As I type this introduction to my upcoming February 2021 Coffeevine box, the first snow of the season is dancing past my window. It’s not going to last for very long. It simply doesn’t get cold enough in Amsterdam. At least not in most years. I still remember the last time when the canals froze over and people were skating down the Herengracht. It was magical!

The January 2021 Coffeevine box is due to go out next week Wednesday and I’m really looking forward to hearing what my subscribers and customers all over the world will have to say about the first Coffeevine box of the year. But for you, dear reader, this is your chance to look forward to the second Coffeevine box of 2021 because, sadly for you, you missed the January box. But don’t fret.

For the next Coffeevine edition, I will be teaming up with Ernst Kaffeeröster, DAK and Vannelli; three brilliant roasters who have very unique appeals. Now, without further ado, let me introduce you.

Ernst Kaffeeröster

Based in the German city of Cologne, Maren Ernst is one of Germany’s best-known female specialty coffee roasters and the first to properly represent the country’s fourth largest city in the German specialty coffee scene.

I have been friends with Maren for many years and I already try to pay her a visit whenever I visit my family in Cologne. Coming from a more corporate side of the coffee industry where she felt somewhat unfulfilled, she saw specialty coffee as an opportunity to take matters into her own hands.

In the early years, she roasted all of her coffees on a Diedrich roaster in the back of her café in Neustadt but growing demand for her excellent coffees eventually forced her to find a more suitable production space away from the café.

Over the years, I’ve featured Maren a few times in my boxes and it’s always a pleasure to work with her. For the upcoming February 2021 Coffeevine box, she will roast a really fresh and delicious washed Ethiopia from Arsosala for me.

Based in the Guji region, Arsosala is a washing station that was founded in 2015 and serves approximately 1.200 smallholder farmers from the surrounding area who deliver their ripest cherries to the washing station. This particular lot consists of Bourbon and Typica and has a super delicious cup profile consisting of lots of citrus fruit. You’ll love this one.

Offered with separate profiles for filter and espresso.

DAK

This aesthetically very beautifully designed coffee brand is run by Louis-Phillipe Boucher and his girlfriend Veronique who are originally from Canada but made Amsterdam their home after moving around Europe a lot.

Joining a rank of great roasters in our beautiful home city, DAK has made a name for itself for sourcing some truly exotic coffees and offering great products such the lush scented candle that it produced in collaboration with The Very Good Candle Co. We had one in our home here and it was gorgeous.

The coffee that Louis-Phillipe will roast for The Coffeevine in February is my first ever natural-processed Colombian coffee. I’m personally a great fan of Colombian coffees. In fact, some of the best coffees I’ve had lately were Colombian.

Juan Herrera is the founder of Nuna Café y Espiritu and he has developed somewhat of a reputation for exquisite natural lots although he doesn’t actually grow his own coffees. Instead, he sources coffees from different producers in the Antioquia region and applies his scientific background to processing. His story is really interesting and worth reading more about if you are interested.

This coffee is thick and juicy with a lovely acidity. It comes with separate profiles for filter and espresso.

Vannelli Coffee

Although it is often considered the home of the espresso, typical Italian coffee is not something that specialty coffee lovers rave about. Indeed, it’s still frustratingly hard to find good specialty coffee bars in places like Milan, with the exception of Orsonero, or Venice where there is not a single place that serves a decent cup of coffee.

Yet, despite all this, Italy is home to a host of great roasters who often call small towns and villages their home and are working hard to transform their country’s understanding of coffee and its reputation abroad.

Over the years, I’ve made a point of featuring a great deal of talented roasters from across the country and I’m always excited when I come across a new roaster who I haven’t worked with yet, such as Vannelli Coffee.

Co-founded by Giacomo and Pietro Vannelli, both of whom have won big national competitions, Vannelli Coffee is a roasting company bursting with ambition. Its coffee offering is varied and exciting and during the most recent blind cupping, a washed Panamanian coffee from its submission ended up making the final cut.

Panama is one of two countries where I have had the pleasure of visiting producers and I still remembers the lush green mountains and valleys of the Boquete region where I spent a fantastic day at Finca Esmeralda some six years ago.

This particular coffee comes from famed producer Jamison Savage who runs Finca Deborah and Morgan Estate and who has made a big name for himself for producing some of the country’s finest Geisha’s and other rare lots.

Expect a chocolatey and nutty cup profile that will be a true crowd pleaser. Offered with separate profiles for filter and espresso.

Not yet a subscriber of Europe’s favourite coffee subscription?

There are many reasons why you should subscribe to The Coffeevine, my outstanding coffees being one of them, of course.

The Coffeevine is also the only coffee subscription company that:

• Always features three coffees from three different roasters
• Has worked with over 200 roasters from all over the world
• Blind tastes all submitted samples and only chooses the best tasting ones
• Offers free tracked delivery to all European customers
• Can create custom subscriptions for collectives, cafés and businesses
• Has the best customer service of all coffee subscriptions with a rating of 4.8 on Trustpilot

For just €46 a month, you’ll get the most delicious selection of seasonal coffees that are roasted by the most exciting coffee roasters. Hundreds of happy subscribers already trust me. Will you be next? Subscribe here.