Have you BEAN nice? Christmas Coffee

This coffee tastes amazing in every device, but we think an espresso machine, Moka Pot and AeroPress are especially good.

Head over to our brew guides for making coffee for more.

Unlike our regular coffees, which change every 8 to 12 months, our limited editions are only available for a few months. Why? Because these coffees are super-exclusive! We select interesting, uniquely flavoured beans to roast for our limited editions. A farmer might be trialling a new processing method or experimenting with different varietals to create small lots bursting with taste!

Known for producing incredible speciality coffees, this region in Southern Malawi has a rich history of coffee cultivation. The Sable farm has grown coffee for over 30 years alongside macadamia nuts and is the only existing incorporated coffee producer in Malawi.

Located in southeast Africa, Malawi has over 400 miles of lakefront land, thanks to Lake Malawi, which takes up one-third of the country. First cultivated in 1878, coffee has been grown by small farmers and European producers across the country. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the industry boomed. The government distributed seeds as an initiative to make more coffee available, and it became a prominent cash crop.

Like other African countries, such as Rwanda and Burundi, coffee flourishes due to the East African Rift Valley. This provides the perfect combination for Arabica growth: high altitudes and nutrient-rich volcanic soil. Additionally, in northern Malawi lies dozens of larger estates, which explorer Dr Livingstone has named the “Shire Plateau”, more familiarly known as the Shire Highlands.

Smaller coffee estates nationwide have a long history of farming cooperatives and unions. Still, compared to other industries in the area, such as sugar and tobacco, the exports are small, measuring less than 5%. However, incredible speciality coffees like this one are helping to create a good reputation in the coffee industry, and the fair wage incentivises farmers across the country to focus on quality over quantity.

When it comes to coffee, we like to think of speciality as the Nice List. Only top coffees make the grade: those picked by hand and awarded 80 points or more by certified Q Graders.

Then, there’s the Naughty List (that’s commodity coffee). These low-grade coffees might contain bitter beans or be stripped from the plants rather than hand picked and hand sorted. Commodity coffee is the stuff you’ll find in most instant blends and chain café cups. It tastes well, mehh…

Selecting the finest beans means we never have to over-roast our coffees. Speciality beans are always picked by hand when perfectly ripe, meaning you don’t get any bitter-tasting underripe beans. Ripe coffee cherries, just like any fruit, are naturally sweet and beautifully flavourful. Coffee elf Andy roasts with these flavours in mind and creates bespoke roasting recipes for each coffee. The result? Coffee so good you’ll want to wrap it up and give it to yourself on Christmas morning… surprise!

Roast Style: Medium/Medium Dark

Location: Mangochi, Southern Malawi

Varietal(s): Batian, Catimor 129, Caturra, SL28

Processing: Washed

Altitude: 1,150-1,300 metres above sea level

Country: Malawi

Producer: Sable Farm

Certification: Speciality

Score: 83

What does this all mean? Check out our Jargon Buster.

Choosing to drink speciality coffee is an easy (and delicious) way of supporting real people. We go beyond Fairtrade standards to pay between 30 and 150% more than the going rate, ensuring the producers always receive a fair price for their quality goods. We source as directly as possible, too, by purchasing our unroasted beans through ethical importers. Keeping the chain short means even more makes it to the farmers, which is where it belongs.

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, this Christmas coffee is for you.