Get to know this coffee in detail
The Lady Carbonic is the result of the commitment behind The Lady Specialty Coffee in Myanmar, a project led by Su Nandar Linn and Thi Ha Gyawalie that empowers over 400 women coffee producers in Ywangan.
Their mission is to improve the livelihoods of female farmers through exceptional and sustainable coffees.
This Red Catuai undergoes a carbonic maceration process that combines both dry and wet fermentation.
First, the cherries are sealed in tanks to increase sugar levels and enhance sweetness.
They are then submerged in water until the optimal pH is reached, before being slowly dried on raised beds.
The result is a complex cup with notes of pomegranate, tamarind, and honey, a reflection of the passion and dedication of these women producers.
Meet the producer
The Lady Carbonic: a specialty coffee with a woman's name
Specialty coffee is about much more than just flavour. Behind every cup, there can be a story of social transformation, empowerment, and sustainability. This is exactly the case with The Lady Carbonic, an exceptional coffee grown in the hills of Shan State, western Myanmar, and brought to life through the dedication of more than 400 women coffee farmers.
A pioneering initiative in Myanmar
The Lady Specialty Coffee was founded in 2017 by Su Nandar Linn and Thi Ha Gyawalie, two leading figures in Myanmar’s growing specialty coffee scene. Their mission is simple and powerful: to empower women from the Pa-O and Danu ethnic groups in the Ywangan region, southern Shan, by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to thrive as coffee producers.
What began with just 51 women in the village of Nwar Ban Gyi has grown into a network of over 400 female farmers across seven villages. Through this project, these women not only gain access to training and support throughout the coffee production process, but also benefit from fair working conditions and financial incentives, including:
- Prices well above market rate for their coffee cherries
- 20% profit sharing after final sales
- Free seeds for new farmers and expansion areas
- Training for small-scale producers in emerging regions
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Both Su Nandar and Thi Ha come from coffee-producing families. Su Nandar Linn, a certified Q Grader and Q Processor, continues a family tradition that dates back to the 1970s, when her father played a key role in developing Myanmar’s coffee industry. Thi Ha, also a certified Q Grader, manages Ruby Hills, his family’s estate in Mogok, and sits on the board of the Myanmar Coffee Association.
A coffee with soul
The Lady Carbonic has it all: an inspiring story, real impact, and an extraordinary flavour profile.
Grown by small-scale farmers at 1,350 metres above sea level, this Red Catuai lot is processed using an innovative natural carbonic maceration method. The cherries are hand-picked by 51 women from Nwar Ban Gyi, floated to remove underripe or defective fruit, then fermented for 48 to 72 hours in airtight 25-litre buckets. This process encourages the development of distinct and complex flavours.
After fermentation, the coffee is dried slowly on raised beds for 20 to 24 days, allowing the beans to mature and stabilise naturally.
In the cup, The Lady Carbonic delivers a juicy and fruit-forward profile, with notes of pomegranate, tamarind, and honey, a cocoa base, and a lingering maple syrup finish. It has a silky body, wine-like acidity, and a long, elegant aftertaste.
Myanmar and its journey into specialty coffee
Coffee has been cultivated in Myanmar since the late 1800s, introduced during British colonial rule. However, it wasn’t until 2011—following key political reforms—that coffee production began to receive attention as a sustainable agricultural alternative, particularly as part of the country’s opium eradication programmes.
Since 2015, with support from organisations like USAID and CQI, Myanmar has started to make a name for itself in the specialty coffee world. Its first specialty exports reached the USA in 2016, and the UK in 2017.
Today, coffees like The Lady Carbonic demonstrate not only the potential of Myanmar as a producing country, but also the transformative power of coffee in building fairer, more sustainable futures.
Filter for The Lady Carbonic Maceration
The following recipe is a guide for preparing coffee at home. Results may vary depending on your equipment, settings, and all the variables that influence extraction.
With every coffee we roast, our team tests until they find a recipe that highlights all the coffee's qualities. The one below includes all the information needed to reproduce it. Even so, we always recommend trying and experimenting to discover what you like best: use it as a guide and adapt it to your own taste.
Remember: it's the journey that matters, not the destination.
Please note: Water is the most important factor in achieving a great cup of coffee. Depending on where you live, its composition can vary dramatically. Therefore, we recommend using at least filtered water; another option is a blend of Bezoya and Lanjarón. When adjusting the recipe, change only one variable at a time to identify how it influences the flavor.
It's common to start by adjusting the coffee-to-water ratio. Once you get a cup with a pleasant strength and mouthfeel, you can adjust other aspects of the brewing process.
Most percolation coffee recipes use a ratio between 1:15 and 1:17, with a brewing time of between 2:30 and 4:30 minutes.
