SPECIALTY INSTANT COFFEE

We strive to make mind-blowing instant coffee that tastes amazing on its own, but we believe our instant coffee can improve upon more than just your next camping trip. It’s also a surefire way to get *good* coffee flavor into your favorite coffee cocktails. So we had Dan, our in-house Instant Wizard, develop some recipes to show off just what it can do. We also decided to feature three co-fermented coffees from some of our favorite producers who are doing even more magic at the frontier of coffee flavor. So ditch that bottle of cheap coffee liqueur and get ready to up your cocktail game!

Coffees |

1. Rodrigo Sanchez Kumquat Caturra
2. Esteban Zamora Cinnamon Anaerobic
3. Jairo Arcila Passion Fruit

Citrus Espresso Martini |

Your typical espresso martini has two major flaws: it’s too sweet, and it tastes like bad coffee. By using our instant coffee, we remedy both of these problems. Vodka, simple syrup, and a pack of our instant coffee essentially becomes a ready-to-go coffee liqueur better than anything you can find on the shelf. Crème de Cacao brings some chocolate depth that adds to the interplay of sweet and bitter. Finally, using our favorite kumquat co-fermented coffee from Rodrigo Sanchez, together with some orange bitters, we add complex citrus notes that elevate this sweet standard to become a truly sophisticated classic.

Recipe (Watch The Recipe Video)

2 oz Vodka

1 oz Crème de Cacao 

1 oz Simple Syrup

2 dashes Orange Bitters

1 packet Rodrigo Sanchez Kumquat Instant Coffee

Add all of the ingredients to the base of a cocktail shaker and stir vigorously until the instant has dissolved completely. Add ice and shake for ten seconds. Double strain into a coup glass and garnish with an orange twist.

Horchata Borracha Toasted Almond |

Our instant coffee can help class up a struggling espresso martini, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy a sweet coffee drink done right. A Toasted Almond is essentially a White Russian with Amaretto instead of Vodka, but subbing out our instant for the coffee liquor allows us to bring back the vodka without sacrificing flavor. Then our cinnamon instant from Esteban Zamora takes it to another level. Almond, cream, and cinnamon come together in this sweet drink that reminds us of horchata, and that is definitely dangerous in the wrong hands.

Recipe ( Watch The Recipe Video)

2 oz Vodka

2 oz Amaretto

1 oz Simple Syrup

1 packet Esteban Zamora Cinnamon Instant Coffee

2 oz Heavy Cream

Rim a rocks glass with cinnamon sugar and set aside. Add all but the heavy cream to the base of a cocktail shaker and stir vigorously until the instant has dissolved completely. Then add the heavy cream and ice, shaking for ten seconds. Double strain into the rocks glass, garnishing with an additional cinnamon stick, if desired.

Passion Fruit Coffee Grog |

We here at Black and White are no strangers to the tropical and fruity notes that coffee can bring, but that side of coffee hasn’t ventured its way to the bar scene yet. So let’s change that. The Navy Grog is a tiki drink that plays on layering different types of citrus juices and rums to create a tropical complexity that’s more than the sum of its parts. So here we layered two rum drinks, one citrus forward, and one using our Passion Fruit instant coffee from Jairo Arcila, in order to create a complex coffee cocktail that highlights the brighter side of coffee that we hope everyone comes to know and love.

Recipe ( Watch The Recipe Video)

Part 1)

.75 oz Lime Juice

.75 oz Grapefruit Juice

1 oz White Rum

.75 oz Simple Syrup

Part 2)

2 oz Golden Rum

1 oz Coconut Syrup*

1 Packet Jairo Arcila Passion Fruit Instant Coffee

Fill a 16 oz Collins glass with ice, preferably crushed. Add all of the ingredients of list (a) to the base of a cocktail shaker, and shake for ten seconds. Double strain into the Collins glass. Dump the ice from the shaker and then add the ingredients of list (b) to the base of the cocktail shaker, stirring vigorously to dissolve the instant coffee. Add ice, and continue stirring for ten seconds. Strain the liquid into the glass on top of the first mixture. Serve with a straw, grapefruit wedge, and lime ring.

MEET THE PRODUCER | This coffee is one of three releases this week, and you may notice a common thread in each of their stories: family. In the case of this stunning Sidra lot, it was produced by Felipe Arcila, son of renown Colombian producer Jairo Arcila (who is also featured on our menu this week!). Felipe is a fourth generation coffee producer and also the co-founder of Cofinet alongside his brother, Carlos. Cofinet is dedicated to growing, sourcing, and distributing delicious specialty coffee throughout Colombia and exporting it around the world, and we are so grateful for their partnership with us. 

On the advice of their father, Felipe Arcila and his brother initially sought careers in civil engineering, traveling all the way to Australia to pursue masters degrees in the field. Felipe fell in love with the coffee culture he experienced while in Australia and eventually convinced his brother to move back to Colombia with him and carry on the family business. They purchased their farm, Jardines Del Eden, in 2015, and the rest - as they say - is history.

