The Coffee Life

 The last coffee to feature from the September Dog and Hat box is from River City, and again another company I have not tried! 

So who are River City Coffee

"We created hand roasted, amazing fresh coffee for all without the smoke and mirrors (and high prices!) we seemed to find everywhere in the coffee industry.

After a year we moved into our first industrial premises and set about creating our own micro-roasters based around our 5kg production roaster (nicknamed Harold) in 2017.

Fast forward to today, and another huge upgrade project later, and we are operating from our purpose built commercial capacity Roastery in the heart of Hull with our own on site barista training facility. Harold is still with us but takes a well earned rest for the most part after we upgraded to a new 15kg double walled drum roaster (Bertha, Bertie for short) in summer 2019.

We are still passionate artisan coffee roasters through and through."

RoasterBesca BSC-15 (named Bertie) 

The Coffee

From smallholders from the Rwenzori Mountains region of Uganda.

These direct trade beans from the slopes of the Rwenzori mountains in Uganda find their way to our Roastery through the careful stewardship of Martin from the Rwenzori Coffee Company

Older heritage varietals of coffees are grown on often remote areas of the mountainous landscape by small farming cooperatives. Martin has been working hard with the farmers to develop more sustainable commercial coffee farming and driven the investment in better growing practices, harvesting protocols and processing methods to produce one of the best coffees we've ever tasted.

The wild, high altitude growing climate and natural processing method the beans is evident in the fruit explosion they offer in the cup. Roasting this bean to a 'fast and light' profile produces a crisp strawberry acidity moving through a creamy body to a sweet caramel finish. 

The Beans

Uganda Rwenzori Mountains

Process: Natural 

Altitude: 1600-1800MASL

Varietal: Nyasaland, Bugisu, SL28, SL34

Taste: Strawberry Ice Cream, Caramel

SCA Score: 86

Let's Brew!

Brewer: V60

Recipe: 15g/225g

3 Minute Total Brew Time

Ratio 1:15

This coffee came through super smooth and creamy, with some hints of caramel immediately, as it cooled down I got more cherry acidity from the cup. The rush of flavours being berries and it became super fruity as it was cooled completely.

I tried a few different brew recipes with this one as my first recipe I felt didn't brew it to its full potential, but after taste testing a few, I think I finally got it right, delicious all round. 

Find River City Coffee

Website - here

Instagram - here

Buy the Coffee! - here

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 Continuing the September Dog and Hat box, we have Brew Coffee Plus, who I'd never heard of before, but again that is the fantastic thing about subscription boxes, you get to find and try lots of new exciting roasters!

So who are Brew Coffee Plus? 

"Brew Coffee Plus opened in April 2019, with Enea's vision and mission to roast the best quality coffee possible with full flavours and a focus on transparency and ethics.

With  every cup you drink, you are actively supporting local communities, small farmers growing coffee instead of narcotics (Myanmar with its history in Opium and Colombia with its association of Coco plants) and in the case of our Organic range, the environment as well.

We have three main areas of focus - Origin interlinked with premium quality, education and support and collaboration.

Our three key values are - Transparency, Integrity and Community"

Roaster - Diedrich IR-12

The Coffee

From Don Mauricio Rosales's Finca Bremen farm in the Baja Verapaz region of Guatemala.

The coffee farm Finca Bremen was founded almost 130 years ago and is now in the third generation of the family, for whom the sustainable cultivation of coffee and in particular the organic quality is essential.

Ever since, Finca Bremen has contributed to the economical development of its local surroundings, generating job sources that help more than 350 families.

Their purpose is to generate a sustainable change in the form of production of Specialty Coffees in the region of Baja Verapaz, Guatemala, improve the quality of life to the more Han 350 head of households, run an educational program for the children of these families, provide medical campaigns and constant training regarding new coffee growing methods. 

The Beans

Guatemala Finca Bremen

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1100MASL

Varietal: Caturra, Catuai 

Taste: Red Apple, Vanilla, Biscuit

Let's Brew! 

