Huye Mountain
Huye District, Rwanda
Process: Washed
Variety: Red Bourbon
Growing Altitude: 1700-2200masl
Tasting Notes:
Milk Chocolate,
Raisin,
Winter Spice
Sent to all subscribers
Dec 2022
Huye District, Rwanda
Process: Washed
Variety: Red Bourbon
Growing Altitude: 1700-2200masl
Tasting Notes:
Milk Chocolate,
Raisin,
Winter Spice
Sent to all subscribers
Usulutan, El Salvador
Process: Anaerobic Black Honey
Variety: SL28
Growing Altitude: 1600masl
Tasting Notes:
Raspberry,
Chocolate,
Rich Sweetness
Sent to Brewer Box and Cafe Box subscribers
Intibuca, Honduras
Process: Washed
Variety: Lempira
Growing Altitude: 1820masl
Tasting Notes:
Red Grapes,
Cacao Nib,
Luscious
Sent only to Cafe Box subscribers
Bait Alal, Yemen
Process: 4-Step Alchemy Process
Variety: Yemenia
Growing Altitude: 2300masl
Tasting Notes:
Mango,
Rooibos Tea,
Exotic
Sent only to Cafe Box subscribers
Happy holidays everyone! Caleb here. I’m writing this month’s dispatch from Yonder’s brand new cafe in Durham, NC. We opened about 10 days ago now; it’s been a ton of fun meeting the neighborhood and getting into a groove—and it’s also been exhausting. I’m very much looking forward to a few days off for Christmas. It’s exciting to finally have a space to share Yonder with everyone, and our subscribers always get a discount in shop—so if you’re ever in the area, please let me know.
If this is your first experience with The Barn, you’re in for a treat. Ralf and his team are some of the best in the biz. They opened The Barn in Berlin in 2010 with the goal of exploring the horizons of the coffee industry. According to Ralf, “Our vision has been very clear from the start: We focus on making our coffees better and better. No compromise—just great coffee.” Their coffee has been good from the start, but they’ve never stopped trying to improve, and they’ve been recognized a few times as the world’s best roaster. I think this month’s coffees reflect that.
Everyone is getting The Barn’s Julkaffe (Christmas Coffee) from Huye Mountain in Rwanda. It’s a gorgeous coffee with lovely notes of chocolate, raisin, holiday spices and just a hint of citrusy brightness. I love it and could drink it all day. If you’re with family, I think it’s a crowd-pleaser even for non-coffee people. Los Pirineos is a wild one—a traditionally Kenyan varietal grown in El Salvador—with exciting results. The cup is bright and bursting with berry sweetness and lovely acidity. Los Chorros is a beautiful example of what Honduran coffee can be. I’m excited to share it in our shop—red grapes and chocolate is gonna be a great way brighten up some cold days in the next few weeks.
But most exciting is The Barn’s Masterpiece, Yemen Alchemy. Yemen was the coffee world’s beating heart for centuries before it began to be cultivated worldwide, and farmers today are continuing to innovate. Alchemy is a 4 step processing method developed by the producers in Bait Alal. Read more about it below. Enjoy! I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
A note about the Yemen Alchemy:
It is tricky to describe a cup profile that keeps changing as it cools down. When hot, the front palate is full of blackcurrant jam and sweet spices. In the cooling, the ripe mango kicks in accompanied by notes of forest fruits, caramel, roiboos and cardamom. Floral notes comes through in the finish, which is long and sweet. Acids are refined to hold the cup together. One word describes the whole cup: Exotic. Qima's Alchemy Series represents the next generation of coffee processing innovation. It seeks to add sensorial value to coffees whilst maintaining the intrinsic flavours that represent the terroir of the coffee. The 4 steps are:
