Campos Coffee is relaunching its Coffee of the Month program to spotlight the unique characteristics of each producing country.
The past decade has seen unparalleled innovation in the coffee processing space. From anaerobic fermentation to carbonic maceration to fruit co-fermentation, producers around the world are experimenting with different processing methods to explore new flavour profiles and deliver novel coffees.
This experimentation has seen a huge influx of funky new single origin coffees entering the market. For the roasting team at Campos Coffee in Sydney, it’s been exciting to share these unique coffees with their wholesale customers and consumers via programs such as their Lab Series.
While these programs have been successful and the Campos roasters continue to enjoy working with these experimental single origins, they’re taking a different direction with their popular Coffee of the Month series.
“In recent years, the variety of flavours you can get from coffee has changed quite considerably. When I started in the industry 15 years ago, we didn’t have these crazy fermented coffees and that made it easier for consumers to pinpoint the origins they did and didn’t like,” says Geoff Clarke, Campos Coffee Program Specialist.
“The Coffee of the Month program is designed to help our café partners introduce single origins to their customers who might not be familiar. With this in mind, we’re bringing it back to what we originally intended it to be: a new coffee each month that represents the characteristics of the country from which it was sourced.”
From February 2025, each month Geoff and team will select a single origin they believe reflects the authentic flavour profile of its region.
“Processing can have a big impact on flavour, which can obscure the flavours brought about through the varietal or terroir of each coffee. Therefore, we want to share the coffees that represent their origins, such as clean, chocolatey Guatemalans, or the wine-like acidity and blackcurrant notes that are the hallmark of Kenyan coffees,” he says.
The team will work alongside their long-term producing partners to choose the roster of premium beans, as well as collaborating with farms they’ve not previously sourced from. Geoff says the feedback loop Campos has established with its partner farms is key to the selection process.
“Because we’ve been buying coffee for 22 years, we’ve experienced the identities of coffees from each country. In many cases, we’ve been buying from the same producers for more than 10 years,” he says.
“We’re able to chat to them and ask what they think the flavour profiles of a coffee from their region are. An example is a coffee we recently bought from Renardo at Finca La Bolsa in Guatemala, which came sixth in the local Cup of Excellence competition. Renardo hadn’t entered the competition in years because it’s often dominated by exotic varieties such as Geishas, Pacamaras and SLs, but he was so proud to win with a traditional Guatemalan variety. This represents exactly the kind of coffees we’ll feature.”
While almost all coffee consumed is one of two species – Arabica or Robusta – different origins produce wildly different tasting beans. Terroir, such as the soil, micro-climate, and altitude, influence flavour but, according to Geoff, the traditional and cultural farming practices of that origin play a much larger role.
“How the coffee has been farmed and processed has a big impact, and that’s not even considering the different varieties. There are hundreds of different ways to dry and process beans, and over the years each country has come up with its own methods and traditions,” he says.
“For example, in Kenya you typically see a lot of SL28 and SL34 coffees. They have a particular way of processing the coffee – a double ferment washing technique – which makes it very easy to spot a Kenyan coffee as it will almost always have blackcurrant notes.”
The relaunch of the Coffee of the Month program aims to get more cafés serving single origins and give consumers a first-class ticket to a world tour of the growing regions. While the uninitiated might find blends less intimidating, Geoff stresses there’s nothing to be afraid of.
“Single origins are great for people who want to try something new. The beans are typically a bit more expensive, score a little higher, and often taste fruitier, but it all comes down to the individual coffee,” he says.
“They can also vary widely in flavour profiles. For customers who are unsure, I always say take a look at the tasting notes and give it a go if it sounds like something you’ll enjoy.”
Campos’ relaunched Coffee of the Month program is available via the Campos website, including as a monthly subscription service or via its selected partner cafés.
For more information, visit camposcoffee.com
This article appears in the February/March 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.