South Africa, Racemosa - Elephant Coast Coffee

A very exciting addition to the Sea Island catalogue and an entirely new species of coffee: Racemosa. Until now, every coffee we’ve sourced has been part of the Arabica family, and 99% of coffee comes from either the Robusta, or Arabica species, but these tiny and unusual Racemosa beans are a completely different species of their own. This Racemosa coffee is grown on the Elephant Coast estate in South Africa, an unusual location for quality coffee cultivation as it is typically considered too low altitude, too hot, and too dry for Arabica coffee. But these resilient Racemosa beans thrive in hot, dry conditions and offer a promising alternative as climate change threatens the cultivation of traditional Arabica coffee, which requires cool, humid temperatures to survive. Grown at 250 metres above sea level in the coastal Kwa-Zulu Natal province, Racemosa beans are notably tiny compared to other coffee species, roughly the size of a lentil, making them challenging and time-consuming to harvest. Their tiny size also presents a challenge when roasting - requiring the use of a stethoscope to hear the first crack. A great alternative to decaf coffee, Racemosa is naturally very low in caffeine - around half of typical Arabica beans and a quarter of Robusta beans. Due to the size and rarity of these beans, we are only offering this Racemosa coffee as whole beans. Seeing the fascinating size of these beans for yourself is a must and we feel it would be a waste to pre-grind any of this coffee and take away from the experience of discovering such a unique offering.