Starting March 1, 2008 you will be able to purchase this incredible Direct Trade coffee from Fratello Coffee Co.   We haven’t been this excited about offering our clients a coffee since the first lot of Cup of Excellence we won. 

This coffee cupped out at a 89.5, but if you were to include the look of the beans when scoring, this coffee would have been well into the 90’s.    These giant beans give this coffee a very unique look.  We found that this coffee gave us a spicy orange and fresh pine aroma which was complimented by the thick & syrupy mouth feel.  Flavor notes of black-bing cherry, candied cloves and apple pie are brightened with the delicate grapefruit acidity.   

Finca El Limoncillo - General farm information

This farm got its name from the unusual growth of lemon trees that were originally found here.  This is arguably their most beautiful farm (out of 5). 

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Fratello Coffee won its 3rd auction with the Cup of Excellence program on November 15th. This was a fast paced auction with many different roasting and retail companies bidding on the 26 award winning lots. As far as we could see, this auction will result in the highest average prices over all. I congratulate the Cup of Excellence program for their marketing efforts, and for successfully organizing another amazing event.

Fratello Coffee was awarded the 13th placing winning coffee.  I remember this product well and found the characteristics in this coffee to show tastes of a Smokey Earth, a sparkling citrus and lingering acidity, with a clean body showing hints of Raisin.  I scored this with an 87.5, however the average score at the competition gave this a 86.21.  Overall this coffee is very balanced. 

For more information on this coffee and the farm it was produced on, please read (Read the rest of this post)

Gallery Series, refers to those one-of-a-kind coffees with extremely special or exciting flavor qualities, that when we cup them, we recognize as extraordinary. Like other organic food products, the flavor qualities of Gallery Series coffee reflect not just a particular geography, altitude, farm or varietal–they also reflect less fixed factors like weather and terroir–which is never exactly the same anywhere in the world from year to year. Because of this, Gallery Series coffees are limited edition coffees, so make sure to enjoy them when they are available…

Well it was the final day of the 2007 Bolivian Cup of Excellence competition. There was no better way to end off my journey than by seeing all of the hard working farmers and their families cheering each other on in hopes of being one of the 26 finalists.

It was incredible to see their faces filled with joy when their names were called one by one and recognized in front of all the media and their peers for the efforts to improve quality and consistency on their farms. It sure makes it easy for me to want to continue supporting the COE Competition when you get to hear stories of how this motivates them to improve what they do, and hear them tell us how their lives change through the exportation of their coffee to our roasting facilities.  

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Well I am very happy to say that Fratello Coffee’s new Gallery Series is here, and here to stay. Our launch of this exclusive line is starting with, but won’t be limited to, the following three varieties:  El Salvador: La Divina Providencia - Cup of Excellence Cup Of Excellence Jury Cupping Score: 86.33Cup Of Excellence Rank: 11LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE: 3000 (8 oz.) bagsLa Divina Providencia, a farm acquired four years ago by Roberto Ulloa, produces coffee that is ranked among the top ‘Cup of Excellence’ lots. The farm is ideally located in the golden coffee belt, well above 5,000 feet, blessed with rich volcanic soils as well as Bourbon and Kenya trees that reach an average of 40 years old. La Divina Providencia has been managed under conventional practices, but also uses organic inputs as fertilizers. Roberto is a fourth generation coffee grower that is involved in his community; donating pedagogic packages for children at two nearby schools.CUP OF EXCELLENCE: JURY DESCRIPTIONS This is a very unique coffee and delivers a sweet, clean flavor. Nice sweet coffee (12) black cherry (12), full body (8), chocolate (12), coconut (1), caramel, clean (9), good fruit, juicy (2), blackberry, dry fruit (3), tobacco (3). (Read the rest of this post)

This is an exciting event for myself. I have been invited to join the international cupping jury for the 2007 Cup of Excellence competition in Bolivia.

“You are formally invited to be a member of the international jury for the Bolivia Cup of Excellence® competition that will be held in Coroico, Bolivia, from October 8th- 12th, 2007. The Bolivia Cup of Excellence competition is coordinated by a group effort made up of industry organizations in Bolivia and is owned and managed by The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). We are thrilled to have you as a member of the international jury for this event and know that this competition will prove to be exciting and unforgettable for both the jury and the winning farmers.”

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Fratello Coffee Co wins again!!!!

We participated in another Cup of Excellence (COE) auction and won our second FULL lot. This one is very small, only 12 bags.   I assume this is going to arrive late August.  This is a very exciting time.   Fratello Coffee Co has always been about quality and we have always wanted to push the limits on quality, and finally, our market is starting to desire the same quality that our family has been raised on.   To be able to source and supply our clients with the best coffees on the planet makes my job as a cupper/importer a lot more enjoyable.     We can’t wait for you to taste this coffee.

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This is the most excited I’ve been while waiting to receive a new shipment of coffee, and now, its finally here.   The Yemen Mokha Sana’ani is the most unique tasting coffee we’ve offered our clients, or, that I have tasted myself.

I remember the first sip at the cupping table with Joel and John and all three of us at the same time put down our spoons and stared at each other in disbelief.   We started laughing and then began to describe the flavor we just had.   This coffee starts out rich and earthy, kind of like a Sumatran, but then moves into a bright fruity flavor and sweet acidity like an Ethiopian or Kenyan.  What really got us was the lingering blueberry finish!! You have to try this coffee to truly appreciate this flavor. This is not your “normal” coffee, but is sure to please the person looking for something unique.  (Read the rest of this post)

PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICSFarm: Los MilagrosFarmer: Julio César RealRank: 15City: JinotegaRegion: JinotegaCountry: NicaraguaFarm Size: 3.50 HectaresCoffee growing area: 3.50 HectaresAltitude: 1050 maslCertification: None COFFEE CHARACTERISTICSVariety: CaturraProcessing System: Washed and sun driedLot Size: 21 bagsInternational Jury Score: 86.63Cupping Number: 1148Jury Descriptions: refined acidity (7), smooth (13), well balanced (7), lingering chocolate finish (10), cocoa, syrupy, caramel, rich, creamy, smooth, fruity aromaPlease Note: If a number appears in brackets next to a description it indicates the number of jurors that agreed with that particular decription.

This was a long 5:30 hours today, but the auction is finally over. The top coffee sold for an astounding $47.06 / lb which is a record for Nicaraguans.Fratello Coffee has purchased its first lot of COE’s and are going to look forward to receiving this to product to offer to our clients. We assume that this will be ready to purchase with in 2 months time.The farmers in Nicaragua were astounded at the responses they received. It goes to show that the 3rd Wave of coffee drinkers will pay farmers for the hard work they put into their crops.Fratello Coffee Co chose from “Los Milagros” Estate, Jinotega.Please read more about this fantastic coffee below:

“Los Milagros” Estate, JinotegaDon Julio César Real, a peasant with deep roots, invites us to go down the narrow pass of the mountain where a colorful coffee mill and pulp processor rises.  (Read the rest of this post)