Notes Coffee - Myanmar - Dog and Hat Box

 It's yet again Dog and Hat week, as I scramble my life together to try and catch up with these posts we have somehow made it to the third box, however I am still 2 months behind on release of these - but better late than never hey?


This box is also a very special box. This was Dog and Hats celebratory Birthday Box! Dog and Hat are officially 4 years old! How exciting!! 


Our first coffee from this delightful August box is from Notes Coffee Roasters - so who are they?

"Speciality coffee with soul, roasted under the meticulous eye of Fabio in our East London Roasters. Our coffee beans are always direct trade straight from the farmers who take as much care nurturing their coffee plants as we do roasting and brewing our beans.

We focus on high grade, seasonal, single origin coffee, small batch roasted so that every delicate and unique flavour is translated in the cup."

Roaster Used - Loring S35


How was the Roastery founded? 

Fabio - Since I started serving coffee in London - first from a coffee cart in a market and then from our first Notes Coffee shop, I always dreamed of roasting our own. My grandparents had a coffee farm in Brazil and being able to continue the family tradition is my inspiration. I also knew how poorly paid many coffee farmers are and saw the opportunity with speciality coffee growing communities could be properly rewarded for. We started roasting in 2013 and haven't looked back since. 



The Coffee 

From Pa-O Village near Kalaw in the southern Shan State region of Myanmar.

The Pa-O tribe is one of the ethnic tribes of the Shan State in Myanmar and they used to be isolated from the world and have their own language and traditions, like many other tribes in Myanmar.

Behind the Leaf Coffee have been working with the Pa-O tribe and pride themselves on involving the Pa-O people in the whole production process. From beginning to end they are teaching them how to grow and process their own coffee and earn fair wages for it.

They teach farmers who have anything from just a few coffee trees in their backyard to a hundred covering the hillside . No one is too small to be included. In 2018 they had their first open house, inviting more than 500 farmers to come to their processing facility and see what happens after the harvest. For the first time, they got to taste their own coffee. 

They couldn't do this without their farmers or their excellent staff. 


The Details 


Myanmar Pa-O Village 

Process - Black Honey 

Altitude - 1400-1500MASL

Variety - Various

Taste Notes - Black Cherry, Floral and Brown Sugar

SCA Score - 86




Lets Brew!

Brewer - V60

Recipe - 15g of Coffee to 250g of Water, 30 second bloom with 45g of water with agitation. Total brew time of 3 minutes. 



Taste - this coffee was super sweet, and super smooth - sweet like sugar.

As it cooled the cherry and what I put to raspberry notes came through, and when completely cooled it was again a syrup-y kind of sweet. 

I don't think I've ever tasted a coffee quite like this and I found it hard to determine any solid taste notes in it because I was just being pounded with sweetness (which you know, isn't the worst thing) - it was super delicious, and a great morning brew when you need a good sweet kick to start the day. 



Find Notes Coffee

Website - Here

Instagram - Here




Other Coffees in the Dog and Hat August Box

Rabbit Hole Roasters

Gold Box Roasters

UE Coffee Roasters - Honduras

 Whilst purchasing the Colombian Lactic Acid Experimentation coffee from UE, (read all about that here) another coffee caught my eye, I haven't had many coffees from Honduras recently, so I decided to pick one up. 



Incase you need a refresher on who UE Coffee Roasters are;

UE Coffee are an independently owned and family run business, who are forever curious and ready to transform the way coffee is served.

Established in 2009 by Dominic and Daniella Boyett, the mission was to offer great coffee whilst making it accessible to everyone. They have dedicated the last decade and more to learning, working hard and building more than just another coffee brand. They have learned that it takes a team with passion and determination in the pursuit of excellence to make a company great.

Experience is something they cherish and harness to be the best they can be, whether it is from the experience from their customers, in their own retail stores or through their wholesale partners. It takes time and considerable training to learn how to get the best from coffee, to understand the roasting process, the science and to be able to offer first-rate support to their customers.

A great deal of work is involved in sourcing speciality grade and experimental micro-lot coffees ensuring that they buy both ethically and sustainable from growers with direct longstanding trading relationships

"It is our responsibility to honour the hard work already invested in the coffee by roasting it to showcase its distinctive qualities. Roasting is one of the most delicate and critical parts of the process that leads to a great cup of coffee. We want to ensure that we focus on showcasing what makes a particular variety, origin or farm so thrilling"

Roaster used by EU Coffee: Giesen







The Coffee

This coffee comes from a group of female Lenca producers in Lempira department in the Opalaca region of Honduras and is exclusive to UE Coffee Roasters in the UK.

