An intense, strong and full-bodied coffee from Laos, offering a good acidity, notes of chocolate, sweet fruit and nut, and a lovely burnt caramel aftertaste.
Coffees in Laos are generally grown at high elevations, at least 1,200 meters above sea level. This altitude allows for a slower growth of the coffee plants, so that the coffee cherries develop a more complex flavour as they slowly mature.
Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, contains several coffee-growing regions, generally located in the northern provinces, where the elevation and cool climate provide ideal conditions for coffee growing. The coffee industry in Laos, while relatively small, is known for producing high-quality Arabica coffees.
Our Vietnam Arabica is a smooth and mellow cup, that is slightly fruity with woody and caramel notes. This medium strength coffee has a low acidity and medium body. A dark roast, suitable for use in bean-to-cup, cafetiere, filter and espresso brewing methods.
Coffee is thought to have been first introduced to Vietnam by the French in 1857, and today the country is the second highest coffee producing country in the world after Brazil. Most of the coffee produced in Vietnam is of the Robusta variety, and just a small percentage of Arabica is grown. These sought-after beans are cultivated mainly the north of the province in highland elevations, where the rich, red, volcanic soil and suitable climate produce coffee cherries that develop slowly, resulting in optimum flavours and aroma.
From north Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, comes one of the truly exotic coffees of the world - Yemeni Mattari, the famed Mocha coffee which has been acclaimed for generations for its distinctive chocolate aftertaste. Yemen produces some of the best coffee in the world, despite very difficult conditions, and it has been doing so for hundreds of years. Only 3% of Yemen's land is considered arable, and just under a quarter of that is dedicated to coffee production. As a cash crop, coffee is second only to qat, a popular mild stimulant whose leaves are chewed. Yemeni coffee is produced on approximately 99,000 small family holdings, which means the average plot of coffee is grown on just under three fourths of an acre. That acreage is often very steep, as most coffee is grown in the mountains on terraces carved out of the precipitous hillsides. Yields of Yemen coffee beans are low in comparison to other Asian coffee. The small size of the farms, scarcity of water, and poor cultivation techniques hamper production. Many of the coffee farms are cultivated by tenant farmers, and there is little motivation for investment in terracing, water conservation, and other improvements. Despite these obstacles, Yemen continues to produce outstanding coffee. Coffee from Yemen has been prized for centuries. It was once one of the top producers in the world, and its Mocha coffee, exported from the old Yemeni port of Mocha, is the original Mocha in Mocha Java, which originated when traders blended Middle Eastern coffee with the Dutch coffee from Southeast Asia. Yemeni coffee is scarce in contrast with other coffee producing nations; Yemen consumes almost three quarters of its production at home, and 55% of what it does export goes to its wealthy neighbour to the north, Saudi Arabia. We are pleased to be able to offer you a taste of this rare coffee from Yemen. Our Yemen Mattari has a superb flavour. It starts with a hint of dark chocolate in the aroma, which shows up again in the taste. The coffee is rich with medium acidity and just the right brightness, but there is something that tastes almost green or herbal that adds, perhaps, a taste of the steep mountain terraces it is grown on.
Grown in the foothills of the Himalayas, this coffee reveals superb chocolate and vanilla flavours with a hint of nuttiness. Nepal, a relatively new country to the coffee industry, now has more than 700 hectares of coffee plantations set on large tracts of hilly regions that are ideal for coffee cultivation. In terms of strength and acidity levels, you might also like to consider Australian Coffee
This very rare coffee, sourced from Sumatra, is among the most sought-after and exclusive coffees in the world. The coffee cherries are eaten by the Asian palm civet, a small member of the Viverridae family, and are then digested, fermented and excreted, before being collected and sorted by the knowledgeable native farmers and sold on as Kopi Luwak. This process creates shorter peptides in the beans and frees amino acids, improving the flavour profile of the bean, but there is another reason why this process is loved by so many: the palm civet ostensibly selects only the finest cherries to eat, meaning the best beans are collected by the farmers. The process, which takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian archipelago, creates a strong, intense coffee, but with delicate flavours and very little aftertaste, making it ideal for both filter drinks and espressos. We are fundamentally opposed to captive civet cats being used in the production of Kopi Luwak. Our Kopi Luwak is imported only from natural, non-farmed sources. See our full range of Asian coffee.
