Previous Selections

To follow is a sampling of some of our delicious coffee offerings from the past. We have perennial favorites on this list that may be featured again, and we will be adding new coffees as we discover them.

 

 

Central America

 

La Berlina Finca - Boquete, Panama

Grown in Boquete, a small alpine town nestled in a craggy mountain valley in the highlands of ’s westernmost province of Chiriqui, this coffee reflects its pristine natural environment known as the “Valley of the Flowers and Eternal Spring.”

La Berlina has been cultivating coffee from typica coffee trees since its inception 80 years ago. From the beginning this estate has produced its coffee in an environmentally sustainable manner and now is grown organically. The rich flavors of this coffee come from their unique location between the beautiful Caldera River and the tallest mountain in , the Volcán Barú. The fertile volcanic soil produces a coffee that is a joy to experience. This coffee is grown at 3,600 feet in the midst of a mountainous cloud forest, among oranges, strawberries, and an incomparably beautiful polychromy of abundant flora.  These beans are the product of the best techniques for growing and processing. Winds from the north and the bajareque, which consist of light drizzle accompanied by a cool breeze, make Boquete a wonderful respite from the heat of the lowlands. Here the combination of rich volcanic soil, a consistently cool microclimate, and high altitude creates a very well balanced coffee with a good body and lovely aroma.

 

The beans are handpicked up to five times during a season so that ripe beans alone are included in the harvest.  The Feria de las Flores y del Café, or the Festival of Flowers and Coffee, is a popular local celebration held annually in January which reflects the importance of coffee as a focal element around which community of Boquete centers.

 

This coffee is a winner of the Grand Cru de Café and has been named the #1 Winning Coffee in the Republic of Panama repeatedly over the last 15 years. This is a distinctly Central American coffee with a fruity, spicy flavor, but also possesses a warm nuttiness that adds the perfect note to this well-balanced coffee. A rich combination for a smooth, delicious cup.

 

Selva Negra Estate, La Hammonia Farm - Matagalpa, Nicaragua
This farm has a history of continually improving their processes and searching for the most ecological and sustainable means of producing their coffee as well as improving the quality of life for all who live on their farm. They grow their coffee among vegetables, trees, and other wildlife and in addition offer eco tours of their farm and processing facility. Their facility takes care of 250 employees and their families. Selva Negra coffee yields a rich, deep, sweetly low-toned coffee. Nut and cedar plus hints of orange and chocolate can be detected in the aroma. On the palate this cup provides a medium body with continued hints of nut, cedar, molasses, and a cocoa-buttery chocolate. A complex, pleasant sweetness is encountered in the finish.

 

Pluma Tres Oros – Oaxaca, Mexico
This coffee is grown in the state of Oaxaca in the southern regions of Pluma and Mixteca. It is considered one of the finest coffees in grown organically in the forested mountainous area. This Mexican coffee is defined as “Altura Pluma,” with Altura meaning “highgrown,” an apt description since this coffee is cultivated at well over 4,000 feet above sea level. The term “Pluma” derives from “feather,” so poetically named after the feather-like clouds around the tops of the tree-covered mountains where the coffee is grown. The coffee is mild and sweet, medium-bodied and quite smooth for a Central American coffee, which are usually notably bright. We hope that you will find this coffee as we do - light as a feather and thoroughly enjoyable.

 

San Andres - Tarrazú, Costa Rica
The small farm-grown coffee from the small town of San Andres in the beautiful countryside of Tarrazú, one of several notable coffee-producing region in the central valley of Costa Rica. A special coffee traditionally shade-grown at over 5,000 feet in altitude, the lower rainfall, relative humidity and temperature affect the flavor in the cup. Local conditions produce a bright, medium-bodied coffee with a sweet, floral aroma, fruity chocolate notes and a smooth finish.

Don Roberto Estate  - Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Cultivated in the mountainous southern Pacific area of Costa Rica, this is considered one of the best coffees produced in Costa Rica. This nutty yet sweet coffee has just a hint of spice while exhibiting richness, full-body, and a delicate brightness. A beautifully balanced cup.

Hacienda La Minita – Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Excellent climatic conditions as well as adequate soils produced the delicious aroma of the coffee of the region (SHB SUR) and have continued successfully for one hundred years. Today the same footsteps are taken to fulfill with magnificent execution the task of producing the best qualities of coffee in the world. This coffee is known for its rich body, pleasant acidity and nutty, sweet undertones.

