Coffee history

Today we travel to four different states with our award-winning Blue Diamond blend: Ethiopia, Colombia, India and Brazil.

You will have already tasted the four single origin coffees, now taste them in blends and discover how they enhance each other, creating a unique and complex flavour.

Ethiopia

Let’s start from Ethiopia, the country from which the coffee plant came to life and therefore the traditions of the whole world around it.

Coffee in Ethiopia has always had a sacred meaning, becoming an integral and indispensable part of the country’s economy, politics, rituals, language–in short, the entire way of life.

The coffee ceremony follows a precise ritual, giving great importance to conversation and human relationships. It is carried out three times a day, by the woman of the house in a white dress with colorful borders, serving three rounds of coffee to each participant, and each round has its own significance.

The beans are still roasted by hand with a pan placed directly over an open fire, always kept moving by the same woman. After which they are ground and left to infuse in the traditional coffee maker.

Coffee in Ethiopia is truly considered a great little miracle of nature, as there are no large plantations in the area, as happens in other states, but it is the result of the work of many small producers and local families who often grow the plants directly in their own ” garden”. These small realities number about 12 million.

Because everything is very domestic, growers do not use chemicals or substances toxic to the environment, leaving the earth pure and free to breathe, placing coffee plants in the shade of other crops and tall trees.

All this makes Ethiopian coffee one of the finest in the world, with aromatic, intense and flawless beans.

On the palate it presents fresh and delicate aromas of citrus fruits, red fruits and flowers, intensified by spicier notes, or hints of chocolate, dried fruit. The sweet notes are often traced back to honey and caramel.

Find out more about this coffee by clicking here.

Colombia

Now we fly to Colombia among the most evocative coffee-growing areas in the world, so much so that its landscapes are a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Eje Cafetero is a rural area that stretches across several departments toward the south of the state, beyond Medellin. The best known are those of: Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda, Tolima, and Valle del Cauca.

Here life flows slowly, in contact with and respect for nature, made up of simplicity and centuries-old cultural traditions.

Coffee has affected the economy, lifestyle, traditions, customs and traditions of the small historic villages of farmers, who pass on knowledge and skills from father to son.

When I drink a cup of Colombia Supremo Finca la Meseta I close my eyes and imagine myself among the beautiful spa areas, immersed among the vast plantations of an intense emerald green, embraced by cloud forests, between steep valleys and peaks with glaciers, kissed by the sun and overlooking the Andean national parks.

Here is the hacienda from which we purchase our Colombian coffee, from the Finca called La Meseta.

Region dotted with Andean forest, with a climate between 8° and 24° Celsius, between 1100 and 2000 m above sea level, and with constant rainfall throughout the year. All this makes the land perfect for growing the highest quality coffee.

And to honor their product, the recognedores, or red berry pickers, always work manually, making careful selection and picking only the cherries that are ripe at the right point.

The taste is soft, fresh, fruity, floral and almondy. Smell the cup of Blue Diamond and you’ll smell that intense almond note!

Learn more about this coffee by clicking here.

India

We now move to India among the Baba Budan Giri hills, below the Tropic of Cancer, constituting the main region for the production and consumption of the dark drink.

Specifically, with our Kalledevarapura, we are in the region of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

These regions are cool throughout the year and enjoy abundant rainfall. The soil is deep and fertile. In addition, the peculiarity of this area is the presence of tall trees, which allow coffee plants to be grown in the shade, sheltering them from the strong and hot direct sun.

These conditions create fertile ground for the cultivation of great coffee!

The same plantations then grow not only coffee, but also pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and 45 other types of plants. This botanical heterogeneity gives the beans great aromatic variety and intensity in taste.

Insomma un viaggio per le piantagioni indiane lo immagino con gli occhi chiusi ed il naso all’insù, pronto per cogliere tutte le fantasiose sfumature automatiche e l’inebriante profumo di fiori, frutti e spezie.

Overall, Indian Arabica coffees have good acidity and creaminess, rich in flavors: from tea leaves, chocolate, ripe pulp fruit to red fruits, chocolate to honey, and nuts to spices and tobacco. In short, a riot of taste.

Learn more about this coffee by clicking here.

Brazil

We end our journey around the world by returning to Brazil, the number one state in terms of quantity of coffee produced and sold in the world, and therefore also one of the most consumed and well-known coffees!

There are a multitude of farms in Brazil, both large as far as the eye can see, using industrial means and producing poor quality coffee, and micro farms of Specialty Coffee. In short, the coffee territory is vast and varied.

The two departments known for producing quality coffee are the Cerrado region, from which our Bom Chocolate comes, and the Minas Gerais region southeast of the former.

The Cerrado region obtained the IP (Indication of Origin) mark in 2005 and the DO, then also recognized with the Denomination of Origin mark, since 2014. This is characterized, as mentioned above, by the quality of raw grains and for unique climatic combinations. In addition, coffee plants have intense flowerings, with uniform ripening of a concentrated crop, which together with a perfect definition of climatic seasons with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters.

A perfectly synchronized set of variables that create unique and ideal conditions for our beloved plant with bright red fruits.

Authentic Cerrado Mineiro coffee has intense aromas, with a caramel taste and hints of dried fruit, delicate citrus acidity and a preponderant flavor of very persistent chocolate.

I imagine Brazil to be vast, consisting of hills and plateaus between 900 and 1,600 meters above sea level. Green and fields as far as the eye can see with a clear sky contrasting the land.

Learn more about this coffee by clicking here.

So, with a taste of our Blue Diamond you will first find yourself in central Africa in Ethiopia, with fresh and almost pungent hints of citrus fruits and flowers.

Immediately afterwards comes the delicacy of Colombian fruit, accompanied by the aromatic intensity of Indian spices, to finally find itself in Brazil, with notes of toasted, caramel and chocolate, among the cocoa plants.

This blend is excellent in filter, with moka, in espresso and even cold!

Find out how best to prepare it with all the tools here.

Have a good trip!