Burundi: Murago

Beans: Burundi
Roaster: Unir, Hisashi Yamamoto Coffee
Roasting degree: City
Area: Murago, ntara ya Ngozi, Burundi
Altitude: 1,700m
Varietal: Mibirizi, Jackson (Burbon)
Screen: 16up
Process method: Fully washed, 100% sun-dried

【Impression】
Medium, highly lemony and lime acidity in aroma with a touch of caramel sweetness and quantity,  smooth body, clear and transparent, light texture, high citric acidity combined with mellow sweetness, a tint bitterness lightly touched, thin flavor layer, light sweetness as short-lasting aftertaste.  Flavor of this coffee looses its harmony of unique flavor very quickly, so brew a cup by cup may allow you to enjoy a cup more. 

 This cup was offered as espresso at first: zesty, highly citric, concentrated lemon and lime juice, slightly detected caramel sweetness on the bottom mixed with tangy bitterness.  At cafe, the owner insisted this goes good with espresso which I disagree.  To enjoy full aspect/dimension of this coffee, hand brew is recommended by a small portion, such as espresso.  

【Note】
Coffee was brought to Burundi by Belgium in 1933.  Washed method was developed in Ngozi, located along Rwanda’s border in 1972.  Now days, Burundi has 145 washing stations: 133 are owned by the coffee boards and 12 private corporations.  Burundi has been learning from Rwandan successful examples in the world coffee markets and taking efforts in improving quality of their cultivation.

Burundi has many mountainous regions: the lowest elevation is 772m of Lake Tanganyika and the highest is 2760m.  Geographically, this country is blessed to grow coffee beans.  Burundi now produces fine quality coffee cultivated between 1250-2000m in elevation but has challenge in transportation to the nearest port located Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 

Unir Coffee

If you are familiar with Coffee world in Japan, especially Barista Championship and Specialty Coffee Association, the name "Unir" may ring the bell.


Located in Nagaoka-kyo, Unir has been a home for a number of both award-winning and nominated Barista in JBC, Japan Barista Championship, and JLAC, Japan Latte Art  Championship.  Hisashi Yamamoto, the owner of Unir, opend this coffee roaster in June 2006, and has been working diligently and making contributions to expand/heighten recognition of, so called, "Specialty Coffee" as well as Barista culture in Japan.  


As a roaster, Unir used to use Probat L5, well known roasting machine from Germany, but replaced it with Smart roaster Kestrel S35, often called "Next generation" machine from San Francisco, in winter of 2011.  This was the sign.  Now, UNIR seems to be on the move. 


Opening new shop on Gogo-machi dori, mid town Kyoto, Unir seems to create a "Flag-ship" to focus on "high-end specialty beans" together with "Coffee school business".  There was AWARD WINNING beans from COE, 1st place winning on El Salvador COE, sold, priced as nearly JPY2,000 per 100g, wow!   


This new cafe is not spacious, but cozy.  It's nice place to stop by to pick up a cup of high quality coffee..., maybe, take a break.  Unfortunately, only 3 to 4 type of beans are carried here, so it is recommended to visit their original location if you are the coffee geek.   

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. 

Peru

Name: Peru
Roaster:  Anada Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium


【Impression】
Clean light body, fruity as white grapefruits with depth of flowery herbal-floral aroma, mint like refreshing feeling, sheer body, consommé like clear full flavor, roast tones with bittersweet zent as dark chocolate unlike fruity aroma impression, slightly earth edge, semi-full body with light weight, strong clear bitterness with suggestions of pungent spice, bitterness as long lasting aftertaste with juicy sweetness as finish.       
Good with Milk and Sugar, simple flavor cookies like vanilla cookies without chocolate, dried fruits, nuts and so on...
My favorite food pairing: doughnuts, old fashion.



【Note】
Peru is one of the largest coffee producers in the world, ranked seventh on the 2010 in world production.  Peruvian coffee used to offer the cheapest certified organic coffee on the Market, focusing on not quality but quantity, affecting the global organic coffee market.   However, the Peruvian coffee industry is turning around:  some of the producers took note of the premium of Organically grown coffee beans in the market by watching rapid growth of the Vietnamese organic coffee such as robsta, outperforming other coffee producing countries in terms of growth in value of organic coffee.  Now, Peruvian certified organic coffee farms are trying to produce a truly excellent coffee, which has been creating more varieties in Peruvian coffee market.

Some of the most notable Peruvian coffees are called " Urubamba " or " Chanchamayo ": Urubamba is grown   in the southern part of the country near Machu Pichu , and Chanchamayo on the western slope of the Andes where called Chanchamayo .  Good Peruvian coffees exhibit a flavorful, gentle, aromatic and clear flavor, sometimes with mild acidity.  


【Memo】
Anada Coffee is one of the finest and oldest coffee roster in Kobe area.  Many coffee geeks comes to relax at their old fashioned cafe, with high quality coffee...

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. 

Arabica Son La, Vietnam

Beans: Arabica Son La, Vietnam
Roaster: Beans Tei
Roasting degree: Full City
Area: Son La Province, Northern Vietnam
Altitude: 1,000m～
Varieties: Arabica
Grade: 18up
Processing: Washed


【Flavor scale】
Mildness: 4
Bitterness: 2
Richness: 3
Aroma: 3
Acidity: 2
Sweetness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5


【Impression】
Light to Medium body, clear flavor, airy texture, roasted walnuts with orange flower like aroma, thin layer of flat bitterness followed by sweetness as steamed sweet potato with sugar cane, bitterness as shot aftertaste.  Clear mild flavor as typical Arabica, good for serve as morning coffee w/o milk & sugar.

【Note】

Vietnam has been the worlds second largest coffee grower since 2000.  Although most of major growers are "origin countries", Vietnam is relatively rare, where coffee accounted for just one percent of world trade in 1990 and became the world's second-Largest coffee producer after Brazil by the year 2000.  

In Vietnam, a bout 95% is R obusta , 20% of which are Excelsa, the variety Coffea liberica 'dewevrei' also called 'Chari', transplanted from Java, are grow n primarily in the Central highlands, across four main provinces: Dak lak, lam Dong, gia lai and Kon Tum.  Arabica is about only 5%, mostly grow n low altitude i n a Northern Vietnam , a region called Son La , where a government push es to grow some high quality Arabica for the world export market. 

Vietnamese Arabica quality has been improved dramatically, recasting public image of Vietnam coffee.