Arabica Coffee Sơn La, Chiềng Ban – Natural Dry Process | “Gift of the Earth” Farm | 250g

In recent years, skyrocketing fresh coffee prices have led many farmers to strip entire trees—picking both ripe and unripe cherries together to sell. This situation means that despite very high prices, quality has somewhat declined.

Gift of the Earth is a small farm in Chiềng Ban, Sơn La with fairly modest production. However, what matters most is that the coffee here is picked only when fully red-ripe on the tree, and they say NO to picking unripe cherries. Despite rising labor costs and uneven ripening, the farm is committed to pursuing the highest coffee quality within their means.

The coffee variety the farm uses is Catimor, very common in Sơn La. So to improve quality, the farm focuses on improving the soil using 100% organic methods. Each harvest season, the farm uses hundreds of cubic meters of coffee husks and organic waste, processes it with beneficial microorganisms, then returns it to the soil. This is laborious and expensive work over many years, and honestly not every farm has the vision and determination to do it.

In return, the coffee flavor from this farm stands out from the general standard in Sơn La.

A MESSAGE FROM GIFT OF THE EARTH FARM

“Nature has blessed Sơn La with the location and weather conditions suitable for growing many varieties of cherry plants. However, agricultural practices that clear land and completely extract nutrients from the soil without returning humus to mother earth, cutting down forests and reducing groundwater sources—these things have lowered the quality of agricultural products. A prime example is the vast coffee region lacking medium and trace elements, with excess phosphorus. In recent years, climate change has also stressed coffee plants, increasing caffeine, CGA, quinine and amygdalin noticeably in cupping.

In the short term, farmers in Sơn La still harvest at fairly high ripeness levels, and the commercial segment can still be maintained. Long term though, when fertilizer and labor costs both rise, can we sell Sơn La Catimor—with yields only 1/4 of Robusta yields—at prices equal to or lower than Robusta? This is surely a serious question that needs to be answered with quality. If we keep choosing what’s easy, tolerating wrong practices, we’ll only push more suffering onto farmers.

For our part, Gift of the Earth doesn’t aim to become big. We just hope to stay small, sustainable, and long-lasting—experimenting so we can share the right methods with anyone brave enough to change and do things right for sustainability. Seeing the coffee garden lush and green, still sprouting, still spreading its branches during harvest days when picking fruit—that makes us so happy. When nutrition is sufficient, it solves the problem of ‘skipping year poor harvests,’ doesn’t drain the trees’ strength, and the trees will be happy too.”

FLAVOR PROFILE OF ARABICA COFFEE FROM SƠN LA – GIFT OF THE EARTH FARM

A taste of the Northwest mountains in these coffee beans: You can immediately sense hints of white flowers floating lightly, along with herbal and hazelnut notes with a sweet-bitter cacao aftertaste.

When cooled, Sơn La coffee reveals a distinct ginseng aroma. People who love this flavor will really enjoy Sơn La coffee (and vice versa…).

Given these characteristics, naturally processed Arabica coffee from Sơn La works well for Espresso and Latte preparation.

Cupping note: Herbal, Chestnut, Cacao

NOTES ON ROASTED SƠN LA ARABICA COFFEE

• Roast level: Medium
• Body suitable for espresso and milk-based drinks like Latte
• Start using after approximately: 7-10 days from roast date
• Best enjoyed within: 3 months unopened and 1 month after first opening. If not using immediately, can store in freezer (Frozen coffee can last up to 1 year while staying fresh—When removing, you can grind immediately without waiting to thaw)
• Recommend opening the coffee bag one day before use to release gases and pressure from the package, then resealing so the coffee aroma is more fragrant and the flavor more rounded.
• Storage: ZIP bag WITHOUT one-way valve
• Whole bean coffee. If grinding is needed, please inform iCup about your brewing equipment so we can select the appropriate grind size. We encourage customers to own a coffee grinder to grind fresh for each use
• Package weight: 250g
• Roasted by: iCup Roaster

INFORMATION ABOUT SƠN LA ARABICA GREEN COFFEE

• Region: Bản Phiêng Quài, Chiềng Ban, Mai Sơn, Sơn La, Vietnam
• Farm: Gift of the Earth
• Altitude: 800m
• Variety: Catimor (Hybrid of Timor and Caturra)
• Processing method: Natural sun-dried whole cherry

iCup is proud to bring customers the world’s finest coffee beans.