FINDING THE RIGHT COFFEE
Since we opened, coffee has been the one product that we get asked about most often, however, we’ve been struggling to find a supply that doesn’t use plastic in their packaging and supply chain.
One of the farmers in Colombia that our new supplier works with.
One of the main reasons for this is freshness. Coffee lovers (or addicts?) are renowned for demanding short periods of time between roasting, grinding and brewing, which has led to the rise of vacuum sealed pouches becoming the normal method of transport.
Although they lock in the flavours and freshness of the recently roasted beans, these pouches are typically made from materials such as paper, aluminum and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. These products are all recyclable, however, when they are laminated (or pressed together) it can become next to impossible split up and reuse the individual elements and consequently they’re usually incinerated or end up as landfill, which is a huge waste of resource and not very sustainable.
Along with the plastic problem, coffee production itself is often seen as an industry that exploits workers and communities for the benefit of “western” society and tastes. Fairtrade practices are supposed to help producers in different parts of the world, but even those are often tarnished with negative side effects, which can make trust difficult from the consumer’s point of view.
Regardless of whether the product in question is tea, coffee or chocolate, it’s really important to us at Lentils and Lather that we work with suppliers that are aware of issues like these and efforts to address them.
When we were approached by Lewis from Manchester based Lost Coffee we were pleased to find someone that truly cares about the quality of their product as much as their supply chain of farmers and roasters.
The Lost Coffee story started with a trip to Colombia, where Lewis and his team went in search of the finest coffee flavours in the world. Their journey allowed them to understand what it is that makes Columbian coffee so unique: the altitude at which the fruit that is processed into coffee is grown (difficult growing conditions translates into longer maturity timescales and more intense flavours) and the methods by which the beans are harvested being the two main factors.
Alongside gaining this knowledge, the team were able to build unique relationships with the people involved with the coffee production, making for a very traceable and special product.
Lost Coffee values sustainability - both for the environment and for the industry. Their premium specialty coffee ensures that the people who have been involved in its production are paid a good wage and are treated fairly.
The coffee pouches are made from compostable material and will break down in household compost bins. If you don’t have one of these, drop your used packets back into Lentils and Lather and we’ll make sure they end up in the right place!
We’re stocking two Lost Coffee products to start with: Lost in Magdalena and Lost in Nario.
Lost in Magdalena is available in both espresso and cafetière. This coffee has a creamy body with notes of chocolate, cocoa, spices and red fruits with medium acidity. It has a high cup score of 85 points.
Lost in Narino is a great versatile coffee, which can be used across all brewing methods and so is supplied whole bean. The profile for this coffee includes: red fruits, complex sweetness and citric acidity. It has a high cup score of 86 points.
All of the coffee is roasted by the current national roasting champion of Colombia, Juan Carlos Espinel.
And they’re all available now at Lentils and Lather!
Juan Carlos Espinel, master roaster.