Dog and Hat Coffee Subscription Box 4

As I'm desperately trying to catch up on all the delicious coffees I've drunk over the past few months, it's time again for another Dog and Hat Subscription Box post!


August Box 

We had two gorgeous coffees in this box 
Monsoon Estates Coffee Company - Nicaragua
Ineffable Coffee - Kenya 






Starting with Monsoon Estates

Anne and Chris developed their love of good coffee whilst living in Europe and later Australia. They started roasting beans to sell at a friend's charity sale and they were so well received that they decided to make it a business. Then, after a period of fast growth, multiple awards, and trips to the US to attend coffee boot camps, it was time to scale up.
September 2012 saw the start of new things for them in the form of a new roastery. They leased a barn conversion on the Alscot Estate about 3 miles from Stratford Upon Avon. 
In late 2013 they took delivery of a brand new Probat coffee roaster which was soon installed in the roastery to keep up with the high demand of coffee orders.





Monsoon Estates Coffee Company 
Stratford Upon Avon
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan Matagalpa & Jinotega 
Varietal - Maragogype* 
Process - Washed
Altitude - 1200-1500MASL
Taste Notes - Chocolate and Nut, Sweet and Aromatic with Citrus Acidity 

*Maragogype elephant beans are a mutation of Arabica Typica first discovered near the town of Maragogype in Brazil. These trees yield smaller amounts of these massive coffee beans which makes them quite rare and expensive. These days Maragogype beans are grown in several Central/South American countries but are still quite hard to come by.


V60 Brew

18g of Coffee
275ml of Water
(50g Bloom to 30 Seconds)
2 Minute 45 Second Total Brew Time





This was a really interesting cup, I got some really unique flavours out of the brew - mulled wine acidity being one, and spiced with chocolate undertones being another.
It was a super intriguing and delicious coffee to try. It was well rounded, with the perfect subtle acidity 



Find Monsoon Estate Coffee Company
Website - here
Instagram - here
Facebook - here
Twitter - here





Ineffable Coffee Roasters





Ineffable Coffee Roasters is a project that seeks to contribute to the community and help improve the appreciation of coffee in Andalusia and Spain more widely. For more than ten years the team has lived abroad in different countries and cities such as Cape Town, Istanbul or the UK, where speciality coffee culture is widespread. 
The team have had long careers with experience working as baristas, roasters and trainers in established businesses. Now they've returned home with the desire to continue contributing and growing. They are Omar, Jose and Alejandro - each brings a different experience of coffee and have now joined forces to offer the best as a team. 
The name Ineffable Coffee Roasters is inspired by a feeling, causing much emotion, especially pleasure that goes beyond words. It is something unique that breaks the norm. 


(I know this is an aeropress and I'm talking about a V60 brew, but sue me, I forgot to take a V60 picture)


Ineffable Coffee
Kenya
Origin - Kenya Nyeri and Kirinyaga 
Varietals - SL28 and SL34
Process - Washed
Altitude - 1750MASL 
Taste Notes - Notes of Orange, Brown Sugar and Floral 





Dark and fruity, with subtle citrus acidity, this coffee was super yum - full bodied, with light brown sugar undertones, it was a delicious coffee. Through an aeropress it was also super full bodied and delicious. This bag really didn't last me very long, a good week at most. 



Find Ineffable Coffee 
Website - here
Instagram - here










*NEW PRODUCTS ON THE COFFEE LIFE CO, CLICK THE SHOP BUTTON NOW*




SHOP THE COFFEE LIFE CO NOW

Find me on Social Media

Support me on Ko-fi













One Click Coffee Box 6

Guess who's back with a super late One Click Coffee Box blog post. 


Yet again, we had two gorgeous coffees from this box. One Click never seems to disappoint and after 6 months of One Click I am LOVING it. 

Box Number 6

Roundhill Coffee - Ethiopia
Crafthouse - Colombia 



Also in this box was some yummy cookies from Rosette Bakery (heck they were good)




Round Hill Roastery

In 2012 Eddie Twitchett the founder of Round Hill Roastery was rather enthusiastic home brewer, dreaming of one day roasting coffee. While working in hospitality in Bath, every break would be spent sampling coffee in one of the many great shops in the city. During this time the dream started to become reality. Starting out in a small industrial building no bigger than a garage Eddie was roasting and selling for the Bath farmers market every week.
Quickly the business grey and Round Hill gained it's first wholesale partners. Round Hill is now a small team and we have moved to a larger roastery but we keep that individual and personal feeling. We are working more closely with the farmers we have built relationships with over the years, taking time to make visits to the farms to further our education and to also source new coffees.
At Round Hill we respect our coffee's journey from farm to cup. Our coffee arrives as green beans - the farmer's finished product - and we careful to preserve and compliment the hard work already put into each bean.
Our aim is to source the best seasonal harvests, only selecting small lots from independent growers. We roast to highlight the dynamic flavours naturally found within our coffees.
We test-roast each coffee and allow it to rest. It is then brewed in a variety of ways to ensure maximum flavour and quality. Origin, variety and process are all key factors in determining each coffee's individual roast profile - with taste the central focus of everything we do. We focus on each coffee's unique character and roast them to highlight its dynamic flavours and sweetness. 
Pink Bags are roasted for espresso brewing. 
Blue Bags are roasted for filter brewing.




