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In late 2022, we decided to take a trip to Mexico in order to look for a new coffee for our offer. We had previously been in touch with several exporters from Mexico and limited our search to a specific region. By way of New York City, we were headed to Mexico, where we spent a few days on the coast, before reaching Oaxaca de Juárez, the capital of the state of Oaxaca. Here, we met up with Laura who works for Ensambles, a Mexican company that exports specialty coffee and also runs a farm of its own.

Kenya is one of the coffee growing countries we focus on: We plan on buying three different coffees from the East African country. Coffees from Kenya are rather popular in the world of specialty coffee and we can hardly get enough of the often very juicy, vibrant yet clean, complex and crisp coffees ourselves. But, of course, it is not possible to describe the flavor profile of a whole country's coffees in just a few words. Not all coffees grown in Kenya, but many of them are sweet, have a pronounced citric acidity, notes of stone fruits, berries, rhubarb, tomatoes at times...

We traveled to Panama to find the first coffee from there that we would be purchasing. Before the trip, we had already cupped lots of samples from various farms and were therefore able to plan a very specific itinerary. After arriving at the border in Paso Canoas, we suddenly noticed that we somehow managed to involuntarily having crossed the border already, before being able to return our rental car. After a few minutes of driving around, we managed to inofficially return to Costa Rica and return our car. A few stamps and documents later, we were able to cross the border on foot.

A lot has changed since we bought our first green coffee. Yet, we still follow the same values and principles we had defined back then. How do we purchase coffee and what are the most important things we consider when doing so?

We have purchased coffee from various producers and traders in the past. Today, we source the majority of the coffees we buy with the help of a few partners that have proven to be ideal for us to ensure a reasonable, sustainable and transparent trade.

We are super comfortable and got used to our still new neighborhood around the Eigerplatz in Bern. That's not self-speaking and also due to the fantastic neighbors. A big part of our customers lives or works in the area and comes by for coffee several times per week. Since the 19th of April 2021 not only for take-away but also to enjoy their coffee or drink while sitting in front of the café.

Do you want to brew your favorite coffee from the café at home? We got you covered!

Brewing great coffee does not have to be complicated – and the recipes that help you with it do not have to be secrets.

Follow the recipes step by step and observe what's happening while brewing. After a while, you'll understand which parameters you need to tweak and adjust to reach the desired result.

Generally speaking, fresh coffee is better than old coffee – but that's only part of the truth.

After roasting, coffee contains a lot of CO2, which escapes slowly throughout the following weeks. This is also the reason for the valve on the coffee bag (it's not there so you can smell the coffee): CO2 can leave the bag, which won't inflate, and oxygen won't get into the bag, which prevents a quick oxidation.

65 days have already passed since the re-opening of our café. Our original opening in early March is already 130 days in the past! So it is time to look back.

Closing our new café after just 10 days was, of course, unexpected. Nobody saw this coming. Nobody expected this virus to show up and change all our plans. So like everyone, we were surprised.