BRAZIL: COFFEE OF SEPTEMBER

Monte Alegre is located in the Sul De Minas region and owned by the Viera family. They focus on quality coffee production whilst maintaining strict environmental standards, so they get a nod from us. They meet rainforest alliance standards through diversifying planting on 20% of their land which is important to maintain the bio-diversity of […]

FIKA: AUGUST EDIITON

We did a little spotlight on the Yemeni coffee scene this month (check it out here) and I thought, since the middle eastern, hot dusty vibe is one of my all time favourite wavelengths, I’ll just roll it on into this month’s fika too. It’s tasty, and it’s warm. Eat. The Middle East has delightfully […]

COSTA RICA : COFFEE OF AUGUST

The Santuario project have been innovators in coffee processing. This lot was soaked in a juice made from coffee cherries before pulping, a process which is said to jump start the flavour development, it is then pulped retaining 65% of the pectin fruit layer and then dried (black honey process). If this wasn’t unique enough […]

THE MAGICAL INDUSTRIAL COFFEE SHOP

A good Industrial estate is a magical place. I’m not exaggerating when I compare it to Wonderland on the other end of the rabbit hole, or even more fittingly, Hogwarts.  From the outside, (the muggle) perspective, the industrial estate seems a bland, grey, indistinct, characterless conglomerate where the only colour and movement comes from hi-vis […]

THE TALE OF BABA BUDAN

 To know if a legend, myth or commonly held belief is legitimate and teetering on the precipice of truth, the very first question to ask is: does it centre around a man with a white beard? If not, then much more rigorous research is required to ascertain the validity of the belief. However if the […]

COFFEE OF THE MONTH: RWANDA NYAKABANDE

Nyakabande Washing Station: Washed Grown by small-holder farmers this coffee is sweet, rich, and smooth and delivers everything you need for your morning brew. A touch of fruit and delicious chocolatey base notes carry through from the start to the end. Slow brews will open up the profile and accentuate the fruit whilst espresso will be […]

FIKA IN INDONESIA

We’re doing a deep dive into Indo coffee culture next month, but I got overly enthusiastic about it so it’s spilled over into this month’s fika. What you gonna do. I’m intrigued by the incongruity of Indonesian culture – intense cities and lackadaisical beaches. I was watching a show the other day (Love on The […]

COOL UNIFORM

The first Monday of May is anticipated world wide for the Met gala’s fashion parade. The Met holds the biggest collection of fashion over the ages, and each year hosts a charity ball with an exceptionally exclusive guest list, and a dress theme. The result is very similar to the Oscar’s red carpet except the […]

COFFEE OF THE MAY: LAOS BOLAVEN PLATEAU

Only a small portion of the coffee grown in Laos is Arabica and meets the quality criteria that us Aussies seek from our morning brew. We love adding a bit of variety to our line-up and this coffee is a good example of a great coffee from a region that we don’t normally associate with […]

A CUPPA WITH FRANCO

So Franco, what do you do with Black Market Roasters? Mainly I run different types of coffee courses (Fundamentals, Latte art and Advance barista course) also here and then I visit shops helping them on the coffee side. Take us through a typical day. Depending on the course or how early or late I get […]