Ever wondered where our insanely delicious Microlots come from?
This month we're heading to Nairobi, where Emily sat down with our coffee wizard Tess, our head of Coffee Quality, to talk tiny harvests, huge flavours and why some of the world's best coffees come from places you've probably never heard of.
Grab a coffee. Hit play, or have a read below!
Emily: Tess, you have a very impressive coffee resume. From being a Q grader to a two time barista champion. Can you tell us a little about your experience in the coffee industry and how you got started?
Tess: My experience in coffee started out of curiosity. I was just curious to know more about coffee because it’s a product that’s really really hyped. During that time, I didn’t know anything about coffee. I tasted an espresso once and it was not good. For me, I was looking for something on the menu that I could afford, so I took an espresso and it was mhm mhm, no. So I got curious and I really wanted to know why do people love coffee because what is there to love about espresso if it’s your first time drinking coffee? So I started learning one by one and then I fell in love with coffee.
Emily: Can you tell us a little bit about being a two time barista champion and for those who don’t know, what being a Q grader means.
Tess: I’ve competed in Kenya twice for the Barista Championship in 2022 and 2023 and I won. I represented Kenya in the world platform which was in Melbourne, Australia and in Athens, Greece. They were the most crazy, amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. And to be honest that is just what has made me be who I am.
A Q grader is someone who’s qualified to cup and analyze coffee and give a score. It’s understanding the quality of the coffee and advising farmers on what to do, or where to improve.
Emily: Another interesting thing that you do is sourcing the microlots - the monthly microlot selection that we have. We just had the privilege of going together to different farms in Nyeri County and Kiambu and meeting the farmers themselves, which was so exciting. So how do you find these farmers and choose the microlots?
Tess: With the amazing microlots, the whole idea was to tell the story of the farmers through their coffee. So when I traveled and represented Kenyan coffee on the world stage, I saw how people represented their own countries and told their story. So I came to think of it, and thought we have so many incredible farmers in Kenya who are doing an awesome job, but their story is not being heard. The whole idea was to tell their story to the world, buy their coffee, and just promote them.
For me it’s a big deal because I’ve worked hand in hand with some of the farmers to improve the quality of the coffee at the farm and the processing methods. And so many of them are doing exceptional jobs - they’ve researched on their own, and are producing these amazing coffees which are not being seen outside of Kenya. For me, it’s a privilege to talk to these farmers, visit them, understand where they’re coming from, and get to interact and taste their coffee. And also, to have Moyee customers experience getting to know the farmers and enjoy their coffee!
Emily: For those who don’t know, what does microlot coffee mean?
Tess: They are special processed coffee coming from single origin farms. They’re highly traceable and you’re able to know exactly where it comes from. What makes them special is because of the quality of that particular coffee because you need a lot of research to create a microlot that will score highly and also have the specific attributes which we look for in coffee.
Emily: What is the experience like at the microlot farms? What is exciting about it? Put us there.
Tess: Just being at the farm itself is super exciting because I get to see how the farmers are experimenting with their coffees and they do all these crazy things to improve the quality of their coffees. For example, for natural honey processed coffee, some farmers go the extra mile where they do experimental coffees and add additives in the coffee. For me, it’s usually a learning process because I get to see this in action. Visiting all the farmers, I realized that every farmer has their own way of taking care of their farms. Depending on the yield and the quality of the coffee, you get to see so many different processes and taste various flavors. Being a young, upcoming farmer I get to learn a lot!
Emily: When tasting coffees, what qualities or flavor profiles immediately stand out to you?
Tess: For microlot coffees, the unique thing that we look for in that particular coffee is something fruity, something sweet, something vibrant that is not just in any other coffee you can find in the stores.
Cheers to that! Hope you learned something new. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes coming soon!
Want to try our the latest microlot: https://www.moyeecoffee.com/microlots