Kalita / Origami / Orea
We chose these methods. to share our recipes because they are very versatile and easy to adapt to other percolation systems. The flat bottom and wavy pleats of Kalita filters create a large surface area that prevents significant flow blockages caused by fine particle migration or blockages.
Kalita/Origami/Orea
Recipe:
- Ratio: 1:15
- Coffee: 20g
- Water: 300g
- Total time: 3:45 min
- Temperature: 97ºC
- Grinder: EK43 8.3
- TDS 1.29% EY 19.39%
Variables:
- Resting time: Minimum 3 days after roasting, but best expressed after 10-15 days.
- Water: Bezoya 1:2 Lanjaron
- Filter: Kalita paper
Equipment:
Orea, Kalita paper filter, Scale, stopwatch, mill, cup/decanter and kettle (gooseneck).
Method:
- Place the Orea in a cup/decanter and insert the filter. Pour hot water over the filter to eliminate the papery taste and preheat the unit.
- Grind the coffee to the recommended size.
- Throw away the water and place the Orea on the scale, add the coffee, distributing it evenly, tare the scale and start the stopwatch.
- Pour 60g of water in with circular motions and wait 30-40 seconds for the coffee to degas. If the coffee has been recently roasted, give it more time.
- Slowly pour in approximately 200-250g of water and swirl the Orea once to level the coffee bed and ensure it's completely covered with water. Never fill to the brim; leave at least a 2cm gap from the top to limit water flow through the filter paper which can reduce extraction.
- Continue pouring water slowly as before until you have added the necessary amount of water.
- Swirl one last time and let the water drain.
- We are looking for a total time according to the recipe, adjust the grind size if necessary next time.
Espresso for Nestor Lasso Chiroso Natural
Here's our most up-to-date recipe. It's important to remember that this recipe is a reference and that many variables will influence the final result of the espresso in your cup: from the condition of your machine and grinder, the water you use, the storage/resting time of your coffee, to the temperature/atmospheric pressure, etc. Therefore, you may need to adjust some parameters to achieve a flavorful and balanced espresso based on your specific needs.
For example, we use 6 bars of pressure on our machine; if yours is set to 9 bars, we would recommend reducing the extraction time by about 5 to 10 seconds to compensate.
Recipe:
- Ratio: 1:2.5
- Dry: 18gr
- In Cup: 46-48gr
- Time: 34-38s
Variables:
- Resting time: minimum 2 weeks
- Temperature: 94ºC
- Pressure: 6 bars
- Pre-infusion: No
- Water: GH 107 (ppm as CaCO3) KH 30 (ppm as CaCO3)
Machinery and equipment used for this recipe:
- Espresso machine: La Marzocco KB90 2G
- Grinder: Mythos 1
- Basket: 22gr VST (Ridgless)
- Extras: Barista Hustle WDT, Push Tamper (flat, 100% level)
Cold brew
Esta es la receta de café cold brew que te proponemos para que elabores 600ml de cold brew. El ratio, en caso de que quieras elaborar más o menos de esta cantidad, es 1:15, 1gr de café por cada 15gr/ml de agua.
Receta y equipamiento:
- Café 40gr. (Usa el café que prefieras dependiendo de tus gustos. Nuestra sugerencia sería elegir perfiles de café que te gusten en elaboraciones de filtro). Si tiene el tag “Cold Brew” es de nuestros favoritos.
- Molienda: Comandante 16 clics.
- Agua 600gr/ml a temperatura ambiente.
- Composición del agua: 2 partes de Lanjarón por 1 de Bezoya.
- Una malla o seda.
- Un recipiente de cristal (preferiblemente con tapa)
- Dejar reposar 22 horas (en el frigorífico).
La forma de hacer el cold brew:
- Molemos el café con una molienda media (Comandante 16 clics).
- Echamos el café directamente en la malla.
- Introducimos la malla en el recipiente de cristal.
- Vertemos el agua en el recipiente a través de la malla con el café.
- Removemos suavemente para saturar todo el café.
- Tapamos el recipiente.
- Lo dejamos reposar en el frigorífico (¡atención a los olores fuertes!).
- Después de este tiempo de reposo, retiramos la malla con el café y estará listo.
- Como paso extra, puedes volver a filtrarlo por un filtro de papel V60, Kalita o similar para obtener un resultado más limpio y cristalino.
- Mantenlo refrigerado.
- Esta receta es para no diluir. Ni siquiera con hielo. En caso de ponerle hielo la composición del agua del hielo afectará al sabor de tu bebida. Mejor hacer tu propio hielo con la misma composición de agua que proponemos. Si usas hielo, quizás quieras bajar el ratio (1:9 a 1:12).
