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
