High in the Tarrazú mountains of Costa Rica, on land shaped by the fertile volcanic soils around the Irazú volcano, Café de Altura de San Ramón grow the cherries behind this lot. It is a microclimate that reads like a checklist for good coffee — rich soil, generous sunshine and a balanced humidity that lets the fruit ripen slowly and evenly.

What sets this coffee apart is the processing. Ripe cherries are hand-selected and sprayed with a naturally-derived yeast culture, kick-starting fermentation while up to 10% of the fruit pulp and mucilage is deliberately retained. This yeast-inoculated approach — increasingly popular across Central and South America — steers the ferment toward a specific, repeatable character. The beans then finish on raised African beds over roughly 25 days before hulling.

In the cup, expect sweet cherry and a lifting hibiscus acidity, rounded out by a warm, spiced finish of cardamom and nuts.

Valle Alto is a cooperative with an unusually young story. It was founded in 2016 by university students and the children of coffee farmers — many from Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University — who set out to revitalise farming in Peru's Cajamarca region. Their conviction is simple: young farmers are the future of rural development, and their energy is the answer to the ageing of Peru's coffee-growing communities.

Formally registered as Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Valle Alto in 2022, the cooperative prioritises young producers of all genders across the Lonya Grande district, farming between 1,700 and 1,820 metres. This lot is Geisha — the celebrated, aromatic variety — given a clean, fully washed process that keeps its delicate florals and clarity intact.

The result is a sophisticated, elegant cup: stone fruit and peach up front, a soft vanilla sweetness through the middle, and juicy berry notes lingering into the finish.

Stiven Hoyos is the youngest generation of a four-generation coffee family in San Agustín, Huila. At just 22, he farms land his father gifted him and has already brought 800 Red Caturra trees into production — a serious commitment for a producer so early in his career. He is part of Monkaaba, a collective of growers under 35 proving that specialty coffee can be a viable future for young Colombians.

This lot is Pink Bourbon, a variety that thrives in Huila's cool mountain microclimate and is prized for its vivid fruit and bright acidity. The washed process — selective picking, depulping, controlled fermentation, thorough washing and careful drying — strips away fruit influence to let the variety speak plainly, all clarity and sparkle.

Expect a floral, expressive cup: red cordial sweetness and fresh berry brightness, a crisp green-apple acidity, and a long, clean, syrupy finish.

Rwamatamu Coffee sits above Lake Kivu in Rwanda's Nyamasheke District, a family-run operation established in 2015 across 20 hectares of the Western Province. Beans come from their own farmland and from affiliated smallholders, and the farm puts community employment first — women make up around 80% of the team. The high-altitude volcanic terrain and cool highland climate build the dense, complex cherries harvested here between January and March.

This is a natural process, the cherries dried whole so the fruit works on the seed throughout — a technique that deepens sweetness and body and lends the wine-like, fruit-forward character these lots are known for. The variety is Red Bourbon, valued for its balance and complexity.

Harmony's relationship with Rwamatamu runs deep — the producers once lived near Harmony's home in York, and this is the fifth consecutive harvest the two have worked together. In the cup, look for tangerine, apricot and a bittersweet grapefruit lift.

Nano Challa is a cooperative in the Jimma zone of western Ethiopia, and a name that has become a byword for clean, dependable washed coffee. Its members farm the indigenous heirloom varieties that give Ethiopian coffee its floral, tea-like signature.

Processing here is meticulous and water-conscious. Harvested cherries are sorted twice — first by flotation, then by hand — before mechanical demucilaging cuts water use. The coffee soaks for 12 hours, skin-dries for 8 to 14 hours, and then finishes on raised African beds over 7 to 11 days, with a spell of parchment conditioning to stabilise moisture before export.

It brews beautifully as both filter and espresso, giving a clean, well-balanced cup of stone fruit and black tea that resolves into a bright citrus finish.

Jhon Jairo Gómez farms high above San Agustín, in the El Rosario sector of Huila, at close to 2,000 metres — an elevation where cooler temperatures slow the cherries as they ripen, trading volume for concentration and depth. His is a story of steady progress: for years he sold his coffee as green, held back by a lack of processing infrastructure, and has since built his own beneficio with motorised equipment and a solar dryer of his own. This lot, sourced through Semilla and the Monkaaba project, marks the fourth harvest Swerl have taken from him — a relationship that has grown alongside the farm.

The variety is Tabi, a Colombian cultivar drawn from Typica, Bourbon and Timor Hybrid parentage, valued for the cup quality of its heirloom side with added resilience in the field. Processing is a clean washed: cherries are collected roughly every three weeks, rested in sealed bags for 24 hours, then depulped and fermented in tiled tanks for around 36 hours. A short three-hour drain follows before the coffee moves to solar drying for 15 to 20 days, locking in its clarity and sweetness.

In the cup, expect tropical fruit and orange marmalade over a syrupy, mouth-coating body — vibrant and juicy up front, with a rounded citrus sweetness that lingers into a clean, glossy finish.

