Sail Ship (Espresso)

Sail Ship (Espresso) £11.65

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• Story

  Changing two to three times a year, Sail Ship showcases coffee transported by sail cargo ship, a more sustainable way to move coffee that sits within our bold flavour profile.

  Cauca is one of Colombia’s leading regions for high-quality speciality coffee. Its unique climate, diverse topography shaped by surrounding mountain ranges, and the tradition and passion of its people make it exceptional. It is the country’s fourth-largest coffee producer and ranks first for the number of coffee-growing families—more than 93,000 families cultivating 94,500 hectares of Arabica varieties across 34 municipalities. Coffee from Cauca has risen in popularity in recent years, recognised for its distinctive profile: strong caramel notes, high acidity, medium body, and a clean, smooth cup with sweet, floral undertones.

• Provenance

  Country: Colombia

  Region: Cauca

  Elevation: 1,400-2,000 masl

  Produced by: Smallholders

  Variety: Washed

  Process: Washed

• Brewing

  Equipment: Sage Bambino & Fellow Opus

  Grind Size: Fine grind (Setting 3 on Fellow Opus)

  Dose/Yield: 18.2/36g

  Extraction Time: 28 seconds

  For this Sail Ship recipe we're brewing espresso. For this particular coffee, we've created two profiles for filter and espresso brewing.
  
  Watch our espresso brewing guide video

• FAQs

  Q. Why aren’t you shipping coffee by sail all the way to Cornwall? 

  A: While our goal is direct sail freight to Falmouth for maximum environmental impact, this initial 19-tonne shipment by sail from Brazil to France is a critical learning phase. So, while not perfect at this stage, we have been able to test the new system with a significant volume. Working closely with our partners BELCO, we're actively building upon and refining our operational logistics, paving the way for future shipments to sail directly to Cornwall.

  Q. What happened to the coffee when it got to Le Havre? 

  A: Having crossed the Atlantic from Brazil, the sailing vessel docked at the port of Le Havre. At BELCO's warehouse, also in Le Havre, the coffee then underwent thorough in-house quality checks. From there, it was transported to our Cornwall roastery via a combination of ferry and road travel.

  Q. How much coffee are you shipping by sail per year? 

  A: 2024 was our first year shipping coffee by sail and we’re proud to have transported 19 tonnes (1x container) in this way. In 2025, we will be shipping a minimum of 2x containers by sail.

  Q. What is the carbon saving of shipping by sail vs diesel-powered cargo ships? 

  A: Sail cargo can achieve between a 95%-84% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to average container carriers. This means, our Sail Ship coffee could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 3.9 tonnes CO2e per container, when compared to average diesel-powered sea freight. This calculation applies to sea freight only and additional factors such as road logistics will contribute to overall emissions savings. Please see our sources page for further reading.

  Q. What are the other environmental benefits of sail boats compared to diesel-powered cargo ships? 

  A: Wind-powered ships eliminate the sulphur dioxide emissions and greatly reduce the noise pollution associated with conventional diesel-powered sea cargo.

  Q. Why is this coffee more expensive than other espresso blends? 

  A: Several factors contribute to the higher cost of coffee shipped by sail compared to conventional cargo ships, including smaller cargo hold capacities and underdeveloped infrastructure. Given that the revival of sail ship transportation is still in its infancy, we would expect these costs to decrease as the demand for coffee shipped in this way, and the availability of vessels grow.

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