ZIMBABWE AA PLUS — VIENNA ROAST —
The Salimba Estate (located at an altitude of 900 to 1,000 meters in the Chipinga Region of Eastern Zimbabwe), first planted coffee in 1955. Soil in that location is sandy clay loam. The average annual rainfall is approximately 1,250mm, and it falls mainly between the months of November and April. A small percentage of the annual rainfall comes from their winter mists, May through July.
The varieties grown at the Salimba Estate are a mixture of Catimor varieties, with about 10% of SL28 coffee added. This estate uproots and replants each field on a rotation basis, every seven to eight years. This allows the cherries to be harvested from young trees, which are largely disease-free.
All the coffee is hand-picked as red cherries. To ensure that it is at the best stage for harvesting, the trees are picked approximately ten times over the course of the season. The main harvest happens during May through September. This technique yields a main grade return of nearly 85%.
The major milling process, washed then sun-dried, is used in Zimbabwe.
Lift your cup and expect to enjoy a clean, bright, complex brew that is proud of its full body. Look for characteristics of sweetness, caramel, chocolate and grapes, bolstered by the earthiness of woody and tobacco nuances. Start your day with the lush aroma of sweet chocolate.
ETHIOPIA NATURAL GEISHA — AMERICAN ROAST —
Cultivated just outside the Geisha Village, this highly praised varietal is grown in its original and ideal environment at altitudes of between 1100 and 1368 meters above sea level. The region encompasses both Geisha and the Bench Maji Zone in Southern Ethiopia. Coffee at the Bebeka Estate is grown under shade, with ample rainfall and rich soil. The coffee is inter-cropped with spices such as black pepper.
Bebeka also produces honey, including one honey specifically made from coffee blossoms. Several different varietals of Arabica are found on the plantation, among them the indigenous Geisha, the Arabica variety used in the production of this natural coffee selection.
The busy harvest time is from December through March, and all coffee is milled naturally and sun-dried on raised beds. Staple practices of quality — selective hand-picking, raised bed drying, hand-sorting — are exercised with extreme care, creating one of the cleanest natural profiles your favorite Coffee of the Month Club has ever encountered.
Cup characteristics are a stunning buffet of jasmine, strawberry jam, tropical fruit tea, lime and fruit punch. Vanilla is the dominating aroma. Full bodied, the balance and structure are impeccable, as is the sweet, juicy acidity this American Roast is known for.
COFFEE PLAYS ROLE IN DEATH THREAT AGAINST SIR WINSTON
We’re very sure it wasn’t an actual threat, but this exchange is a part of British history. Lady Astor and Sir Winston Churchill shared a heated argument, after which Lady Astor said, “Winston, if you were my husband, I’d put poison in your coffee!” To which he snapped, “If I were your husband, I’d drink it.”
RELAX, LADY ASTOR, AND HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE!
British researchers recently requested that a group of stressed-out study subjects engage in a variety of activities to study ways in which to reduce anxiety levels. Among the activities offered was to drink a cup of coffee. Somewhat surprisingly, it was found to lessen stress! Too late for The Lady, but not for you. Enjoy a soothing cup . . .