Ideal for espresso, our strong Old Brown Java beans are aged as green beans for at least two years before being roasted, giving the coffee a heavier body and a powerful flavour, but very little acidity. The process of ageing beans is popular among many Javanese coffee producers and can last for as long as three years, during which green beans may be 'monsooned' by being exposed to the warm, moist air of the rainy seasons. As the green beans age they often begin to turn to a light brown colour, and the longer they are aged the more flavour they gain.
Coffee in Papua New Guinea is mostly cultivated in the country's five highlands provinces; Western Highlands, Eastern Highlands, Simbu, Morobe and East Sepik. As a relatively small producer of coffee, Papua New Guinea generally sources its harvested beans from small land holdings, or 'coffee gardens', owned by farmers, which are located largely in isolated areas that do not require synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. Our Papua New Guinea coffee has a distinctive chocolate and nut flavour, with a pungent and fruity finish of mango and papaya, and is made from beans that have been hand picked and sun-dried to ensure that these full flavours are locked in.
Our Myanmar coffee offers a round body with bright acidity. Tastes include hints of caramel, lemon and tangerine in this wonderfully different coffee. Working closely with Ywar Ngan’s Danu Hill Tribe high in the Southern Shan State, Shwe Ywar Ngan Coffee produces some Myanmar’s finest Arabica coffee. The area’s fertile red and yellow soil coupled with ideal elevation and consistent rainfall help make Ywar Ngan a particularly accommodating environment for growing coffee. The Danu Hill Tribe are long-time residents of the Ywar Ngan township. Hundreds of farmers work on small plots between one and five acres each, tending to the same land that their ancestors did before them. Since pesticides are forbidden in this township, its residents produce in an organic style (although not yet formally organic certified). Shwe Ywar Nga Coffee works closely with each farmer to ensure that their farming practices meet global specialty coffee standards via training and assistance when required. Free of pesticides and chemicals, Shwe Ywar Ngan Coffee is grown under a variety of fruit and perennial shade trees. Cherries are hand-picked. Most are fully washed at the township’s newly-created central processing facility, while others are processed naturally on raised African drying beds or blanketed in sweet mucilage then sun-soaked in a honey style.
In terms of strength and acidity levels, you might also like to consider Australian Coffee
Monsoon Malabar, a wonderful variety from our Asian coffee range, is picked in the Malabar region of India, one of the wettest regions of southern India, undergoes an especially unique process to bring out the beans' fullest flavours. Straight after being harvested the Malabar beans are transported to open warehouses along the Malabar Coast, where they will be exposed to the harsh, moist winds of the area's monsoons for around three to four months. While they are stored in these open warehouses, the beans retain moisture from the monsoons and swell in size, losing much of their acidity in the process, resulting in a heavy bodied coffee that displays a wonderfully mellow flavour, with aromas of chocolate and spice. This strong coffee, unique to the coastal regions of Karnataka and Kerala, makes an excellent espresso when dark roasted, but also blends incredibly well with other varieties.
This strong Indonesian coffee comes from Sumatra, the second largest of the Indonesian islands, and is considered among the finest examples from the region. Indonesia itself is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, and the longitude and latitude of the country make for particularly well suited micro-climates in producing a diverse, flavoursome variety of beans. In fact, depending on the region, Indonesian coffees are known to be imbued with flavours of cocoa, smoke, cedar wood, earth and tobacco, and there are varieties of both arabica and robusta beans produced in great quantities. Our Blue Sumatra is smooth and aromatic, with a well balanced spiciness that is typical of Sumatran coffees, while a full body and a little acidity provides a delightful hint of intensity, making this a pleasure to drink from a cafetiere, filter, or as an espresso. Check out our full range of Asian coffee. Based on the characteristics of this variety, you might like to try guatemala elephant coffee beans.
The city of Mysore, located at the base of the Chamundi Hills in India, was first introduced to the world of coffee by the revered 17th century scholar, Baba Budan, who upon return from a pilgrimage to Mecca brought with him seven seeds from the port of Mocha, in Yemen, before planting them in Mysore's temperate mountains. The seeds flourished, and we have Baba Budan to thank today for the smooth and mild Mysore coffee. The sweet and delicate flavours of Mysore combine wonderfully with a medium acidity, which allows this bean, perhaps unsurprisingly, to blend perfectly with mocha coffee. The full-bodied Mysore is just the thing for a spot of indulgence at any time of the day, and all it takes is a few minutes in the cafetiere to be enjoying a wonderful, all-round great tasting brew.