The Lenca are the largest indigenous group in Honduras, there are an estimated 100,000 Lenca in the country, with their activity primarily focused around cultivation of agricultural crops.

Following two major hurricanes in 2020, much of their drying infrastructure for processing coffee in this region was damaged. A premium of 15c/lb was paid on this coffee to facilitate the building of a community drying station with raised parabolic beds. The station is available for free for the producers of the group. They receive training to use the thermo hygrometer and moisture meter to help them track air temperature, humidity and the moisture content of their drying coffee to ensure the final quality of their processed crop.


Region- Opalaca, Honduras

Grower -  Lenca Woman's Group

Altitude - 1800MASL

Varietal - Catuai, Catimor, IH90

Process - Washed

Taste - Peach, Caramel, Hazelnut 



Let's Brew! 

Brewer - V60

Recipe - 15g of Coffee, 250g of Water

Slight agitation

3 Minute total brew time



This coffee came through with some punchy stone fruit notes, I'd definitely describe it as more cherry than the actual box notes of peach, it also came through with some lovely nutty after tones. 
After it cooled slightly, it became more syrupy and sweet which made it a delicious. brew. 
I've been really enjoying the coffee coming out of Honduras this year, so I will be enjoying the rest of this delicious box. 




Find UE Coffee Roasters

Website - here

Instagram - here




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Wildheart Coffee - India (Dog and Hat Box)

 Our final coffee in the July Dog and Hat Box, and our final coffee in the second Dog and Hat week here on The Coffee Life, we have a very special exclusive coffee, only available via the box (which after having the first sip I was devastated I wasn't going to be able to have anymore of this coffee after the bag was done, but you'll have to keep reading to find out why! *quick spoiler, it's bloody delicious*


Who are Wildheart Coffee?

After starting roasting in Northern Ireland, at home, in a custom built roasting device for a rotisserie oven back in 2016... it's safe to say Sam has come a long way.

After a couple of aborted attempts to launch Wildheart, Sam finally took the plunge at the end of 2019 ready to launch in April of 2020, which obviously posed a number of challenges as the first national Covid lockdown came into effect.

Undeterred, the first bags of coffee rolled out of the roastery in May 2020 and the adventure continues. It's great to see that Wildheart is growing nicely and is already now a team of three.

As for coffee, Sam has a real eye for the more unusual side of things and you'll regularly see experimental processing and rare lots on the Wildheart menu.

Roaster used - Giesen






From the Ratnagiri farm near Babadudangiri in the Western Ghats region of Southern India. 

The estate is situated at the top of a mountain range in the Western Ghats region of India. The local Hindi name Ratnagiri translates to "Pearl Mountains" and references the dense silver oaks which tower over the estate and provide a natural shade canopy for coffee.

This estate has been in operation under the Patre family since 1920, being passed down from grandfather to father to son. While initially the son Ashok, continued with the traditional farming practises, he has since spent many years travelling to origin countries, visiting well-known farms and taking from the best of their practises and incorporating it into his operation at Pearl Mountain.

This Estate is particularly exciting for us because for all intents and purposes it is an organic/biodynamic farm. Rainforest Alliance Certification, the estate is a lush, shaded environment and is home to over 48 recorded bird populations, monkeys, leopards, wild boar, tigers, mongoose and on occasion elephants. The rich biodiversity demands that Ashok and his family have an approach to faming which places ecology and harmony with the environment at the forefront


SCA Score: 85

Process: Red Honey

Altitude: 1280-1417MASL

Varietal: Variety

Taste Notes: Raspberry Jam, Cinnamon



I've never had a honey processed Indian coffee before so I was super excited to give this exclusive a try, and boy I was not disappointed! 

This brew came out super sweet and syrupy, with really light floral acidity. 

As it cooled, the sweetness definitely became more jammy, which was an absolute delight to drink. 

I'm actually devastated that I couldn't buy more of this coffee, as I would've bought LOADS, but alas, onto the next amazing coffee. Wild Heart have lots of experimental coffees on their site, so I will definitely be purchasing some more very soon!



Find Wildheart Coffee

Website - here

Instagram - here




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Quarter Horse Coffee - Panama (Dog and Hat Box)

 The second coffee being highlighted in the July Dog and Hat Box is the lovely Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters (who have featured on this blog a few times! - click here to read those!)


Who are Quarter Horse Coffee?

Quarter Horse takes its name from the American horse good at running short distances and their rise through the speciality coffee scene has been just as quick as their namesake.

At Quarter Horse Coffee they source green beans through their international suppliers.

They select beans by quality and seasonality, then test-roast them all in small batches. Their team then evaluates them by flavour and they roast the favourites of these to use in their shops and for their wholesale customers.

