What is the Chilamate?
A single-origin Nicaraguan from the Mierisch family in Matagalpa, released by Origin as part of a collection marking fifteen years of working with them. It is named after the Chilamate tree growing on the plot, and it is the H1 variety, natural processed, grown between 1,315 and 1,400 metres.
Origin describes H1 here as selected for a mellow character and clean sweetness, and gives the notes as pear, almond and chocolate, with a mellow apple acidity, a medium creamy body and a lingering berry finish.
What Origin publishes that almost nobody does
Most roasters tell you a country and a tasting note. Origin prints a Transparency panel on the product page giving the price it paid the producer, how far above the Fairtrade minimum that sits, the cup score, and the year the relationship started. On this coffee that reads: $5.00 a pound FOB, 178% above the Fairtrade minimum, a cup score of 86.5, and a relationship running since 2011.
That matters because "direct trade" is otherwise an unfalsifiable claim. Anyone can print it. A price per pound and a percentage over the floor price can be argued with, which is what makes it worth something. Of the 449 coffees on this site, these are the only ones where the roaster says what the farmer was paid.
What it costs, and in which currency
£13.75 for 250g, which is about £55 a kilo. Origin is a Cornish roaster and prices in pounds, so every dollar figure you might see for it on this site is a conversion rather than a quote, and our value score deliberately does not use one. An estimated price should not earn or lose points.
For a British buyer it is straightforward: free Royal Mail Tracked 48 over £35, so two bags clear the threshold. From outside the UK the shipping is a flat £12.95 to Europe or £14.95 to North America, with a hard 1.75kg ceiling, which makes a single 250g bag a poor way to order and six bags a sensible one.
Chilamate vs Mariposa
They are the two halves of the same anniversary collection, from the same family, in the same region, at the same elevation. The Chilamate is the H1 variety, natural processed, at $5.00 a pound and a cup score of 86.5. The Mariposa is Javanica, cold anoxic natural, at $6.00 a pound and 87.5.
So the Mariposa is the more experimental processing and the higher score, and Origin paid a fifth more for it. The Chilamate is 65p cheaper a bag and the more conventional cup. Neither is the safe choice exactly, but the Chilamate is the one that behaves like a natural should.
Is the Chilamate worth it?
At £55 a kilo it is priced as speciality coffee and has the paperwork to match. The question is not whether it is dearer than a supermarket bag, which it plainly is, but whether the sourcing record is worth the premium to you. If "direct trade" on a label has always felt unfalsifiable, this is the answer to that: a number, a percentage and a year.
What it is not is an everyday coffee. It is a limited anniversary release, online only, and when it goes it goes.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
You care where coffee comes from and want that as data rather than a story. You brew filter and like a natural with restraint rather than a fruit bomb. You are in the UK or ordering enough to make the flat international rate work.
Skip it if
You want a coffee you can reorder indefinitely, because this one is limited. You want a roast date printed on the bag. Or you are ordering a single 250g bag from outside the UK, where the postage costs more than the coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Price Paid figure actually mean?
$5.00 a pound FOB is what Origin paid for the green coffee at the port of export, before shipping and roasting. The Fairtrade minimum is the floor price the Fairtrade system guarantees, so +178% means Origin paid nearly three times that floor. It is the most concrete sourcing claim a roaster can make.
What is a cup score of 86.5?
A score from the Specialty Coffee Association's cupping protocol, out of 100. Eighty and above is the speciality threshold, and the mid-eighties is where genuinely good coffee sits. It is assessed by trained cuppers rather than by us, and we do not score taste on this site at all.
Is it available ground?
Yes. Whole bean, or ground for espresso, AeroPress or filter, chosen at the basket. Whole bean is the better buy for freshness if you own a grinder.
Does Origin ship it outside the UK?
Yes, at a flat £12.95 to Europe, £14.95 to North America and £19.95 elsewhere, with a 1.75kg limit per order. Import duty is the buyer's responsibility.
