Dec 13

2015 Specialty Coffee Advent Calendar

La Bandera – Solberg & Hansen

Origin: Dota, Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Farmer: Deigo Hidalgo Umana
Producer: La Bandera
Elevation: 1900 masl
Cultivar: Red Catuai
Process: White honey
Roast Date: 23 Nov
Roaster: Solberg & Hansen

Taste Profile: Diego has cultivated an elegant and luscious coffee with floral aroma. The pleasantly sweet and fruity flavor makes us think of yellow plum, red berries and jasmine.

Signert Bonden is a series of coffee parties where quality and taste is as unique as the stories behind the beans. This Costa Rican coffee is from Diego Hidalgo Umana who cultivates coffee 1,950 meters above sea level in the country’s finest growing area, Tarrazu.

Nearly 50 years ago Diego Hidalgo Uman’s father planted his first coffee trees at La Bandera (Spanish for “flag). Today, the small coffee farm has secured a place among Costa Rica’s most outstanding. Located 1,950 meters above sea level and in the Tarrazu region, conditions are ideal for producing premium coffee. It’s implementation however, would not hve been possible without Diegos dedicated effort.

Two years ago Diego built his own wet mill at La Bandera, which meant that he could follow the coffee all the way from the coffee flower to export ready bean. Solberg & Hansen bought the first self-produced coffee party from Diego in 2014, which was among last year’s most exciting coffee parties – regardless of country or district. In keeping with our goal of creating long-term relationships with some of the world’s foremost coffee producers, Diego Hidalgo Umana was a natural choice as the next element in the “Signert bonden” series.

Solberg & Hansen

We (Solberg & Hansen) are the largest and oldest specialty coffee roaster in Norway, yet keep their focus on the future.  It has made us a pioneer in the coffee industry, both in Norway and internationally. We started travelling the world early in search of the planet’s finest coffee districts. We see this as one of our most important tasks. Because of this, we can share knowledge and create long-term relationships with dedicated and skilled coffee farmers, farms and cooperatives.

This has contributed to a focus on sustainability and fair trade has been fundamental values in our part of the industry. Meanwhile, it is our main quality assurance. Through traveling and close cooperation can we follow the raw material all the way back to the coffee flower’s first shot. It is thanks to this traceability that we obtain green beans and tea leaves that holds exceptionally high quality.

Our job begins ie not at the distillery, but nonetheless are burning our most specialized subjects. We burn beans with knowledge acquired through generations. Products and tastes we discover is the driving force, and curiosity for the subject carries us forward. Testing becomes advances, and humility are granted. Although our journey does not have a particular destination, we have one clear ambition:

Being an opener for the world’s best cup.

http://www.sh.no