SHADY LANE

A LIGHT DARK ROAST:
People have been drinking dark roasts for over two-centuries and it seems both short-sighted and careless to ignore history. And yet if you roast too dark, all of the unique flavours of origin are lost and you simply taste the bitter burn and one-dimensional char of the roast process itself.

Shady Lane is a new way of roasting that uses a gentle approach and precise technique to strike a compromise: it engages in our coffee past with an approachable low-acidity  but also showcases the deeply sweet and delicious chocolatey notes possible with particular origins. It is new and old because as the Pavement song concludes, "the worlds collide, but all that we want is a shady lane". 

ORIGIN:
Mario Samuel Mejía is an acclaimed producer, who operates three incredible farms: Finca El Coyote, Finca La Valentina, and Finca El Jardín. This lot comes from El Jardín, which was a 16 hectare farm when his father turned it over to Mario. Today it spans 52 hectares and grows a number of unique and rare varietals along more classic crops, like this Catuai. As Mario explains, "what I like most about coffee is that it is an infinite world. You can meet new people, make new friends, there are always new varieties to discover". The focus on experimentation extends into processing, as Mario uses slow-drying approaches, controlled fermentation, and a state of the art wet milling at his farm. As he states, "The more you spend time with coffee, the more you notice new things. It is a world where you have to be innovating".

FLAVOUR:
Sourcing crops for Shady Lane is always a fun challenge. We look for crops with a smooth sensory experience opening with a mild acidity, think cooked apples or pears, with a strong cocoa or cooked sugar backing. The combination of natural processing and this Catuai lot makes for a wonderfully sweet cup. It opens with nice cooked blackberry and raspberry jam that quickly goes to chocolate with a rich apple and caramel finish.