Embankment Coffee

A low-caffeine Aramosa lot picked only from the lower part of the trees, which Daterra sells as "Bottom of the Tree". The farm's name comes from the Portuguese "da terra", from the earth, reflecting its aim to protect the environment and treat its coffee as the earth's gift. Concentrated ripe fig and raisin with almond and cacao.

Fig, raisin, cacao

Raúl Durán runs two farms, La Esperanza and El Porvenir, with his partner Gutiérrez, fermenting in traditional tanks lined with Majolica tiles that bring out the terroir of Gaitania. A refreshing acidity with honeyed hassaku citrus and apple, and a long, cane-sugar finish.

Hassaku orange, apple, cane sugar

A limited lot of L1, a new variety Enrique Merino found on his Lugmapata farm when he tasted cherries at random and came across one that was remarkably sweet; genetic testing confirmed it was new, and it is named after the farm. Yellow peach and fresh mango with citrus acidity, a woody maple sweetness and a light, black-tea finish.

Yellow peach, fresh mango, maple syrup, black tea

Gititu means "big forest" in Kikuyu. Farming and dairy here are mostly for subsistence and coffee is the only cash crop; the cooperative runs transparently and trains its producers in how their coffee is evaluated and traded. Big cherry fruit and deep blackcurrant with a long muscovado sweetness that holds up as it cools.

Bing cherry, blackcurrant, brown sugar