January 2013’s pick

Java Jampit Estate UTZ Certified Arabica

An impeccably sourced dark roast Arabica that balances sweet, spicy chocolate flavours with a light floral scent, our first coffee of the year is a sustainably sourced standout from an island that is literally synonymous with coffee. Java Jampit is a perfect New Year’s blend of dark chocolate, lavender and liquorice.

Our experts’ thoughts on this month’s choice

Jim, 35 years in the coffee trade
“If for you there’s no such thing as too much chocolate over the Christmas period, you’ll love this coffee! When choosing the coffee for this month I wanted something comforting and cheery to combat the winter blues. What better than rich, dark chocolate? This coffee is great after dinner and for espressoheads it’s perfect.”

Geoff, 35 years in the coffee trade
“So different to last month’s Kenya, I love this coffee as an espresso with a small amount of steamed milk (macchiato). It’s also incredible as an ice cream: my favourite recipe for black coffee ice cream calls for a base of ground coffee infused in cream and strained. This sweet, intense and dark roasted Java is perfect.”

Coffee Means Welcome

In Java, coffee is more than a symbol of hospitality: it’s a physical expression of welcome. In every home, guests are served a steaming cup of coffee before they have a chance to ask. Coffee is a glittering thread in the fabric of everyday life, and time spent gossiping, doing business or just sharing silence over Java coffee is precious time indeed.

Decoding the Jargon: UTZ Certified

UTZ certified is a foundation for sustainably farmed agricultural products. It was launched in 2002 as ‘Utz Kapeh’, which means ‘good coffee’ in the Mayan language. Over the past 10 years, the foundation has grown into both a label that certifies responsibly farmed and sourced coffee, and a programme of cooperatives, farms and producer groups that comply with an internationally recognised code of coffee- growing criteria.

All Kopi coffees are sourced from farms and cooperatives whose practices are sustainable and responsible. The UTZ certified logo on any coffee means that coffee has been certified as grown and sourced in a responsible way, under the UTZ programme.

The Java Coffee Story: Colonies, Volcanoes and Chocolate

This month’s coffee comes from the Indonesian island of Java. As with so many coffee origins, Java’s coffee history is closely intertwined with its colonial history: coffee has been Java’s most celebrated export since the Dutch brought it to the island in the 17th century. They cultivated the plant and the trade, passing it to the state when the colonial era ended. Today the Indonesian government grows 85% of the coffee on Java.

The most sought-after Java coffee comes from the plateau at the far eastern island, near the Ijen volcano complex. At 4,500 feet, coffee cherries grow fat and succulent in rich, well- drained volcanic soil. The sweet, spicy chocolate flavour of Java Jampit has its origins here, high above sea level in the hot Indonesian sun.

Tasting notes

The scent of this coffee transforms from a rich and slightly floral dry fragrance to a more herbal wet aroma with a heavy hit of dark chocolate – think McVities chocolate biscuits. The flavour is only moderately acidic: it’s a mellow, smooth brew with a sweet, lingering taste of bittersweet chocolate, liquorice and spice.

For those who like their coffee different ways, try this one with cream or milk: its sweetness and low acidity make Java Jampit a perfect cafetiere coffee.

Wet-processed, sun dried Java Jampit is sweet, spicy and full of rich chocolate flavour. Like any Indonesian coffee, it is rich and earthy with plenty of body. But unlike a lot of its brethren, Java Jampit has a soft herbal background: can you detect a hint of pine and even lavender?