ROAST | MEDIUM 

CALDAS, COLOMBIA

NOTES:  CANDIED LIME, CHERRY JUICE, CHOCOLATE

Situated in the Central mountain range of the Andes, near the Magdalena river sits the towns of this group of small producers who contributed to the unique microlot processed by Juan Felipe. Colombia seems to be the industry leaders when it comes to fermentation and experimental processing, and Juan Felipe fits the mold perfectly. Young, talented, and willing to take some risks. 

This group of producers love big fruity coffees that boarder on the wild. This coffee is exactly that with huge acidity, and intense fruit flavors showcasing all of Juan Felipe's hard work. At his wet mill, Juan Felipe is known as the "alquimist." He personally oversees the processing of all high-quality cherries like this lot. 

Growers will deliver ripe cherries to the mill where they are sorted for quality and washed. From there the cherries are moved to sealed tanks for the maceration (anaerobic fermentation) process. The cherries were left to ferment for 48 hours and then dried on raised beds in solar dryers to ensure even drying. This adds to the complexity of flavor in this coffee and we are so excited to share it with you all.

Producer: Juan Felipe Aristizábal

Region: Villamaria, Chinchina and Manizales in Caldas

Variety: Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo

Process: Anaerobic Natural

Elevation: 1800 - 2100 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

PITALITO, HUILA, COLOMBIA

NOTES: PEACH, FRUIT PUNCH, BLACKBERRY JAM, BROWN SUGAR

Elkin Guzman is a bit of a rock star when it comes to coffee producers. He is known for his experimentation not only with processing but as well as with varieties. Elkin and his mother, Mrs. Fanny Vargas are in charge of the operation and development of processes on the farm of Finca El Mirador. In 2016, Lem Butler (co-owner) visited the farm and got to meet Elkin Guzman, however it was not until recently through social media that we at Black & White were able to connect. 

This means of connecting has become an increasingly popular way to communicate between producers and coffee roasters. Facebook and WhatsApp are the most common ways for us to communicate directly with the majority of our directly sources coffees. 

Thanks to Ally coffee, we were able to taste Elkins favorite lots, and we selected one of the most complex and fruit forward Natural process coffees to share.  

This lot is a Striped Bourbon, which is a natural mutation of the famed Bourbon Variety. In fact Elkin Guzman discovered this variety from a sample sent to him from a producer in San Adolfo. When Elkin consulted with the producer, he told Elkin that it was a coffee that he had some years ago and had decided to leave it despite the susceptibility to rust but he liked its production. Elkin saw the potential in this variety and started growing it on Finca El Mirador.

Striped Bourbon showcases a more vibrant acidity and when paired with Elkin's Anaerobic Natural process gives this coffee a vibrant, fruit forward taste with complex juicy acidity, and intense sweetness. There isn't much you more you could wish for.

Process: Anaerobic Natural

Producer: Elkin Guzman

Farm: Finca El Mirador

Variety: Striped Bourbon

Location: Pitalito, Huila, Colombia

Altitude: 1550 - 1700 masl

ROAST | MEDIUM

SUL DE MINAS, BRAZIL

NOTES: TROPICAL, BOOZY, WILD

Back in 2017 Kyle (co-owner) met the Peixoto family at their farm in Brazil while on a trip with Ally Coffee. Later that week Kyle began to chat through processing and the experiments the Peisoto Family had in the works.  That first year the experiment was quite small but Estudo #1 was a super tasty rather wild anaerobic washed coffee that was a huge hit. All 3 of the Estudo coffees have been super fun, and are a physical embrace of experimentation and the exploration of flavor possibility. Estudo #3 is by far the most wild, but also by far our favorite. We can't wait to hear what you think about this fun, tropical, boozy and tiki like cocktail naturally processed Brazilian Coffee.  

Estudo, is the Portuguese word for study and is the name of this experimental process series from the Peixoto family. Here they take a micro-lot from their farm and try an experimental process in order to learn a little more about flavor development. With every experiment, the Peixoto family learns even more about the importance and affect of controlled fermentation to producing coffee flavors, which furthers their excitement for the future of coffee production. 

For Estudo No 3, José Peixoto and team picked the cherries of the yellow catucai at the peak of their ripeness, depulped them and put them into a trailer of water with yeast and a special type of bacteria called malolactic bacteria. They then added a specific set of nutrients needed by the microbes, which allows the microbes to thrive and multiply and produce more ester and phenol as their bi-products. These compounds are the building blocks of exciting flavors that we love in coffee. The coffee was then allowed to ferment for 90 hours before drying. 

Producer: José Augusto Peixoto

Farm: Fazenda São José da Boa Vista

Variety: Yellow Catucai

Process: Experimental Anaerobic

Elevation: 1250 masl

ROAST | LIGHT 

GOMMA, JIMMA,  ETHIOPIA

NOTES: FLORAL, CANDIED CITRUS, PEACH, HONEY

Every  year it is race to get the first washed Ethiopian coffees to the US, and out to customers. These coffees represent most clearly what the majority of coffee professionals love about coffee. Clean bright acidity, with floral and complex fruit notes. This is what I personally gravitate towards, and was the first coffee for me that gave me that transcendent "Ah, Ha" moment, when I realized coffee could be some much more than bitter and brown.

