Finca Las Rosas ～ El Lobre

Beans: Finca Las Rosas ～ El  Lobre
Roaster: Greens Coffee Roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area:  San Pedro Necta, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: 1,370〜1,680 m
Varieties: Typica, Bourbon
Grade: N/A
Processing: Washed 

【Impression】
Medium dark to Dark, nutty as roasted cashews, rich sweet aroma with white tea, flowery accent with Satsuma citrus flower, citric aroma hidden, mellow, juicy, rich, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness, gentle touch of soft acidity like asian pears, creamy caramel, cacao beans with Mexican vanilla, Weiss dark chocolate, rich refreshing sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.  

【Note】
Finca Las Rosas is nested in the western slopes of Cuchumatanes mountains, San Pedro Necta region, near the Mexican border.
The estate has 6 areas, such as El Lobre and El Mangal.  Each areas cultivation is managed separately, hulled/milled and stored as parchments.  
The history of Finca Las Rosas is dated back to 1915, starting with Bourbon and Typica varieties.   

Now, the estate is managed by the 4th generation and grows Caturra, Bourbon, Mundo novo, Catimor, Typica and Geisha.  The biggest advantage of the estate is their altitude with microclimatic conditions which allows the traditional wet mill and sun-dry.

COE contestant.

Fazenda Das Almas

Beans: Fazenda Das Almas
Roaster: Greens Coffee Roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area:  Cabo Verde, Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Altitude: 1,025m～
Varieties: Mundo Novo
Grade: N/A
Processing Methods: Pulped Natural 

【Impression】
Light to Medium, gentle floral aroma, roasted almonds & peanuts, clean, juicy&fruity, gentle blend of sweetness & bitterness, no acidity, calming warm flavor, clear sweetness as white grapes, roasted cacao beans, dagoba's pure cocoa like, a touch of mild & light bitterness as refreshing flavor accent, juicy nutty sweetness as aftertaste.  

Note
This rot is exclusively imported by Green's coffee roaster, according to the owner.  Fazenda Das Almas,  Das Almas Estate, has been growing coffee since 1942 and is now managed by the third generation of the family.  "Almas" means "Soul".  As the name shows, their coffee beans carries the soul of Muniz family.

Guatemala La Providencia

Name: La Provincia
Roaster:  GREENS Coffee roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area: Atitlán, Santiago, Guatemala
Variety: Caturra, Villa Sarchi
Grade: SHB
Screen: N/A
Altitude: 1550m
Processing Method: Wet-Process,Fully Washed, Sun-dried

【Impression】
Clear body with depth, cristal clear, well-balanced, fruity aroma as tangerine with a scent of vanilla, juicy as plum, well-ripe white grapes, mild as milk chocolate without sweetness, a tip of delicate bitterness wrapped with thick sweetness of CRIOLLO cacao beans, no identified acidity, delicate transparable clearn bitterness as shortlasting aftertaste with light touch of white-tea aroma.
The Guatemalan coffee.  Typical Guatemalan flavor brushed up to the supreme point.  "DO NOT ADD anything, just taste as black" type of coffee.Even non coffee lover may appreciate this harmonized flavor..

【Note】
Guatemala carries incredibly diverse and large coffee landscape within 109,000 square kilometer country.  There are two mountain chains enter dividing this country dividing into three regions: the highlands, the Pacific coast, and the Petén region.  The highlands enjoys wider range of  suitable conditions for coffee cultivation, where grate many farms are given their uniqueness by  various microclimates, altitudes, assorted cultivars and soil types.  Considering number of farms lie there, it may seem difficult to meet "the one" since they have much in common.  Many of them recognize similarity and strive themselves to acquire recognizable characteristics, such as quality, although Guatemalan coffee itself is already recognized as awesome growing country in their stability of quality and reliability in  the highest quality.

Tanzania Nitin Estate

Name: Tanzania Nitin Estate
Roaster:  GREENS Coffee roaster
Roasting degree: Medium Dark
Area: Mt. Oldeani, Arusha (Near Ngorongoro Conservation Area)
Variety: Kent, SL27
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Altitude: 1500～1700m
Processing Method: Wet-Process
                   Fully Washed, Sun-dried

 【Impression】
Medium, Clear body, light smooth texture, purely  transparent, fruity note such as fresh white strawberry with scent of guava, dark chocolate sweetness harmonized with dried fig and cranberry chip, subtle bitterness, light orange like citrus acidity caressing,  earthy spice accent, juicy sweetness softly cored delicate bitterness as short lasting aftertaste.  Clear juicy feeling stays when served as hot.
Earthy & moderate flavor may work wonderful in summer season as cold coffee.