Ruera Factory sits on the high volcanic plateau of Kiambu County, in central Kenya — a 190-hectare estate that is as much a community institution as a coffee farm. Alongside its cultivation it employs hundreds through the harvest and supports well over a thousand livelihoods, providing housing, childcare, education and healthcare for the families who live and work on the land. It is the kind of infrastructure that underpins the consistently careful picking and processing behind a cup like this.

The lot is a blend of Kenya's signature varieties: SL28 and SL34, selections prized for their blackcurrant intensity and structured acidity; Batian, which adds sweetness and disease resistance; and Ruiru 11 for depth. It is fully washed in the classic Kenyan manner — selectively hand-picked, pulped, fermented under close control, thoroughly washed and then dried slowly on raised beds to 10–11% moisture. The 'AB' denotes the bean grade, a combination of the A and B screen sizes that make up the bulk of a top Kenyan lot.

In the cup, expect black tea, redcurrant and hibiscus — a bright, tart acidity wrapped around a delicate, tea-like body, with the sappy blackcurrant character that makes Kenyan coffee so recognisable and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Los Magníficos is a community lot in the truest sense — a small-volume selection drawn together from a handful of smallholders working under the Monkaaba group around San Agustín in Huila: Orlando and Diana Quinayas, José Omar Muñoz, Rovira Salamanca and Stiven Hoyos. The project exists to give growers with modest plots a route to market they would otherwise be shut out of, pooling tiny quantities of exceptional coffee, paying fairly for them, and sharing post-harvest knowledge across the group.

Each producer delivers their parchment to the Monkaaba bodega, where lots are cupped, analysed and selected before being brought together — so while the processing varies a little from farm to farm, every component earns its place on the strength of the cup. The variety is Sidra, a rare and elegant cultivar of Bourbon and Typica lineage, celebrated for its floral delicacy and glassy clarity.

In the cup, expect lychee, star fruit and sweet green grape — a bright, almost candy-like sweetness with a clean, crystalline acidity and a light, perfumed finish. A delicate, expressive coffee that rewards a gentle hand on filter.

Vanilla Sky comes from the Los Rodríguez family at Waliki Farm, in the Caranavi region of Bolivia's Yungas — one of DAK's longest-standing partnerships in the country. Caranavi tips down from the high Andes toward the edge of the Amazon basin, and that dramatic descent, along with the remoteness and determination it takes to farm here, is what lends Bolivian coffee its exceptional sweetness and complexity.

The variety is Java, a long-berried, Ethiopian-descended cultivar, and it is prepared as a coco natural. Cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, given an initial wash, pre-dried on patios for 48 to 72 hours, then finished in enclosed box dryers at the Buena Vista mill until they reach 11.5% moisture — a distinctive, closed-environment drying technique that draws Java's natural sweetness fully forward. Where the family's washed Geisha is delicate and floral, this is its warm, fruit-forward counterpart.

In the cup, expect vanilla, stewed cherries and brown sugar, with a gentle boozy edge on the finish — rich, sweet and comforting, the kind of cup that leans happily into dessert.

Orange County is grown by Ivan Solís at Finca Voo, perched at close to 2,000 metres in Tarrazú — one of Costa Rica's highest and most celebrated coffee elevations. At that altitude the cherries ripen slowly, concentrating their sugars and building the kind of structural complexity that has long made the region's name.

The variety is Red Catuai, and Solís processes it as a natural — an unusual choice in Tarrazú, where washed coffees have traditionally prevailed. Ripe cherries are hand-picked, selectively sorted, and dried slowly on raised beds with careful moisture monitoring, concentrating the fruit sugars deep into the bean. DAK describe the result as a remarkably clean natural: all the vibrancy and brightness of the process, with an unusual clarity for the style.

In the cup, expect blood orange, rhubarb and white honey — a juicy, citrus-led acidity balanced by a soft, honeyed sweetness, finishing clean, bright and composed.

Zarza Coffee is a family-led project in the hills of Bruselas, at the heart of one of Colombia's most recognised growing regions. The farm is led by Jonathan Gasca and Alejandra Muñoz — a new generation of producers building on heritage with clarity and intent. It sits at around 1,540 metres and spans roughly six hectares, where coffee grows within a diverse, evolving ecosystem, with beekeeping supporting biodiversity and the health of the land. Sweven, our roasting partner for this lot, first visited Finca Zarza back in 2022 and have been building a relationship with the farm ever since.

This is Bourbon Ají, a rare varietal believed to be a natural mutation of an Ethiopian landrace, prized for its vivid fruit sweetness, floral intensity and depth. Processing is an advanced natural, designed to build structure and complexity while holding onto clarity. After selective harvesting, the cherries are oxidised for 24 hours, then anaerobically fermented in sealed tanks for 60 hours, followed by a further 60-hour sealed fermentation to deepen concentration. A controlled thermal stabilisation step preserves the more delicate aromatics before the coffee dries slowly on raised beds over 12 to 15 days.

