Brew - Speciality Coffee Magazine

The coffee coach pro tips for home brewers

November drop tasting notes

Weekend baking Stem ginger cake

NOVEMBER

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We're on a mission to ensure you get every last drop of flavour from your Indy Coffee Box beans, so we asked pro coffee coach Michaela Jamieson for her tips to help home brewers create cafequality coffee at home

Also in this month's issue of Brew are the tasting notes for the November bill of beans, plus a winning recipe for a deliciously sticky stem-ginger cake from Dark Woods Coffee in Huddersfield. Brush up on your barista skills while it's baking, then craft yourself a top-notch brew and pair it with a sizeable slab of cake for the ultimate weekend treat.

Enjoy!

Selena, Nick, Tamsin, Charlotte, Kathryn, Jo and Chris of the Indy Coffee Box team

P.S. Want to increase the number of bags in your box?

Go to indycoffeebox.co.uk and log in to your account. Click 'My Subscription' and then 'Upgrade'. This isn't an option for four-bag subscribers as that's the maximum box size. However, everyone can take advantage of ordering a Booster Box for a second helping of the month's coffees. Keep an eye on your emails for the opportunity to order one.

Kayla demonstrating how to achieve the perfect pour in a brewing masterclass

Colonna Coffee Bristol

This edge-of-Bristol roastery (founded in 2015 by barista champ Maxwell ColonnaDashwood) specialises in showcasing seasonal, single origin and small-lot beans in a pleasingly limited and carefully curated collection of high-end coffees. Check out Colonna's cafe in Bath – it's a speciality coffee institution.

Bean background

This coffee comes from two washing stations, Chebumba and Buchiro, which are located near the shores of Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Natural coffees are uncommon in the country, yet Chebumba and Buchiro broke the mould when they released their first exportable volumes of natural coffee in 2019.

Chebumba and Buchiro are part of the Agricole Muungano co-operative in South Kivu. This contains over 4,000 farmers, organised into 16 sectors within the mountains that surround Lake Kivu. It's a rich location for coffee farming thanks to its fertile soils, but farmers also grow a variety of other plants to supplement their income, including beans, corn and bananas.

berry

Fower Coffee Scotland

In 2020, speciality coffee enthusiast Stuart Jamieson did what so many only dream of doing and left his corporate career to start roasting coffee full-time. From his roastery HQ in South Lanarkshire – which doubles up as a cafe, pop-up restaurant and events space – Stuart and the Fower team roast top-grade beans for coffee lovers.

Coffee Factory

Espresso Blend

filter 'spro

Bean background

Coffee

Bean background

Varietals

Mondo Novo, Catuai, Typica, Bourbon, Kaapi Royale

Origin

Brazil, Guatemala, India

Process

Natural, washed

Factory Espresso is Fower Coffee's original espresso blend and has become a staple in its collection, thanks to its rich body and well balanced sweetness/acidity.

Factory is a complementary combination of natural Brazilian, washed Guatemalan and washed Indian beans which results in a reliably delicious espresso.

stone fruit

brown sugar

dark chocolate

Ugandan, UGO1

Varietals

Heirloom

Origin

Ibanda, Rwenzori, Uganda

Process

Natural

This Ugandan coffee comes from several small community farmers around the village of Ibanda in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains.

The farmers bring their ripe cherries to Ibanda where they're sorted, weighed and sold. The cherries are then taken to the Bugoye coffee station for processing.

Once the green beans reach Fower HQ, they're lightly roasted to reveal notes of juicy berries, praline and dried fruits.

praline

berry

dried fruit

Coffee

Daily Bread

Varietals Mixed Origin

25% Peru San Fernando; 25% Peru Apyalla; 25% El Salvador

Renacer; 25% Brazil Bom Jesus Process

Natural, washed

Pilgrims Coffee Northumberland

November tasting NOTES

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This Pilgrims blend was built around the idea that great coffee should be as easy to source as a loaf of bread.

To create the mediumroast coffee, the Pilgrims gang collaborated with small-scale importers who work closely with farmers in Peru and El Salvador.

In the cup, Daily Bread delivers oodles of sweet chocolate notes, followed by a fruity kick. Be warned: it's highly swiggable – the Pilgrims crew admit to drinking it in excessive quantities.

Located on beautiful Holy Island on England's north east coast, this roasterycafe cooks up first-rate coffee in an astonishing natural environment.

Founder Andrew Mundy and team's deliciously diverse range of coffees are crafted in a converted shipping container in the Island's tiny village.

cocoa

almond

raisin

Carringtons Coffee Co.

After developing a passion for coffee on a trip to Colombia in 2019, wife and husband team Suzy and Alex established their own roastery just south of the Lake District. The duo roast small batches of single-origin beans and an exclusive blend (PB&J) in a forest-green Giesen roaster.

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Packed with peanut butter notes and sweet jammy flavours, this is a brew for PBJ fans.

An 80/20 split, the Brazilian coffee is sourced from Espirito Santo do Pinhal in Mogiana which is known for its distinctive nutty bite.

The jamminess comes from a bright, clean and full-bodied Ugandan coffee, sourced from a farm located high up in the Rwenzori Mountains.

peanut butter

Coffee PB&J

Varietal Acai, SL14, SL28

Origin

80% Mogiana, Brazil; 20% Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

Process Natural

Altitude

1,150–1,900m

Stem Ginger Cake

This deliciously sticky loaf cake is the perfect partner for a fruity filter and was created by Paul Meikle-Janney of Dark Woods Coffee in Huddersfield

Serves 8-10

Preparation time 30-45 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

You will need

30 × 23 × 4cm loaf tin

For the cake

Salted butter 250g, softened

Black treacle 120g

Dark muscovado sugar 250g

Plain flour 375g

Ground ginger 5 tbsp

Ground cinnamon 2 tsp

Crystallised stem ginger

4 pieces, minced

Free-range eggs 2, beaten

Whole milk 300ml

Bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp

For the icing

Salted butter 100g, softened

Icing sugar 200g

Cream cheese 250g

Crystallised stem ginger

6 pieces, roughly chopped

Syrup from the crystallised ginger a drizzle

1. For the cake: preheat the oven to 160°C / gas 3. Line the tin with baking parchment.

2. In a small saucepan, gently heat the butter, treacle and sugar until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger and cinnamon. Pour in the treacle mixture and give it a good stir, then stir in the stem ginger and eggs.

4. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan, add the bicarbonate of soda and allow it to foam. Slowly pour into the cake mixture and stir until incorporated.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until dark golden and springy to the touch. Leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

6. If time allows, place the cake in an airtight container and ice it the next day.

7. For the icing: in a bowl, mix the butter and icing sugar to form a breadcrumb-like texture. Stir in the cream cheese, stem ginger and a drizzle of the ginger syrup (don't beat the mixture as it could split).

8. Cut the cake in half lengthways. Spread half of the icing on the base, then place the other half on top of the cake. Cover with the remaining icing.

Recipe from the new Indy Cafe Cookbook Volume 2 Discover 39 other easy-to-make dishes from the UK's hero speciality cafes and roasteries by purchasing your copy now at indycoffee.guide

Chef's tip: 'Baking this in a loaf tin makes it easy to serve in neat, even portions'

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