Blog

OUR PROJECT IN BULAMBULI: STRENGTHENING UGANDA’S POTENTIAL

Uganda is a high-scoring specialty origin that is still under construction. Most of its coffee is strip picked and cultivated for mass production, as little investment has been made to develop its quality further.  If you scratch beneath the surface, there is a lot of potential in quality naturals and special preps. When farmers have the right tools, they can produce excellent flavour profiles on scale. Our project in Bulambuli Ever since we started sourcing Read more…

By Nordic Approach, ago

The season’s plan: what to expect

To ensure a steady supply of greens throughout the year, you can plan your purchases based on seasonality. Whether you look for the same profiles or like to mix it up, the harvest will keep you up to date with what to expect from each origin. There is usually a high demand for Africas and Centrals at this time of year. These coffees are incoming and are scheduled to land in April, May, and onwards. Read more…

By Nordic Approach, ago
Cuatro Vientos

Meet our newest supplier in Colombia: Cuatro Vientos

Maximising an origin’s potential is always on our list of priorities as we continuously search for innovation and new ways to diversify our product portfolio. In Colombia, our approach revolves around developing in-depth relationships with private producer groups, cooperatives or exporters. We recently started working with a new supplier, Cuatro Vientos. We have been in communication with them for approximately a year, and have now added a variety of their coffees to our offer list. Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Mahembe

MAHEMBE #4 – Coffee of the Month – November

Mahembe #4 Mahembe #4 – Unique and elegant Rwanda Coffee. Bringing less-known areas to light.   Why this coffee stands out? As we have noticed, Rwanda is not as popular as other coffee-producing countries in Africa, either because of its small production or because of its political history. Despite that, Mahembe #4 takes the top spot among the most requested coffee samples this month.  Isn’t that great? We have found this coffee to be unique, with differences Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Coffee concepts Peru

Concept coffees for our value-added blends

Why do we create concept coffees?  As a key part of our work, we are always looking for ways to add value within the supply chains we work in and to the production of coffee by creating quality programs in small communities. For this reason, we develop concept coffees in some of the origins from which we source.This allows us to develop a wider product range, build good quality protocols, supply fully traceable coffees, offer Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Hambela Cardamom

HAMBELA CARDAMOM #1 – Coffee of the Month- October

Hambela Cardamom #1 Hambela Cardamom –  The perfect Ethiopian Christmas coffee. Long and spicy aftertaste. Why this coffee stands out? It is not every day that we come across a coffee with distinctive cardamom flavors.  When processing this washed coffee, cardamom was added, and the result does justice to its name. Despite the fact that roasters aren’t so fond of infused coffees, this one shows how different coffee processing techniques can produce surprising aromas and new taste Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Varieties cupping Kenya

Kenyan varieties research. Results of a blind cupping in collaboration with C. Dorman

In April 2022, Nordic Approach organized a blind cupping for over 45 participants who shared their thoughts with us on 12 coffees of different varieties: SL Varieties, Ruiru 11 and Batian. This was part of a research that our Kenyan partners C. Dorman Ltd. have been conducting for over 6 years “COFFEE VARIETIES CUPPING PROJECT” in which they seek to create a solid base of information on the quality and performance of the different coffee Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Mara Coffee - Natural Kenya

Natural Kenya – a brand new concept

Kenya is considered by many as the world’s number one quality producer, and over the years we have found some top-notch coffees we are proud to offer.  Coffee exports make up around 10% of Kenya’s income, and it can produce as much as 65,000 tons of green coffee each year.  The country processes mainly fully washed coffees, although some new farmers are starting to focus on naturals. To ensure that you can taste the wide Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
coffee Colombia

Coffee Commercialization in Colombia

Coffee has been one of the main agricultural sources of income for Colombia, representing 35% of the agricultural GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the country. To understand how coffee is commercialized, we’ll study the dynamics behind it, or to be more specific, how the money and the product move across the supply chain.  Product and money dynamics in Colombia The links in the supply chain The Picker  In Colombia, all the picking is done by Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Frinsa Collective Indonesia

FRINSA COLLECTIVE EDUN #1 – Coffee of the Month- September

Frinsa Collective Edun #1 Frinsa coffee fermented by lactic acid with a complex but smooth character!  A coffee with a positive impact on Indonesia’s economy, environment, and social well-being.   Why this coffee stands out? Although, the cup profile of Indonesian coffee has acquired a bad reputation among specialty roasters for its muddy and earthy tastes. We have a strong relationship with a producer in Java, Indonesia, as we see big opportunities to develop new cultivars Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
coffee origins

