Nectarine, Pecan
Grown by Neel and Kavita Vohora on the slopes of the Karatu District, this Tanzanian Bourbon goes through an extended, carefully controlled fermentation before a semi-wash - leaving just enough mucilage to give the cup a smooth, coating quality. The result is stone fruit sweetness led by nectarine, with a quiet nuttiness underneath. Easy to reach for at any time of day.
Silky stone fruit, nutty warmth
Bourbon N39 is a Tanzanian Bourbon variety first developed in the 1930s, bred for both quality and yield - and on the Edelweiss Estate in the Karatu District, Neel and Kavita Vohora are putting it to particularly considered use. They grow this lot at 1,650 to 1,800 metres, where the altitude lends structure and a natural sweetness to the cherry.
The processing is where things get interesting. Cherries were held for six days in a controlled, exothermic fermentation environment, where elevated temperatures encouraged the development of complex, fruit-forward esters. After fermentation, the cherries were pulped with a measured amount of mucilage left on - a semi-washed approach that sits between the clarity of a washed coffee and the fuller sweetness of a natural.
In the cup, it's smooth and rounded: stone fruit sweetness, nectarine in particular, with a gentle nuttiness that settles in at the finish. It rewards a slower brew - a pour over or cafetiere lets the texture and fruit character open up properly. If you tend to enjoy coffees with a velvety body and sweetness that doesn't shout, this one will suit you well.
About the Roaster
Assembly Coffee started in Brixton in 2015, built around a simple conviction: that a roastery should source what its customers actually need, not what looks good on a shelf. Now a B-Corp certified team of thirty, they work with producers, scientists and hospitality partners across the world - bringing carefully chosen coffees to independent cafes, restaurants and home brewers from London to Manila.
