EXCEPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION

This month's coffee:

Origin: Mbozi Songwe, Tanzania
Variety: N39
Process:Washed
Farm: Smalholder farms
Roast: Omni
Best For:Filter • Espresso

June's Exceptional Subscription coffee is Ribena: a clean, structured Tanzania coffee with bright acidity, soft fruit character, and a balanced, composed profile.
Produced by the Iyenga Cooperative in the Songwe region, this coffee reflects a more classic washed Tanzanian style: focused on clarity, sweetness, and a steady, well-defined cup. It offers a bright but controlled acidity, a light to medium body, and a crisp finish, with subtle fruit notes and a gentle, underlying sweetness that keeps it approachable and easy to return to.
This is a coffee that leans into balance rather than intensity. It works particularly well as a filter, where its clarity and structure come through cleanly, but it also performs reliably as espresso, producing a bright, tidy shot with a softer, rounded edge.
The lot is fully washed and sun dried, with careful attention paid to sorting and processing at the cooperative level. Recent investments in infrastructure have helped raise quality and consistency, resulting in a cleaner and more precise cup profile.
We chose this coffee for its clarity, consistency, and its expression of a more traditional Tanzanian profile. It’s dependable, and quietly expressive.

This coffee is produced by Iyenga AMCOS, a cooperative based in Mbozi, Songwe, in southern Tanzania. Established in 2003, the cooperative works with 292 smallholder farmers, each typically managing 1-2 hectares of land.

Coffee here is grown at altitudes between 1,600 and 1,671 metres, where cooler conditions support slower cherry development and contribute to the coffee’s clarity and acidity. The lot is composed of a mix of varieties, including Kent, Bourbon, N39, and local cultivars, reflecting the region’s diverse planting.

Iyenga AMCOS plays an important role in supporting its members, providing access to processing infrastructure, training, and market access in a region where these services are often limited. With support from Volcafe’s origin partner Taylor Winch, the cooperative has invested in improved processing facilities, including a new wet mill and quality-focused post-harvest practices.

Alongside quality improvements, the cooperative has also benefited from wider sustainability initiatives, including access to financing for equipment and community projects such as local childcare facilities. These efforts, combined with ongoing training and infrastructure development, have helped position Iyenga as a producer of increasingly consistent and high-quality coffees.

The result is a coffee that reflects both its environment and the steady progress of the producers behind it: clean, balanced, and thoughtfully produced.

V60

Coffee: 18g

Water: 310ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size:  EK 8.5 / ~26-28 clicks on Commandate

Method

1. Rinse the paper filter, add 18g of coffee and gently level the bed
2. Bloom, add 50g of water
3. Swirl gently to ensure even saturation
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Pour up to 150g total by ~1:00
6. Keep a steady, controlled pour
7. Pour up to 310g. Maintain a slow, consistent flow,
8. Let it drain completely (finish around 2:30–3:00)

Hario switch 

Coffee: 16g

Water: 280ml

Temp: 94°C

Time: 3:00

Grind size: EK 8 / ~25–27 clicks on Comandate

Method

1. Rinse paper
2. Add coffee 
3. Bloom with 50g of water for 30s (valve closed)
4. Open the valve for 30 seconds
5. Close the valve, add 150g of water (total 200g)
6. At 1m50s open valve
7. Let it drain
8. Slowly pour 280g of water 
9. Let it drain

Aeropress

Coffee: 14g

Water: 200ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:45-3:00

Grind Size: 7-7.5 on EK / 24-26 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper. Add 14g of coffee
2. Add all 200ml of water quickly
3. Stir 3-5 times gently
4. Insert plunger at ~0:20 (to stop dripping), let sit until 1:45-2.00
5. Press slowly (60 sec)
6. Finish around 2:45-3:00

Orea

Coffee: 18g

Water: 300ml

Temperature: 94°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size: 6-7 on EK / 20-24 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper and preheat everything. Add 18g of coffee.
2. Spiral pour to 60g, wait 30s
3. Pour to 140g wait 30s
4. Pour to 220g, wait 30s
5. Pour to 300g and let it drain

V60 

Coffee: 18g

Water: 310ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size:  EK 8.5 / ~26-28 clicks on Commandate

Method

1. Rinse the paper filter, add 18g of coffee and gently level the bed

2. Bloom, add 50g of water

3. Swirl gently to ensure even saturation

4. Wait 30 seconds

5. Pour up to 150g total by ~1:00

6. Keep a steady, controlled pour

7. Pour up to 310g. Maintain a slow, consistent flow,

8. Let it drain completely (finish around 2:30–3:00)

Hario switch 

Coffee: 16g

Water: 280ml

Temp: 94°C

Time: 3:00

Grind size: EK 8 / ~25–27 clicks on Comandate

Method

1. Rinse paper

2. Add coffee 

3. Bloom with 50g of water for 30s (valve closed)

4. Open the valve for 30 seconds

5. Close the valve, add 150g of water (total 200g)

6. At 1m50s open valve

7. Let it drain

8. Slowly pour 280g of water 

9. Let it drain

Aeropress

Coffee: 14g

Water: 200ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:45-3:00

Grind Size: 7-7.5 on EK / 24-26 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper. Add 14g of coffee

2. Add all 200ml of water quickly

3. Stir 3-5 times gently

4. Insert plunger at ~0:20 (to stop dripping), let sit until 1:45-2.00

5. Press slowly (60 sec)

6. Finish around 2:45-3:00

Orea

Coffee: 18g

Water: 300ml

Temperature: 94°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size: 6-7 on EK / 20-24 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper and preheat everything. Add 18g of coffee.

2. Spiral pour to 60g, wait 30s

3. Pour to 140g wait 30s

4. Pour to 220g, wait 30s

5. Pour to 300g and let it drain

We dispatch orders every Monday. The cut-off for orders is midday on the preceding Thursday.

We ship all orders via Royal Mail 24 Tracked. Deliveries typically arrive within 1–2 working days after dispatch.

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