 
Hacienda La Amistad – Costa Rica
A special estate with an unusual history. In 1941 the southern border of separating it from was established. The architect of this agreement, Jorge Zeledón Castro, came from a long line of coffee growers and naturalists. He had searched for years for the perfect place to grow the finest coffee in while preserving the rich forests and integrating development with the well-being of local inhabitants. When he discovered and surveyed this land he declared he had found the promised land and acquired it, naming it “La Amistad.” His grandchildren now follow in his footsteps. La Amistad features small coffee growing areas with 95% of the land dedicated to conservation and ecotourism. The coffee plantations are interspersed among scenic patches of forest, rivers, springs and waterfalls.

 

La Amistad Biosphere Reserve and International Park is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. It is the largest protected area in Central America , of enormous biological importance, and is one of the most extraordinary forests in all of . It is home to quetzals, jaguars, monkeys, tapirs and more than 400 species of birds, not to mention the world’s rarest butterflies. La Amistad’s Rainforest Reserve has drawn researchers from all over the world to investigate the flora and fauna, providing for scientific collections of plants, insects, and fungi for the world’s museums. Also of interest to researchers is the socio-economic structure of the coffee production here. Upon the creation of Hacienda La Amistad, Mr. Zeledón provided a land grant to 22 struggling local families to establish their own coffee plantations. Most continue to live and work on this land after over sixty years, producing organically-grown coffee under the auspices and trademark of La Amistad. The smaller producers realize far greater returns than selling the coffee independently, so these families have prospered in this mutually-beneficial relationship.

 

The estate is planted with the fine caturra and catuai varieties of Arabica coffee grown organically under the shade of flame trees. Their beautiful red-orange flowers feed large numbers of hummingbirds, while their fruits feed dozens of other species of birds. The leaves provide fertilizer for the coffee and the roots maintain the fertility of the soil. Between the coffee plants, the ground is covered with many other kinds of plants, pruned by hand and trimmed by sheep. This ground cover ensures soil that is soft, aerated, and protected from erosion. Insects and earthworms also aerate the soil, which is enriched with organic fertilizer made of compost from the previous year’s crop production residue. The forest surrounding the plantations hosts dozens of species of insects that destroy plant pests, while the large bird population living in the coffee groves and forests feeds off insects and other small pests. The coffee groves constitute a lively, healthy ecosystem. Hacienda La Amistad produces a sweet coffee with an aromatic nose and a brightness characteristic of the best coffees of Central America . Well-bodied, rich, and smooth, this is a coffee you will remember.

 

Santa Rita Estate – El Salvador
Certified Rainforest Alliance coffee grown at 5,000 feet in the Chalatenango region of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range in the north on the Guatemalan border,  the oldest and best established coffee region in the country. Although historically El Salvador has had difficulty producing high quality coffee in an unstable political climate, democratic movements and decades of civil war have brought about serious change, in which the smaller coffee farmer fares far better, resulting in the availability of micro-lots from small estates and co-ops. Today El Salvadoran coffee can live up to its promise as a force comparable to neighboring Guatemala, with its traditional Bourbon cultivar on most farms, very old trees, rich volcanic soil, high elevation, and tropical climate.

A similar selection from the Santa Rita Estate was a winner of the Cup of Excellence in 2003. Grown traditionally under old-growth trees and wet-processed, the cup produced is medium-bodied, highly aromatic, and exceptionally delicious. Its floral aroma pairs beautifully with the mild and sweet nutty, buttery flavor with a hint of caramel and spice.

 

Santa Barbara Estate "Peaberry" - El Salvador

There is perhaps no rarer nor more sought after coffee in the world than the Jamaica Blue Mountain “Peaberry” from the Wallenford Estate. Our Peaberry coffee from reminds us of this coffee more than any other we have ever tasted. It has the same depth, brightness, and a slight nuttiness on the palate as does the JBM Peaberry. This coffee is produced in microscopic quantities by a small family estate whose owners are absolutely fanatical in their commitment to organic farming methods and to the quality of their coffee. Our El Salvador Peaberry ranks with the finest coffee in the world, boasting a sophisticated richness, a full body, and a deliciously intense aroma. It is made available to us in extremely limited quantities and is a personal favorite of everyone at Ashley & Cooper Coffee Roasters.

