A bloody nice house blend with notes of berries, stone fruit, and Maltesers.
Just like previous Players Gold, this blend has been created with usability and sweetness in mind. Tasting characteristics vary depending on how the blend is dialled (see recipes below), but you can consistently expect notes of: "berries, stone fruit, Maltesers"
This blend is a 50/50 mix of two direct trade coffees:
Costa Rica - Aquiares Estate - Duro Semilla - Washed
Turrialba, Cartago Province
Process: Washed
Variety: Catuai, Centroamericano
Altitude: 1200m
Producer: Diego Robelo
Exporter: Aquiares Estate
Rwanda - Baho Coffee - Gito Kuvang - Natural
Ngoma, Akagera, Fugi, Humure, Gitoki
Process: Natural
Variety: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1500-1900m
Producer: Emmanuel Rustira
Exporter: Baho Coffee (Direct Trade)
Emmanuel Rusatira - BAHO
Emma is our man in Rwanda, honestly Cuppers wouldn't be trading right now if it wasn't for his coffees. He runs BAHO, a Rwandan owned export company managing a number of washing stations.
Emma's attitude to coffee production and the responsibilities associated is bloody admirable: "Baho's vision on community is guided by having a synergetic relationship with the community of farmers that we work with, where we guide them and create solutions in a replicable, sustainable and scalable manner leading to economic growth and poverty reduction." - Emmanuel Rusatira
Emma's coffees have been a central part of our Players Blend for going on 3 years. In this time we've worked with him, providing regular feedback on what works for our clients, and listening to what works for him and the communities he represents. The result of this process is a selection of Rwandan naturals with high sweetness and balanced acidity, purchased at a price that takes into account cost of production and customer budget. In short, damn fruity little blenders!
Diego Robelo - Aquiares Estate
Ahh Diego. This relationship is a bit newer for us, but it's blossoming beautifully! We've been purchasing from Aquiares for a couple of years now, primarily through third party exporters. The coffees have been ace, so we decided to make a connection (praise be to Whatsapp). Now we find ourselves ni a unique position with one of Costa Rica's most reputable producers... we got the link up for containers!
As with our Rwandan direct trade relationship, there's been a lot of back and forth. We've been sending coffees over to Diego for examples of our roasting style, and the kind of flavour profile we're aiming for for our Players Blend. He's bloody nailed it, I'm talking true professionalism here. We've been able to secure a long term price for one of the nicest washed Centrals I've ever made a flatty with.
Here's how he feels about the relationship: "It's been great, having several conversations with you, five or six I believe. I've taken notes in each one to better understand what you value... I've been trying to follow through on everything we've discussed. Tasting the coffee Harley sent me from Rwanda and Nicaragua really helped put things into perspective. It gave me a clearer understanding of the quality expectations for the products you're already purchasing, which was crucial for us to get calibrated and align our standards... I also want to mention that I appreciate your approach. You're not the type to squeeze every last penny out of a deal, and that's something I value. We price our coffees with the mindset that a one-time sale at a fantastic price is far less valuable than a long-term partnership built on sustainable pricing over ten or twenty years. This is the kind of relationship we're aiming for." - Diego Robelo
