Choosing a coffee lot is not just about tasting a cup. It means committing the company for an entire season, setting a price, telling the story of an origin to our subscribers and, above all, keeping the promise made to our partner cooperatives. At Maison Soleil, that decision is made between Camille Vasseur, Head of Sourcing & Producer Relations, and Thomas Reinach, Head of Roasting. We followed them during the selection of the latest micro-lot from Cameroon.
The sample arrives before the container
It all starts with a sample of [CHIFFRE:masse en grammes de l’échantillon] grams sent by Les Hauts de Boyo, in the Cameroonian Grassfields, at 1,500–1,900 metres above sea level. Camille received it at our offices in La Joliette, Marseille. The cooperative, a partner since 2023, has been trialling a honey process alongside its traditional washed process for a year. This particular sample corresponds to the 2023-2024 harvest.
“Before I even taste, I check three things,” Camille explains. “Traceability: which plot, which producers, which harvest date. Compliance: no major defects, no foreign smells. And the contract: does this lot fit within our planned annual volumes with the cooperative?”
The cupping table
The cupping takes place the next day, at 10 a.m., when Thomas’s palate is at its most stable. On the table: the Cameroonian honey sample, the same lot in its washed version, a benchmark Rwanda Nyungwe, and a Brazil Cerrado Mineiro to calibrate the taste buds.
Each coffee is ground to the same particle size, brewed with water at 93°C, then the crust is broken after four minutes. Thomas and Camille slurp each spoonful loudly — a technical gesture that sprays the coffee across the whole tongue. They score aromatic intensity, acidity, body, sweetness and length.
“The Cameroon honey develops a very clear raspberry, a soft cinnamon and a hint of pink pepper on the finish,” Thomas notes. “It is more syrupy than the washed version. For our Prestige subscription, this profile works perfectly — and it may well inspire a future gift set.”
The price, a balance to strike
Once the lot is approved on the sensory side, Camille opens the discussion with Emmanuel Fonkou, the cooperative’s president. The multi-year contract provides for a floor price, but each micro-lot may be adjusted according to its quality. Les Hauts de Boyo is deliberately kept at [CHIFFRE:volume annuel en tonnes] tonnes per year to preserve the quality of its small lots.
“We do not haggle over coffee as an anonymous commodity,” Camille says. “We pay for quality, but also for durability. That is what allows the cooperative to invest in its washing stations and its producers to plan their season.”
From cooperative to cup
Once approved, the lot joins the catalogue under the name Cameroon — Les Hauts de Boyo. Its product page will mention the altitude, the Java and improved Typica varieties, the honey process, and the three tasting words chosen: raspberry, cinnamon, pink pepper. It will reach our Prestige tier subscribers and micro-lot enthusiasts in 250 g format.
Choosing a lot is therefore much more than a commercial operation. It is an act of trust. When you open a bag of Maison Soleil, you hold in your hands the result of that decision, made several months earlier, thousands of kilometres from home.