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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