Shiny Beans Espresso

by Jessica Ginkel and Daniel Fehlow

Developed by Jessica, Daniel, and our Head Roaster, Anthony: Shiny Beans Espresso.The beans of Shiny Beans Espresso are sustainably grown in India. Roasted just the way that Jessica and Daniel, and hopefully you, like it, with warm, decadent, nutty notes of hazelnut and almond, but also sweet raisins.

"We love good coffee! But for us, good coffee means not only that it tastes good, but also that it is grown and traded in the best way for people and nature. Unfortunately, the reality is that this is the exception rather than the rule in the coffee industry.... Luckily, we don't want, or need, to go along with that anymore. We've teamed up with 19grams, a Specialty Coffee Roaster from Berlin, to develop an espresso that tastes delicious, both as an espresso and in combination with milk." - Jessica & Daniel

About the Coffee

AA Karnataka is a Specialty Coffee from the Chikmagalur district in southwestern India, a region that was once part of the Kingdom of Mysore. The coffee is grown in this region in harmony with nature under the natural shade of forest trees and blended with other plants such as pepper, vanilla and nuts. AA Karnataka is a strong and round Arabica coffee. Once the coffee reaches us in Berlin, we roast it with the goal of giving it a lush richness of flavor with aroma notes of hazelnut, almond and raisin.

You may be wondering what the AA stands for in the name of this coffee? As in many other coffee-growing countries, India has a size-based classification system, ranging from AAA (the largest variety) to AA and A to PB (Peaberry). Traditionally, it has been said that the larger the bean size, the higher the quality, but with the development of Specialty Coffee, the industry has realized that this is not necessarily true.

About the Farm

The Chikmagalur district in the Karnataka region is located in southwestern India and has an impressive history of coffee cultivation. The history of coffee cultivation goes back to the myth of the pilgrim, Baba Budan. He is said to have traveled through Yemen around 1670 and brought the coffee plant to India. Coming from Mecca, he smuggled seven coffee seeds across the border. Seven is considered a sacred number in Islam, which is why Baba Budan's actions are still considered a holy deed today. He planted the first seeds in Chikmagalur, where they thrived excellently. The Bababudangiri Mountains are still an important coffee growing area in India today. The coffees grown here are not only considered rarities, but also the most complex and finest Arabica coffees in India.

Their aromas are strongly influenced by the surrounding flora and fauna: spices such as pepper, vanilla, cardamom, but also orange trees, all of which provide great tastes.