TALLAT at home

Plum, toffee apple, brown sugar

Variety: Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra
Process: Washed
Region: Jaén, Cajamarca
Producer: El Palto Agroecological Producers Association
Altitude: 1,600–1,800 masl
Score: 86
Roast: Espresso

An organic lot from the El Palto Agroecological Producers Association, in the Chingama valley of Jaén, Cajamarca, in northern Peru. Founded in 2007 by 25 smallholders, the association has grown around a clear goal: to compete in certified specialty coffee while improving the lives of coffee-growing families through environmental care, equity and gender inclusion. Third-generation families grow Caturra, Bourbonand Catimor under shade at 1,600–1,800 metres, where cherries ripen slowly and develop more sweetness. Selective handpicking, careful fermentation and controlled drying give a clean, structuredwashed coffee with notes of plum, toffee apple and brown sugar.

Caramel, orange, milk chocolate

Variety: Mixed varieties
Process: Natural
Region: Carmo de Minas, Minas Gerais
Producer: Smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1,000–1,300 masl
Score: 83.5
Roast: Espresso

Samba Reserve is our classic espresso: a blend of naturally processed coffees from selected growers in Carmo de Minas, in the south of Minas Gerais, one of Brazil's most renowned specialty regions. Grown at 1,000–1,300 metres on red latosol soils, with traceability down to farm level. Only the ripest cherries are picked, then sorted in a “lavador”, the density separator used across Brazil to remove lighter, lower-quality beans. The coffee dries in the sun on patios for three days and is finished in mechanical dryers for 72 hours or more, until it reaches its ideal moisture. In the cup it is sweet, round and reliable, with caramel, orange and milk chocolate: ideal on its own or with milk.

Dark chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, raspberry

Variety: Red Pacamara
Process: Natural
Region: Jinotega
Producer: Vicente López Herrera
Altitude: 1,350–1,500 masl
Score: 86
Roast: Omni

The López family planted their first coffee in the mountains of Jinotega more than a century ago. Today Finca Los Papales lies five kilometres from Jinotega city, on the slopes of Cerro Chimborazo, with a cloud-forest climate and a strong commitment to agroecology and biodiversity. The farm is Rainforest Alliance certified, employs up to 450 people during the harvest and runs a free school and a health centre for its workers and neighbouring communities. This Red Pacamara lot was handpicked with 94% fully ripe cherries, density-sorted and dried as whole cherry on raised beds for around 30 days. A sweet, indulgent natural: dark chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and raspberry.

Blackcurrant, lemon tea, violet, dark chocolate

Variety: 74112, 74110
Process: Anaerobic natural
Region: Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Producer: EDN Ethiopian Coffee Export PLC, smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1,900–2,300 masl
Score: 88.25
Roast: Omni

Grown by smallholder farmers in Banko Chelchele, a village in Gedeb within the renowned Yirgacheffe region, at 1,900–2,300 metres on fertile red clay soils. The farmers work in a vertically integrated model with EDN, which supports them with financing and quality premiums and oversees every step from cherry to export. Only fully ripe cherries are handpicked between October and December. For this special lot, whole cherries ferment for 5 to 10 days in sealed, oxygen-free tanks alongside local botanicals, then dry slowly in the sun on raised beds. The result is an expressive, aromatic cup: blackcurrant, lemon tea, violet and dark chocolate.

Apricot, mango, orange blossom, honey, black tea

Variety: 74112, 74110
Process: Washed, dry fermentation
Region: Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Producer: Ephtah Specialty Coffee, smallholder farmers
Altitude: 2,200 masl
Score: 87.5
Roast: Omni

This lot comes from Chelbesa, in Gedeb, one of Ethiopia's most celebrated coffee areas. At around 2,200 metres, local smallholders grow heirloom varieties under shade, often alongside enset, the “false banana” that is a staple crop in the region, and deliver ripe cherry to the washing station during the December–January harvest. The station is run by Ephtah Specialty Coffee, which pays farmers promptly, rewards quality with premiums and champions the role of women in coffee. The best cherries are selected and floated, pulped and fermented in tanks without water, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 15 days. A clean, floral cup of apricot, mango, orange blossom, honey and black tea.

Rhubarb, peach, bubblegum, caramel

Variety: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Process: Washed
Region: Embu
Producer: Smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1,600–1,800 masl
Score: 88.25
Roast: Omni

Kathima Factory sits on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, in Embu County, and belongs to the Thambana Farmers Cooperative Society. Around 2,200 smallholders deliver their cherry here, most of them tending small plots of about 250 trees. Farms lie between 1,600 and 1,800 metres, on rich red volcanic soils, and grow a mix of SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11. Cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness, sorted, pulped and fermented, then thoroughly washed and often soaked in clean water, a step that adds clarity and brightness. After slow, even drying on raised beds, the cup is bright and layered: rhubarb, peach, bubblegum and caramel.

Cassis, ginger, black tea, cherry, dark chocolate

Variety: Yellow Caturra, Typica, Kartika
Process: Washed
Region: Manggarai, Flores Island
Producer: Tuang Coffee, smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1,400–1,700 masl
Score: 85.25
Roast: Omni

Tuang Coffee was born in 2014, when Andre Tuang left his job in Jakarta to work with farmers in Manggarai, on the island of Flores. Back then, local coffee was usually blended with other origins and sold as commodity, with little reward for growers. Today the group has more than 2,500 members, and this lot comes from around 250 farmers in the villages of Nati, Mbohang and Gulang. Farmers receive training every season, pre-harvest financing and one transparent cherry price, and grow coffee without herbicides, using organic compost and shade trees. Washed and dried on raised beds for 7 to 10 days, it offers cassis, ginger, black tea, cherry and dark chocolate.

Blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, caramel

Variety: SL28
Process: Natural
Region: Western Rift Valley, Uganda
Producer: The Coffee Gardens
Altitude: 1,600–2,100 masl
Score: 86.25
Roast: Omni

Enkobe comes from The Coffee Gardens, a project founded in 2017 in Uganda's Western Rift Valley to produce exceptional coffee in an ethical way, with a transparent, direct link between farmers and coffee drinkers. Its aims go beyond the cup: better incomes for farmers, rural jobs, gender equality, environmental protection and training in good agricultural practices. What began in 2019 with 26 bags exported has grown to three or four containers a year. Grown at 1,600–2,100 metres, this SL28 lot is naturally processed, drying slowly inside the whole cherry. Rich and jammy, with blackberry, plum, dark chocolate and caramel.

Black tea, blueberry, cane sugar, milk chocolate

Variety: Castillo, Caturra, Cenicafé
Process: Sugar cane decaf
Region: Jardín, Antioquia
Producer: Smallholder family farmers (Helvetia purchase point)
Altitude: 1,700–2,100 masl
Score: 84.5
Roast: Omni

A decaf that keeps all the character of its origin. It comes from smallholder family farms in Jardín, in southwestern Antioquia, one of the most iconic coffee landscapes in the Colombian Andes. At 1,700–2,100 metres, on nutrient-rich volcanic soils, the cherries ripen slowly, which gives the coffee its natural sweetness and elegant acidity, and well-distributed rainfall allows two harvests a year. Since 2022, after the local cooperative closed, Helvetia has run a purchase point in Jardín that gives growers a direct route to the specialty market, with better premiums and long-term, transparent relationships. Traditional varieties, decaffeinated with care: black tea, blueberry, cane sugar and milk chocolate.