GUATEMALA

Guatemala grows some of the world's finest and most distinctive coffee varieties. The country has one of the greatest climatic variations in the world, where the variation in climate in the different coffee regions gives different distinctive flavors. Most of the coffee is grown on small farms on small pieces of land. There, it grows in fertile soil along the country's green-clad mountain ridges in natural shade from the many trees in the landscape. The farmers deliver the coffee berries to a communal washing station if they don't have one themselves, but in addition to high-quality wet-processed coffee, they also have some berry-dried and partially berry-dried coffee.

NICARAGUA

Warm climate, nutrient-rich soil, large shade trees and rich plant life give Nicaragua a long history of producing delicious coffee. Coffee is one of the country's main exports and provides many jobs. The coffee is often grown under trees amidst vibrant floral life on small farms. The focus is on growing high-quality coffee while taking care of nature. The coffee is usually grown according to natural principles and is processed both by wet processing and berry drying.

HONDURAS

With a humid jungle landscape at the foot of large mountains, Honduras has the right conditions for growing good coffee. The soil, altitude and climate are right, but poor infrastructure and a lack of adequate washing stations have previously made it challenging for the country to process its own coffee. This has changed in recent decades with investments in knowledge and new resources for the country's coffee industry. Today, Honduras can offer large quantities of tasty coffee with qualities among the best in the world.

EL SALVADOR

In El Salvador, coffee trees grow on hillsides that creep up from the sea. The coffee plants are classified as forest and protect the local fauna. Here you'll find coffee plants that are up to a hundred years old. The soil is rich and volcanic, and many farms are located on the valley sides of active or dead volcanoes. The wind conditions make it challenging for production, which has created the characteristic chess-shaped coffee fields where shade trees shelter the wind.

COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a technical coffee country with a strong focus on farmer knowledge. They protect their arabica varieties and have banned the cultivation of robusta. The coffee farms tend to be small, family-run and well managed, where knowledge has been passed down through generations. They often own their own micro-mills so that farmers have the opportunity to work with their beans from start to finish. Honey-processed coffee originated in Costa Rica. It is a partially berry-dried coffee where the skin of the ripe coffee berry is removed, while much of the pulp is left around the bean while it dries. This adds moisture and sweetness to the flavor.

ABOUT COFFEE

Step 4: burning coffee

Raw material quality

Coffee raw material quality is a result of the coffee farmer's knowledge of the product, the conditions in which the coffee is grown and the way it is processed. In the roastery, our task is to extract the bean's flavor potential and uniqueness.

Inherited knowledge

The coffee that Solberg & Hansen buys is raw coffee and is delivered to us as green, unroasted beans. At our Roastery at Ryen in Oslo, we roast the raw coffee with knowledge acquired over generations and which is constantly evolving. When coffee is roasted, it becomes darker in color, develops volatile aromas, sweetness, fullness or fruitiness and the coffee's taste characteristics become clearer.

Burning profiles

All green coffee is different and has different flavor potential. That's why we develop our own roast profiles for all our coffee types to bring out the best in them. A roast profile states how long the green coffee should be roasted at what temperature, and how and when the heat should be added during the roast to develop the right flavor and aroma. The precision lies in the timing and knowledge enough to be able to exploit the potential of each individual bean. The roast becomes a tool that can enhance flavor and allow you to taste the differences between regions, countries and continents.

The peculiarities of the raw material

At Solberg & Hansen, we aim to ensure that the distinctive characteristics of the raw material are highlighted during roasting. After roasting, we pack the coffee in airtight valve bags that we nitrogen-flush to protect the coffee from oxygen and give you the freshest possible coffee. We do everything we can to ensure that the coffee retains its original taste, so that we can be a door opener for the world's best cup.