TRUST THE PROCESS | In this unique adaptation of anaerobic processing, the coffee cherries are exposed to dry anaerobic fermentation for 24 hours before being placed in Grainpro bags for an additional 90 hours at a temperature at or below 22 degrees Celsius. During this extended time of fermentation in the Grainpro bags, bacteria slowly feeds on the carbohydrates from the still-intact mucilage, leading to a higher concentration of lactic acid development (hence the name of the process). Finally, the cherries are placed on raised beds to dry until 11% moisture content is achieved. 

TAKE A SIP | When hot, this coffee is primarily two things: super sweet, and very tropical (think mangoes, passionfruit, and pineapple). The body is big and round, as is the tactile, and there's an unexpected florality in the cup, which is uncommon in a variety that tends to lean more herbal in nature. As the coffee approaches a pleasantly warm temperature, it manages to get even fruitier, ramping up the pineapple flavor and adding a new raspberry note. At this temperature, it takes on more boozy characteristics, reminding us of sangria and tiki cocktails. When cool, this coffee really cleans itself up and becomes more structured. The tactile experience is still big and round, but new, brighter flavors of peaches, pear, gummy bears, and white wine emerge, showcasing the fullest expression of this coffee's acidity. In a world where Sidra coffees can be off-putting to some flavor palates, this one stands out as a true delight.

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Origin | Pijao, Quindio, Colombia

Producer | Felipe Arcila

Farm | Jardines Del Eden

Process | Lactic Natural

Variety |  Sidra

Elevation | 1700 - 1900 masl

MEET THE PRODUCER | In the early 90's, not long after Colombia opened its doors to international trade, many Colombian coffee farmers struggled to keep their farms and families afloat as they found themselves at the mercy of coffee's commodity index on the NY Stock Exchange. Gabriel Castaño is one of many such farmers who lived through those unstable times, and like many in his industry, he shifted his efforts to coca production for several years as a means of survival. In the mid-aughts, Gabriel was finally able to return to coffee production and became a picker on one of his sons-in-law's farms. It was there that he discovered a coffee cherry whose color he "really liked" and which seemed to be resistant to leaf rust, very unlike the Caturra trees which he had historically cultivated. He swiftly purchased some seed from his son-in-law and began planting this mystery crop on his own farm - and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, Gabriel is hailed as the "godfather of Pink Bourbon" in Huila, and he generously shares both his seed and his expertise with many of his peers in the region, as well as his five living children - all of whom have staked their claim in the family business.

TRUST THE PROCESS | Gabriel is known for processing his beloved Pink Bourbon lots as anaerobic washed coffees, but he took a gamble on this smaller lot and processed it as a natural. Hand-selected for ripeness by local pickers and family members alike, these coffee cherries were first weighed and de-pulped before undergoing 90-120 hours of fermentation in Grainpro bags. Finally, they were rinsed and dried for 8 days, 7 of which were spent in mechanical dryers. 

TAKE A SIP | This lot is a testament to producers like Gabriel Castaño who are committed to a singular coffee variety and to high-quality processing of those coffees. Now, we love a good Pink Bourbon around here, but if you didn't know it, you might actually mistake this one for a Gesha! It's delightfully floral, vibrantly acidic, and unapologetically sweet. This coffee is very tropical, with notes of mangoes and pineapple, and there's also a wine-y characteristic to it that reminds us of red sangria - something we like to enjoy all summer long, in all of its forms. 

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Origin | Acevedo, Huila, Colombia

Producer | Gabriel Castaño Buendía

Farm | La Granada

Process | Natural

Variety |  Pink Bourbon

Elevation | 1700 masl

MEET THE PRODUCER | Esteban Madrid and his son, Franklin, head up the operations at his farm, El Sauce, in a community by the same name in the renown Santa Barbara region of Honduras. For their part, Esteban and his family are considered the pioneers of specialty coffee in this region, and his diverse range of micro-lots have been a fixture at Honduras Cup of Excellence since 2008, when he first took home first place there. 

TRUST THE PROCESS | When it comes to Honduran coffee, it sort of seems like everyone in the industry is no more than six degrees of separation than our friend, Benjamin Paz. There is no exception here! After being hand-picked, sorted, and washed by Esteban and his team at El Sauce, this Pacas lot was sent to Benjamin's mill, San Vincente, for processing and export.

TAKE A SIP | For many, the Pacas variety tends to be "just fine" when grown in most coffee-producing climates. In the unique micro-climate of Santa Barbara, however, the typical Pacas profile transforms into something more akin to a really lovely Kenyan coffee, and there is no better example of that phenomenon than in the coffee we're sharing with you today. It tastes like a spectacular, sweet, juicy Kenyan coffee - all the way down to a distinct black currant note. A rich acidity combines with that aforementioned sweetness to give us candied citrus and dried apricots, while the sweetness rounds out the cup with an additional note of toffee. A subtle spice characteristic is present throughout.

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Origin | El Sauce, Santa Barbara, Honduras

Producer | Esteban Madrid

Farm | El Sauce

Process | Washed

Variety |  Pacas

Elevation | 1400 masl