Brian Hockenhull, who runs Buckley’s Yard Coffee Shop at 2 New Street, Uppermill, talks about the world of coffee and introduces you to their Coffee of the Month.
Visit Buckley’s Yard at New Street, Uppermill or phone Brian on 07973 155030 or email buckleysyarduppermill@gmail.com
Find them on Facebook Buckley’s Yard or follow them on Twitter @BuckleysYard
THE FESTIVE season is upon us yet again and how time flies – I’ve now been almost two years in Ashton Market and a year in Uppermill.
It’s a busy time for specialist coffee and tea merchants – ordering stuff in advance, putting together gift sets, attending craft fairs and, of course, preparing festive blend coffee.
Putting a blend together is great fun. Maybe some chocolate cake flavours from Vietnamese coffee, a hint of nuts from Columbia, the smooth velvet from a Brazilian and some earthiness from Old Brown Java – the list is endless and getting the proportions right is just as important!
Unlike supermarkets and department stores, we don’t buy in cheap coffee and package it up brightly accompanied by some weasel words.
Flavoured coffee beans are always popular at this time of year – an inexpensive treat and great for when you have friends round.
This year I’ve expanded the range to around eighteen flavours including Christmas Pudding coffee, Orange Brandy, Irish Cream, Chocolate Truffles, Gingerbread. A presentation box of three small jars containing different coffees or teas makes a wonderful gift, since you are buying an experience rather than something like a pair of slippers!
Coffee of the Month – Nicaraguan Finca Argentina
The coffee industry in Nicaragua has undergone periods of turmoil that have hindered the development of the speciality sector.
Many experienced coffee farmers fled during the Sandinista rule of the late 1970s to the 1990s. When the political scene changed, those farmers returned and Nicaragua started to produce some very good coffee.
However, the devastating effects of Hurricane Mitch and the prolonged world coffee price crisis created further giant -sized hurdles for a country that can, and now does, produce some very desirable coffees.
There can be a sustainable future for high grade Nicaraguan coffee through the export and promotion of individual micro lots, and there are several family farms working to produce distinct characteristics.
By producing micro lots, farmers hope to obtain information to help them make decisions as to which varieties and which processes work best in each farm. The results achieved this year have been truly outstanding and with the on-going threat of ‘roya’ and a falling market, this venture will hopefully contribute towards safeguarding coffee farmers in Nicaragua.
Nueva Segovia is heralded as Nicaragua’s premier growing region, particularly the Cordillera de Dipilto – Jalapa – a mountainous region which runs along the Honduran border.
The farms here are blessed with high altitude and excellent climatic conditions and the close proximity of the mills also proves to be highly advantageous in terms of quality protection.
Finca La Argentina is a jewel in the Dipilto crown. It is owned and managed by Roger Peralta and his family. A steep 30-minute drive from the local mill town of Ocotal, Nueva Segovia’s capital, the farm is set in a beautiful mountain forest.
The coffee is harvested between December and March and is processed in the farm’s own wet mill. Once the beans have gently fermented in mountain spring water, they are partially dried before being transported to the patios of the family’s beneficio. Here the parchment coffee is exposed to gentle breezes and full sunshine. It is regularly turned by rake to ensure good, even drying.
In January 2010 Finca Argentina achieved Rainforest Alliance certification in recognition of the great care taken of the land and the people who work it.
This is an excellent coffee to enjoy, filtered or prepared in a cafetiere – complex, sharp and refreshing.
The darker roast we prepare at Buckley’s Yard increases the body while transforming some of the acidity and sweetness to darker nutty flavours with molasses and treacle notes developing on the finish. A really great coffee to savour over the festive period, one which I hope you will really enjoy.
You must be logged in to post a comment.