They started their journey back in 2011 at the top of one of the most beautiful glens in the Scottish Highlands.

Armed with a 5 kg Roaster in a bothy (small hut or cottage) they sold their speciality coffee at local farmers markets. Their biggest challenge in the early days was getting the green beans delivered on a single track road.

In 2014 the roastery moved to Aberfeldy where they have been ever since. Now roasting on a 12kg Probat the business is thriving supplying the people of Scotland with delicious freshly roasted speciality coffee.

One of the things that stood out for me with Glenlyon, especially on their Instagram account was the amount of greenery. Although their location is, of course, one of the most picturesque places in the UK, they also post many images of their other projects.

Glenlyon are committed to zero waste and making their impact on the planet a positive one.  Every year their team plants trees in the Highlands to offset their carbon footprint. All of their speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced.

They build direct, long term relationships with producers and trading partners throughout the supply chain and pay the coffee farmers they work with significantly above Fairtrade prices. 

A wonderful brand with some inspiring ethics.

The Flor Penna coffee from Glen Lyon originates from Colombia. It is named after the producer in the Inza region of Cauca.

Produced at 1,700 metres above sea level, this very special lot was selected from the ASORCAFE organisation’s producers as being of exceptional quality.

Probably the most well-marketed coffee growing country in the world, Colombian coffee has always been one of the most sought after. Thanks to advertising campaigns in the US in the ’50s and ’60s, Colombian coffee has since then been recognised as quality coffee.

Unlike its neighbour to the East, Colombia has many smallholder coffee farmers, with 60% of Colombian coffee farmers cultivating land of less than 1 hectare. This obviously is exciting news to any speciality coffee roaster as there are many different micro-lots to discover.

The coffee begins with a fragrance that briefly reminded me of Christmas, I couldn’t really put my finger on it at first but I think that it may have been mandarin or satsuma (there’s always an abundance of easy peelers lying around at Christmas time).

Once the coffee is ground it showcases its juiciness and implies that it isn’t any old Colombian coffee. 

As I began to brew the coffee in my trusty chipped V60 the cleanliness of the overall cup becomes apparent. The first thing that I noticed on drinking the coffee was the buttery mouthfeel that is typical of South Americans.

Like with most coffees the exciting part is once the coffee has slightly cooled and right on queue the Flor Penna floods your palette with vibrant juicy grape and apple notes that are layered with a mild acidity and an enjoyably sweet aftertaste. 

A modestly complex coffee that doesn’t necessarily have the dazzling display of fruits to that of a Kenyan but is packed with juicy layers and enough depth to enjoy it right to the last drop.

Another fantastic easy sipper that I didn’t want to end. As in many of my write-ups, I do favour a V60. Although I would probably recommend anybody to try it with a V60 first It did get quite a good reception with a Cafetiere one Sunday morning with the family. I also tried it with a splash of oat milk and was super impressed.