Coffee of
the month

Burni Grade 1 comes from family farms in the neighboring villages of Curah Tatal and Kayumas in eastern Java, a short distance from the Ijen volcanic complex and Raung, Indonesia’s most active volcano. The farms here are very small—averaging half to two hectares per farm—so most of the harvest is done by hand, and individual growers do not have their own processing machinery. That is precisely why they have joined together to form the Koperasi Surya Abada Kayumas cooperative, which coordinates both harvesting and processing, thereby keeping a significant portion of the added value right in the local community. The cooperative also provides technical support to its members: with planting, sharing know-how, establishing infrastructure, and promoting biodiversity. Of the roughly 180 members, about 60 are women, and Chairwoman Siti continues to work toward increasing their representation.

The volcanic soil around Ijen is loose, retains water well, and is rich in minerals and trace elements—the foundation for a full-bodied flavor. Coffee trees grow here in the shade of mature trees, which protects the cherries from direct sunlight while maintaining humidity and the diversity of the ecosystem; growers also cultivate cloves, jackfruit, and avocados among the coffee plants. But the most interesting aspect is the processing: in Java, where the mountains are typically too humid for natural processing, this coffee is unusually dry-processed—the cherries dry with the pulp still attached to the bean. The result is a different profile than that of the classic wet-hulled Mandheling. NANO KAFFEE, a roastery in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood, has drawn out a fruity note of cantaloupe melon wrapped in the more typical Javanese tones of caramel and chocolate, with a finish reminiscent of a soft red wine.

Cauca is one of those regions where coffee is not just a crop, but a part of the local identity. Since 1992, the Fondo Paez cooperative has been bringing together small-scale growers from mountainous areas and placing great emphasis on quality control—as part of the Roasters United initiative, four of its inspectors received training and Q-Grader certification. In addition to coffee, the cooperative strives to revive the traditional agricultural knowledge and culture of the indigenous people, for whom coffee farming remains the primary livelihood.

In the cup, it’s all about the fruit. This organically certified washed coffee highlights a distinct orange note and a pleasant, enveloping sweetness that holds the entire profile together. It’s a clean, approachable Colombian coffee with an SCA score of 86—whether you brew it as a pour-over or an espresso.

Cordillera comes from the Planadas and Gaitanía regions in southern Tolima, from plots located within the Nevado del Huila National Park in the central range of the Colombian Andes. The coffee grows high in the mountains on fertile volcanic soil, in the shade of mature trees and in mixed cropping with corn and beans—all of which makes the plants healthier and provides farmers with an additional source of income. Behind this coffee is the ASCI’SP cooperative, which belongs to the NASA WE’SX indigenous community and today brings together 79 members from seven villages within a single resguarda (an autonomous reservation with collectively owned land). It was founded at the initiative of several farmers who realized that together they could better defend their rights and market position. In the context of southern Tolima, coffee also has a meaning that goes beyond a single cup: in a region scarred by armed conflict, it has become a symbol of peace and a way to break free from an economy built on violence and exploitation.

The processing here is the proverbial icing on the cake. The ripest cherries are harvested by hand—the plots are too steep and overgrown to be cultivated by machines—and then undergo 24 hours of anaerobic fermentation, which deepens the complexity and aromatic structure before the final drying process. Nano then roasts the beans to an espresso profile, highlighting a full body with notes of red wine, lively acidity, and the sweetness of strawberries, complemented by the more characteristic note of cocoa nibs. The journey to Europe is a story in itself: the Cordillera crossed the Atlantic on a two-masted sailboat, a voyage that takes about three weeks and is by far the most environmentally friendly mode of transport —taking the ship’s entire lifespan into account, it produces four times fewer emissions than a conventional cargo ship, is unaffected by oil prices, and causes no disruption to marine biodiversity. It also makes a delicious, fruity-sweet filter coffee.

Replica Roasters is one of those roasters that doesn’t view decaf coffee as a necessary evil, but as a discipline in its own right—from the very beginning, they’ve been actively seeking out exceptional decaf lots, and Divino Niño is exactly the kind of find that makes it all worthwhile. Behind this coffee are small-scale growers from the Suaza area in Colombia’s Huila* department, whose smaller harvests are combined into a single community lot. It is precisely the combination of micro-harvests from neighboring farmers that gives these small-scale producers the chance to reach the market at a better price and under their own name.

Decaffeination is carried out using the Ethyl Acetate method, often referred to as “natural” decaf—EA is, in fact, a naturally occurring compound, a common byproduct of fruit fermentation that can also be found in ripe bananas or beer. The principle is relatively simple: the beans are moistened with water, and EA is circulated through them; the EA binds to the caffeine and carries it away, while most of the flavor compounds remain intact. Once the desired caffeine level is reached, the remaining EA is removed from the beans through steaming. The result is a clean, balanced cup with high sweetness, where cherry and chocolate notes blend together.

This washed micro-lot comes from the Eva Gotiti washing station and is a textbook example of what Gedeb in Ethiopia’s Yirgacheffe region is capable of. You’ll find plenty of floral notes, lively citrus acidity, and hints of black tea—exactly the profile that keeps us coming back to coffees from this region. The resulting clarity is due to careful washing and the 74110 and 74112 varieties, two classic Ethiopian selections bred for both resilience and flavor quality.

The Eva Gotiti Wet Coffee Processing Station is a relatively new operation by Ethiopian standards—it was established as recently as 2022 on a two-hectare plot in southern Ethiopia. It has been growing steadily since its inception and plans to expand further: it is preparing to drill for groundwater, install artificial dryers, expand the facility, and build solar drying tunnels. At the same time, the station does not neglect the surrounding community or the environment. It distributes coffee seedlings to local growers, provides financial support to disadvantaged farmers, and pays bonuses based on the amount of coffee delivered. It is precisely these efforts that strengthen the relationship between the farmers and the processing plant—and ultimately contribute to the quality of the beans.

Behind this cup is the Manos Campesinas cooperative, which has been in operation since 1997 and today brings together fifteen cooperatives and roughly 1,300 growers. The vast majority of them—about 95%—are indigenous people with their own Mayan languages and distinct culture. These specific beans come from a smaller group called ADEBIPROM, whose members live at the foot of Tajumulco, Central America’s highest mountain and an inactive volcano standing 4,220 meters tall. The purchase is part of the Roasters United initiative, which has been sourcing certified organic coffee from this region since its first import in 2019.

In the cup, it’s a clean and pleasant coffee, with medium acidity and a moderately light body. In the filtered version, hibiscus, orange, and honey come to the forefront. Those who enjoy it as an espresso will also find a generous dose of gingerbread and roasted almonds, with lower acidity. The beans are certified organic and scored 85 points in the SCA rating.