In the cup, expect passion fruit, almond and cherry bakewell — a pronounced, dessert-like sweetness with a mouthwatering texture and bright, tangy acidity. Layers of amaretto and frangipane build as the cup develops, finishing smooth, elegant and composed. It is a coffee that reflects both the rarity of the variety and the precision behind its processing.

Gasharu Washing Station sits near the edge of Nyungwe Forest National Park, within Rwanda's Congo Nile mountain range — an area of high elevation, fertile soils and a temperate climate that lends its coffees real vibrancy and structure. The surrounding farms are largely mature Red Bourbon, many around two decades old, with ongoing nursery work, regular pruning and careful soil management keeping the land healthy and the quality consistent.

Gasharu is led by Valentin Kimenyi, a long-standing partner of Sweven's — this marks their fourth year working together, a relationship renewed each year at World of Coffee, from Athens through Copenhagen to Geneva. This lot is named Impano, meaning 'gift'. Nyamasheke is one of Rwanda's most productive coffee regions, yet also one of its most economically challenged, and the name reflects the idea of coffee as something that creates opportunity and connection within the community.

It is processed as an extended anaerobic natural. After selective harvesting, whole cherries ferment without oxygen for around 100 hours, building layered fruit character and a gentle wine-like quality while careful control keeps the cup clean and balanced. Slow drying preserves the sweetness and stabilises the profile.

In the cup, expect blood orange, pomegranate and raw honey — a bright, juicy acidity led by citrus, supported by a clear winey character and soft florals. As the cup cools, a lingering honeyed sweetness begins to deepen, bringing a rounded, balanced finish. A vivid and approachable expression of Rwandan coffee.

Volcancito is one of POMA's Core Collection partners in Costa Rica — selected for balance, clarity and consistent quality. It sits within POMA's long-term cultivation network, where the country's volcanic soils and steady rainfall create ideal conditions for clean, well-structured coffees.

This is a honey-processed Caturra. Ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked and depulped with the sticky mucilage left intact, then dried slowly on patios and raised beds to concentrate the sugars. Leaving that mucilage on during drying is what sets the honey process apart from fully washed preparations — it lends a soft, syrupy sweetness and a gentle, fuller body.

The result is rounder and sweeter than a typical washed coffee: honey, milk chocolate and toasted nuts, with subtle fruit undertones and a full-bodied finish. POMA describe it as a reliable, comforting cup that balances gentle acidity with honeyed body and a clean finish — the everyday, honest expression of Costa Rican specialty, and an easy one to reach for daily.

El Rocío comes from producer Julio Ullauri in Ecuador, grown at around 1,700 metres. It is a washed Gesha — the celebrated variety prized for its delicate, floral, tea-like character — and Ecuador has quietly become one of the most exciting origins for high-scoring Gesha in recent years.

Zennor keep their roasts deliberately light to emphasise clarity, brightness and origin character, and this lot is a clean expression of the washed process: nothing masking the cup, just the variety speaking for itself. It is roasted to work across both filter and modern espresso.

In the cup, expect clementine and maple syrup over a soft floral lift — bright citrus acidity with a sweet, syrupy texture and a clean, floral finish. Zennor recommend resting these coffees for 4–6 weeks after roast, so give it a little time to open up.

Finca La Providencia is home to fourth-generation producer Fabian Acevedo, whose work blends deep family heritage with a progressive approach to quality. He grew up surrounded by coffee, learning from his father, Álvaro, that great coffee is built through patience, care and constant refinement. The family began focusing on quality-driven production in 2006, and over time moved from clean washed lots toward a more experimental, precise approach to fermentation.

This is Sweven's first time working with Fabian — a meaningful introduction to a producer whose coffees carry a strong sense of place and intention, and the start of a relationship they hope will continue to grow over the coming years.

Papayo is a rare natural mutation of arabica, most commonly found in Huila and named for its distinctive elongated, papaya-like cherries. Often linked to Ethiopian landrace influence, it is prized for a vibrant, expressive cup. For this lot, only fully ripe cherries are selected, given a controlled 24-hour oxidation in sealed bags, then depulped and fermented for 48 hours in stainless steel tanks before drying slowly over around 15 days in a covered shed.

In the cup, expect redcurrant, mandarin and rose hip — a lush sweetness and juicy texture with bright, tangy berry acidity that opens into honeyed citrus and delicate florals, finishing clean and lingering.

A playful, indulgent lot from DAK — think chocolate milk (the Nesquik kind), cherry-filled Donut and a soft lift of vanilla. Sweet, creamy and layered, it leans fully into the dessert end of the spectrum.

It comes from El Encanto in Pitalito, Colombia, produced in collaboration with Cata Export, and is built on advanced fermentation with a precision yeast culture. Inoculating the ferment drives consistency and enhances fruit development, giving the lot its rich, confectionary character and clean finish.

DAK recommend brewing at least two weeks off roast, with peak flavour landing around 8–12 weeks — so this is one that rewards a little patience.