✓  Large assortment in coffee

✓  Premium taste

✓  Responsibly sourced coffee

The art of creating great coffee

Every step along the way: from sourcing to roasting and from blending to packaging, L’OR’s manufacturing process is designed, controlled and managed by our highly-trained team of expert Coffee Artists. Their goal is always to bring you the ultimate coffee tastes and aromas for maximum pleasure in every cup.

L'OR beans iconL'OR beans icon

Arabica beans

Aroma: Perfumed, rich and aromatic with subtle fruity notes.

L'OR beans iconL'OR beans icon

Arabica beans

Beans: Long, smooth, consistent and actually a yellow or green colour.

L'OR beans iconL'OR beans icon

Arabica beans

Plant: The arabica tree measures between 8-10 metres high and its leaves are smaller than those of the robusta.

Flowering & Harvesting

Harvested coffee beans that are of the finest quality is part of why the L'OR coffee that ends up in your cup tastes so exceptional. This whole process starts with the humble ‘coffee cherry’.

Coffee plants are grown in tropical regions and produce white flowers that look somewhat like Jasmine; the blooms only last for two days. A fruit then develops which takes between 6 and 11 months to ripen. Ripe coffee cherries are bright red when they are ready to be harvested.

Inside each cherry are two seeds, these are the raw coffee beans. The coffee harvest takes place once or twice a year. In the Northern Hemisphere harvest time is from September to December and in the Southern Hemisphere from April to August. Coffee fruit can be harvested by hand or by machine, the choice depends on each individual farm.

The aromas and flavours you experience as you drink a cup of L’OR coffee is the result of everything from the type of coffee plant it came from to where it was grown and how the coffee is handled after the harvest.

«When I look at a coffee’s origin, I see potential, ideas, flavour, – all carefully grown »

- Judith de Boer, L'OR Coffee Artist

Arabica coffee, what is it?

Simply put, Arabica coffee beans are produced by the Coffea arabica plant. Arabica, or ‘Arabian’ coffee originated in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and it was first cultivated there and in Yemen. It then became a popular drink throughout the Arab region; thus the plant was named 'Arabica' because of its link to this part of the globe.

At L'OR, we use a variety of coffees to create our blends, all carefully selected to provide the desired profile of aromas and flavours. A number of L'OR blends are made with 100% Arabica beans while some artfully blend Arabica and Robusta coffees. You can explore all of the subtle differences in L’OR coffee. You might be surprised to know that there are even differences in the coffee beans from different varieties of Coffea arabica.

Arabica coffee bean facts

  • Aroma:Aromatic, deep and fragrant with refined fruity notes.

  • Beans: Long, smooth, symmetrical and usually a pale yellow or green colour.

  • Plant:The Arabica tree grows from 8-10 metres tall with smaller leaves than Robusta.

  • Growing:Grown at 600-2000m altitude, in temperate or tropical climates.

Coffee grindingCoffee grinding

From coffee cherry to coffee bean

Did you know that our top-quality coffee beans start out as seeds inside a ripe coffee cherry? After the coffee cherry harvest, the beans have to be removed from the centre of the fruit. So, how is that done? Read on to find out the two extraction methods.

One method is known as ‘washing’. First, the outer skin of the cherry and most of the pulp is removed. Then the seeds (aka coffee beans) and any remaining pulp are submerged in water for 24 to 48 hours and any leftover residue is easily washed off. Next they are dried so that the green coffee beans can be extracted from their outer hulls. Coffee cherries that have gone through this process come out as 'washed' coffee beans.

Another method is known as the 'dry' method. In this case the coffee cherries are sun-dried for 20 days and the outer layers naturally come off. Beans that result from this process are called 'unwashed' coffee beans.

While experts say that washed coffee beans result in a more aromatic coffee, both washed and unwashed beans are used to achieve different flavour profiles. At L’OR, our blends use the best of both kinds of beans for the most balanced taste complexity, while keeping every cup perfectly smooth and rich.

« “Perfectly milled and polished“ »

The carefully processed beans now have to be transported; but first, the thin layer of tissue known as ‘parchment’ must be removed. This process is called hulling. In a final step, the coffee beans are polished to remove any remaining skin and to make sure they’re perfectly clean.
Lastly, an inspection is done and any sub-standard beans are removed before being transported, roasted, ground and packed. It’s this attention to detail that ensures the best and most consistent results: an exquisite coffee taste and aroma experience.

