The Outliers single origin series is a bold exploration in taste and technique.
Every special release begins with the search for a rare and intriguing coffee, often taking us to lesser-known plantations in emerging markets around the globe.
Once we find our standout – something that truly deserves ‘outlier status’ – we ship a limited quantity of green beans back to Atomic HQ in Kingsland, Auckland. With a little time and patience, our roasting crew delicately tease out the subtleties, flavours and textures that make each micro-lot a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.
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While women make up 70% of the global coffee production workforce, they barely represent a third of coffee farmers worldwide. Aracely Martinez Gomez is one of them – she started her farm La Aurora, named after her daughter, almost 10 years ago.
She knows first-hand the added difficulties women coffee farmers face: harder access to financing, land, resources or training. To do her bit to bridge the gender gap, Aracely supports female producers in the Tres Cruces region of Honduras via Tierra Lenca, an organisation which grants access to communal resources and helps market the coffee to ensure women in coffee are rightfully rewarded.
This coffee encapsulates the work of Aracely and Tierra Lenca: thanks to training, she can experiment with fermentation to improve the cup quality of her crop. The cherries are left whole in GrainPro bags for up to 190 hours. Added access to resources means Aracely can then dry the cherries on solar coffee dryers, which shelters the coffee from the elements and increases consistency and quality.
This translates in the cup, with a complex, juicy and resolutely sweet taste profile. Delicate florals shine throughout, while the bright acidity is reminiscent of passionfruit, and is layered with a confectionery sweetness that brings raspberry lollies and coconut sugar to mind.