# Lowlands Blend — Origin and Sourcing Sheet

## Composition

| Share | Origin | Region | Process | Altitude |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 50% | Brazil | Cerrado Mineiro | Natural | 1,100–1,250 m |
| 30% | Colombia | Tolima | Fully washed | 1,600–1,850 m |
| 20% | Guatemala | Huehuetenango | Fully washed | 1,500–1,700 m |

Blended **after** roasting. Each component is roasted separately to its own profile and combined at the
cooling tray. Pre-roast blending is cheaper and we do not do it — the three components take heat at
different rates and one of them always ends up wrong.

## What each part does

**Brazil, Cerrado, natural.** Body and chocolate. Naturals bring sugar and a heavier mouthfeel, which is
what keeps the blend from feeling thin in a drip machine.

**Colombia, Tolima, washed.** Sweetness and structure. Washed Tolima at this altitude gives a clean apple
acidity that reads as "fresh" rather than "sour".

**Guatemala, Huehuetenango, washed.** The finish. Twenty percent is enough to stop the Brazilian from
going flat in the second half of the cup, and not enough to make the blend bright.

## Certification and claims

Lowlands Blend is **not certified organic**. Some component lots come from farms using organic practices,
but the blend does not carry certification and we do not label it as organic.

The only two certified organic coffees we sell are **Nightshift Decaf** and **Huila Reserve — Colombia**,
both USDA Organic.

## Sourcing

We buy through two importers with published farm-gate pricing. We do not claim direct trade on this blend
— at 50% Brazilian commercial-grade coffee, that claim would not be honest. Our single origins
(Ardent, Huila Reserve, Blackpine) are traceable to washing station or cooperative.

## Roasting

| Stage | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Charge temperature | 196 °C |
| First crack | 9:10–9:40 |
| Drop | 11:20, 30–45 seconds after first crack settles |
| Development ratio | 18–20% |
| Roast level | Medium — no surface oil |

Roasted **Monday and Thursday** on a 15 kg drum roaster. Every bag is stamped with the day it was roasted.

## Packaging

340 g multi-layer barrier laminate with a one-way degassing valve and a tin tie. The bag is **not
recyclable** — the barrier laminate is what keeps the coffee fresh, and there is no recyclable material
that does the same job. The shipping box and paper packing are fully recyclable.