【Note】

Arusha is one of the best coffee cultivated area in Tanzania.  Especially in  Ngorongoro Conservation Area, many wonderful micro farmers are located and growing specialty beans like COE winning lots.  Nitin Estate is located on the slopes of the extinct volcano of Mount Oldeani in Northern Tanzania, near  Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  Blessed with volcanic soil and pure spring water, this estate uses natural spring water in processing.  Only Fully matured beans are handpicked, examined before processing.  The farm uses the shade of the Albizzia trees to protect it from the intense African sun. Elephants and buffalo from the nearby Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania’s largest game preserve, are often seen wandering through the coffee fields. 

Greens Blend

Beans: Greens Blend 
Roaster: GREENS Coffee Roaster
Roasting Degree: Medium High


【Impression】
Light to Medium body, smooth airy texture, mild but pearly impression, lemony passion fruits like aroma, savory creamy sweetness as caramel, milk chocolate like, slight bitterness gradually grow, a tip of soft acidity, roasted almonds like natural sweetness as core leaving clean bitterness as aftertaste.  
The best choice for morning cup, even for non coffee lover.  Americano type coffee lovers also find this cup as one of their flavor.  Well-balanced light and Clean cup may apply to any occasions.  Recommend w/o Milk and Cream, w/ light sweets.







【Note】
Mr. Iwao, the owner, has been passionate and focusing on roasting/blending for last couple years.  Greens blending/roasting technique has been changed gradually,  sometimes dramatically, enough to catch my attention.  Greens Blend is the one developed the most, coveys Mr. Iwao's passion. 






Kobe is Sanctuary for Coffee lovers as well as the history maker in terms of roasting techniques and blending techniques.  With limitation of space, roasters in this area developed various technique to add heaviness in flavor, not adding charcoal like feeling.  Charcoal roasting is the technique often used, but Greens roasting does not stays in the range of "DARK" flavor.  From light to Dark, very vivid flavors comes from Beans original tastes enhanced by roasting technique. 

Lovely, Greens Coffee

Visiting favorite coffee roaster is one of the pleasant moment for coffee geeks.

GREENS coffee roaster allow to have joyful moment of that excitement not only in the store but also on the way to the store.  

This roaster may not be the best in Coffee Sanctuary, KOBE area, but excites us with growing expectation: unique specialty beans selection, roasting technique, and so on.

Today's selection:

GREENS Blend

Guatemala La Providencia

anzania Nitin Estate

【Note】

Unfortunately, the owner of this roaster is not available for casual talk in the shop.  No photo, friendly shop attendants are available.  Sorry...  

GREENS Coffee Roaster

Here is a hidden and sacred coffee roaster; hidden in terms of location, but not in terms of its popularity.

Greens Coffee Roaster is owned by Yasutaka Iwao, a skilled coffee roaster as well as the best SYPHONIST of Japan Barista Champion ship in 2001 and 2004. 

They closed the café section on Nov. 30, 2010, and have focused on coffee roistering/retailing from Dec.1 2010, so that Mr. Iwao rarely entertains us with his SYPHON technique and flavorful coffee now.  However, his decision on focusing on roasting business seems successful.

Although blend Coffees at Greens Coffee were well-known for a long time, they seem to have established a higher reputation since Dec. 2010.  Is it because Mr. Iwao has more time to spend with his PROBAT, German roasting Machine, or beans he selected??  There is a good enough room to play with imagination over Greens Coffee and its uprising qualities, but, besides that, it is pure pleasure to find wonderful coffees and an unmistakably wonderful roaster.  

Greens Coffee roaster sells freshly roasted single beans, so called, Specialty coffee, as well as variety of blend beans.  Greens Blend is the best for morning, especially on hot summer mornings, with its soothing taste.  Moto-ko Blend is bitter but good for Iced-coffee or latte.

Althugh Kobe is one of the best place for cafe/coffee roaster hopping and has a number of good coffee raosters, Greens coffee roaster will save your time for serching "THE BEST" coffee beans.

【Location】

5 min. walk along Moto-ko#2 from JR/Hanshin Motomachi station.

3-167 Koka-dori Motomachi Chuo-ku, Kobe-city

Tel: 078-332-3115

  

Here is the article on Japan times, written by NICHOLAS COLDICOT → ★