Meet the Roaster: Norð Oslo

From Oslo, Norway with love! This month’s coffee is roasted by Norð Oslo. Norð Oslo was established in 2011 as a small delicatessen and restaurant, initially designed to support small producers by providing a platform for them to grow before entering larger markets, especially focusing on Nordic food and ingredients.

Today, the roastery is dedicated to sourcing high-quality coffee directly from farmers, minimizing middlemen to ensure the coffee is not only excellent but also tells the story of its origin while providing fair compensation to the farmers. Located at Tveita in Oslo, their state-of-the-art facility roasts coffee fresh every week, distributing it to offices, cafes, restaurants, and homes of coffee enthusiasts.

What can you tell us about the coffee you have selected for us this month?

We alway try to have a wide selection of coffee for our customers. Something classic central/south American as well as lovely tea like or completely wild African. We want it to have a great representation of what we do and what you can alway get from us. That’s what brings us to the coffee. We have selected two amazing espresso roasts and three filters.

Filter 1 – Familia Ramirez

Taste Profile: A sweet and delicate coffee with aroma of flower honey and milk chocolate.
Flavors of juicy, yellow apples and hazelnuts.
Origin: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Producer: Finca Familia Ramirez
Variety: Bourbon
Process: Fully Washed
Harvest date: November – April
Altitude: 1700 meters above sea level

Jacinto Ramirez is a 4th generation coffee grower born and raised in Michicoy, a town in San Pedro Necta, Huehuetenango. His farm is part of a larger network of farms owned and operated by his relatives. Coffee is intercropped with chalum trees that provide shade for growing coffee. The chalum trees’ falling leaves also provide a natural fertilizer. Cherry is selectively handpicked and pulped on the farm’s drum pulper. Coffee is fermented in fermentation tanks for 30 hours and then washed in clean water. Wet parchment is laid on patios to sundry. They rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 5 to 8 days for parchment to dry. Once dry, parchment is bagged and taken to a warehouse in Huehuetenango City where the low humidity is ideal for storing and resting parchment. Parchments rest for approximately 2 months before being milled and prepared for export.

Filter 2 – Isimbi

Taste Profile: A balanced and medium bodied coffee with aroma of toffee and wildflowers.
Flavors of sweet lemon and black tea. Floral aftertaste.
Origin: West Province Rwanda
Producer: Smallholder farmers working with RWACOF
Variety: Bourbon
Process: Fully Washed
Harvest date: March – June
Altitude: 1100 – 2000 meters above sea level

Isimbi is a washing station that receives coffee from several small farms with 250 – 350
coffee trees each at 1100 – 2000 meters above sea level. This Isimbi blend is inspired by its
name, the Kinyarwanda word that refers to the white on top of a volcano and symbolizes
purity.

The coffee berries are picked selectively to remove damaged or unripe berries. The washing station only accepts perfectly ripe coffee berries, so the farmers are extra careful to ensure maximum yield. The coffee berries are first roughly sorted by pouring them into a pool of water to remove those with insect damage or low density. The pulp is then peeled from the seeds, or what we know as coffee beans, and fermented for 24 hours to remove the remaining sugar membrane. After fermentation is complete, the coffee beans are sent through sorting channels to separate it into three sizes (A1, A2 and A3). The coffee beans are then soaked for approximately 20 hours to improve quality and durability, and to remove any remaining sugar coating. After washing, the beans are removed from the water and delivered to a drying table to be sorted manually.

Filter 3 & Espresso 1 – Wako Aba

Taste Profile: A sweet and balanced espresso with aroma of cantaloupe melon and violet. Flavors of candied almonds, lingonberries and pomegranate.
Origin: Kochere, Ethiopia
Producer: Mr. Wako Aba, Bonki Busa Farm
Variety: JARC varieties, Local Landraces
Process: Natural
Harvest date: November – January
Altitude: 2200 meters above sea level
Wako takes great pride in producing organic coffee. To enhance yields and maintain the health of his farm, Wako regularly undertakes essential practices such as mulching, pruning, and composting. Wako’s dedication to sustainable agricultural practices exemplifies his commitment to preserving the environment and ensuring the long-term viability of his farm. After selectively handpicking cherry, Wako lays his cherry to dry on raised beds. Wako and his family members turn drying cherry frequently and cover it both during the hottest time of the day and overnight. They also pick over drying cherry and remove any damaged or defective cherry. It takes cherry approximately 30 days to dry completely.

Espresso 2 – Oro Verde

Taste Profile: A sweet and juicy espresso. Aroma of milk chocolate and ripe berries. Flavors
of dark chocolate and red plumes.
Origin: Cajamarca, Peru
Producer: Cooperative Oro Verde
Variety: Bourbon and Caturra
Process: Washed
Harvest date: July – October
Altitude: 1200 meters above sea level

Second, we have one of our staple organic coffee from Jaen in Cajamarca, Peru. This lot is called ‘Estela de Chontali’ because of a beautiful and unique marker in this area; a 1.8 meter high limestone. Discovered in a farmhouse in Mount Corcovado in 1984, it depicts snakes and feline forms created by the Chavin people, one of the oldest civilizations on the continent. The presence of this stone has surrounded the Corcovado mountain and its people with mystery for centuries. Locals say that the misty and densely forested mountain “swallows” those who dare to walk alone.

Do you have a recommended brew recipes for this month’s coffee?

I think we have to recommend V60 as this is the most used and loved method by us in the
roastery and this month selection for KaffeBox was brewed mostly on V60. We would recommend 20 grams of coffee for 330 g of water with a temperature of 97°C, and medium grind size.

Photo by: Onur Kaya

1. Rinse your filter and put the coffee in.
2. Start the timer and pour 40 g of water and then lift your V60 gently and give a spin to
   make sure the whole coffee is wet.
3. After 30 seconds pour 200 g of water.
4. Wait till about 60% water drain and pour the remaining water to make up 330 g then lift
   the V60 and give a spin.

The advice I can give it is to not get too obsessed with keeping to the recipe that someone
swears for. Try different ways and see what works the best for you. In the end you are the
one who will drink this coffee.

Karolina Galecka

What is the most interesting or unexpected feedback you have received from a customer about your coffee?

For me, the most interesting and unexpected feedback is always from people trying speciality coffee for the first time. Going from classic Italian dark roast to lightly roasted coffee is kind of a mind blowing experience. My favorite comment was from my friend’s husband: “coffee can taste like that?! How?”

It alway makes me very happy when people discover speciality coffee.