FIRSTLIGHT 2023
FIRSTLIGHT 2023
This is a blend bursting with flavour and an understated strength. Fresh crisp apple flavours are underscored with notes of honey and cacao nib. We describe it as having a delightful silky-smooth body and a medium acidity. Firstlight is the perfect start to the day but equally it will be savoured at any moment as a time-out.
Origin | Costa Rica, Guatemala Â
Roasters Notes |Â Bright, Crisp Apple, Honey, Cacao Nib
Our 2023 Summer Blend is a marriage of two Central American coffees. Often described as ‘new world’ coffees, the entire Central American region is today producing some of the world’s most expensive and sought after coffees. Both coffees that make up FIRSTLIGHT are extraordinary coffees in their own right:
Costa Rica – Jaguar Honey
Honey processed coffee beans are fermented in the sugar rich cherry mucilage, after the skins are removed. The coffee is picked, de-pulped and then moved to patios or raised beds where it spends at least a week drying. Here it will reach the perfect level of moisture, determined by ambient temperature and humidity. Honey Processed coffee has a lovely acidity level halfway between natural and washed coffees. The entire process creates a sweeter and more flavoursome coffee.
Caturra and Catuai varieties are grown between 1600 and 1900 metres above sea level throughout Tarrazú in the San José province. The average size of the farm plots here is only 3 hectares, so this is a true micro-lot coffee.
The reason the coffee carries the jaguar’s name is because the Benefico San Diego mill where this coffee is processed, donates funds to the Costa Rican Fundazoo Jaguar Conservation Programme. The magnificent Central American Jaguar is an endangered species that still roams the territories many of the farm’s share. This is a true partnership.
Guatemala – La Morena washed
La Morena in Spanish means ‘the brunette’, an intriguing clue to this coffee’s remarkable existence. Coffee in Guatemala has long been grown in a male-dominated industry, but this coffee is grown exclusively by women. The La Morena micro-lot was founded by just eleven female farmers in Huehuetenango and actively assisted by the Volcafe Way programme.
These farmers grow Burboun, Caturra and Catuai varieties on 3-5 hectare plots, between 1400 and 1600 metres above sea level. It is a fully washed and sundried coffee that continues to grow in quality and in stature. We are very proud to include La Morena in this year’s FIRSTLIGHT blend.
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