Taste-tested by L'OR Coffee Artists

When the green coffee beans arrive at L’OR, our Coffee Artists taste test them. That means they carefully check the quality and characteristics of each group of coffee beans before they’re processed. 

We roast and then immediately grind the freshly-roasted beans before mixing them with boiling water, so that they can be tasted by our Coffee Artists. Tasting for quality is known as 'cupping' and involves analysing aspects like aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. 

Our Coffee Artists’ impressive sensory knowledge and understanding of coffee makes them able to detect more than 800 aromas and tastes in the coffee. This amazing skill and passion is used to create coffee blends with intriguingly rich flavour profiles, and to make sure that the beans are up to their quality standards.

L'OR coffees are truly special because of the passion and expertise of the L'OR Coffee Artists. They are the key ingredient that makes each coffee experience a cup full of coffee pleasure. 

« Les grains issus d'une même plantation peuvent être différents, car le sol et les plantes environnantes influencent leur qualité. »

 

  1. Enzymatique : Comme le grain de café est en fait la graine d'un fruit, semblable à une cerise, de nombreux cafés contiennent un arôme floral ou plutôt fruité. Ces arômes, décrits comme des propriétés enzymatiques sont très variés, de la baie à l'agrume en passant par l'oignon et le melon.

  2. L'infusion de sucre : Lorsqu'ils sont exposés à la chaleur pendant l'étape de torréfaction, le parfum libéré par les acides aminés et les sucres peut rappeler les noix grillées ou même le cacao. Selon le grain de café, différents niveaux de sucre influenceront ces nuances de parfum dans la tasse de café finale.

  3. Distillation sèche : Pendant la torréfaction du café, certaines parties du grain de café sont « brûlées » dans le torréfacteur. Cela fait naître des arômes uniques et distinctifs, semblables à ceux du bois ou du tabac à pipe. Plus le degré de torréfaction est élevé, plus les goûts de la distillation sèche sont prononcés.

L'OR production processL'OR production process

Roasting coffee for rich, smooth flavour

After the taste testing, the coffee beans are attentively roasted at precisely-controlled temperatures (from 180°C to 250°C) in order to create specific flavour and aroma profiles.

L’OR’s Coffee Artists have designed these taste profiles and roasting times in order to allow the espresso oils to move outwards from the heart of the coffee bean, that’s what makes the roasted beans look so glossy. As these oils move through the beans, they transform into delicious layers of aroma and flavour waiting to be enjoyed. As the roasting process continues, the beans turn from green to gold, then beige, brown and finally, a deep, rich chocolate tone.

It’s the roasting time that determines the intensity, smoothness, acidity, and roundness that typifies each unique L'OR blend.

Especially ground to release flavour and aroma

Very quickly, the perfectly roasted coffee beans are ground and packed in order to preserve their rich, fresh-roasted flavour. Grinding is a very important part of the process and has a lot to do with how each cup of L'OR coffee is able to release complex layers of flavour and aroma as soon as you start brewing. 

Inconsistent flavours can be the result of an inconsistent grind, and that keeps you from getting the best of what the bean has to offer. If ground too coarsely, it’s not possible to extract the bean’s full flavour profile; but coffee that’s too finely ground can result in over-extraction and an unpleasant taste. That’s why we pay special attention to grinding and make sure we get it right.

Our Coffee Artists have the necessary expertise and carefully honed instincts to guarantee that every blend has the correct grind size for its flavour profile. A consistent grind is key to achieving that same delicious L'OR taste in every cup.

L'OR coffee tastingL'OR coffee tasting

Une multitude d'arômes

Lorsque tu dégustes ton café, en te concentrant bien, tu peux identifier des notes familières, notamment l'acidité, l'amertume ou encore l'onctuosité. Certains cafés révèlent également des notes épicées ou florales, ainsi que des notes de fruits rouges ou secs. Lors de la dégustation, tu reconnais un bon café à son goût généralement corsé, équilibré, velouté et intense. L'idée est qu'il n'ait pas un goût de brûlé, agressif, amer ou encore granuleux.

Nos experts goûtent chaque mélange L'OR sans lait ni sucre, afin de profiter pleinement de l'expérience de dégustation et de détecter toutes les nuances du profil gustatif. Le lait et le sucre peuvent réduire l'intensité de certains arômes, comme le côté amer d'un café."

Read more

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