"Seed to Cup"

This month our seed to cup picture is "Cupping". Cupping is a technique used to taste the notes present in each coffee. According to the cupping protocol, hot water is poured onto freshly roasted and ground beans directly into the cup and allowed to steep for 3–5 minutes. The infusion is then mixed and the foamy head removed.

The coffee will need to cool before tasting in order to avoid burning your tongue and to allow the flavours to emerge. Two spoons are used, one going in the cup and the other in the mouth. 

In addition to being a quality control method, cupping is an excellent way to increase your knowledge about coffee. Tasting helps you learn how to identify differences between cultivars and countries of origin.

We have been cupping our new harvest this month and readjusting the coffee profiles of our collection. Have you noticed any difference in your coffees? Much like wine harvests, coffee will change year to year as the new harvests have potentially grown through different weathers or the farmers have changed their approach slightly. Our new Copan SHG 21/22 has developed more pronounced citrus notes resulting in a "zing" at the back-side under the tongue. This will be a personal experience depending on your individual taste buds and your coffee preference. 

The Zero Waste Fight Continues...

When we started Caribe Coffee Co. we were selling coffee at market stalls locally and asking people where possible to bring refillable jars. Selling coffee with zero packaging made sense to us.
Alongside our passion to support farming communities improve their environmental practices and living conditions we are also very passionate about our own footprint here in the UK.
(We know it's difficult to avoid packaging altogether which is why the bags we use are recyclable or compostable. But we continue to offer a refillable service at our click and collect.) 

As we grow we meet more and more like-minded people and businesses and we are so happy to see so many others wanting to be part of the solution. A wonderful example is this customer who buys wholesale for their offices. We fresh roast and deliver 50kgs all in in refillable/reusable buckets. And when they are finished we simply swap them out.

Small Business Saturday

We had a lovely shout from Small Business Saturday as part of their celebration of #PlasticFreeJuly.

They wrote:

"If you adore coffee, make sure to check out award-winning coffee roasters and importers; a specialty coffee brand that combines sustainable and ethical business with a high quality product straight from Honduras. Having pivoted 100% online during the pandemic, Caribe Coffee have also established a local delivery network and click & collect service.

Working in a sustainable manner, such as reducing waste water or avoiding the use of agrochemicals and stopping practices such as intercropping, is the foundation of specialty coffee. Protecting the natural flora and fauna directly impacts the unique flavours you find in your cup of specialty coffee.

As a more sustainable way to import, Caribe Coffee use ocean freight that invests heavily in low-carbon technologies to minimise their environmental impact, and all their packaging is recyclable or compostable."