We were going to stop naming our coffees after booze but then this Brazil came along with a profile matching its alcoholic cousin far too closely to ignore. Packed with big chocolate sweetness, backed up by subtle green apple acidity and finishing on a heavy, lusciously lingering cacao note, this coffee has quickly become a reliable friend of ours.
Everything you could ever want for a familiar, everyday brew.
We taste
Black: Green apple, sherry, dark chocolate
Milk: Honeycomb, calvados, milk chocolate
Our first Nicaraguan of the season and we knew this was destined for our Familiar programme from the first slurp - if coffee could give you a comforting cuddle, this would be the one holding you close.
Reliably delicious and easy-going with the silkiest texture we've come across; the perfect antidote to being trapped by bed.
We taste
Black: Caramel, shortbread, lime
Milk: Milk chocolate, biscuit, citrus
Decaf doesn't have to be a choice between decent sleep and a tasty brew as clearly evidenced by this divine example. Sugarcane decaffeination imparts a golden syrup profile over this classically citric washed Colombian that's so good you'd swear you'll be up all night.
No compromise decaf? I'll take three!
We taste
Black: Golden syrup, toasted nuts, lemonade
Milk: Milk chocolate, honey, lemon
Easily one of our favourite brews of the year, this red berry co-fermented Colombian is a big, black forest gateaux slap in the face bursting with sweet acidity. Expect notes of kirsch, dark chocolate and caramel delivered by a hefty texture making for a true dessert of a coffee.
We taste
Black: Black forest gateaux, grape, lime
Milk: Kirsch, dark chocolate, black cherry
Hailing from the sunny slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, this lot highlights exactly what African coffees are all about - sweet, syrupy berries and delicate florals combining to provide a complex cup that'll keep surprising until the final sip.
We taste
Black: Strawberry, lavender, white chocolate
Casa de Piedra is fast becoming one of our favourite farms seeing as every lot we've tried so far has been exceptional regardless of process or variety. If you tried Negroni, our previous Casa de Piedra offering, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're in for with Umeshu: big body booziness and outstanding stone fruit sweetness and a hint of vanilla florality.
We taste
Black: Chocolate, plum, vanilla
Milk: Currants, muscovado, honey