News

Website Changes

We've been waiting for this for a long time!

For those of you who know us, you'll know that for some time, we have been talking about making some changes to our website.  Well it has finally happened!

Beautiful new illustrations to our coffee page by the wonderful Claire Henley.

Also the long awaited coffee subscription page is live!  This will change and evolve as we use it more.

You can view the subscription page here

Thanks to all who heard our mention again on Radio 2 Simon Mayo Show last week and let us know!

Thanks also for your patience and  for buying your coffee here!

We couldn't do it without you!

New coffees coming soon including more Colombian honey, naturals from Ethiopia - Harrar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe and our Myanmars too!

Happy Autumn as the trees around us at Alscot are just starting to change colour, beautiful time of the year!

Enjoy!

New Coffee

Hello everyone.  It's been a while and I just don't know where the time goes! Sorry for shoddy newsletter writing, one day I  might get the hang of it and be a bit more regular too!

First coffee to get a mention is our long standing, big favourite, Indian Monsoon Malabar. Regulars for this coffee know it changes a little over the year and from season to season. Our importers are now offering a more traceable coffee.  Coming from the Sakalespur area Manjarabad region in India.  It is a dry processed coffee and is monsooned just like our past supplies. (Exposed to the monsoon wind and rain which changes the raw coffee beans flavour and lowers their acidity) What this means for you is that the coffee, hopefully, will be more stable and consistent.  It's not quite as bitey as it used to be and a little smoother.

Another favourite  El Salvador Pacamara from Finca Las Delicias is back. These beautiful beans are on the milder side (like all washed coffee from this region) sweet and delicate with vanilla and milk chocolate.  Some people get florals and citrus.  See what you think!

The long awaited Nicaraguan Maragogype (elephant sized bean)  is back in stock.  Haven't roasted any yet but looking for sweet nuttiness with great body.  Be on the site this week.

Our newest coffee and a first for the UK is from Myanmar (Burma). I have a natural and a washed coffee coming this week.  Really excited to try this very new offering. If you take a look at our Facebook page you can see some info on this new and exciting project or simply look at  news post under this one! Monsoon Estates Facebook

If I ever get time off roasting this may be a great origin for me to visit as we have been following the project closely since it's beginning.  Watch this space.

Finally, we have been able to get our hands on more of the beautiful Colombian honey processed from La Esperanza.  Be with us soon. I promise!

So you see, lots of exciting new coffees on the way.

Hoping too that you're all having a fabulous summer.  Today's been a good one here with Roger Federer winning Wimbledon and Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone.  Glass of fizz as I write this before early to bed.  I think it's going to be hot in the roastery this week so early starts!

The Chin Litaï Project

We visited the London Coffee Festival this year and if you're into coffee you should visit this annual event at least once. We also paid a visit to our importers to hear about a new coffee project in Myanmar (Burma) that we are involved with (in a very small way)!

Priscilla, our lovely trader at DRW Coffee, explained some of the background. “A closed country that has spent half a century under oppressive military rule, Myanmar has finally come in from the cold. After liberating itself and democratically voting in the LND party and with it The Lady Aung San Suu Kyi, the region has opened its doors to the rest of the world, embracing free speech and global friendships with partners eager to help Burmese society prosper.”

“Like many developing nations, agriculture in Myanmar still plays a significant role in the economy, representing 38% of GDP and 25% of exports. Coffee – while not a substantial cash crop – is being cultivated across the country and represents a fantastic opportunity for young, entrepreneurial farmers. Ever mindful of the agroforestry and environment, coffee cultivation is seen as means of sustaining the local environment, along with the cultivation of elephant food (yam of all things!)”

DR Wakefield  (our importers) jumped at the chance to collaborate with Nat Coffee and their first visit to the Chin State region in the country. There, we’ve sought to help set up a new farmer-led co-operative in partnership with Chin Hill Ecosystem".

Watch this video of the project by Nathalie Manac'h to hear about the project.  Nathalie is the driving force behind the whole thing and she has involved other partners including our imprter DRWakefield. If you would like to follow the progress of this project check out our Facebook page

We cupped some coffees from Myanmar on this recent visit to our importers and although it's early days, some coffees showed great promise.  We also learned of a very young and enthusiastic group of coffee farmers who are keen to learn and want to grow and export some wonderful coffees. We have ordered a couple of sacks which should be here soon!  Very exciting times!  Maybe a trip for Monsoon to Myanmar one of these days!

BBC Radio 2

We had a really great mention on BBC Radio 2 recently. During the Simon Mayo show Nigel Barden cooked some pork chops using our Espresso Blend and they said some lovely things about it!  Woohoo!

Unfortunately the show is no longer available on the iPlayer however the recipe is still worth a look and is still up at the foot of the programs page.

The Monsoon Boys are off to Sumatra

The Monsoon boys are off to the coffee farms of Sumatra! When we started our little coffee company we thought it would give us the opportunity to travel. Little did we know! Each year we seem busier than before and no time for travel to coffee farms. We decided, this year, to bite the bullet  when our importer asked us if we would like to tag along!

I will hold the fort with the help of some great friends and wonderful staff, the only problem is, we can't do the markets. I'll be at the roastery and also our web shop will be going for those emergency supplies. Apologies for any inconvenience but I'm sure you all appreciate how important it is for us to see first hand where our fab coffees come from and to meet some of the coffee farmers. I'm so  excited for them, anyone would think I was going!  It will be an amazing trip. They will visit several farms including the fabulous Wahana Estate (one of our current coffees). They will also visit a wild Luwak area where the famous 'Cat Poo' coffee comes from!  If it is truly wild we might get some for special gilfts at Christmas.

If you feel like a laugh have a look at this little video.  Following on from our Great Taste Top 50 we actually went to a celebration dinner in London.  Little did we know we were nominated for a Great Taste Golden Fork Award.  Totally bonkers evening and great fun! Watch our little video!

Have a great November and stay warm!
Cheers,
Anne and the gang!