The story of
Imperial Jade Coffee
Imperial Jade Coffee
Meet Henry,
The Founder
Our founder, Henry, has always felt drawn by the mysterious pull of the Far East. His journey began with the opportunity to learn Mandarin at school, a language and culture which swiftly became a core of Henry’s academic studies. 2018 saw Henry’s first experience of Yunnan’s exquisitely unique specialty coffee, and that very first sip was all that was needed to set out on the path of exploration that would lead quite naturally to the founding of Imperial Jade.
Henry's first experience of Yunnan coffee was during his travels in 2018. It was one of the most memorable cups of filter coffee he had ever tasted, and upon his return to the UK he looked in every coffee shop and delicatessen he found from London to Durham, yet his search came up short. So, he took it upon himself to source the finest coffee Yunnan had to offer, hoping to recreate that first, most memorable experience of tasting Yunnan coffee for the first time.
The Search Begins
Sourcing high quality coffee from the other side of the world was not easy, but with the help of a quality tester in China, Henry was introduced to a coffee bean appropriately called "Purple Cherry" from a farm called ZhiXiang Estate. However, whilst preparing to place an order, the UK plunged into lockdown as the scale of 2020's pandemic was realised. Things were starting to look very uncertain, but this time in limbo offered the perfect opportunity to learn.
The Story Deepens
Henry threw himself into researching coffee as well as learning about the province of Yunnan. The more he learned about the origin of this unique coffee, the more Henry saw its potential as a source of knowledge and inspiration that would bring a whole new perspective to our role within the Earth's natural system. Yunnan has been an agricultural sanctuary for milennia, and there's still plenty to learn.
Learning to Roast
Henry's first big investment for Imperial Jade was an Ikawa Pro sample roaster. This was like buying a car before knowing how to drive! Being an expert at finding himself out of his depth, Henry had no choice but to keep going.
Through trial and error and countless terrible cups of coffee, Henry finally settled on Imperial Jade's two signature roasts: Fuxian and Jizu. Named after the deepest lake in Yunnan, our Fuxian Roast is a dark-roasted coffee with lots of depth and subtle, sweet flavours. The Jizu Roast is aptly named after Yunnan's median-height mountain, Mount Jizu. This medium-roasted coffee bursts with bright, fruity notes.
Putting Knoweldge To Use
With the help and guidance of Denver, the owner of Corban Coffee, Henry developed his understanding of coffee roasting and brought his signature coffee roasts from a homegrown idea to an actual, baggable product.
With a clear vision for the future of imperial Jade in mind, Henry began his journey as he intended to continue,with environmental responsibility at the forefront of every decision made. The
spirit of Yunnan is at the very core of our business. We are proud of the steps we've taken so far, but there is still a lot more for us to achieve.
"The province’s rich natural ecosystem is proof that we can form a lasting and sustainable relationship with the natural world, rather than at the cost of it. Yunnan is our inspiration to reconsider our motivation and embrace a more sustainable perspective."
"My goal is to inspire you to do the same."