We are so happy to get a super early offering to the market with the help of Tim Hill and Atlantic Specialty. Geta Bore is a member of one of our favorite production groups Kata Muduga Famers Union. They produce some of the best coffees in Ethiopia year after year, and this lot is steller.  

This lot in particular has more of a fruited profile than our more recent coffees from Worka. Flowers and candied citrus are the first things you will experience, next this beautiful acidity like fresh stonefruit, along with almost a peach tea and of course that amazing Ethiopian coffee sweetness. 

As a relatively new cooperative, Geta Bore Farmers Cooperative was established in 2018, and is comprised of 232 smallholders who deliver ripe red cherry to local wet mills. The cooperative's producers are located in the higher-altitude areas of Gomma woreda, which can be difficult to reach during the rainy season because of hazardous road conditions. The members typically travel by horse or donkey to deliver their harvest to the cooperative.

Producer: Geta Bore Farmers Cooperative

Variety: Bishari 74110, Other JARC Selections, and Indigenous Landraces

Process: Washed

Elevation: 2000 - 2100 masl

ROAST | MEDIUM

CIKOLE, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

NOTES: STRAWBERRY CANDY, MULLED WINE, DARK CHOCOLATE

Almost all of our coffees have an interesting story, this coffee is no different. About a year ago our friend Caleb reached out about a few samples of coffee from Indonesia. We typically don't buy coffees from there, but because he is a friend we tasted them anyway. To say we were shocked is an understatement. The one we loved was big and intensely fruity with a huge mouth feel.   

We love these intensely fruity coffees, but they rarely happen without overwhelming funky flavors. We reserve these coffees for our Blue Label releases. We haven't had one in over a year, but Familia Gallardo was a crowd favorite, and we are excited to show you this amazing Indonesian Coffee.

The Cikole Estate is nestled deep within the Maribaya forest located on the island of Java. The Maribaya forest is covered with lush tree cover and situated near Tankuban Perahu, Java's most active volcano region, adding to the amazing growing conditions of this Typica variety. 

Jakub Lazuardi is the head processor at the Cikole Estate and grew up on the neighboring island of Sumatra, where his family owns their own coffee farm.

Jakub loves to experiment and try new things in his coffee processing, and this coffee shows amazing control of flavor creation.

Farm Region: Batu Lonceng, Maribaya

Variety: Typica

Process:  Anaerobic Natural

ELEVATION: 1,300 - 1,500 masl

ROAST | MEDIUM

SAN IGNACIO, CAJAMARCA, PERU

NOTES: CRANBERRY, BROWN SUGAR, CHOCOLATE

Each year we work with Origin Coffee and Atlantic Specialty to continue to push the boundaries of what it possible with washed coffee from Peru. The last two years we have selected "cherry held" coffees from Peru. These coffees display higher acidity and more vibrant flavors, which Peru isn't exactly known for. 

This year we were sent multiple options and we selected Ulises' Coffee that he produces with his wife Victoria Ramos. This lot stood off the table for us as a vibrant red fruit, clean acidity, and amazing sweetness. This coffee too is "Cherry Held"

Peru has everything that you would want from a coffee producing region.  Tons of elevation, great varieties, and innovative producers, however they never seem to have "stunner" coffees, or at least they never make their way to us. Last year one of these "cherry held" coffees was presented to us, and it was a clear step in the right direction.  

"Cherry Held" works basically like this. The coffees are picked and sorted like normal, but they add another step, a short whole cherry anaerobic pre-fermentation. To do this the coffee is placed in large plastic bags, where they are held in this low oxygen environment for 12-72 hours.  In our cuppings we have tended to prefer 48+ hour times in the bag.  This allows for the bacteria to consume some of the sugar, and trade it for lactic acidity.  This give these coffees a more complex acid profile and modulate the more common dried fruit flavors in to more fresh fruit flavors.

Farm: El Lechero

Region: El Huabo - San Ignacio, Cajamarca

Variety: 80% Caturra 20% Catuai

Process: anaerobic washed

Elevation: 1,875  masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM 

RUTSIRO DISTRICT, RWANDA

NOTES: CANDIED CITRUS, DRIED FRUIT, WHITE WINE

This is the second year for us working directly with Baho Coffee with help from Sundog Trading, and this year we took a slightly different route. There were fewer naturals available this year but we did find two very interesting coffees to offer.  The first is a single producer Anaerobic Washed produced by Bernard Havugintore. This Coffee presents as a low to medium impact anaerobic with none of those funky flavors, but tons of clean acidity especially as it cools. This coffee will be a hit for anyone working their way into African coffees as well as everyone who is patiently waiting for all the fresh crop Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees.

