Milano Blend

Milano Blend – Arabica (80%) & Robusta (20%)

Intense, strong coffee beans with an amazing crema. Mainly made up of high quality Arabica beans, with the addition of Robusta to boost the crema and add an extra kick of caffeine, making it perfect as a morning coffee.

An exquisite blend with rich, full and luxurious flavours. The classic aromatic notes are simply irresistible.  Keep reading to find out about the origin of coffee, what medium roast actually means and how we specially roast our beans.

The Origin of Arabica Coffee Beans

This type of bean was originally founded in the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia in the 11^th century.

Arabica is believed to be the first species of coffee cultivated and is still dominant to this day as it takes over 70% of global production.

When the bean was discovered, Ethiopia was known as Kefa. When discovered, the Oromo tribe would eat the bean for the same reasons we drink coffee nowadays; for its stimulating effects.

It received the name ‘Arabica’ when it was transported from Ethiopia to Yemen and lower Arabia.

The Discovery of Coffee: The Story

According to legend, the goat herder Kaldi stumbled across the plant when he noticed that his goats were full of energy and wouldn’t sleep at night after they ate some of the berries. He then shared his findings with the local monastery who made a drink with the berries and also experienced this high energy and alertness. The knowledge of the coffee plant soon began to spread.

Some believe this story to be true, although it is not fact.

Arabica vs Robusta, What is the Difference?

There are over 100 species of coffee, however the main two are Arabica and Robusta.

Some may not notice the difference between the two but there is a long list of contrasting characteristics:

1. Taste – Arabica has a slightly more favourable taste to Robusta and that is why our blend is majority Arabica.
2. Caffeine – Robusta contains more caffeine.
3. Sugar – Arabica has a higher sugar content than Robusta, which is probably why the taste is slightly better.
4. Farming – Robusta has a higher yield.
5. Shape – Robusta beans are much more circular, whereas Arabica are more of an oval shape.
6. The Plant – Robusta plants can be almost double the height of Arabica.
7. Production – Around 70% of the worlds production is Arabica, with the rest being Robusta.

Adams and Russell Medium Roast Coffee

These beans are medium roasted in small batches and are always available fresh from Adams and Russell.

Medium roasts are a medium brown colour and are nicely balanced in flavour, aroma, and acidity. During this process the beans can reach temperatures between 210°C and 220°C, which gives this rich, bold delicious flavour.

You can enjoy this intense European classic blend with milk to mellow the flavours or go bold and have a double shot!

How we Roast our Coffee Beans

We pride ourselves in the freshness and quality of coffee and that is why we roast our beans ourselves. We have a much more in-depth step by step guide of how we roast here, but below we will summarise it for you:

1. The beans are placed in the roaster in small batches above 200°C.
2. The case of the beans is hardened using flames.
3. They are constantly rotated inside the machine.
4. The beans are checked every few seconds by experts until they see that they are the perfect colour, size, surface texture and smokiness.
5. The beans are taken to the cooling tray.
6. After roasting the coffee beans release natural gases.
7. The technology of the packaging is designed to protect and preserve the essential flavours and aromas of the beans and is gentler than vacuum packing, which strips away essential aromas.