AVAILABLE FROM 9 MARCH.    Squeeze The Day is Light Roasted, and is suitable for Drip Coffee.    This exceptional Fully Washed coffee was dry milled and exported by Primrose, PLC. The coffee was grown by smallholder farmers living around the kabele (town) of Mesina, in Oromia Region.   Most contributing farmers own less than a hectare of land, and they grow coffee simply as a backyard cash crop. Coffee will usually be interspersed with other subsistence crops, such as sweet potato, mangos and avocados, but there are no other primary cash crops grown in the region.   Our partner, Primrose S.P. PLC, is a stakeholder in the supplier washing station and works directly with them to control for quality and cultural practices on the farm. Income from coffee is important but minimal for most farmers due to the small size of their farms. As such, inputs are minimal – most coffee grown in the region is 100% organic, though not certified, as farmers simply don’t have the money to apply chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides. Primrose ensures that there are agricultural officers who work closely with each farmer to ensure the fertility of the farm land. In fact, soon the wet mill and surrounding farmers will also be RFA and UTZ certified.   Primrose pays more than the market price for a kilogram of red cherry, and those farmers that bring quality red cherry are paid a cash incentive, ensuring higher-than-average overall quality. Coffee is selectively hand-picked before being delivered to the mill collection points, usually within 5 km of the producers’ homes. Great care is taken upon delivery to separate out any overripe, underripe or damaged beans before consolidating with other lots for the road to the wet mill.   At least once a day, the collected coffee cherry is delivered to the mill, where it is floated, pulped and then delivered to a fermentation tank, where it ferments for 66 to 72 hours depending on the climate at the time. Fermentation times are quite long here due to the altitude, which makes for cooler climates. After fermentation the coffee is fully washed through grading channels and is then delivered to dry on African beds or, on occasion, patios. Once here, the parchment is turned regularly and protected from hot sun between 12:00 and 15:00 every day until it reaches the optimal humidity, at which point it is bagged and rested.

We created this blend because we knew we wanted something – a coffee that was roasted darker and developed for longer, but nothing devoid of character and sweetness. The blend is built on two strong origins: Brazil and Ethiopia. We chose Fazenda Santa Barbara as the base of the blend as it provides great body and flavours of dark chocolate and burnt caramel, while retaining a lot of its lovely nutty finish. To complement it, we chose a natural processed coffee from Sidamo, Ethiopia – developing it for longer to lend the blend a sweet, spicy, and cooked fruit character, adding to the complexity. Overall, while the coffees are roasted dark, we took care not to overdo it – given that the Brazilian component is rather soft, any less care and attention given would result in an overly ashy, bitter, and burnt profile. Similarly, if the Sidamo was pushed too far, it would not display any of its sweet character and would be a dull comparison. This coffee has incredible depth and body – filled with richness that will keep you warm for hours, yet not possessing excessive bitterness and astringency. It is balanced off with sweetness that is reminiscent of Vanilla. An ode to coffee of old, and a nod to our friends who enjoy a double ristretto with their Caffe Lattes.