As an intern working for Diletto I’ve had the great chance to visit many different events to taste and try many different exquisite champagnes, wines, whiskeys and even tequilas in a bid to find the best of the best to include in the Diletto range, quiet important research. The types I would not have tried myself or even been able to find in the local store. I was quick to understand what the “Diletto Experience” was then; to have these wonderful, rare, gourmet products, all in one place for you, and delivered right to your door.

Now, another tasting event, the Diletto team is working on creating the perfect coffee blends. Starting with many different beans sourced from all over the world and only roasted right here in Cape Town to ensure total freshness. We started with an assortment of 5 different beans and began the tasting, looking to create interesting well rounded diverse blends, combining different essences of each bean. On the tasting table were; A very dark roasted Ethiopian bean, with a strong taste and smell. Lintong from Sumatra, a light sweet smelling bean with a kick and beautiful aroma. Colombia, a light tasty coffee with an earthy flavor. Brazil Santos, a light smelling yet, strong charismatic coffee.  And Guatemala, deceivingly light and aromatic to the nose with a smooth, strong, intense and aromatic taste.
Then we experimented with the blends we thought would work best. Guatemala, stood out from all the others as a superb bean, one that can be enjoyed on its own, the perfect espresso bean! To add even more appeal, we paired it with Lintong, to create a much stronger, more profound flavor. The perfect coffee for the dark roast lover and well suited to an after dinner coffee.
With two strong coffees that we liked, we focused on creating an easy going blend. Brazil Santos and Colombia were combined to create an aromatic, interesting even spicy, smooth blend with a sharp boost. It is simple yet complex, an easy drinking coffee with character!
Stay tuned for the delicious Diletto Coffee Blends available soon!

Scot Mostert
Diletto Intern.

Ethiopia Coffee

Ethiopia produces some of the most unique and fascinating coffees in the world. The three main regions where Ethiopia coffee beans originate are Harrar, Ghimbi, and Sidamo (Yirgacheffe).

Ethiopian Arabica Coffee Beans

Ethiopian Harrar coffee beans are grown on small farms in the eastern part of the country. They are dry-processed and are labeled as longberry (large), shortberry (smaller), or Mocha (peaberry). Ethiopian Harrar coffee can have a strong dry edge, winy to fruit like acidity, rich aroma, and a heavy body. In the best Harrar coffees, one can observe an intense aroma of blueberries or blackberries. Ethiopian Harrar coffee is often used in espresso blends to capture the fine aromatics in the crema.

Washed coffees of Ethiopia include Ghimbi and Yirgacheffe. Ghimbi coffee beans are grown in the western parts of the country and are more balanced, heavier, and has a longer lasting body than the Harrars.

The Ethiopian Yirgacheffee coffee bean, is the most favoured coffee grown in southern Ethiopia. It is more mild, fruitlike, and aromatic. Ethiopian Yirgacheffee coffee may also be labeled as Sidamo, which is the district where it is produced.

For more information about Ethiopia coffee, visit Sweet Maria’s.

Uganda Coffee

Most of Uganda coffee is Robusta, but the Arabica coffee is similar in profile to Kenyan coffees. If you want to buy Ugandan coffee, try the coffee from the western slopes of Mt. Elgon called Bugishu. Bugishu Arabicas are considered to be the best coffees produced by Uganda.

For more information about Uganda coffee, visit Sweet Maria’s.

Kenya Coffee

Coffee from Kenya has a distinctly bright acidity and potent sweetness with a dry winy aftertaste. Among the best Kenya coffee, one can find intoxicating black-currant flavor and aroma (Knox, 65).

Kenya Coffee: Producers and Exporters

Kenyan coffee beans are auctioned in Nairobi every Tuesday during harvesting season. This practice has lead to fierce price wars for the best coffee crops. A large percentage of coffee in Kenya is produced by small cooperative societies rather than large Kenya coffee estates. Kenyan coffee beans are wet-processed and the Kenyan coffee bean grade is designated by the size of the coffee bean, where AA is largest followed by A and B, which are successively smaller.

Ruiru 11 Hybrids and the Coffee Board of Kenya

The introduction of the disease resistant coffee, Ruiru 11, was developed at the Ruiru Coffee Research Station. This hybrid is causing concern among Kenyan coffee aficionados because it is supposed to lack some of the favourable flavor characteristics native to traditional cultivars. The Kenya Coffee Board is trying to promote the Ruiru 11 as a viable alternative, but its attempts have been overshadowed by rumors that Ruiru 11 tastes like low grade coffee from an entirely different country. Chemical testing should occur in the next several years to determine which, if any, components are absent and which components are producing off flavours.

For more information about Kenya coffee, visit Sweet Maria’s or Wikipedia.

Tanzania Coffee

Tanzanian coffee is somewhat similar to its Kenyan neighbor, but the consistency and quality of production is not as far advanced as Kenya’s.  Most of the Tanzanian Arabica coffee, such as the prized Tanzania peaberry coffee, is grown on Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru and is wet-processed. The coffee grading method is the same as Kenya where AA is the largest followed by A and B. The Tanzanian coffee bean is said to share the same sharp and winey acidity as African and Arabian coffees (Davids, 68). In general a good Tanzania coffee will have bright acidity and strong flavour.

For more information about Tanzania coffee, visit Sweet Maria’s.

Malawi Coffee

Often considered to lie in the shadow of good Kenyan coffee, Malawi coffee is smooth and full bodied. Since little Malawi coffee reaches the United States, grab some if you find it and compare it to both Kenyan and Tanzanian coffees.

Mzuzu Coffee is a coffee farmers trust consisting of shareholders in five regions in Malawi. Malawi mzuzu green coffee beans can be purchased online from several coffee import stores.

For more information about Malawian coffee beans, visit Coffeereview.com.

Happy drinking until next time!

I love coffee! And if I am completely honset with my self I probably am slightly addicted to it now before you come to any conclusions about me ask yourself whether you can go just one day without a cup of coffee! I often get to the office feeling tired and wishing that I could just go back to bed. Then I have a cup of good quality coffee from origin and I suddenly feel as bright as day.

However at the same time I am quite sensitive to caffeine and have found that if I drink coffee especially without milk. I generally am more restless for the rest of the day and sometimes even though it could be 10 hours later I can find it hard to go to sleep. It has also been proven that caffeine makes one more aggressive and I am a believer in the law of attraction, therefor the more agro I am generally the more unpleasant things I seem to attract.

So I recently went 2 days without any coffee and I must say that I defintely slept better those 2 nights and definately seemed to have a more smooth day. I believe unlimately that if I could keep this up I would probably be less tired at work, in the long run of course, therefore becoming more productive. It would probably take a few weeks to get used to and be quite a challenge but definatelty possible. Of course there is also the option, of buying quality caffeine free coffee without compromising any taste such as the origin coffee available at diletto click here.

May you have a productive day.

Francis