A bloody nice house blend with notes of red berries, fudge, chocolate biscuits.

Creating this blend was easy. In the past when creating blends, we’ve hit logistical hurdles, had differences of opinion regarding rations and argued about our aims. This time we just put two great coffees together. The result is gold!

Just like the original Players Gold, this blend has been created with usability and sweetness in mind. Tasting characteristics vary depending on how the blend is dialed but you can consistently expect notes of Red Berries, Fudge, Chocolate Biscuits.

The blend is a 50/50 mix of two single origin coffees:

Nicaragua – Finca Aurora – Washed
Matagalpa, Jinotega
Process: Washed
Variety: Catuaí, Caturra
Altitude: 1200-1400m
Producer: Dr. Enrique Ferrufino & family
Exporter: Sucafina Specialty

Dr. Enrique Ferrufino, together with his wife Silvia, decided to go into the coffee business in 1992, then purchased Finca Aurora in 2004. They inspired in their three children a love for coffee from an early age and since acquiring Aurora, the whole family has worked together to produce great coffee.

Preserving nature is a top priority for the family. They only use renewable energy and work diligently on conserving water resources and natural habitats. The farm houses a variety of native trees, home to many species of birds and wildlife. These trees also provide the plantation with shade and fertilise the soils with organic matter, which protects the land from erosion, droughts and floods.

Rwanda – Humure CWS – Natural
Gatsibo, Eastern Province
Process: Natural
Variety: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1550-1835m
Producer: Humure surrounding smallholder farmers, Emmanuel Rusatira
Exporter: Baho Coffee (Direct Trade)

Humure station is unusual in Rwanda as it is managed entirely by women. Last year, our in-country partner Emmanuel, invested in new washing channels and a big storage unit to help the station produce higher quality coffees at a larger scale. The name Humure comes from the highest hill in the area, it’s a popular visitor destination, and with all the recent work on the station, soon to be a flag for quality in Rwandan coffee.

This Natural is a screen size 12 lot, this means small beans. We started buying smaller screen size lots from Emma in 2021, it’s been really positive in a couple of ways. It’s enabled us to offer high quality Rwandan coffees at a price that’s not out of reach for an approachable house coffee. Secondly, and more importantly, it adds value to a product that would likely otherwise be destined for the commodity market, meaning more money for the community.