High Road - Espresso Blend

POPAYAN RESERVE
Popayán Reserve brings together coffees from a network of smallholder producers across the highlands of Cauca. These farms are typically family-run, with coffee grown at high elevation and selected to meet consistent quality standards before being combined into the regional lot. The program is designed to reward quality, with producers receiving agronomic support, feedback on their coffees and stronger premiums for higher-performing lots.

MANTIQUEIRA DE MINAS
Mantiqueira de Minas is a regional coffee produced by members of the Cocarive Cooperative in southern Minas Gerais. Grown at around 1,300 metres above sea level, the coffee is naturally processed and sun-dried on concrete patios before being selected to meet Cocarive’s regional specialty quality standards. The result is a sweet, structured Brazilian coffee with the body and chocolate-driven character we look for in espresso, backed by the traceability of Mantiqueira de Minas PGI and BSCA-certified farms.

WASHED & NATURAL
Washed and natural processing take very different approaches to the coffee cherry, and each brings something useful to the blend. With the washed process, the fruit is removed before drying, allowing the character of the seed itself to come through with greater clarity, cleaner acidity and more defined flavour.
Natural coffees are dried with the cherry still intact, giving the fruit more influence during drying and typically producing greater sweetness, body and a rounder, more fruit-driven profile.
In the blend, the washed component brings structure, brightness and definition, while the natural adds weight, depth and sweetness- creating a cup that is both clean and balanced, but still rich enough to work well as espresso.

This is our darkest roast and is developed slightly further to increase caramelisation and solubility, targeting a profile that performs reliably under espresso extraction and through milk. Development time is extended just enough to reduce sharpness from the Colombian component while enhancing the Brazil’s chocolate and sugar-browning compounds, without pushing into excessive roast character or surface oil expression.

The goal is a stable, forgiving espresso: high extraction potential, strong tactile presence, and a balanced flavour profile that integrates cleanly with milk while retaining definition as a standalone shot

Espresso Recipe
Dose: 20 g
Yield: 40–44 g
Time: 26–30 seconds
Temperature: 93–94 °C

This recipe is set to balance sweetness and structure while keeping the acidity present but controlled. The slightly broader ratio (1:2 to 1:2.2) allows for fuller extraction, bringing out caramelised sugars and soft chocolate without muting the coffee’s natural vibrancy.

Shots should flow evenly with a steady, syrupy stream- not too fast, not overly restricted- finishing with a clean, lightly lifted acidity and a rounded body.

For milk drinks:
Run a slightly longer yield - 20 g in → 42–46 g out - to increase solubility and sweetness. This helps the espresso integrate more seamlessly with milk, giving a fuller, more cohesive cup without losing definition.

Dial-in tip:
If the shot tastes sharp or underdeveloped, extend the yield slightly or allow a touch more time. If it feels flat or heavy, shorten the ratio or grind finer to restore clarity and structure