Rare & Exclusive Coffees
These coffees are all rare and exclusive coffees with a high cup score. They will typically come from farms that focus on experimental processing and/or the growing and harvesting of interesting and unusual varietals. We like to feature unusual cultivars and processing methods including carbonic maceration, anaerobic fermentation and yeast fermentation techniques.
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LIMITED LOT RELATIONSHIP COFFEE NEWCherry | Orange | HoneyLiza anaerobic natural Rwanda | Anaerobic Natural
Regular price £16.50Regular priceUnit price per
Rare and exclusive speciality coffee from around the world
These are the coffees we get most excited about. Micro-lots from celebrated producers, unusual varietals you'll rarely see outside specialist competitions, and experimental processing methods that push the boundaries of what coffee can taste like. Every coffee in this collection scores 87+ on the SCA grading scale, with distinctive, often surprising flavour profiles. Many are available in tiny quantities — once they're gone, they're gone.
What makes a coffee rare and exclusive?
Exceptional cup scores
Speciality coffee starts at 80 points on the SCA grading scale. Most of our range scores 83+. The coffees in this collection score 87+, putting them in the top few percent of coffee produced anywhere in the world. Higher scores reflect cleaner cups, more complex flavour development, and more pronounced positive attributes — sweetness, acidity, body and balance.
Unusual varietals
Most of the world's coffee comes from a handful of common varietals — Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Typica etc. The coffees in this collection often, although not always as experimental processing might be the main factor, feature rare cultivars with distinctive flavour signatures:
- Gesha (Geisha) — Famous for its tea-like delicacy, jasmine florals and tropical fruit notes. Originally from Ethiopia, made world-famous by producers in Panama.
- Sudan Rume — A heritage Ethiopian varietal known for intense red fruit, blackcurrant and dense, syrupy body.
- Pink Bourbon — A naturally occurring mutation of Bourbon producing pink cherries. Cup profile leans floral and sparkling.
- Striped Bourbon — Visually striking striped cherries with bright, complex acidity and stone fruit character.
- Wush Wush — Originally from Ethiopia, prized for its delicate floral profile.
Experimental processing
How a coffee is processed after harvest can dramatically reshape its flavour. We particularly love working with producers experimenting at the leading edge:
- Carbonic maceration — Whole cherries fermented in a CO₂-rich, oxygen-free environment, borrowed from winemaking. Produces intense fruit notes and a wine-like profile.
- Anaerobic fermentation — Cherries or de-pulped seeds fermented in sealed tanks without oxygen, allowing controlled flavour development. Often delivers tropical fruit, candy-like sweetness, and a long finish.
- Yeast fermentation — Specific yeast strains added during processing to direct flavour development. Can produce profiles ranging from cleaner fruit-forward cups to funky, complex notes.
- Thermal shock and extended fermentation — Producers using temperature variation and longer fermentation windows to develop deeper sweetness and complexity.
Read more about our rare varietals
We've written in detail about some of the unusual coffees we feature. Each post explores the genetics, growing challenges, cup profile and why the varietal matters in speciality coffee:
- Sudan Rume coffee — heritage Ethiopian varietal with intense red fruit character
- Striped Bourbon coffee — visually striking, bright and complex
- Pink Bourbon coffee — floral, sparkling, and naturally pink
If you're new to speciality coffee, our blog also covers how to brew filter coffee and how to choose a coffee grinder.
How to brew our rare and exclusive coffees
These coffees reward careful brewing. A few recommendations:
We only sell our Rare and Exclusive coffees as whole bean. The aromatics in these coffees are delicate — grinding fresh makes a meaningful difference.
Brew filter first, then try espresso. Most of our rare lots are roasted lighter to preserve the distinctive flavours. They shine through pour-over (V60, Kalita, Xbloom), AeroPress, and even Cafetiere. They can absolutely be brewed on espresso but expect to use a slightly finer grind, longer extractions, and to dial in carefully. A high quality espresso coffee grinder and pressure profiling will help.
Rest the beans. Allow 7–14 days from the roast date before brewing for espresso. Filter brewers can usually start a few days sooner.
Brew recipe starting point for filter:
- 15 coffee : 250g water
- Water just off the boil (94–96°C)
- Total brew time 3:30 depending on method
Brew recipe starting point for espresso:
- 18g in : 40g out
- 28–32 second extraction
- Adjust grind finer for sweeter cups, coarser if tasting bitter
- Use a bottomless portafilter to monitor even extraction
Rare and exclusive coffee — frequently asked questions
What does "rare and exclusive" coffee mean?
For us, it means coffees with SCA scores of 87+ that feature unusual varietals, experimental processing, or come from celebrated micro-lots — typically available in very small quantities.
Why are these coffees more expensive?
Higher-scoring coffees require more skilled growing, harvesting, processing and quality control. Many come from tiny lots — sometimes just a few hundred kilograms in total worldwide. Producers also receive significantly higher prices for these lots, which is part of why we love working with them.
What's the difference between carbonic maceration and anaerobic fermentation?
Both happen without oxygen. Carbonic maceration involves whole cherries in a CO₂-rich environment (a technique borrowed from winemaking). Anaerobic fermentation typically uses de-pulped coffee seeds in sealed tanks. The end results are different but both produce more intense, fruit-forward and complex cups than traditional washed or natural processing.
Are these coffees good for espresso?
How long are these coffees available for?
Many of our rare lots are available in limited quantities — sometimes just a single bag of green coffee, which produces around 50–60 retail bags. Once a lot is sold, we move onto the next. Some lots last weeks, others sell out in days.
What's an F1 hybrid?
F1 hybrids are first-generation crosses between two coffee varietals, often combining disease resistance from one parent with the cup quality of another. Examples include Centroamericano and Starmaya. They're increasingly important as climate change pressures traditional varietals. We often feature these kind of hybrids from Costa Rica.
Which producers do you feature?
Our featured producers include Arturo Arango El Paraiso, Colombia. Pioneer of double anaerobic and thermal shock processing in Cauca. His thermal shock lots regularly score 88+ and feature in some of the world's most decorated coffee shops. We also regularly feature coffees from our relationship producers including Bwisaza and Liza in Rwanda as well as La Karola and Don Eli in Tarrazu, Costa Rica.