru, want to build a binational touristic archaeological park that shows the uniqueness of this culture that existed more than 5,000 years ago.
One of the most important discoveries is that the presence of cacao was found, proving cacao was born in this region and is some of the oldest known cacao in the world. They have found artifacts made from cacao seeds, which leads the researchers to believe it was used this way before it was a domesticated product.
You might be wondering what this all has to do with our current coffee offering - Monte Grande. Today, there’s a group of farmers that grow coffee in the highlands that surround Montegrande and they are committed to protecting the rich culture and history of their people from 5,000 years ago, as well as protecting their environment and land!
Guatemala Don Angel
Caramel Sauce | Purple Grape | Orange Zest
Don Angel is one of many farms under the ownership of the Vides family. Spanning three generations, the Vides family has been producing coffee since the family's patriarch, Jorge Vides, founded his first farm in Huehuetenango in 1958. The Don Angel farm showcases the incredible quality found at high altitudes in the region. Located 1800 meters above sea level, the farm is planted with Bourbon, Caturra, and San Ramon varieties. At this elevation, these varieties express flavors of stone fruit and citrus with floral aromatics.
Posted by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters on Apr 1st 2022