They roast in house and within full view of their cafe (Can vouch that their shop is amazing, and anytime I pop to Birmingham, I always make a point to pop in for a delicious coffee!)

Roaster used: Giesen





From the Baru Indian High Estate in the Horqueta region of Panama.

Part of the world famous Hacienda Esmeralda estate in Panama, the Palmira farm is home of Palmyra Estate Coffee.

Palmira was the first parcel of land purchased by the Petersons in 1967, and over the years the holdings have grown to encompass a number of smaller farms.

With rich, volcanic soil, Finca Palmyra is located within the "Baru Indian High" Estate in the Horqueta region, Set at 1300-1500M Noberto Saurez produces this fantastic coffee using European preparation.

The estate's topography is very irregular, and provides not only spectacular views of the plantation itself but also breath-taking scenery from the Baru Volcano and the Central System. Due to the location, it also has a wide variety of flora and wildlife - such as white-neck monkeys, deer, rabbits and several birds native to the region. It has four natural wellsprings which make the soil very rich in organic matter and chemically well balanced. 


SCA Score: 86

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1400MASL

Varietal: Typica, Catuai, Caturra

Taste Notes: Caramel, Raisin, Picnic Bar




Let's Brew!

Brewer - V60

Recipe - 20g of Coffee to 300g of Water

30 second bloom with agitation

3 minute 30 total brew time



I've had so many delicious coffees from Quarter Horse that my expectations were quite high, and this one did not disappoint. The first taste of this coffee reminded me of biscuits (almost like biscuit brew tea!). As it cooled, a lot more chocolatey notes came through, with a hint of raisin undertones.

Now I've never had a Picnic Bar (don't come for me) however this did remind me of a breakaway bar (are those still a thing?!) with the whole biscuit and chocolate notes going hand in hand. Overall this coffee is absolutely delicious, it's been a while since I've had a coffee with chocolate notes, and especially one that's this good. 



Find Quarter Horse Coffee 

Website - here

Instagram - here




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Manhattan Coffee Roasters - Kenya (Dog and Hat Box)

 Welcome back to the official week of the Dog and Hat Box! 

This is the second "week of Dog and Hat" here on The Coffee Life - and we'll be highlighting July's delicious box! (it's a bit late, I know) 


The first roaster out of this box is Manhattan Coffee Roasters.


So, who are they?

Manhattan Coffee Roasters is based in the Dutch harbour city of Rotterdam. Run by long time coffee professionals and competitors Ben Morrow and Esther Maasdam.

The name Manhattan Coffee Roasters is inspired by the history of the harbour in Rotterdam. In particular the Holland America line that sailed from Rotterdam to New York. Rotterdam is situated next to the river Maas and being the only modern city with a gorgeous skyline in the Netherlands, it is locally named "Manhattan ann de Maas" 

At Manhattan Coffee Roasters they want to celebrate local history, but also be open about their International aspirations. 

"Join us on our adventure from Rotterdam to the world"

Roaster used - Probat






From smallholders at the Kianjege washing station in Kirinyaga County region of Kenya.

There are around 700,000 producers across Kenya, and they tend to work completely by hand, from picking to drying and processing to sorting. The rich red volcanic soils of the central region are known to produce some of the best coffees coming out of Kenya. Kianjege Coffee Factory is located in Central Province, Kirinyaga District in Kariti location of Ndia Division near Karatina town. It was established in 1987 and rests on a 7 acre piece of land serving Nyagathi, Nyangio and Kimathi Villages.

Coffee in Kenya is often thought of as SL's - 28 and 34 most commonly, but in the 1980's Ruiru was released as a crossing to counteract their weakness - Coffee Borer Disease, or CBD. It has a complex make up, owning parts to Catimor as the mother plant, and a multicross of selection amongst others K7 (a nod to the varietal input from India after the rust outbreak in Ceylon), SL28, N39 (a Tanzanian Bourbon selection from the 1920's) and Sudan Rume.


SCA Score: 86

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1495MASL

Varietal: Ruiru-11 and SL-28

Taste Notes: Blackberry, Redcurrant, Dr Pepper



Let's Brew!

Brewer - V60 

Recipe - 20g of Coffee to 300g of Water

30 Second Bloom, with slight agitation (40g of water)

3 Minute 15 Second Total Brew Time



My favourite coffee's are typically Kenya (just because they're generally super sweet and yummy!) and this one did not disappoint! - On first sip, I got really subtle berry notes, with lots of super sweet undertones running through it. 

