EXCEPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION

This month's coffee:

Origin: Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Variety: Caturra Chiroso
Process: Advanced Natural Fermentation
Farm: El Encanto
Roast: Omni
Best For:Filter • Espresso

July's Exceptional Subscription coffee is Irish Cream: a rich, expressive Colombian coffee with layers of chocolate, red wine cake, ripe cherry, and soft vanilla sweetness.

Produced by the El Encanto Family Project in Huila, this coffee showcases the precision and creativity of modern Colombian processing. Built around the Caturra Chiroso variety, it combines a rounded, silky body with elegant acidity and deep fruit complexity, resulting in a cup that feels both indulgent and remarkably clean. Chocolate and baked fruit provide the foundation, while notes of red apple, cherry and vanilla bring brightness and sweetness that linger long after the finish.

This is a coffee that embraces intensity without sacrificing balance. It performs beautifully as a filter, where its layered sweetness and complex aromatics have room to unfold, while as an espresso it delivers a rich, syrupy shot with exceptional depth and a long, satisfying finish.

The lot undergoes an advanced natural process, beginning with the careful selection of fully ripe cherries before a 70-hour oxidation phase and a further 60-hour anaerobic fermentation. Yeast cultivated from fruit pulp is introduced to guide fermentation before a thermal shock is applied to stabilise microbial activity. The coffee is then mechanically dried for 48 hours and rested for 15 days, producing a cup that is both expressive and refined.

We chose this coffee for its combination of technical precision and drinkability. It demonstrates how thoughtful fermentation can build remarkable complexity while preserving clarity, creating a coffee that's bold, comforting and endlessly interesting.

This coffee is produced by the El Encanto Family Project, a family-run farm in Pitalito, Huila, sitting at 1,650 metres above sea level. Rooted in generations of coffee farming, the family has transformed El Encanto into a centre for innovation, combining traditional agricultural knowledge with modern processing techniques to produce distinctive specialty coffees.

In recent years, the farm has undergone a complete renovation, replacing conventional varieties with exceptional cultivars including Geisha, Java, Ethiopian, Bourbon Aji, Pink Bourbon and Caturra Chiroso. Rather than focusing on productivity alone, these varieties were chosen for their ability to express terroir, complexity and exceptional cup quality.

Working closely with Cata Export, the family has developed highly controlled fermentation protocols that combine careful experimentation with a deep respect for the coffee itself. Every stage of processing is designed to highlight the natural characteristics of each variety while maintaining clarity, structure and balance. This collaborative approach continues to position El Encanto as an exciting example of Colombia's evolving specialty coffee landscape.

The result is a coffee that reflects both the innovation of its producers and the unique environment in which it is grown: expressive, meticulously crafted, and full of character.

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.

All UK coffee orders qualify for free shipping.