The Filter Blend

Square Mile - a roastery that we can always rely on for a balanced cup of coffee. They roast on a big Probat roaster which allows more "conductive" heat transfer and often leans a roast more towards body and lingering sweetness over delicate florals and tea-like tasting notes.

Built on the same concept as their Red Brick Espresso Blend, The Filter Blend is seasonal, versatile and classic Square Mile.

From their website: "Clean, balanced and medium-bodied; a kind, welcoming coffee to wake up to The Filter Blend offers the perfect all-day everyday brew and embodies all we love about speciality coffee. An absolute delight, you’ll want to keep a bag in the cupboard to always have delicious coffee in the house."

For this iteration of The Filter Blend, we have a washed Rwandan lot paired with a creamy, pulped natural Brazil.

The Gitwe Washing Station is one of the smaller stations operated by Rwanda Trading Company (RTC). Their traceability reports show that all cherries were purchased over three days from 187 people. Volumes varied widely—from 18 kg to 800 kg. Some sellers carried small baskets on their backs or motorcycles, while others delivered by truck or had cherries picked up by Gitwe staff. Producers lined up to weigh their pickings, receive payment, and collect receipts. Each night, Gitwe processes the day’s cherries through maceration, fermentation, washing, and drying.

Granja São Francisco is another picture entirely. Farm owner Otaviano Ribeiro Ceglia controls both cultivation and processing, leading a permanent staff of 12 and seasonal harvest workers. Their Yellow Bourbon undergoes careful de-mucilaging, enhancing clarity and sweetness. This results in their signature Pulped Natural process, yielding a pillowy, marshmallow-like texture.

The cup profile of this blend is rooted with notes of brown sugar. The Rwandan should provide dried orange and berry sweetness with the Brazil providing nuttiness and body. Square Mile describe this coffee as showing blueberry, almond, and honey.

Lot Name  → Gitwe
In This Blend  →  50%
Location  →  Nyamasheke, Rwanda
Altitude   → 1,800 masl
Varieties   → Red Bourbon
Process   → Washed

Lot Name  → Granja São Francisco
In This Blend  →  50%
Location  →  Minas Gerais, Brazil
Altitude → 1,320 masl
Variety → Yellow Bourbon
Process → Pulped Natural