Emmanuel Rusatira of Baho Coffee in Rwanda, owns the local washing station of Bugoyi where many of his community and neighbors bring their coffee for processing. This year, Emmanuel specifically sought to separate out farmers who do "coffee farming as a business and show full commitment to their work." This included the lot from Bernard Havugintore. It is no easy feat to keep small lots like this separate throughout the entire process of cherry collection, fermentation, drying, storage, milling and export.  Emmanuel sought to keep these lots separate in order to motivate the producers to keep pursuing quality in their coffee business. 

In fact, Baho Coffee (Emmanuel Rusatira) has adopted a two tiered pricing structure for the coffee they receive from their producing partners. This helps producers like Bernard Havugintore receive better prices for the coffee they are producing. The first tier was set up by the Rwandan National Agricultural Export board to make sure that Rwandan farmers received a base level "fair" price for their coffee. However in their efforts to protect Rwandan Coffee Growers, they also in directly created a cap on what the farmers could make hurting the price margins for the specialty coffee industry of Rwanda. This is where exporters like Emmanuel from Baho Coffee comes in, offering a second payment to these farmers with exceptional coffee. 

Region: Kigeyo Sector, Rutsiro District, Rwanda

Producer: Bernard Havugintore

Washing Station: Bugoyi | Baho Coffee 

Process: Experimental Washed

Variety: Red Bourbon

Altitude: 1500 - 1900  MASL

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM 

PAEZ, CAUCA, COLOMBIA

NOTES: ROSE, CANDIED CITRUS, HONEY

It is such a pleasure to work with our friends. We met the team from Azahar a few years back, and their dedication to connecting small producers with smaller roasters. This is what has drawn us together and when keeps us working together over the years.

This year we were able to purchase 2 separate variety separation lots from Jose Sanchez. This first one is a low impact anaerobic Pink Bourbon Variety. This coffee showcases exactly what pink bourbon is supposed to be.  Vibrant aromatics that are similar to washed Ethiopian coffees, coupled with that amazing sweetness that is present in high grown Colombian coffees.  

We are so happy to have Jose's coffee again, and we think you will love this beautiful expression of Pink Bourbon. 

Producer: Jose Sanchez

Farm:  Finca San Martin

Process: Washed

Variety: Pink Bourbon

Elevation: 1827 masl

YEAR ROUND

COLOMBIA (Jose Sanchez Pink Bourbon)  | Brazil  (Luiz Paulo-Ethiopia Type)

NOTES: JUICY, TROPICAL, COMPLEX

Anaerobic coffees have rewritten the rules for Barista Competition's around the world. In the last two years the top 6 Competitors at both the USBC (United States Barista Championship) and the WBC (World Barista Championship) have utilized coffees with this style of fermentation.

As a result, this new method of processing has inspired us to create our own product that focuses on highlighting the complex acidity and vibrant fruit flavors found in these coffees. Not simply concerned with cupping scores and competition points, we believe for a number of reasons that this style of fermentation truly is the future.  

In a time when the Commodity Market value for coffee is dropping lower and lower, producers are always looking for ways to maximize their earnings on a given crop. However, in order to do so they are forced to produce high scoring coffees in order to make these premiums. This is made even harder when a lot of these coffee farms do not have the high elevation required to produce the complex flavors and  boutique varieties found in specialty coffee (such as Gesha, Pink Bourbon, Java).

However, in the last few years many more farms have had access to anaerobic processing, which done simply can add acidity, and complex fruit character to the cup. Anaerobic processing, in its most basic form is holding the coffee (either in cherry, or pulped) in an oxygen free environment (which can be achieved a number of ways) for an extended time in order to promote the growth of bacteria, Lactobacillus. Where, Lactobacillus is the agent that promotes acidity by producing lactic acid. The result of this is the acidification of the coffee pulp, which translates to a more vibrant coffee both on the cupping table and in the cafe. 

This main benefit of this unique style of processing is that it can make coffees that are grown at low elevations taste very similar to coffees grown at higher elevations. As the global climate warms, farmers must go higher and higher up the mountain in order to achieve the same results, but for most producers this simply is not possible.

Now, however farmers can add acidity and complexity through processing and thus combat the effects of climate change, at least in the cup.

This Blend will showcase these coffees and their varying profiles from around the world. Most of these coffees that we are currently sourcing are coming from Colombia, but we are also sourcing some from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Peru. With some being washed, some natural and some honey.  

This version is a blend of an Anaerobic Process from Huila, Colombia; blended with the ever vibrant El Eden Washed Java from Tolima, Colombia.  This is a juicy and clean cup represented by the blue corner on the label. This corner will change as the flavor profile and blend components shift throughout the year.

We hope you all enjoy this adventure into what we believe to be the future of specialty coffee.

 - Kyle Ramage (Co-owner | Green Coffee Buyer)

Regions:  Colombia | Brazil

Process:  Anaerobic Natural and Washed

Elevation: 1350 - 1800