Perhaps you remember way back when in November of 2011 when we released the coffees of the Manzano Project. These 3 lots of coffees were all from Finca El Manzano, El Salvador, all 100% Bourbon, but processed in 3 different ways: wet (or washed), natural (or dry), and honey (or pulped natural). We served all three as an espresso flight or an aeropress flight. Wet processing is the typical method employed by the Latin American coffee producing countries where the fruit of the coffee cherry is removed and the coffee is washed of its pulp before drying on the patio. Natural processed coffee is a method where the coffee cherry is left whole and set out to dry before the...
What happens when a much-maligned coffee variety tastes delicious? We're exploring that question, with fun results, by serving the Colombia Finca El Naranjo in all three cafes. Chris, our co-owner and Head Roaster, says, "I cupped this coffee blind at origin at Banexport Coffee Mill in the Cauca region of Colombia. I was blown away by the distinctive mint characteristic (both in flavor and refreshing aftertaste) in this coffee as well as the balance of sweetness and acidity with a big, round body. This coffee reminded me of the Colombia Finca Sinai from this time last year, but in an exaggerated version in every way - especially the mint!" With Coffee Rust obliterating Central American coffee farms on every hand, biologists...
This beautiful coffee comes from Aurelio Villatoro’s farm, La Esperanza, in La Libertad, Huehuetenango, just steps from the Mexican border. In Feburary I met Aurelio and his family on my trip to Guatemala. Aurelio was so gracious as to let our group come into his home to cup samples off many farms from the region that we had milled and sample roasted the night before. All of the beautiful coffees from Guatemala that have graced our shops I tasted in Aurelio’s home. Fast forward two months, to the Specialty Coffee Association tradeshow in Seattle. Edwin from Onyx Coffee and Finca Vista Hermosa (a farm we’ve partnered with, and a coffee you are all familiar with from our shop) held a...
The view toward Guatemala City. Finca El Tambor is in the foreground. Finca El Tambor is located about an hour and half northwest of Guatemala City in the municipality of Palencia, near the town of El Duranzo. The producer, Victor Calderon, sold his house and car to purchase the farm, which was in a sorry state and leased by a mining firm at the time. The mining operation was relatively unsuccessful and the firm did not have the proper notarization to be using the land for this purpose, so Victor was able to use this loophole to his advantage in negotiations to purchase the land. When he acquired El Tambor, the farm only produced around 130 bags of coffee. Victor...
