Mexico Las Cotorras, Honduras La Unica & Uganda Workhorse - Cold Brew
Cold Brew Bold Profile | Medium-dark roast
Tasting Notes: Dark Chocolate, Molasses, Rich
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Each of the coffees contributing to this dark roast blend were previously featured as single origin coffees, and are some of the best examples of what each country can produce. The components come from smallholder farmers Rogelia Angel & Dario Roblero in Mexico, Leticia Lopez Hutchins in Honduras, and a group of producers in Uganda working with our friends at Mountain Harvest exporters.
Mexico Las Cotorras
Grown by Rogelia Angel & Dario Roblero, two small-scale producers in the highlands of Chiapas near the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, this coffee gets its name from the cotorras birds that nest in coffee growing areas, and have become a symbol of authenticity and freedom in the region. El Triunfo contains the very last of the Central American cloud forests, where naturally occurring condensation is trapped by the forest, giving life to a large number of plant and animal species. Coffee in Chiapas has been cultivated mainly by smallholders, who are usually descendants of Indigenous tribes. This is a result of the policies of the Zapatistas, who regulate farm size in order to protect indigenous rights to land access.
Honduras La Unica
High up in the mountanous region of Copan in western Honduras, almost on the border with Guatemala, Finca La Unica spans 50 acres at 1400 meters above sea level, at the base of Mount Tennan. Formerly a cattle farm, it was purchased by Leticia Lopez Hutchins in 2016 and planted with the coffee varietal Parainema.
A fifth generation coffee farmer, Leticia is proud to be an example for women by owning her own land and being in a role typically reserved for men in Honduras.
Like her family's farm, Finca Terrerito, Finca La Unica is very careful about how they use the land to grow coffee, and are committed to sustainable land use and growing organically. They have many sustainable certifications, including Rainforest Alliance and Bird Friendly, which address land use and conservation, as well as Con Manos de Mujer.
Uganda Workhorse
This coffee was grown by communities on the slopes of Mt. Elgon, and was processed with Mountain Harvest. Farmers like Nafuna Oliver and her husband Wadamba Dison (pictured above), who grow coffee for Mountain Harvest on their farm in the Mayiyi region of Mt. Elgon. The couple owns farm and also a school, which is entirelly supported by their income from coffee.
We are excited to work with Mountain Harvest importers: uniquely, they only work in Uganda, investing in farmers through programs to diversify income (ie. beehives and avocado trees), regenerative agriculture training and financial literacy. These farmers are transforming Uganda into a quality coffee destination, and working to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future in coffee.
In the very recent past, coffee from Mt. Elgon was often seen as inconsistent. When Mountain Harvest came on the scene in 2018, they took time to study why. Using what they learned, Quality Manager Nathan Kotaki and his Quality Controller, Emma Amutuhaire have quickly helped Mountain Harvest become recognized as the best source for high quality, consistent coffee from Uganda - and therefore, also raised the reputation and incomes of the ten communities they source from in Mt. Elgon. This versatile coffee represents the distinctive terroir of Mt. Elgon and the incredible work of the farmers that reside there.
Leticia Lopez Hutchins, Honduras
Nafuna Oliver and her husband Wadamba Dison on their farm in the Mayiyi region of Mt. Elgon.
Coffee Cherries at Finca La Unica
Nakke Christine, Mountain Harvest Quality Officer, photo credit Loretta Ishida
Kenneth Barigye, Managing Director of Mountain Harvest
Dario Roblero, Mexico
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Mexico, Burundi
REGION
Chiapas, Copan, Mt. Elgon
IMPORTER
Caravela, Finca Terrerito, Mountain Harvest
PRODUCER
Rogelia Angel & Dario Roblero; Leticia Lopez Hutchins; Several smallholder producers on Mt. Elgon
MILL / WASHING STATION
On farms
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1300 - 2200 meters
DID YOU KNOW
After three years of research and pressuring local banking systems, Mountain Harvest decided to prove banks’ wrong and invest in the farmers themselves with a grant provided by an INGO. In 2022, they launched a fully in-house managed Microfinance program, providing $27,000 in the form of lines of credit and loans for 31 VSLA groups across Mount Elgon in 3 months. Each loan was between $50 to $300, a life changing addition to a farmers’ household.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$3.75, $3.75, $3.93
Price paid by Driftaway
$2.91, Not available, $3.78
Free on Board price
$2.36, Not Available, $2.29
Farm Gate price
$2.01, $2.30, $1.77
Fair Trade price per pound
$1.81, $1.70, $1.47
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
The Mexico Chiapas coffee travelled 2,909 miles, the Honduras Copan coffee travelled 3,339 miles and the Uganda Mt. Elgon coffee travelled 7,124 miles to the Driftaway Coffee roastery in Brooklyn.
Love the coffee? You can share your compliments & tasting observations with the farmers.
WHY DID WE SELECT THESE COFFEES FOR THE BLEND?
The three coffees we chose for this blend each add something special: the coffee from Mexico provides a chocolatey base, Leticia’s La Unica from Honduras gives a creamy body, and the Ugandan coffee from Mountain Harvest yields tons of complexity at this roast level, giving us lots of intense spice aromatics and deep sweetness.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
85.75; 85.75; 86
/100
85.75; 85.75; 86
SCAA Cupping Score
15 x 69 k, 15 x 70 k, 15 x 70 k
Bags purchased
5, 2, 2 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from June 17th to July 12th in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by James M. and Ian T. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.