Every year on May 21st, the people of St Helena celebrate the island’s discovery by Galician navigator, João da Nova in 1502. From João da Nova’s discovery, it took another 231 years before Green Tipped Bourbon coffee seeds were brought to St Helena, having travelled a distance of 5,763 nautical miles from the Red Sea port of Mocha in Yemen.
Many, many years later (in 2018, to be exact) I considered myself extremely privileged when self-sufficient octogenarian Brian Beard invited me to help with his coffee harvest on St Helena. Single-handedly growing, harvesting, & processing this amazing coffee, Brian only sold to shops on the island. However, my serendipitous visit resulted in Brian exporting his fairly-traded coffee exclusively to elevenses in the UK.

After much experimentation, I've produced a roast profile that brings out the best this coffee has to offer. I call it a multi-faceted kaleidoscope of flavours, progressing through many changes as the coffee cools…
 hot  ~ figs in syrup * dark chocolate
 warm  ~ plum * cherry * milk chocolate
 cool  ~ mandarin * toffee
 cold  ~ red wine * caramel
 
St Helena Green Tipped Bourbon is one of the rarest & most expensive coffees on Planet Earth, third only (to elevenses’ knowledge) to coffees from California & Pitcairn Island. To purchase St Helena coffee from Fortnum & Mason would cost you £46.15/100g, and a staggering £60/100g from Harrods!
By shortening the supply chain, and with thanks to Brian trading at a very reasonable rate, elevenses are able to bring you this rare and unique coffee at a more affordable £35/100g.
 
All photos taken by elevenses owner & roaster, Alfie.
The majority are of the Beardsville Estate, St Helena... the exception being the triangular bucket of coffee cherries, which was taken at Farm Lodge Country House Estate, St Helena.
The coffee bag & beans photos were taken at the elevenses roastery in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire.