January 03, 2023
The Thieves Team is excited to bring you two awesome coffees by the legends over at Melbourne based ST. ALi Coffee Roasters to kick off the New Year – an absolutely killer espresso roast - as well as a pretty darn special filter coffee - with an amazing story behind it that was exclusively roasted for Thieves subscribers.
Surely you’re no stranger to ST. ALi and what they’ve been up to these past few years. As one of Melbourne’s leading coffee roasters, ST. ALi has come leaps and bounds since it was created in 2005. With an impressive roastery based in Port Melbourne, a booming cafe in South Melbourne and an endless list of creative collaborations with international brands such as Mercedes Benz, Mr Black, Archie Rose, and Koko Black – ST. ALi isn’t slowing down anytime soon!
Even with all their impressive growth, ST. ALi stays true to their roots – always seeking to source coffees that are ethically and sustainably produced. They believe that great people grow fantastic coffee, and their industry relationships originate from years of friendship. We’re so excited to feature them this month and share this exclusive filter roast with our Thieves Community!
Rwanda Kibingo Washing Station
FILTER COFFEE
Get ready for an incredibly special filter roast by ST. ALi this month – exclusive to Thieves subscribers! The Team loves this unique coffee because of the powerful story behind it but also because it’s absolutely delicious, syrupy sweet, and punctuated with notes of stone-fruit and milk tea. ST. ALi roasted this coffee with the intention of bringing forward its peach-like flavour, making this a cup you want to keep drinking all day.
This coffee is an ode to Rwanda and the Maraba Cooperative. Kibingo is the newest washing station of the Maraba cooperative whose farms are located at high-altitude between 1,700-2,200masL. It began operating in 2007 and can now produce up to 45 tons of green coffee per harvest!
In its native Kinyarwanda language, Maraba is called ‘Abahuzamugambi Ba Kawa’, which translates into ‘Together we work the coffee’. It was established in 2001 in the wake of the civil war and terrible genocide that took place in 1994. Maraba’s success has enabled the cooperative to support its members with financial management workshops, agronomy training and access to affordable farming tools. Members are also given access to several services, including financial support for school fees, health services and facilities for home loans and farming equipment.
Coffee Origin:
Rwanda
Tasting Notes:
Red currant and toffee.
Suggested Recipe for Filter:
Dose in 12g
200ml of water
Brew 2 minutes
Wide Awake Espresso
ESPRESSO & CAPSULE COFFEE
Wide Awake celebrates the rich, syrupy body achieved through the darker side of artful roasting – with an extra kick for those times you need to stay wide awake. The caramelised sugars, molasses, and dark spice offer a comforting and accessible coffee with a bold flavour that cuts through milk-based coffees. A blend of coffee from El Salvador and Brazil makes this flavour profile truly unique.
The El Salvador elements of this coffee are from J.Hill & Co. – coffee producers based outside the city of Santa Ana which is located in the western part of the country. English-born James Hill arrived in Central America in the late 1800’s as a merchant. During his travels, he became enchanted by the flavour of local coffee, particularly those coming from El Salvador’s Santa Ana region. The Hill family has been a vital aspect of the El Salvador coffee community ever since.
The Brazilian elements come from the Alta Mogiana region, home to some of Brazil’s most consistently sweet and well-structured natural process coffees. Lots are hand-selected from individual farms and processed to create a smooth, clean, highly consistent end product.
Coffee Origin:
Brazil and El Salvador
Tasting Notes:
Chocolate, butterscotch and praline.
Suggested Recipe for Espresso:
Dose in 20-22g
Yield 42-46g
Contact time 26-32 seconds