Today's coffee, Atsabe, is a juicy single origin from Timor-Leste roasted by Halvo.
The Roaster:
Halvo Born in 2021, Halvo are "on a mission to make our industry more environmentally friendly to our planet, whilst also bringing delicious and amazing coffee to like-minded people." During the unprecedented times of 2020, they found ourself drinking a lot more coffee at home than usual, and started to notice the amount of plastic bags, non recyclable packaging, and lack of environmental support in the coffee industry. Thinking there must be a better way, they founded Halvo and set out to make coffee more sustainable for everyone. Halvo are proud to have any sustainability initiatives in place including: Donating a minimum of 1% of sales to 1% for The Planet; Using plastic-free packaging for their 250g retail bags and packaging; Planting 1 tree for every 250g retail bag, or 2 trees for every 1kg bag sold; Donating 20p for every kilogram of green coffee they buy to World Coffee Research; Donating 15p for every kilogram of roasted coffee sold to Project Waterfall; Actively reducing their carbon emissions and where they can't, they offset these, becoming carbon neutral. We love this!
Coffee Name:
Atsabe
Origin:
Atsabe, Ermera, Timor-Leste
Altitude:
1400 - 1600 MASL
Process:
Natural
Tasting notes:
Papaya, Caramel, Bergamot
Roaster's note:
Firstly, all the producers we work with in this area in Timor-Leste are informed of best picking practices, with the intention of only ripe cherry being picked and sold for processing. This cherry is first floated in water, to separate the fruit by density. The higher the density, the higher the quality of the coffee. This leaves the low density, less mature cherries to float to the surface, which are easily removed from the water. Though not used for export, these cherries are processed separately, and sold to the local market. The station staff then meticulously hand-sort the freshly picked and well-sorted cherry, removing all damaged or underripe fruit by eye. The cherry is then transported to raised beds, where they are dried in high sun for one month. The staff turn the lots regularly to ensure even airflow and sun contact. When the cherries have reached a drying level of around 14%, the coffee is then transported to lower altitudes with higher temperatures, to complete the drying phase. Once the drying is complete the cherry is separated from the parchment, and the coffee is prepared for export at the Railaco dry mill. The remaining cherry was not discarded, rather, it was saved for redistribution as fertiliser to the farmers who grew the harvests. Roasted lightly and enjoyed best when brewed as a filter, expect the sweetness of papaya, caramel undertones, bergamot acidity and refreshing florals of lavender.
Brewing Tips:
When enjoying Atsabe with milk, expect a rich caramel warmth, bold and brisk tropical fruits and an orange zest end note.
