{"title":"Racemosa","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"south-african-coffee-beans-racemosa","title":"Natural Racemosa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/greencoffeecollective.com\/blogs\/learn\/racemosa-coffee-the-worlds-rarest-coffee\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Introducing the world's rarest coffee (Racemosa) - blog\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eRacemosa is one of the rarest coffees in the world\u003c\/a\u003e, and a species that could play an important role in the future of coffee. Grown by Charles in South Africa, this year’s lot highlights the species in its purest form through a traditional natural process. Rather than experimenting with novel techniques, Charles has focused on letting Racemosa speak for itself - and as the trees mature, the flavour profile has become cleaner and more expressive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe coffee flowered in September and was harvested through November and December, right in the middle of the rainy season. To manage the challenging conditions, Charles built drying beds that can be closed against afternoon showers. Once dried, the coffee was carefully hulled and sorted, a painstaking task given the small size of the fruit and parchment. These extra steps have produced a lot with slightly larger seeds and greater clarity in the cup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the cup, Racemosa remains distinctive. Expect a heavy body with layers of passion fruit, peach, and sugarcane sweetness, alongside fresh notes of basil, mint, and cedar. It is unlike Arabica or Robusta, and can divide opinion - some tasters have scored it in the mid-90s, while others struggle with its difference. As Dr Aaron Davis of Kew Gardens notes, \u003cem\u003e“I’m now of the opinion that C. racemosa is amongst the finest of coffees. It can be complex, sweet, flavoursome, and oddly comforting. Racemosa needs careful consideration, rather than a rushed cupping.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe don’t offer Racemosa to chase margins. Every bag sold helps support Charles’ pioneering work in South Africa to explore climate-resilient species that could one day secure the future of coffee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1675\" data-end=\"1825\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1675\" data-end=\"1694\"\u003eImportant note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Racemosa may not roast well in machines with perforated drums due to the small bean size. Please check your setup before ordering.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1827\" data-end=\"2014\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1827\" data-end=\"1858\"\u003eCommunity feedback request:\u003c\/strong\u003e If you roast this coffee, we’d love you to share your findings. Every bit of feedback goes back to the producer and helps push this unique species forward.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivar SA","offers":[{"title":"0.25kg","offer_id":55255713382776,"sku":"NATURAL-RACEMOSA-QUARTER","price":52.06,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"0.5kg","offer_id":55255713415544,"sku":"NATURAL-RACEMOSA-HALF","price":104.13,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg","offer_id":55255713448312,"sku":"NATURAL-RACEMOSA-1","price":208.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0725\/3006\/7755\/files\/0_8dfd6528-2ada-4e10-8867-7517662e0660.jpg?v=1759505561"},{"product_id":"washed-racemosa","title":"Washed Racemosa","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is not arabica. Keep an open mind.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCoffea racemosa\u003c\/em\u003e is one of only a handful of the 130+ known coffee species ever cultivated, and today it sits on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Our partner has germinated nearly 10,000 racemosa seedlings over eight years - roughly 90% of all known racemosa plants on earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe numbers explain the rarity. Each plant yields around 100g of cherry, which is roughly 10g of green coffee. Where a hectare of arabica might give 2,000kg, racemosa currently gives under 200kg. The beans themselves are tiny (about the size of a lentil) and slip through every crack designed for arabica: harvesting, processing, and roasting all have to be re-engineered. The harvest window is just six weeks, and it falls in the wet season, making drying its own challenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy washed?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis lot is traditionally washed by design. Rather than layering on fancy fermentation, the producer wanted to let the species speak for itself. Most drinkers who try it want to taste the coffee, not the process, and this is the clearest window into what racemosa actually is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA coffee with history - and a future\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe Portuguese farmed racemosa at scale in Mozambique from the late 1800s, exporting most of it back to Lisbon, where it won gold medals for taste in the early 1900s. Today it matters for different reasons: its natural heat tolerance, drought resistance, and disease resilience make it a genuine candidate for the climate-resilient coffees of the future. Brazil crossed it with arabica in the 1970s to create \"Aramosa\"; only now, with the climate crisis, are breeders looking seriously at its other traits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eGrown in its indigenous habitat, the plants need no chemical pesticides or herbicides, and cultivation supports jobs in rural areas with high unemployment. Buying this coffee directly supports the protection and expansion of a rare, threatened species.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe practical details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStock to order.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold this on request - order it and we'll courier it in, arriving with us within ~10 days. Vacuum-packed in 1kg bags, ready to roast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimited availability:\u003c\/strong\u003e approximately a total of 80kg of this crop exists, we've been allocated a small amount for our customers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e⚠️ Roaster note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Due to the very small bean size, racemosa may not roast well in machines with perforated drums. Please check your setup before ordering.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHelp push the species forward:\u003c\/strong\u003e If you roast this coffee, we'd love to hear your findings. Every bit of feedback goes back to the producer and helps advance this unique species.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cultivar SA","offers":[{"title":"0.25kg","offer_id":55598189347192,"sku":"CUL-SOU-WAS-0.2","price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"0.5kg","offer_id":55598182498680,"sku":"CUL-SOU-WAS-0.5","price":150.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg","offer_id":55598182531448,"sku":"CUL-SOU-WAS-1KG","price":280.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"5kg","offer_id":55598182564216,"sku":"CUL-SOU-WAS-5KG","price":1350.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0725\/3006\/7755\/files\/0-1_e9b365ed-1e6a-4ced-9628-bf7047a9e8bb.jpg?v=1784208285"}],"url":"https:\/\/greencoffeecollective.com\/en-eu\/collections\/racemosa.oembed","provider":"Green Coffee Collective","version":"1.0","type":"link"}