Brewer: V60 

Recipe: 15g/225g

3 Minute Total Brew Time 

Ratio: 1:15

This coffee came through with some super sweet acidity, super smooth and balanced in flavours. The creaminess of the cup reminded me slightly of oats, but in a good way. As it cooled, the cup became more syrupy sweet, with a sweet apple acidity, which was absolutely delicious

Find Brew Coffee Plus

Website - here

Instagram - here

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 As were slowly catching up on Dog and Hat, we are skipping ahead to the November box! (Don't worry I'll be back with the rest of the October box back in a few days!)

This box included 3 great roasters, and the first up is Crankhouse Coffee!

This is the second feature of Crankhouse via Dog and Hat - you can read the first feature here!

If you've never heard of Crankhouse Coffee, I'll start by introducing them:

"Crankhouse Coffee are an artisan micro-roaster focusing on purchasing amazing coffees from around the world. Our coffees are selected from specialty importers who support and care about the farmers and cooperatives through ethical and sustainable practises.

As a roaster, my job is to develop the potential that exists in the green coffee as the farmer intended, coaxing out the natural flavours determined by the terroir and then the processing techniques adopted. My tools are a lovely Italian 1995 Petroncini TT7.5, my senses and a little science. 

Crankhouse Coffee was launched in 2014 and is based in Exeter in the South West of England"

Roaster - Petroncini 

The Coffee

From smallholders around Santo Domingo Teojomulco in the Oaxaca region of Mexico.

This fully washed lot is made up of a whole range of smallholder famers. Unlike in many other Central American countries, Mexico is full of very small coffee producers - some producing as little as 5-10kg per year. The limited quantities do not mean quality is low, often quite the opposite is true.

What makes Oaxaca an especially unique area of Mexico for coffee is that the internal market is also very willing to buy Oaxacan coffees. So the importer, Osito and their partners on the ground in Mexico have had to work hard and compete to be able to source these tiny lots, then spend considerable time and effort to put together the lots of similar screen size, moisture and water activity. For all the time and effort it takes to secure these lots, it is always worth the pay off - these coffees are exciting and showcase a side of Mexican coffee often unexplored and under appreciated. 

The Beans

Mexico Santo Domingo

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1300-1500MASL

Varietal: Typica, Bourbon, Mundo Novo

Taste Notes: Green grape, macadamia, milk chocolate

Lets Brew!

Brewer: V60

Recipe: 15g/225g

Ratio: 1:15

This coffee came through with some sweet biscuit notes, and a hint of chocolate in the aftertaste, as it cooled down you definitely get hit with a delightful grape acidity, and a smooth sweetness with a hint of melon. I got some really biscuitty notes from this coffee, which is ironic seeing as the taste notes are completely different - but that is one thing I love about coffee tasting, you can taste something completely different to what the taste notes get you to expect. 

When it was completely cooled (lets be honest, who gets to drink an entire hot coffee now adays?!) it gave me proper digestive biscuit vibes, with a subtle sweet syrup taste. I haven't tasted a lot of Mexican coffees, but after this one I think I'll definitely be researching into more! 

Find Crankhouse Coffee

Website - here

Instagram - here

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 It's the last bag in the Birthday celebration box from Dog and Hat!

The last bag in this box is an exciting one, they have been on my to try list since Dog and Hat last had them in their box. 

Yellow bags just hook me in.

Who are Rabbit Hole Roasters?

"We know very little about coffee, and we are okay with that. 

That's one of the reasons we called this company Rabbit Hole. It's because we want to dive infinitely deep in all thing’s coffee, from sustainability to tasting notes, from equality across the chain to brew ratios, etc.

We can all be interested in coffee for different reasons and that’s ok.

But what we know, we are willing to share. We are trying to create a company where there is no gatekeeping, where all drinkers are welcomed and where any questions can be asked.

The truth is we are too small to go to the farm yet and too new to pretend to be the best. We are figuring it out as we go and we do our best to share our journey with you as openly as possible.

Our goal is to build an honest business and dear we say, different.

We want the general public to be more curious while also satisfying the coffee geeks."

Roaster: Loring S15

The Coffee

From Ms Nanu's farm near Kaku in the Yunnan Province area of the Menglian region of China.

Kaku is in a Wa region bordering Myanmar. Traditionally, the Wa people lived mid mountain, with the Dai living on the plain level and the Lahu higher up.

