KAFAR Palarnia Kawy

An everyday classic roasted a little darker for espresso and bean-to-cup machines: dark chocolate, clear toffee and a hint of dried fruit with a full, smooth body.

Dark chocolate, Toffee, Dried fruit

From Fazenda Vivir, run by sisters Virginia and Viviane Veloso, whom KAFAR co-owners Błażej Walczykiewicz and Adam Laska visited in January. Creamy cashew, ripe peach and a liqueur-like rum note. Scored 85.5.

Cashew, Peach, Rum

An African, fruit-driven espresso: blueberry, grapefruit and cocoa with a smooth body and a black-tea aftertaste.

Blueberry, Grapefruit, Cocoa

A very sweet natural Red Bourbon from the Kibingo station, which serves registered smallholders from the surrounding hills; whole cherries dry slowly. Blackberry, vanilla and a dark-chocolate finish. Scored 86.

Blackberry, Vanilla, Dark chocolate

Yandaro sits in the river valley of the same name near the Kibira rainforest and works with 2,341 smallholders from 22 hills, each with about 250 trees. Cherries arrive on harvest day and are floated, hand-sorted and fermented in clean water before washing. Scored 87. Sold in 1kg bags.

A decaf that keeps its specialty character: cherry, red apple and cane sugar with a crisp acidity, roasted for filter where the lighter body lets the fruit through.

Cherry, Red apple, Cane sugar

The espresso roast of KAFAR's sugarcane-decaffeinated Tolima Caturra.

A Forest Coffee lot from the Bayter family's El Vergel Estate, which turned to fermentation experiments in 2017 to escape the local commodity market. Red and Yellow Caturra fermented 48-60 hours without oxygen, then dried slowly under a marquesina. Scored 87.

From Gaitania in Tolima, a region with a difficult history; this lot comes through the Black Condor Project, which supports over 100 independent farmers with fair prices, training and access to modern processing. Scored 85.

A Gesha from Alta Clara that KAFAR co-owner Adam Laska won at the La Mejor Taza de Nariño auction after judging the competition. Elegant and layered, with guava, sweet cherry and muscovado. Scored 88.

Guava, Cherry, Muscovado

A classic espresso full of chocolate, almond and juicy red apple with a smooth, round body; a good base for milk drinks and pleasant on its own.

Chocolate, Almond, Red apple

A peaberry lot from La Torre, sourced with Damian Durda of Change of Tone from Jhon Alvarado's family in Chirripó. The anaerobic natural heightens sweetness and complexity while staying clear: cherry, rum and nougat. Scored 87.75.

Cherry, Rum, Nougat

From Senel and Alan Campos's La Toboba farm: the natural process builds fruit and a dense body, with sugarcane, mandarin freshness and a subtle walnut note. Best as pour-over. Scored 86.

Walnut, Mandarin, Sugarcane

A classic washed Tarrazú from CoopeTarrazú members, this lot from the La Pastora farm: crisp red fruit into milk chocolate and a long cocoa finish. Roasted for espresso.

Red fruits, Milk chocolate, Cocoa

The Silva family planted Batian, a Kenyan variety bred for resilience and quality, at Finca La Siberia in 2019; the farm's volcanic soil, cool climate and altitude turned the experiment into a success. Juicy wild strawberry, a hint of pitaya and elegant florals. Scored 87.

Wild strawberry, Pitaya, Florals

70% Brazil Monte Carmelo natural Arabica with 30% organic Tanzania Bukoba natural Robusta: milk chocolate, hazelnut and a touch of citrus, creamy body and a strongly chocolatey finish.

Milk chocolate, Hazelnut, Citrus

80% Brazil Monte Carmelo natural Arabica with 20% Uganda Turaco washed Robusta: milk chocolate, hazelnut and a touch of citrus with a creamy body.

Milk chocolate, Hazelnut, Citrus

Imported via 88 Graines, who buy directly from producers on origin trips. A traditional natural dried on African beds: bright and complex, floral with wild strawberry and intense blueberry. Scored 86.75.