Capuchinas - Antigua, Guatemala
We are always amazed at the number of world-class coffees that are grown in . Our Antigua is no exception. This selected coffee is grown on a small farm above 3,900 feet altitude in Antigua 's mountainous coffee-growing region. The combination of the cooler climate, which yields a slower maturing bean, and the volcanic soil that nurtures it, produces one of the world's most fragrant, delicious coffees. Our Antigua is graded SHB or Strictly Hard Bean, the highest quality rating. We find this coffee to be very complex and aromatic. A very smooth cup it nonetheless exhibits a brightness that is characteristically found in Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Perfectly balanced, this coffee has a lovely rich flavor and a chocolate note on the finish.

As you may know, we believe that Guatemalan Antigua coffee are some of the most underrated coffees in the world.  Their deep nutty flavor and rich, captivating aroma have long made them one of our favorite coffee here at Ashley & Cooper.  Our Antigua "Capuchinas" is the finest coffee from Antigua we have tasted to date.  It exhibits flavors found almost exclusively in coffees grown in volcanic soil, a characteristic we have noted that usually defines the best of the world-class coffees.  The Agua Volcano nearby provides the volcanic soil, rich in minerals and nutrients, which infuses every bean with flavors reminiscent of similarly-cultivated coffee from the volcanic island of Kona, Hawaii, thousands of miles away.  We are very excited to bring you this delicious, full-bodied coffee.

Café Cohorsil - Sierre de Montecillos region, Honduras
This coffee is grown at over 4,000 feet in altitude and is sun-dried before being transported by oxen-driven cart to be wet-milled.  Everything from growing the coffee trees under both native and shade trees introduced to support the rich, diverse, and delicate ecosystem, to soil conservation practices such as organic mulching, all the way through to processing, is designed to embrace environmentally-sound practices. 

A shade-grown, fair-trade, Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee-growing environment, Cohorsil produces a coffee with sweet, floral notes.  This harvest is full-bodied and exceptionally well-balanced.  It reminds us very much of the wonderful coffees from the Boquete area of Panama. 

South America

Baggio Estate Peaberry – Minas Gerais, Brazil
This selection is our ultra premium “Peaberry” imported directly from a wonderfully unique family-owned estate in Brazil.  Jose Astor Baggio, whose family has been growing coffee since 1866 when they immigrated to Brazil from Italy, owns Fazenda Pindaibas.  His estate is located in the southwestern area of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s premier coffee growing region.  Grown at 3,000 ft. elevation, a very high elevation for Brazil, this very special lot is hand picked, separated from the other beans, and meticulously hand processed at the Baggio Estate. 

Historically, peaberry coffee accounts for approximately 5% of a harvest; it is actually an aberration in bean formation. Instead of two large, distinct halves the coffee develops into a smaller bean that has the appearance of a pea, thus its name. The peaberry tends to have a more concentrated flavor than other beans. Our selected coffee produces a lovely cup with a developed, robust aroma and a comparably full body.  Despite this it boasts a mild, smooth taste with a hint of sweetness and spice; the coffee lacks bitterness regardless of brew strength. Our selected “Peaberry” is a world-class coffee by any standard and is produced in extremely minute quantities.

Fazenda Ipanema “Dulce” - Sul de Minas region, Brazil
Rainforest Alliance certified.  Founded 38 years ago, Fazenda Ipanema combines traditional growing techniques and modern quality controls.  “Dulce” is a natural dry-processed coffee, which means that the ripe cherry is picked and laid out to sun-dry on patios. This crude process involves the browning of the fruit skin, mucilage, and parchment before removing it from the bean.  Unlike other coffees, the sun-drying of “Dulce” coffee is followed by storage of the beans still inside the cherry in wooden bins, which affects the flavor of the coffee.  Much as processing affects the character of fine wine, this treatment produces a mellower, raw honey sweetness and a low acidity that provides a counterpoint to the chocolate and nut top flavor notes to this full-bodied coffee.  These intense flavors make this coffee unusual compared with others produced in Brazil.

Mesa de los Santos Estate ~ Don Telmo Reserva Especial - Bucaramanga, Colombia
This is a 100% Bourbon variety special edition from one of the best coffee farms in South America.  Current proprietor Oswaldo Acevedo’s family has been cultivating coffee on the 180 year-old hacienda since 1872.  This coffee is grown at 5,100 feet in the mountains, and is the product of the best techniques for growing and processing.  Less than 1% of Colombia’s coffee growers use these techniques.  This estate is such a model example of agricultural techniques that back in 2003, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe toured the farm.  He said he wishes all Colombian coffee growers could visit Mesa de los Santos to learn how to properly grow high-quality specialty coffee. 

Café Organico Mesa de los Santos is organically-grown with no herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers.  Biological research has been pursued here since 1998, and the estate is home to more than seventy species of bird.  It boasts the coveted “Certified Shade-grown, Bird-friendly®” seal, awarded by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, as well as certification by the Rainforest Alliance. 