The beans:

Uraga Samii - Ethiopia
Region - Guji 
Process - Fully washed - Irael Degfa's washing station
Altitude - 2400 MASL
Taste Notes - Lemon, Stone Fruit, Tropical and Black Tea



The brew:

V60 
17g of Coffee
250ml of Water 
30 Second Bloom with 40ml of Water
3 Minute Total Brew Time




This coffee gave off some insane crisp apple acidity vibes, it was super delicious, super smooth, with a definite stone fruit taste as it cooled. 
Every which way I brewed it, it was insanely incredible to taste - V60, Aeropress and French Press, they all didn't disappoint. 


Find Round Hill Roastery 

Website - here
Instagram - here
Twitter - here 
Facebook - here
YouTube - here






Craft House Coffee 

It all began with an obsession to make the perfect brew. After many years and many more cups of coffee the obsession went far beyond the brewing method. We wanted to know: where did this coffee come from? What happens during the roasting process? What gives the coffee its characteristics? Its important to think, not just how, but what actually makes the perfect coffee. What combination of elements, hard work and time has given you this product? This obsession is what set us on the mission to better understand the coffee industry. Thus Craft House Coffee was born.
Roasting is one of the most important aspects of making amazing coffee. Once the beans leave the hands of the farmers and make the long journey to the UK, it must be delicately and precisely roasted to perfection. Gone are the days of over roasting and inconsistent batches. Although each and every coffee batch is tested with microscopic precision, you can rest assured that using the power of technology the level on quality and consistency stays the same. 
Our roasting style is light yet well developed. Under roasted or underdeveloped coffee can taste grassy, weak and generally terrible. It damages grinder burrs and is very tough for you to properly extract. Our espresso roasted coffee's verge ever so gently into the medium range to help preserve the underlining characteristics of the origin but help it break through milk based drinks. We are always looking to explore the potential of our beans through profiling. It's all part of the fun!



.

The Coffee:

Colombia - El Muro 
Process - Washed 
Varietal - Caturra 
Altitude - 2100 MASL
Taste Notes - Cherries, Raisin, Sugar Cane



The brew:

V60 
17g of Coffee
250ml of Water 
30 Second Bloom with 40ml of Water
3 Minute Total Brew Time




There were some super prominent floral aromas coming from this coffee, and the taste, phoar, super curranty/raisin tastes with a little dark muscovado sugar peeking through. Delicious through V60, and slightly more full bodied through an Aeropress brew this was an amazing coffee.



Find Crank House Coffee 
Website - here
Instagram - here
Twitter - here
Facebook - here





Thank you for sticking around for my long awaited One Click posts, I promise they're going to be more regular as I catch up and hopefully soon enough I can stick to an upload schedule! 





Dog and Hat Coffee Subscription Box 3

So I know I'm very behind on Subscription Box blog posts, but I am now trying endlessly to catch up in an orderly fashion before November! 

Now, don't kill me - but this box is actually from July, but bear with me because it is still very much worth the blog post.


Box Number 3 
The July Box

The Coffees - 

Sendero Speciality Coffee - Guatemalan 
Climpson and Sons - Sasaba, Ethiopia



This box also included a lil something sweet - a Guppy's Chocolate milk chocolate bar, which was of course demolished in mere seconds.


We'll start with Sendero 

Founded in 2016 by Pira and Hutan, Sendero Speciality Coffee's inspiration is to travel to remote coffee growing regions so that they can work directly with local families and cooperatives in order to source outstanding Arabica coffee beans. Sendero travelled to less well-known coffee producing countries, such as Uganda, Mexico, and Ecuador, with the aim to offer speciality grade coffee beans which are less common in Europe. Sendero provides flexibility in quantities with the increasing artisan roasteries. 
Today, Sendero Speciality Coffee supplies artisan roasters with green beans in 9 European countries.
In 2017, Sendero opened a coffee shop in Clapham, London, using their own sourced beans, roasted by Pharmacie Coffee Roasters, one of the best UK roasters. 

Sendero Speciality Coffee
Guatemalan - filter roast
Producer - Finca La Senda
Region - Acatenango
Varietal - Bourbon, Caturra
Process - Washed, Honey
Notes - Stone Fruit, Bright, Creamy






Just going to take a moment to look at how BEAUTIFUL and BRIGHT the packaging is??? 




