Athens, 15/10/204 – A small, selected group of coffee enthusiasts had the opportunity to participate in an innovative tasting that highlighted every aspect of coffee – a unique coffee tasting that opened up new horizons. For the first time, the art of coffee was presented in a holistic approach by Yiannis Taloumis, CEO and Head of Quality at taf, combining not only the roasted coffee beans, but also every element of the plant. The tasting was dedicated to exploring the entire life cycle of coffee, from leaves and flowers to the pericarp (cascara), as well as four unique and special taf coffees.

This unique tasting experience included seven stages of tasting and in the first three stages participants had the rare opportunity to explore:

– Dried Coffee Leaves: The tasting was executed through immersion brewing. A unique-tasting distillate, with light herbal notes and a soft, earthy aroma.

– Dried Coffee Blossoms: The tasting was executed through immersion brewing. The delicate floral aromas evoke white flowers and sweet aromatic notes

– Ripe cherry pericarp (Cascara): The tasting was executed through immersion brewing. The peel of the coffee fruit captured the attention with its sweet, fruity taste, which gave a new dimension to the tasting.

The next four stages of the tasting focused on the coffee bean. Participants travelled through four unique and rare coffee varieties, which were presented in specially curated tasting routes, revealing the diversity of flavour and aromas that high quality beans from different parts of the world can offer.

Their tasting was executed using the hand brew method.

– Ombligon Natural – Colombia: The Ombligon variety, the “navel” as its name indicates because of the shape of the fruit, native only to Huila, Colombia, is a natural mutation of the varieties of the region. It has a unique and distinctive flavour profile, very sweet, reminiscent of amaretto with elements of almond and cherry, with strong elements of alkalinity predominating.

– Bourbon Natural – Thailand (Cup of Excellence 2024, Ranking #2): The Cup of Excellence was piloted in Thailand in 2022, with the aim of bringing attention to an unexpected and relatively “neglected” origin.  So in our hands now we have a coffee from the 2nd Cup Of Excellence Thailand auction. In contrast to the familiar characteristics of the wider region, there is a noticeable difference from varieties from, for example, Indonesia that have more earthy characteristics. Here, sweeter characteristics such as honey and brown sugar are highlighted in perfect harmony with more “coarse” elements such as Oolong tea.

– Laurina Natural – Honduras: Without undergoing any processing, Laurina has half the caffeine content compared to other Arabica varieties, and because of its elongated and pointy beans it is also called Bourbon Pointu. Its naturally low caffeine content has no effect on its taste quality, as we get a lovely, delicate and “clean” cup with floral notes.

– Eugenioides Natural – Colombia: Coffea eugenioides, (C. eugenioides) along with Coffea canephora (known also as “Robusta”), are the two parent coffee species whose union created the Arabica coffee we know today. While Eugenioides plants are not particularly more difficult to grow, they do produce a lower yield than Arabica, and the species is still considered a rare or experimental coffee to grow. The cup of a Eugenioides is mostly characterized by sweetness and a tropical profile.

The coffees that were in the tasting featured will soon be available in Taf’s channels.

The holistic coffee tasting succeeded in creating a sensory experience that enriches our relationship with our most beloved beverage.

It was the first session of a new series of Holistic Coffee Tastings, organized and presented as part of the presentation of “Coffee Routes” on Tuesday 15 October 2024.

“Coffee Routes” is a photo book with a collection of photographs and texts that documents the remarkable journey of coffee, through the eyes and camera lens of Yiannis Taloumis. The photo book captures his experiences during his travels to coffee communities around the world. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the communities of coffee producers through taf’s support programs.