Brazil / Kenya
Cignobianco® signature blend
*Signature Espresso Blend*
Cup Notes
Milk Chocolate / Almond / Yellow Plum / Caramel
Suggested for espresso
when we roast
We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*
Details
- Series
- Specialty
- Producer
- Several small farmers
- Country
- Brazil / Kenya
- Terroir
- Minas Gerais / Nyeri
- Altitude
- 1400-1900 masl
- Process
- Natural / Washed
- Arabica cultivar
- Catuai / SL34-SL28
- Shipped in
- Jute + GrainPro
- Roast profile by
- Rubens Gardelli
- Roasted on
- Customised solid-drum roaster
DESCRIPTION
Cignobianco is our signature and only espresso blend and has been the staple of our lineup since the very beginning. It is our interpretation of the perfect everyday coffee, something to be enjoyed whenever the desire takes you. To create it we carefully source two fresh-crop lots of speciality grade Arabica, working closely with the farmers to ensure the highest quality, and then infuse them with our passion and expertise to create a harmonious and balanced taste experience. This supreme balance and wonderful sweetness is reminiscent the grace and elegance of the White Swan (Cigno bianco)
THE VARIETY
CATUAI
Catuai coffee is an Arabica coffee variety developed by crossing the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. This plant is known for its adaptability to various climatic and altitude conditions, making it a popular choice among coffee growers in many regions of the world. Originally developed in Brazil in the '50s and '60s, Catuai is now cultivated in various parts of the Americas. Catuai coffee plants are relatively small in size, making them easy to harvest and manage in cultivated fields. The Catuai fruits are generally round in shape, with a smaller size compared to other coffee varieties. The beverage obtained from Catuai beans encompasses a range of aromas and flavours, often characterized by fruity and floral notes.
The variety is also appreciated for its bright acidity and balanced body. The plant is highly productive compared to Bourbon, in part because of its small size, which allows plants to be closely spaced - it can be planted at nearly double the density. Because of this characteristic, the introduction of Catuai partly led to the intensification of full-sun coffee cultivation in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s. The plant’s shape also makes it relatively easy to apply pest and disease treatments. It is characterised by great vigour and low height, while it is less compact than Caturra.
Nowadays, there are yellow-fruited and red-fruited types, with numerous variation. Catuai's downside is that it is highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust. As Catuai has spread to many coffee-growing regions worldwide, taste profiles can vary based on the specific growing conditions of each location. In general, however, Catuai is a versatile variety that can produce high-quality coffee, making it an intriguing choice for growers and coffee enthusiasts seeking a rich and satisfying brew.
SL34 and SL28
SL28 was bred by Scott Laboratories in 1931 from Tanganyika D.R. It has become very popular throughout Kenya and is recognised as a variety of exceptional cup quality. It has wide leaves with coppery tips, and the beans are wide. At the same time, the productivity of SL28 is comparatively low. Though there is no sufficient proof, some sources claim that Scott Labs crossed mutations of French Mission, Mocha and Yemen Typica to produce SL 28. Whatever the exact genetic composition, their original goal almost certainly was to create a plant with high quality, reasonable productivity and great drought resistance.
SL 34 is a mutation of French Mission, originating from the plantation of Loresho in Kabete. SL34 has wide leaves with bronzy tips. It is widely grown throughout Kenya. SL34 is valued for its high productivity in different climate conditions and great height ranges. It is also claimed to be able to withstand drought and strong rainfall.
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
BRAZIL
Dry process seems simple: pick the fruit, lay it out in the sun until it turns from red to brown to nearly black, and then hull off off the thick, dried outer layer in one step to reveal the green bean. It is a method suited to arid regions, where the sun and heat can dry the seed inside the intact fruit skin.
It's often referred to as "natural coffee" because of its simplicity, and because the fruit remains intact and undisturbed, a bit like drying grapes into raisins. Since it requires minimal investment, the dry process method is a default to create cheap commodity-grade coffee in areas that have the right climate capable of drying the fruit and seed.
But it’s a fail in humid or wet regions. If the drying isn't progressing fast enough, the fruit degrades, rots or molds.
Dry-processed coffees can also be wildly inconsistent. If you want a cleanly-fruited, sweet, intense cup, dry process (DP) takes more hand labor than the wet process. Even the most careful pickers will take green unripe or semi-ripe coffee off the branch as they pick red, ripe cherry. If these are not removed in the first days of drying, the green turns to brown that is hard to distinguish from the ripe fruit.
KENYA
The coffee is handpicked by the smallholder members and delivered to the factory where it is pulped. This initially separates the dense beans from the immature ‘mbuni’s (floaters) using water floatation which means the denser beans will sink and be sent through channels to the fermentation tank. This first stage of fermentation will last for around 24 hours, after which the beans are washed and sent to the secondary fermentation tank for another 12-24 hours.
Once the fermentation process is completed, the beans enter the washing channels where floaters are separated further, and the dense beans are cleaned of mucilage.
The washed beans will then enter soaking tanks where they can sit under clean water for as long as another 24 hours. This soaking process allows amino acids and proteins in the cellular structure of each bean to develop which results in higher levels of acidity and complex fruit flavours in the cup - it is thought that this process of soaking contributes to the flavour profiles that Kenyan coffees are so famed for. The beans are then transferred to the initial drying tables where they are laid in a thin layer to allow around 50% of the moisture to be quickly removed.
This first stage of drying can last around 6 hours before the beans are gathered and laid in thicker layers for the remaining 5-10 days of the drying period. The dry parchment coffee is then delivered to a private mill and put into ‘bodegas’ to rest – these are raised cells made of chicken wire which allows the coffee to breathe fully.