V60 Brew

17g of Coffee 
275ml of Water
40ml Bloom for 35 Seconds
3 Minute Total Brew Time


Honey processed coffees have been really popular through 2019, and it's safe to say I've tried quite a few of them - but this, this coffee really stood out. Up there with one of my top coffees I've tried in 2019. 
It's so bright, so fruity - light and syrup-y like tea and just an all around an incredible cup




I also made some cold brew with it, which was ultimately a success 

50g of Coursely Ground Coffee
750ml of Water
12 Hour Steep in the fridge

As cold brew, it was absolutely incredible, so smooth, so bright and syrup-y - I could've chugged the entire bottle, which was hard not too.



Find Sendero Speciality Coffee 
Website - here
Instagram - here 
Facebook - here
Twitter - here




Climpson and Sons

Climpson and Sons was founded in 2002 by Ian Burgess. After a few years spent in Australia, Ian returned to the UK and with a lack of quality coffee available, set to building his own version of the Antipodean coffee culture.
Climpson and Sons were pioneers in evolving London speciality coffee scene. Their ambition is to continue sourcing, roasting and crafting the finest coffees from the heart of East London. Their range of espressos, blends and single origin beans reflect what they do: a boundless exploration into the possibilities of flavours. 
Their approach to sourcing green coffee is equally driven by quality and a commitment to developing sustainable and ethical relationships. They with trusted partners at origin to ensure producers receive fair prices and seek to develop ongoing relationships in buying from many of the same farms each year.


Climpson and Sons
Sasaba - Ethiopia 
Region - Guiju, Oromia State
Altitude - 1800 MASL
Varietal - Mixed Heirloom
Process - Orange Blossom, Lime, Butterscotch





V60 Brew

17g of Coffee 
275ml of Water
40ml Bloom for 35 Seconds
3 Minute Total Brew Time


This coffee came out SUPER citrus-y when I brewed it, it was so smooth, with that underlying citrus acidity peeking through as well as buttery mouth feels. 

I also brewed it via french press (all hail James Hoffman for teaching the world how to make a proper french press) which was also super delicious with more subtle flavours, but still a super delicious cup. 



Find Climpson and Sons
Website - here
Instagram - here
Facebook - here
Twitter - here



Hats off to whoever has still read this post even with it being a few months late (oops, I'm getting better, I promise!!)




SHOP THE COFFEE LIFE CO NOW

Find me on Social Media

Support me on Ko-fi







Bristol Coffee Festival 2019

Another month, another coffee festival - (I'm loving that there are so many places having their own coffee festivals now!) 



Bristol Coffee Festival (Coffee House Project) has been on my list since it started last year, so after a little road trip down to Bristol, we arrived at The Passenger shed and greeted by the bustling crowds already inside.







I did the usual thing of taking forever to get my bearings, but headed over to my fav girls, Fi and Casey from Girls Who Grind Coffee who had their delicious Rwandan on batch. 


I then headed over to Hasbean to see another coffee pal, Will, and ended up bumping into Izzy and other friends! 

Hasbean had a really interesting bubble tea (coffee hybrid) which of course had to be tried - it was definitely one of the most interesting caffeinated beverages I've ever tried. 


After a lot of mooching around, so many coffees I lost count and so many hugs from coffee pals (honestly coffee festivals are the only place that actually makes me look popular) we found the colouring wall (petition to have a colouring wall at EVERY coffee festival!!!) 




The next highlight was Manumit - Esther and I had many Instagram conversations about how excited we were to finally meet! (I feel like I was definitely more excited) 




When I say Esther is one of the most smiley, kind hearted and bubbly people I have ever met, I'm not lying. she is just super lovely!!! 
(she also very kindly gave me some coffee so expect to see more of Manumit on the blog soon!)


In between all the madness, we managed to have a little sit down with some delicious toasties (CHEESY GOODNESS!!) 





We went and sat down for one of the talks, Soundness Snapshots - Talking Mental Health in the UK Coffee Industry with Kore directive 





It was a really interesting talk, people sharing their stories, what is happening in the Coffee Industry towards better mental health.
One quote that really stood out to me throughout the chat was from Kore directive - "depression will always be with me. I will always have depression, I have moments of high times, and low times. It's just learning how to be better prepared for the low times" - and that really stood true, and I think that way of thinking is how we should all look towards anything mental health related. 



After drinking way too much coffee, we decided to call it a day.




Sunday 



We took it pretty easy on the Sunday and arrived at the festival around midday, we did the usual rounds, Girls Who Grind Coffee, Hasbean, Manumit, and I finally managed to track down Dhan Tamang, after not managing to track him down on the Saturday (he's a very busy man now) - and had a lovely conversation with him (as always!) 

We also went by the La Marzocco stand, where the guy actually let me use the machine to make a coffee (hello, dreams do come true) 


Although he wasn't impressed when I showed him up with some cheeky latte art shapes.





It's safe to say we took Bristol Coffee Festival pretty chill, and I definitely cant wait for next years! 



-More Photos- 




(not usually this side of the camera at coffee festivals)









I came home with a lovely little haul of coffees, which means lots of upcoming blog posts!