Today we roast and release an amazing coffee by the variety Geisha from Panama, a very limited lot of only 35 kilo and this years harvest is full of sweet floral notes of peach and red berries. First of course, we want to tell you a little more about the coffee and the producer so you get the full scope of the product.
GRACIANO CRUZ & LOS LAJONES
Our relationship with Graciano Cruz dates back nearly 20 years. When Graciano first started processing his coffee as naturals and honeys, many people shook their heads. Coffee from Panama was not supposed to taste like that, was it? Graciano believed in his own style and now, several producers have followed his footsteps and these coffees are among the most sought after in the world.
Graciano has proudly run the farm Los Lajones since 1992. The farm is located on the slopes of the Baru Volcano and is one of the farms on the highest altitudes in Panama. Of the farm’s 160 hectares, only 35 are planted with coffee, the rest is primarily forest providing habitat for 40% more insects and 20% more birds compared to average farms. Graciano planted Geisha trees here in 2009, and on this part of the farm, Loma Alta, Graciano cultivates Geisha at over 2 000 m.a.s.l. The extreme altitude means that the average daily temperature is 18 degrees, which really helps the coffee rest during the nights and develop more complex structure.
THE NEW PACKAGING
Together with this release, it was important to highlight the exceptional quality of this coffee. We wanted something that felt luxurious, effortless and clean. We wanted it to be a bag and since we are talking such a limited coffee, and so few bags per release - we only produce 175 pcs of this coffee. This all meant we could be way more creative with this series of coffees, a dream scenario for a marketing department!
The creative process has really been quite simple since we have such a fantastic core product to work with. What we have really worked on is choosing the right material and execution. The bag is white, matte and has a resealable zip, something that we all like a lot as it keeps the coffee fresh for longer. It also didn't many minutes before we started talking about gold, although we knew that it probably meant that we had to hand-label the bags ourselves.
The bag is made of a matte plastic, without any aluminium layers, and is therefore easily recycled.·It is also carbon neutral and although we wish it was compostable and had zero impact on the environment, this is still a good alternative.
After our green coffee buyer Jonas Hult cupped the coffee finding the taste notes "floral, peach and red berries", the Pantone book was brought out and the color of the label was chosen. Together with the amazing Hasse at the printing house SLG in Danderyd, we then printed a label on uncoated paper, coloured with Pantone 487 U and with the text in a gold foil.
This is how Catrine Gyllensten, designer in the marketing department, describes the new packaging:
"I am so super stoked about this release! Our Limited Editions now come in a stylish matte, white "quad sealed" bag with a smooth zip to make sure the coffee stays fresh. On the front we have chosen a label in a luxurious uncoated quality. I love uncoated paper and the feeling of contrast between the matte soft bag and the raw surface of the paper. On the back we have a clever label with a perforation so that the bag can be opened in a neat way, and the information remains on the bag even after opening and brewing the first beans.
As usual, we are very keen to highlight our producers and the unique characteristics of the coffee, both in writing, and visually on the bag. The lovely color of the label is of course inspired from the taste of the coffee and we have chosen a typography that is recognized from the rest of our range. It looks so freaking good."
The end result is a bag of 200 grams of an incredible coffee and we hope you get the chance to try it, at home or as a hand brew in one of our coffee bars!
