GALAPAGOS CRISTOBAL ISLAND COFFEE

The San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador produces an exotic, high-quality organic coffee bean. The coffee is grown in an ecological sanctuary and UNESCO "Patrimony and Humanity" site as a sustainable resource of the island's people. As a result of this, the law strictly prohibits the importation or use of fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides or any other chemicals. The coffee is cultivated on the volcanic mountains of the island, where the tres receive a perfect balance of sunlight, rain and altitude. The coffee trees were planted over 130 years ago and are still in production. After the berries are handpicked, the coffee is processed in an ecological wet plant using the island's unique spring water. The cherries then pass through a peeling process, where the highly sustainable workers choose the best cherries, recycling the rest for natural fertilizer. This coffee is even unique in presentation, it is shipped in brightly coloured gourmet printed 100 lb bags. In the cup, its unusual origin is more than matched by its sweet flavour, with its intense, sweet aroma, nice round body, well balanced, orange acidity, delicate cup, which holds hints of caramel and chocolate. The strain of bush is called Bourbon, which produces many of my favourite coffees.