Reconnecting with our 10 origins after the summer break

Reconnecting with our 10 origins after the summer break After a long and well-deserved vacation, we are all getting back to our daily routines and activities. And, since we know it can be challenging, we thought it would be helpful to share with you an update on the 10 origins from which our coffees are sourced, and in this way, save you time searching for what happened during your summer break.   Check at a Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Espen Kokekaffe

An insight into the World Kokekaffe Championship in Oslo

It is time to decide who is the world’s best kokekaffe brewer of 2022 at the World Kokekaffe Championship, taking place in Oslo, Norway. The event will be carried out as part of the Kaffe Dagen of Kaffebrenneriet this Thursday, 8th of September from 16:00 to 19:00, at Grønlandsleiret 32.  This year our beloved lab manager, Espen, will be one of the judges, along with a remarkable team of coffee professionals.  We had the opportunity Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Coffee of the month - Honduras Los Pinos - Joaquina Montoya

LOS PINOS BY JOAQUINA MONTOYA – Coffee of the month – August

Los Pinos by Joaquina Montoya Los Pinos – a fermented forward coffee that displays Honduras’ potential.  Joaquina Montoya  – a producer we absolutely admire! Why this coffee stands out? When the flavor is already outstanding, we move on to see all the details about a coffee, including the story and the people behind it. So, this month’s coffee spotlight is not just about the flavor or cupping score, but also about the hands that grew Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Cup Nordic Approach

Why do we cup coffee?

Cupping is a tasting exercise. It is a way to evaluate and compare the characteristics of different coffees, and assess their potential.  Throughout the entire coffee process, cupping plays an important role in maintaining the product’s quality. Farmers, suppliers, importers, buyers, and roasters cup at several stages – but not always with the exact same mindset. At Nordic Approach, cupping is our primary tool. We cup in origin to start to identify new projects, microregions, Read more…

By Alec Oyhenart, ago

“Special preps” – reviewing concepts and some Salvadoran names

In recent years, experimental fermentation has been a growing trend in the specialty coffee industry, so we frequently see more terms like special preps, anaerobic, extended fermentation…. etc. These have been used to describe some special preparations – a more controlled and adventurous approach that allow us to create techniques for coffee flavour development and to enhance aromas, the acidity or balance of the sweetness of the coffee, amongst others.  That is why, in Nordic Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Burtukanna Danche Rwanda

BURTUKAANA DANCHE #1 – coffee of the month – July

Burtukaana Danche #1 Burtukaana Danche #1 –   perfectly structured and sweet coffee with the counterpoint of delicate florals, that evokes the wonderful sweet taste of natural Ethiopian coffee.  Why does this coffee stands out? There has been an increased interest in this coffee in the Nordic countries (they like Burtukanna profiles), so we needed to talk about it this time.   Normally, washed coffee is the most popular among Ethiopian coffee lovers, but this one is Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago

Bomba de Fruta: the story behind the concept

Over the years, we have developed a taste for fruit-loaded profiles, and we have noticed the same trend among roasters, as they have been asking us for more fruity wild notes and … why not? middling levels of funk! We became more creative and bold because of this, so we decided to include natural and cherry fermented coffees in our offer list from as many different producing countries as possible. This is how the Concept Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Ethiopia Natural Vs Washed

Ethiopia: Natural Vs. Washed (Survey)

Loving Ethiopian coffee? Natural or washed? Today is all about coffee from Ethiopia  – Natural Vs washed.  Take this short survey and help us learn more about what the specialty coffee community prefers. Laster inn … Problems filling the survey Ethiopia: natural vs. washed? You can go directly here. Survey We have many post about Ethiopia and all its potential, how about if you check one more page, and if you want to learn everything about Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Coffee Of The Month - Samii Bedessa 1

SAMII BEDESSA #1 – Coffee of the month – june

Samii Bedessa #1 Samii Bedessa – a coffee that reflects the mystical and captivating flavours of Ethiopia.    Why this coffee stands out? There is no doubt that Ethiopia takes coffee quality seriously, and Sammi Bedessa #1 proves that. The cupping score of 87.5 speaks for itself.  It is a washed coffee, so if you are looking for juicy coffees and rich flavour notes, you will surely like this one.  Every time this coffee is brewed, people Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago
Intibuca Honduras coffee

Outstanding Central American coffee producers ➡️ Honduras and El Salvador

More than 10 years of exploring, tasting, and searching for the best coffee in the world led us to Central America, where we marveled at the amazing and diverse beans these countries are producing. So, of course, we also have in our offer list some truly outstanding coffee from El Salvador and Honduras.  These  two neighboring countries have a great deal to offer and very promising coffees, even though they have faced some challenges this Read more…

By Irene Andrade, ago