Florals, Wild strawberry, Blueberry

Named after a local tree in the Guji landscape, where coffee grows among other plants under natural shade. Honeyed melon sweetness, fresh blueberry and a subtle cardamom spice. Scored 88.

Melon, Blueberry, Cardamom

Grown at 1,900-2,100 metres in Gedeo, where coffee shares living garden plots with enset, beans and avocado trees. A sunny natural of juicy mandarin, delicate florals and soft milk chocolate.

Mandarin, Florals, Milk chocolate

Only ripe cherry from local family farms reaches the Uraga station, where it ferments without oxygen before drying: an intense, creamy, layered cup of blueberry sweetness, a distinctive cola note and magnolia florals. Scored 88.5.

Cola, Blueberry, Magnolia

A classically floral, blueberry-driven natural roasted for espresso: soft, dense and sweet with a long finish; with milk it tastes like blueberry yoghurt.

Florals, Blueberry, Sweet

"Kawa Gliwicka", a specialty blend of Brazilian and Ethiopian Arabica created with the City of Gliwice and roasted in town: balanced, medium roast, for espresso and milk drinks.

A Guatemalan classic for espresso: cocoa, halva and forest fruits with a smooth, round, medium body.

Cocoa, Halva, Forest fruits

A long-running KAFAR staple from Hermes Perez's farm in Acatenango, in the heart of Guatemala's volcanic chain, shaded by volcanoes and cooled by Pacific breezes. Scored 85.

From the family-owned Chinennahally Estate on the slopes of the Bababudangiri range, where Baba Budan is said to have planted India's first coffee seeds brought from Yemen. A classic espresso: cocoa, walnut and a hint of tobacco leaf, velvety body and very low acidity.

Cocoa, Walnut, Tobacco leaf

From Ibonia Estate, one of Kiambu's oldest plantations: over 100 hectares, nearly 60% still natural forest, with coffee at around 1,700 metres in cool volcanic soils. Raspberry and cherry tomato with lively Kenyan acidity and a chocolatey finish. Scored 87.25.

Raspberry, Cherry tomato, Chocolate

Grown in red volcanic soils at the foot of the Aberdares; hand-picked, fermented 12-24 hours, washed and dried 14-18 days on raised tables. Roasted for espresso.

From 650+ smallholders of the New Murarandia cooperative, each farming under a hectare, delivering to the Murarandia Factory (since 1997); Sucafina / Kahawa Bora trains farmers in agronomy and processing. Scored 85.5.

Neri Ortiz Perez has spent years developing his farm and supporting neighbouring growers. Selected cherries go through a multi-stage fermentation and dry slowly on raised beds: intensely fruity, lively and creamy, with cherry, kombucha and peanut butter. Scored 88.25.

Cherry, Kombucha, Peanut butter

Large Maracaturra beans from a small section of Finca Bethania, fermented anaerobically for several days: juicy and aromatic, with wild strawberry, blood orange and a gently spiced liquorice finish. Scored 87.5. Sold in 1kg bags.

Wild strawberry, Blood orange, Liquorice

Another season from Don Liberato and Sergio's La Bendición farm: a short carbonic-maceration fermentation in small, tightly controlled batches draws out sweetness and complexity. Deep and dessert-like, with hazelnut, brownie and dried fig.

Hazelnut, Brownie, Fig

María Eugenia Herrera inherited her father's farm in 1998, only for Hurricane Mitch to make coffee uneconomic; working with the Bridazul station brought it back to life. Cherries are selected on the farm, then washed and dried at Bridazul for a clean, juicy, elegant cup of forest fruits, ripe cherry and maple syrup.

Forest fruits, Cherry, Maple syrup

KAFAR's first Tanzanian, from Itumpi AMCOS, a producer cooperative active since the 1970s with 160 members that began fully washed production in 2019. Rhubarb acidity, green gooseberry fruit and a herbal, tea-like elegance; precise and clean.

Rhubarb, Gooseberry, Herbs

Grown by smallholders in the Coffee Gardens initiative in Bukyabo, built on transparency, sustainability and direct farmer-roaster relationships. Scored 86. End of series.