This is a fruity, spicy coffee with a sweet aroma and very heavy body.  This may be the most complex cup of coffee grown in Colombia, a country which is home to more than 570,000 coffee growers.  We are confident that this coffee will change your view of Colombian coffee forever.

 

 

Island Coffee

 

Ka’anopoli Estate Peaberry - Maui, Hawaii
An exquisite coffee that is giving its better known legendary cousin, Hawaiian Kona, a run for its money. The first coffee trees were brought to the Hawaiian Islands by a British warship in 1825. Oahu's governor had acquired the coffee trees in . The coffee was planted in the Monoa Valley on Oahu and from there introduced to the other islands.

Grown on the slopes of the lush mountain slopes high above the beaches on the island of Maui in soil that is deep and red, supplemented with abundant tropical rainfall, the sweet flavor of the Maui peaberry reflects the distinctive soil which formerly nourished rich fields of sugar cane. A complex coffee, it is full bodied and perfectly clean with a sweet, cocoa-like flavor and a delicate acidity with an ultra smooth finish.

 

Montana Verde Estate - Dominican Republic

The original “ New World ” coffee, cultivation here dates back to the early 18^th century.  Gabriel de Clieu of was trying to bring two of Louis XIV’s royal stock of coffee plants to Martinique and only one survived the journey.  Seeds from this one plant were brought to what is now the in 1735, where coffee flourished in the densely forested hills.  These are among the oldest coffee farms in the New World, and continue to produce an exquisite cup.

We have selected our beans from a small, well-tended farm to ensure the first rate quality of this world-class bean.  This coffee has a mildness that is typical of many island coffees, and is grown at a lower elevation than most.  Notes of fruit, vanilla, and spice characterize the flavors of this coffee, which is also bright, full-bodied, and virtually perfectly balanced.

 

Southeast Asia

Pearl Mountain Estate - India

An ultra premium coffee from the Chikkamagaluru district.  According to different historical accounts, the saint Baba Budan traveled through Mocha, on his pilgrimage to Mecca in the early 17^th century.  He discovered the wonderful mysteries of coffee, which by this time was quite popular in Arabia .  He is said to have hidden seven coffee seeds under his clothes to smuggle them back to , where upon his return he planted them in the hills of Chikkamagaluru.  Thus, the month’s selection is from the area of India known for its tall mountains and its cultivation of the best coffee in India.

Historically, peaberry coffee accounts for approximately 5% of a harvest; it is actually an aberration in bean formation.  Instead of two large, distinct halves the coffee develops into a smaller bean that has the appearance of a pea, thus its name.  The peaberry tends to have a more concentrated flavor than other beans.  Our selected Indian Peaberry coffee produces a lovely cup with a developed, robust aroma and a comparably full body.  Despite this it boasts a smooth taste with a hint of sweetness and spice; the coffee lacks bitterness regardless of brew strength.  Our selected “Peaberry” is a world-class coffee by any standard and is produced in extremely minute quantities.

Located just south of the equator, this island is a prime growing region for coffee and tea. While coffee production here dates back to 1889, the current coffee produced dates back only 75 years or so. In 1927 Jamaican Blue Mountain seedlings were brought from and because of climatological similarities between the two countries the coffee plants thrived. We have selected our beans from a small, well-tended farm to ensure the first rate quality of this world-class bean. Sweet, full-bodied, and virtually perfectly balanced.

 
Gayo Mountain - Sumatra
An exotic Indonesian coffee refined by the processes imported by the Dutch from Africa and Latin America to the area of Gayo Mountain . While producing a commodity for the world, the coffee industry serves the local area with stability and progress. With lavish rainfall, sultry climate, and volcanic soil, the area of Gayo Mountain is perfect for creating a world-class coffee. Additionally, organic methods were used to produce this wonderful bean. This cups as a decadently rich coffee with noticeable spicy undertones and a subtle sweetness characteristic of coffees from the Indonesian archipelago. We are very excited to bring you this delicious, sweet, full-bodied coffee.

 
Mandheling - Sumatra
From the beautiful Indonesian archipelago on the Indian Sea , we bring you the classic, smooth Sumatra Mandheling. First introduced to by Dutch traders in the late 17th century, coffee has become important to this region's economy with being the third largest producer of coffee in the world. The origin of our Sumatra is the Balak region of , where 65% of its coffee is grown. Two lakes surround this region, Lake Toba & Lake Takennon, which affects the delicate balance of exquisite flavor & aroma as does the volcanic soil produced by the super volcano at Toba. Our Sumatra follows the tradition of being organically-grown next to fruits and spices on small family farms. A sweet, heavy-bodied, exotic coffee that is a perennial favorite.