As it cooled, I can definitely see where they were getting the Dr Pepper taste note from, I can never describe what flavour comes from Dr Pepper (because apparently it's 23 fruity flavours?! who knew?!) but it had a similar taste as it cooled more. 

I just love how fruity Kenyan's are!






Find Manhattan Coffee Roasters

Website - here

Instagram - here



Find Dog and Hat Box

Get your own box! (£4 off your first box!) - here

Website - here

Instagram - here


Check out all the other blog posts I've done on Dog and Hat boxes - here!




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Cupboard Coffee - Brazil

 It's been a long while since we've had the pleasure of featuring Cupboard Coffee here on The Coffee Life!

If you don't know James from Cupboard Coffee

a. Where have you been?

b. You need to know James from Cupboard Coffee, he is genuinely one of the loveliest people, shockingly I still haven't met him in person (um, James what's that about?!) but we communicate regularly and I would consider him a very close friend of mine. 



*because I have been chaotically busy, there is only one recipe in this blog post, however it will be updated with an espresso recipe within the next couple of days*



So Cupboard Coffee... Who are they?

Our mission at Cupboard, is to enable you to form a deeper and more meaningful connection with coffee. Our platform gives partner farmers space to tell their own stories, as well as share updates and photos from their fam. So, you get to see exactly where our coffee come from and meet the incredible people behind it. You can even have direct conversations with each farmer in the comments section. We're incredibly excited to be the first company to enable connection between customers and farmers in this way, and would love for you to join us on this journey!



"Discovering Cafe Mió was no coincidence, it was thanks to Ana's relentless pursuit in getting her family's coffee in-front of anyone and everyone in the industry that values transparency. 2020 saw Cafe Mió bring everything in-house, from growing to processing , exporting/importing and even the final sales. It's a lot of extra work, but Ana and her parents wanted to bring everything under one roof so they could provide absolute transparency of their supply chain, and give themselves a say in the future of their own coffee."


Cup Score - 85

Region - Minas Gerais, Brazil

Varietal - Yellow Catucai

Process - Red Honey 

Taste Notes - Caramel, Chocolate, Tangerine



Lets Brew

Brewer - V60 

Recipe - 16g of Coffee to 255g of Water
30 second bloom with agitation
3 Minute total brew time 




This coffee came through with its chocolatey notes straight away, as it cooled slightly you get more citrus acidity making it a super balanced cup. 
I haven't made a coffee that hits you with the good chocolate and citrus notes for a while, so this was a delicious change from all the fruity coffees recently. 



*This blog post will be updated shortly with an espresso recipe*
Brewer - Espresso



James is doing incredible things for the coffee industry right now, building the Cupboard app to change how we view transparency within coffee. This app will allow you to talk directly to farmers (ok, but how cool is that?!?!).
Transparency in coffee has always been a thing that I constantly look for especially when reviewing coffees, I love to know where exactly my coffee is coming from if I can find it. Having an accessible app will be a godsend for me. 
I recommend everyone with iPhone to download it (and everyone with an Android when that version comes out!)





Find Cupboard Coffee

Website - here
Instagram - here
Download the Cupboard app (Apple) - here






UE Coffee Roasters - Colombia

 After getting a taste for UE Coffee Roasters in the Dog and Hat box (read here) and reading up on one of their exclusive upcoming roasts, of course I had to get my hands on some. 





If you're new to UE Coffee Roasters

UE Coffee are an independently owned and family run business, who are forever curious and ready to transform the way coffee is served.

Established in 2009 by Dominic and Daniella Boyett, the mission was to offer great coffee whilst making it accessible to everyone. They have dedicated the last decade and more to learning, working hard and building more than just another coffee brand. They have learned that it takes a team with passion and determination in the pursuit of excellence to make a company great.

Experience is something they cherish and harness to be the best they can be, whether it is from the experience from their customers, in their own retail stores or through their wholesale partners. It takes time and considerable training to learn how to get the best from coffee, to understand the roasting process, the science and to be able to offer first-rate support to their customers.

A great deal of work is involved in sourcing speciality grade and experimental micro-lot coffees ensuring that they buy both ethically and sustainable from growers with direct longstanding trading relationships

"It is our responsibility to honour the hard work already invested in the coffee by roasting it to showcase its distinctive qualities. Roasting is one of the most delicate and critical parts of the process that leads to a great cup of coffee. We want to ensure that we focus on showcasing what makes a particular variety, origin or farm so thrilling"

Roaster used by EU Coffee: Giesen




"Every once in a while, a coffee comes along that is so unique and full of character that it reminds us of our first discovery of speciality coffee. The moment that you question if it really is coffee; how can it have this much sweetness, depth and flavour? This is that coffee"

Grown in the famous Huila department of Colombia by a pioneering producer named Luis Anibal, this microlot is his next in a series of exploratory and high-end coffees productions. It is also our next in the experimental microlot range whereby we source extraordinary coffees with distinct characteristics as a special treat for our valued followers. 

