Coffee Culture
At Simo's Coffee we are invested in the Coffee Culture. This page is dedicated to our coffee fanatics. Our range of coffee is from eight different countries and we have a big interest in the background and culture of each different origin, where our beans are harvested.
Brazil, South America
The Brazilian coffee industry is one of the biggest in the world, producing one third of the world’s coffee (Arabica beans). The green beans used at Simo’s (Barbosa Gold) are planted at an altitude of 600m up to 1100m. The trees grow in a tropical climate and are harvested from June to September each year. When harvested some of the farmers use mechanical equipment, while others use strip picking, which is a single motion to pull off all of the coffee cherries of a single branch at once. The variety of coffee trees include Bourbon, Catuai and Mundo Novo. The cherries are naturally pulped, meaning that the skin is removed and immediately laid to dry. Brazil has a nut bake aroma with a mild malic acidity, creamy body with cacao and golden apple flavours.
Guatemala, Central America
Guatemala is one of the biggest coffee producers in Central America. The country started their coffee production in the early 1800’s and with the help of foreign investors grew their coffee production industry significantly. Simo’s use the SHB (Strictly Hard Bean)/ EP (European Preparation) green beans. SHB refers to beans that are grown at an altitude above 1350m. These beans specifically are grown at an altitude of 1600m. The variety of trees used are Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai. The cherries are harvested from December up to March each year and go through a washing process before being dried. Guatemala has a macadamia nut aroma with hints of honey, mild malic acidity and a fruity-chocolate flavour.
Columbia, South America
Columbia produces 11.5 million bags of coffee each year and is second in terms of Arabica bean production just after Brazil. At Simo’s we use Colombia beans for our decaffeinated coffee as well as caffeinated beans for our single origin range and blends. The decaffeinated and caffeinated beans have an Excelso grade. Excelso beans are large, but smaller than Supremo beans. Both grades of beans can grow on the same tree but are sorted. The decaffeinated beans go through a CO2 (carbon dioxide) process. When CO2 is in liquid form it binds with caffeine. This process does not affect the flavour of the beans and the CO2 can be reused in other commercial processes. The trees for both caffeinated and decaffeinated beans are grown at an altitude of 1200m to 1900m. The soil has volcanic origins with low pH levels. The trees are a variety of Bourbon, Tipica and Caturra. Three quarters of the harvesting takes place between April and June each year and the rest of the harvesting takes place from October till December. Colombia has a fruity aroma with a phosphoric acidity, balanced with a creamy body of chocolate flavour and light spicy notes.
Ethiopia, East Africa
It is said that Ethiopians drank coffee as early as the 9th century. At Simo’s we use two different kinds of Ethiopian coffee, Limu and Sidamo. Limu and Sidamo represent two different regions in Ethiopia. The most significant difference between the two regions is the altitude. Limu coffee is grown at an altitude of 1400m to 2100m, where Sidamo is grown at 1700m to 1900m. Both regions use the Heirloom variety of coffee tree and both are harvested from November till January each year. It is said that most Heirloom trees are descendants of the Bourbon or Typica species and is a combination of more than 10 000 varieties. Both Limu and Sidamo go through a washing process. Ethiopia Limu has a sweet fruited aroma with a mild citric acidity, enhanced with cocoa and citrus flavours. The oil content of Limu is more than Sidamo. Ethiopia Sidamo has a fruity, floral aroma with a vibrant citric acidity balanced with mild dark chocolate and fruited lime flavours.
Tanzania, East Africa
Tanzania was introduced to coffee just after World War 1, when becoming a British Colony. They produce less than 1% of the world's coffee making their coffee very special. Tanzania has two rainy seasons the first one is from February to June and the second is from October to December. Harvesting typically takes place in between the rainy seasons from June to August. The coffee farms beans’ we use at Simo’s have an altitude of 1400m till 2000m. The soil is volcanic soil and rich is magnesium, potassium and nitrogen and slightly acidic. The cherries are washed and sundried. Tanzania has a deep toasty aroma well balanced with a mild citric acidity and a clean sweet chocolate flavour. This is the most fruity coffee in our single origin range with a medium acidity and a citrus aftertaste.
Honduras, Central America
In Honduras weather is one of the biggest challenges at coffee farms. Hurricanes are one of the biggest threats to the industry while there are other factors like poverty and malnutrition. That being said, Honduras still exports 6 million coffee bags per year and it can sometimes be very rare due to the lack of transportation. The Honduras beans we use at Simo’s are organic certified and go through a washing process. The trees grow at an altitude of 1500m to 2000m and are from the Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai and Typica varieties. Cherries are harvested from December till February. Honduras has a brown spice aroma with a mild citric acidity enhanced by dried fruited flavours.
Rwanda, Central Africa
The Coffee industry in Rwanda is relatively new and only started in the 20th century when the first coffee plants arrived. It was only three decades later when production started. Although Rwanda is not a long time partner of the industry, they are one of the leading coffee growing nations. In Rwanda coffee is called Ibanga (Kinyarwanda language) and means secret. The green beans we use at Simo’s comes from about 800 smallholder farms and exported through one company. Roughly 40% of the farmers are female. The beans are from the Karongi and Gishyita districts in Rwanda. All of the plants are from the Bourbon variety and harvest takes place from February till June each year. The cherries are semi washed before sundried. Rwanda has a toasty vanilla aroma with a medium malic acidity balanced with an excellent body of chocolate flavours and an earthy aftertaste.
Kenya, East Africa
Kenya AA coffee beans are viewed as one of the best types of coffee beans in the world. The Kenyan coffee industry employs over 6 million people and production only began early in the 20th century. There are a variety of factors that contribute towards the high view of the coffee beans, including the climate, soil and processing. The soil is fertile volcanic soil, ideal for growing coffee. The altitude of farms is around 1700m with good rainfall. Harvesting takes place from November to December every year. When harvested the cherries are sun dried with the skin only removed after drying. Kenyan coffee plants are of the Arabica varieties. Kenya has a floral aroma with a winey acidity balanced with hints of berries and wine.