Sulawesi
This rare and complex tasting coffee is grown on Sulawesi , the island for which it is named, in the Indonesian Archipelago. This coffee may be thought of as a first cousin to the very popular Sumatra coffee, except that it achieves a much higher level of complexity and is significantly more rare. The best coffees from Sulawesi are grown in Torajaland, a small area near the town of Rantepao under ideal coffee growing conditions. Coffee trees are grown on very small plots around the houses of the villagers. Entire families participate in the picking and processing of the coffee beans in true artisanal fashion. Our Sulawesi coffee has a unique nutty and smooth taste, possesses a full, rich body, and delivers layer after layer of flavor. As it is a rare, world class coffee, we purchased specific lots which we believe are the finest grown on the island.

Africa

Republic of Burundi

Delicious coffee from a small landlocked nation located in East Africa bordering Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with its western border on Lake Tanganyika.  One of the poorest countries in the world, Burundi's history has been overshadowed by ethnic violence since its independence from administration by in 1962.  Although democratic elections occurred in 1993, cease-fires were issued as recently as 2006 to stem the violence and civil war.  Today, is a transitional presidential representative democratic republic, with a multi-ethnic and multi-party system restored.  There is much hope for its future stability and peace.  We hope to support this promising future by promoting ’s coffee production, which accounts for more than three-quarters of the country’s exports. 

 

Arabica coffee cultivation came to in the 1930’s courtesy of the Belgians.  Africa’s mountainous terrain contributes to the quality of the coffee produced, and wet-processing methods are utilized to produce tasty arabica beans.  Coffee trees are generally grown between altitudes of 4,000 and 6500 feet in Burundi, and are grown by families who tend between 50 and 250 trees per farm.  A true coffee connoisseur will appreciate the distinctive flavor of this well-balanced and full-bodied, mild African coffee.

 

Harrar - Ethiopia
Distinctive coffee grown in the highlands of in the Harrar region.  Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, where the original Arabica bean grew wild in the forest.  It is believed that early on, coffee was either brought from the forests of Kaffa to Harrar intentionally, or unintentionally by way of slaves taken from the forest region who chewed coffee berries into the Harrar region, through which the Muslim slave trade route passed. 

To this day the Harrar is a dry-processed coffee, which means that the ripe cherry is picked and laid out to sun dry.  This crude process involves the browning of the fruit skin, mucilage, and parchment, and its removal from the exterior of the green bean.  Ask anyone in the specialty coffee industry and they will tell you that this dry processing contributes substantially to the wild flavors in the Harrar cup.  This unusual coffee possesses an intensely sweet, fruity, spicy aroma, a winy brightness with notes of peach or apricot, a heavy body, and a cinnamon note on the finish. 

 
Yirgacheffe - Ethiopia
This coffee may be thought of as a first cousin to the very popular Sumatra coffee, except that it achieves a much higher level of complexity and is significantly more rare. As always, it is necessary to try lots from several different sources to find the one that exemplifies the best that the particular climate and soil has to offer. We are very pleased with the lots that we have purchased for this month's selection. We believe Kenneth David in his book, Coffee: A Guide to Buying, Brewing, and Enjoying,, is right on the mark with his assessment of this coffee. In speaking of the estate-grown coffees from , he comments, "The most celebrated is called Yirgacheffe. This coffee virtually has a cult following in the US, and for good reason. Like the best Sumatran and coffees it is rich, teasing, and mysterious on the palate, with a very long, resonating finish. Like Sumatran, its acidity vibrates inside the richness of the body, but Yirgacheffe adds a soft, fragrant, flowery note so distinctive that it may make this unique among the world's coffees." We could not agree more!

Tanzanian Peaberry
Grown on the side of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest Peak in Africa, this world-class coffee lives up to the capacity of this specific microclimate. Samples of the small green berries are roasted and carefully tasted to make sure that each lot purchased lives up to the potential of the area. Our Tanzanian Peaberry has a smooth generosity of flavor, but is also possessed of significant power. This name "Peaberry" denotes that these coffee beans are small and round, as opposed to the customary larger beans, which consist of two halves. We have discovered a unique source for the highest quality of Peaberry grown in the area and are thrilled to bring its exotic taste to you.