Our Coffee Origins
We use five different beans in our unique SYMPOSIUM coffee blend. The beans are carefully selected and roasted to create our rich, well balanced and full bodied coffee. Chocolatey, smooth caramel taste with a hint of hazelnut and a mild citrus flavour, we hope you’ll love it as much as we do!
COLOMBIAN EXCELSO
In general, Colombian coffee tends to have a slight hazelnut taste, a sharp aroma with rich body and a medium-to-high acidity. For some time now, especially since offers from private exporters have become more consistent, there has been a remarkable quality upgrade in exports of Colombian coffee of late.
Grown in the Tolima region, the Excelso is one of Colombia’s high-quality specialty coffee beans and is quite possibly the most popular coffee globally. Distinguished by its full body, rich flavour, and medium-high acidity, this classic coffee is perfect for any time of the day or evening.
Species: Coffea Arabica
Processing: Wet-processed
Grade: Estate
Varietal: Caturra, Typica
Appearance: Screen 15
Acidity: Medium high
Body: Full
Complexity: No
Balance: Yes
Flavour: Slight hazelnut taste, a sharp aroma
COLOMBIAN EXCELSO HUILA
Colombia Excelso Huila comes from a group of small farms with an average size of 2 hectares each, located within Huila. These small farms are mostly in Caturra and processing is of the traditional method.
They all use manual hand-crank de-pulping machines to remove the cherry from the beans. Raised beds are used for drying the coffee which gives the coffee good air circulation and even drying. In short, the farmers are able to oversee how their coffee is handled, sorted, and prepped every step of the way.
Species: Coffea Arabica
Processing: Wet-processed
Grade: Excelso
Varietal: Caturra, Colombia and Tipica
Appearance: Screen 15-16
Acidity: Bright
Body: Creamy, clean, round
Complexity: Yes
Balance: Yes
Flavour: Slight notes of fruit, bittersweet, dark cocoa finish
ETHIOPIAN SIDAMO GRADE 2
This type is grown in the Sidamo region south of the capital, Addis Ababa. It is the most southern and most productive province in the country. The region is well known for having ideal climate conditions for growing coffee. This is all due to high altitudes of between a 1600 – 1900 meters, ample rainfall, optimal temperature, and rich soil.
Washed Sidamos are typically high quality coffee with unique flavours like sweet lemon and floral, and an ideal balance between acidity and body. For Ethiopian coffees, the Grade 2 signifies that the coffee is fully washed.
Species: Coffea Arabica
Processing: Wet-processed
Grade: 2
Varietal: Heirloom varieties
Appearance: Screen 14 and up
Acidity: Citrusy and Bright
Body: Soft yet smooth body
Balance: Yes
Flavour: Tea like, lemony
BRAZIL SANTOS
FC SC17/18
Even though nearly 75% of Brazil’s coffee farms are considered small farm plantations (less than 10 acres each), Brazil has one of the coffee industry’s best, most advanced coffee processing systems. It’s no wonder Brazil is the world’s leading coffee producer.
Brazilian Santos gourmet coffee beans are processed using a natural dry method, which dries the coffee bean inside the cherry. This process ensures some of the fruit’s sweetness remains. Santos is the port much of Brazil’s coffee passes through, it is not a coffee region.
Strictly Soft (SS-top grade): Grown at a lower altitude, this bean is less acidic than denser beans. The medium-toned brightness it does possess is somewhat reminiscent of tobacco/spice at first taste, but caramel is the longer note. This is a sweet bean and makes a good base for espresso.
Species: Coffea Arabica
Processing: Dry-Processed
Grade: Estate
Appearance: 17-18 Screen
Acidity: Mild
Body: Medium
Complexity: No
Balance: Yes
Flavour: Good for espresso, rich crema
VIETNAM ROBUSTA
Vietnam is the world’s top producer and exporter of robusta coffee, accounting for around 70 percent of the total robusta volume purchased worldwide. Thanks to its affordable cost and frequently available sources, Vietnamese Robusta has played an extremely important role in the supply chain for many coffee roasters. Grown at an altitude of 500 to 1000 meters above sea level in volcanic soil, our specially picked and wet processed “Blue Dragon” provides a lighter body and naturally flavoured cup profile which is ideal for drinking at any time of the day.
Species: Coffea Robusta Processing: Wet-processed
Grade: 1 Varietal: Robusta
Appearance: Screen 18 Acidity: Low
Body: Medium to High Complexity: No