By carefully maintaining the harvested coffee at specific temperatures and in the absence of oxygen, Luis created an environment for fermentation to develop a higher concentration of lactic acid in the coffee. The chosen variety, Pink Bourbon, is naturally sweet and complex so when exposed to this style of processing the resulting coffee is remarkably creamy with great depth of body and guaranteed to pull you back for another cup.


Farm - Finca Villa Betulia 

Grower - Luis Anibal

Location - Huila, Acevedo, Colombia

Process - Honey Lactic Acid Fermentation

Altitude - 1500-1600MASL

Variety - Pink Bourbon

Taste - Marshmallow, Toffee, Vanilla Ice-Cream




Lets Brew


Brewer: V60


Recipe - 15g of Coffee

250g of Water

30 Second Bloom, with agitation

Total Brew Time of 2 Minute 30



Brewer: Espresso Machine


Recipe - 17g of Coffee / 35ml Out

28 seconds




V60 Brew

As a V60, this brew came out super bright. It came through really sweet, which almost dissolved in your mouth (much like marshmallows!) 

As it cooled, it became super smooth and creamy, with all the sweetness tasting like fudgy toffee (yum!)



Espresso Drink

I ended up making this into a flat white, and boy am I glad I did. 

The espresso itself came through super sweet and punchy, and with added milk, it became a deliciously smooth flat white, with next to no acidity. 







Find UE Coffee Roasters

Website - here

Instagram - here



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Two Chimps Coffee - Have Faith in the Fairies

Well, after a couple of stressful weeks of not having a laptop that worked properly, we are back!


This blog post is a little late, (much like the rest of the backlog of coffees I now have to catch up on!)  however this is the last coffee I received from Two Chimps Coffee.

If you missed the last two posts, you can find them here

Two Chimps - Oogles of Ongles - Rwanda

Two Chimps - There's a Chimp in my Kitchen - Honduras


To recap who Two Chimps are:


"Awesome coffee. No nonsense. Freshly roasted, ethically sourced coffee and coffee subscriptions tailored for you from a climate positive coffee company. 
What's more, with your first order, we will plant a tree"

Two Chimps are on a mission to fill the gap between pod machine coffee drinkers and speciality coffee drinkers by offering fresh, hand roasted, speciality coffee straight to your door. 
Two Chimps focus on hand roasted, ethically sourced, single origin coffees direct from their roastery in Rutland. Their coffees come from small farms and cooperatives from around the globe. This makes their coffee extra special because when a coffee runs out, it's gone for good. 
They pay between 30-150% more than the "going rate" for green coffee to make sure that farmers that lovingly grow and harvest such superior coffee are paid correctly for their work and effort. 




The Coffee

Have faith in the Fairies - Brazil 


Fazenda Zaroca has been in the Basilios family for over 100 years.
After a decline; in 2015 Gilberto and his brother set to turn the farm around. To start, they replanted areas with varietals such as Mundo Novo and Catuai. They now have over 16 different varietals across the site. To focus on speciality coffee, recently Gilberto has introduced static drying boxes too.
The coffees are picked and separated before drying for a day on patios. The coffees are then transferred into these aforementioned drying boxes. The boxes are a metre deep with the capacity for 15000 litres of coffee cherries. A vented grill at the bottom allows for the air to be circulated from below. They stay in these boxes for ten days before going to the local mill. This method of drying coffee helps develop the flavour profiles of the cherry.
Fazenda Zaroca and its workers have seen a massive improvement in their speciality coffees and have found themselves in the cup of excellence competition multiple times now too.
This coffee is an excellent example of their hard work.

Brazil - Fazenda Zaroca 
Process - Natural
Altitude - 1150MASL
Varietal - Topazio
Taste - Smooth and Creamy, like milk chocolate. Find toffee sweetness and soft cherry acidity in every cup. And vanilla as it cools



Lets Brew

Brewer - V60

Recipe - 15g of Coffee
250g of Water
30 Second Bloom with 30ml of Water
Agitation
Total Brew Time - 2 minute 45



This brew had really subtle chocolate notes when first sipped, with a slight raisin tone. As it started to cool down more, it became a sweet syrup-y brew with some stone fruit hints of acidity. The more it cooled the more chocolate-y the brew became. 
I am in love with the name of this coffee, I love anything fairies and magic so it was a winner from the get go. 



Where to find Two Chimps Coffee

Website - here

Instagram - here





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