The Set Up
Colour is an important part of how we experience the world and we are always trying to come up with ways to inspire you to try new coffees and pay more for quality. We enlisted the help of a fashion professional, Trend Forecaster Lauren Taylor, to represent with a colour palette and texture how a coffee tastes and makes you feel. Coffee is crazy like that. We took 15 coffees roasted by the wonderful Amy Gardiner of Humble Coffee, cupped them and chose our five favourites to bring you these pieces of art. We hope they bring you joy and inspire you to taste your coffee with flair this summer.
Shot on location at Humble Coffee, Durban, South Africa
Art Direction: Lauren Taylor
Coffee Roaster and Brewer: Amy Gardiner
Lighting: Richard Hamman
Coffees supplied by: Sevenoaks Trading (Guatemala, Ethiopia, Nicaragua), Specialty Coffee Exchange (Rwanda)
Origin: Colombia, Cauca
Producer: Yenny Esperanza, El Paraiso Villa Esperanza
Varietal: Castillo
Process: Washed - Thermal Shock
Aroma: Bergamot, floral, rose
Flavours: Fruit pastilles, soft and chewy gums, ripe passionfruit
Feeling: Playful, bright, joyful. This female producer was the outrageous stand out on the table, we’ll be dreaming of Yenny’s coffee for years to come. Utilising a very experimental and many staged processing method known as Thermal Shock, where beans are subjected to varying temperatures of water to achieve incredible results, the resulting cup of coffee was magical.
Origin: Ethiopia, Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Producer: Halo Beriti
Varietal: Heirloom
Processing: Washed
Aroma: Green Apples
Flavours: Stewed Blueberry jam, lemon acidity
Feeling: Pure and summery. A coffee you could drink all summer day long. Will shine as a cold brew with sweetness and acidity that sparkle across your tongue.
Origin: Rwanda, Bugoyi
Producer: Emmanuel Rusitira, BAHO Coffee
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Processing: Natural
Aroma: Raspberry
Flavour: Peaches, peach drinking yoghurt, white chocolate
Feeling: Creamy yet energetic. You can imagine drinking this with soft morning light flooding through your window.
Origin: Nicaragua, Matagalpa
Producer: Rajuanse Estate
Processing: Natural
Aroma: Vanilla and Cigar
Flavour: Fudge, 70% Dark Chocolate, honeycomb
Feeling: Comforting on a cold day, “should be drunk in a log cabin” (direct quote!) Perfect accompaniment to the milk/dairy alternative of your choice.
Origin: Guatemala, Acatenango
Producer: Finca la Hermosa
Varietal: Pacamara
Processing: Natural
Aroma: Toffee, Fresh cut wood
Main Flavour: Caramelised nectarine, caramel
Feeling: Velvety and bold. An unusually fruity Guatemalan, we were highly impressed by the body and nectarine sweetness of this delicious coffee.
Originally published in Issue 34 of The Coffee Magazine, read the full issue here.