The name Kaku is the new name we will use since the farmers decided it was what represented the coffee best. Kaku is a reference to the Lahu people who pick this coffee.

In 1998, a severe frost killed 90% of the cherries, making lots of farmers abandon coffee production altogether. Ms Nanu persevered and now offers what might well be the cleanest and tastiest washed coffees in all of Yunnan.

The Wa people have a close relationship to the land, and they are always looking for new processing techniques with what is available to them. 

The Beans

Processing: Washed

Altitude: 1400MASL

Varietal: Catimor

Cup Score: 85

Tasting Notes: Cherry, Almond and Vanilla

Brewer: V60

Recipe: 15g of Coffee, 240g of Water, total brew time 3 Minutes

Tasting: This coffee hit me with an incredible stone fruit acidity, with some definite nutty after tones. As it cooled, the nut flavour was more distinctive, like sugared almonds, and the whole cup became a sweeter brew, with vanilla tones with a lovely chocolate finish. This was a super lovely Chinese coffee - and I'm glad I've frozen a few brews worth of beans for a later use.

Find Rabbit Hole Roasters

Website - here

Instagram - here

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Phew its been a little while since we finished off the last Dog and Hat box, like I always say, better late than never! 

My favourite thing about the Dog and Hat box will always be discovering new roasters that I typically wouldn't discover on my own (top perk of having a subscription coffee box!)

Who are Gold Box Roastery?

The simple philosophy at the centre of our business is less swagger, more substance; Our coffee speaks for itself.

It's the creativity, warmth and mastery of the farmers we meet along the way that inspires our approach to speciality coffee. They're the real heroes of our trade. From Ecuador to Bolivia: Kenya to Ethiopia, each new origin we visit teaches us something new. Reinvigorating our passion to create coffees as unforgettable as the locations they originate from.

It's not simply the country of origin that factors unto the flavour of your coffee. Everything from the altitude it's grown at, to the soil and the techniques used to farm it can distinctly change the flavour. We only select ripe beans from altitudes where they grow at their finest to bring you incredible coffees with chocolate to fruity notes, and everything in between. 

Roasting coffee is an art form. That's why we use watercolour paintings to represent the complex flavour profiles of each new specialty roast. 

Roaster - Probat P25

From the Pegasing washing station in the North Sumatra region of Indonesia. 

This washing station and farm belonging to Hendra and his family is an island of specialty experimental processed coffee in a sea of conventional wet hulled coffee the area is typically known for.

Hendra and the family have invested heavily in the farm and post harvesting facilities where they have built a small wet will with two pulpers, gravitational washing channels and several raised beds in large poly tunnels for drying coffee.

Hendra has continued to experiment and now has around 8-10 different processes that he produces. The small washing station will produce up to 40 tons of green coffee every year. The coffee is purchased from 70 farmers around the area who want to work with Hendra and pick ripe cherries as he has incentivised them to do this by rewarding good picking. If any farmers have travelled further to get to Hendra's farm then they are paid extra for this as well.

Process - Anaerobic Natural

Altitude - 1300-1500MASL

Varietal - Typica

Taste Notes - Tropical Fruit and Spice 

Let's Brew! 

Brewer: V60 

Recipe: 15g / 225g 

Total Brew Time: 2 Minutes 3 Seconds

Ratio: 1:15

Taste: This coffee was unlike any other Indonesian coffee I've had (in the best way!). The initial taste was a wave of dark brown sugar tartness. When the cup had cooled slightly, I got notes of fruit that is super rare to find in coffee (my favourite kind of coffees!) super sweet honeydew melon, with sweet pineapple notes to accompany. It was super tropical in flavour which is an absolute delight (and haven't had a coffee like this since Bailies released Stephens World Brewer Cup roast!) it was a pure delight to have an absolutely delicious coffee and it's safe to say that this bag of coffee went down very quickly!!

Find Gold Box Roastery

Website - here

Instagram - here

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 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. 

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

 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

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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 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

Brewer - V60

Recipe - 20g of Coffee to 300g of Water

30 second bloom with agitation

3 minute 30 total brew time

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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 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

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

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

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

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