ETHIOPIA CUP OF EXCELLENCE BOX SET

INCLUDES | 4 X 100g BAGS

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

PROCESS | NATURAL

"If it was one coffee for the rest of my life, it'd be a coffee from Ethiopia. Without a doubt. No question."  

That's a quote straight from the mouth of one of our owners, Kyle. And if you've been watching our reels on social media this week, you might already know that he's not the only one around here who feels that way! When coffee professionals talk about their "Ah-ha!" moments in coffee, Ethiopia is often a feature in their love story.

In honor of Valentine's Day and in celebration of our love for Ethiopian coffees, we are bringing you this very special curation of FOUR Ethiopian lots which each scored in the Top 40 at the 2022 Ethiopia Cup of Excellence. Although identical in their country of origin and style of processing, these coffees vary slightly in variety, somewhat in region, and remarkably in flavor.

We invite you to come alongside us at the cupping table: what differences do you smell, taste, and feel? What do you love about these coffees? What pushes you to prefer one cup over another? This is a uniquely rare opportunity to taste - quite literally - some of the best coffees in the world, side-by-side, from the comfort of your own kitchen. And, if you haven't had your own Ah-ha! moment with a cup of coffee yet, there's a good chance these four lovers have something very special in store for you.

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COE #10 - NARE ETHIOPIA 2022

Origin | Bare, Bona Zuriya, Sidama

Variety | 74112

Notes | Strawberry, complex citrus, peach, mango, layered

With over 18 year of experience (and 15 children to his name!), Nare Ware Chinba made his third appearance in the Top 10 with this layered, fruit cocktail-forward lot from Sidama.

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COE #14 - DUSH ETHIOPIA 2022

Origin | Dawencho, Arbegona, Sidama  

Variety | 74112

Notes | Passionfruit, dry-hopped sour beer, tropical cocktail, hibiscus

With a modest .15-hectare farm in the Sidama region, Dush Lemiso Uke wowed judges with this refreshing cup full of stone fruits and tropical cocktail vibes in his first-ever entry at Ethiopia COE. 

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COE #36 | BURTUKAN ETHIOPIA 2022

Origin | Didahara Burka, Uraga, Guji Zone, Oromia 

Variety | 74110

Notes | Floral, juicy plum, blackberry, black cherry, winey

With a degree in sociology and a whole lot of ambition, Burtukan Mersha Lemma is a Gen-Z force who participated in Ethiopia's COE for the second time this year with her floral, dark fruit-forward lot that reminds us of Dolcetto wine. 

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COE #38 | ASNAKECH ETHIOPIA 2022

Origin | Seda, Yirgacheffe, Dedio Zone, SNNP

Variety | 74158

Notes | Key lime, blood orange, red raspberry, tart mango, cacao

Self-described as having been "raised by coffee," Asnakech Tegegn Reta is the 70-year-old matriarch behind this tart, citrus-heavy lot from Yirgacheffe.

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGINS | ACEVEDO, HUILA, COLOMBIA | PALMIRA ARRIBA, BOQUETE, PANAMA

NOTES | STRAWBERRY JAM, RED WINE, CRAFT CHOCOLATE

The Future has been a beloved staple on our year-round menu for quite awhile now. With it, we have been able to showcase excellence in processing techniques, particularly in regard to anaerobic fermentation. In the past, we have predominately featured coffees from Colombia in this blend, though lots from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Peru have played a part in its conception as well. This year, however, we are shifting our focus away from the individual components of the blend and instead elevating flavor as the guiding principle for each creation.

You'll see several installments of this concept throughout the year, and today's release is the second in this flavor-forward series. At the risk of coming off a little "on the nose," we've named this delightful blend: Chocolate-Covered Strawberries ...just in time for Valentine's Day.

 In our efforts to re-imagine this iconic Valentine treat in coffee form, we blended two distinctly beautiful coffees from Colombia and Panama, respectively. Both lots underwent intense and interesting methods of processing which contribute to their uniquely wonderful flavor profiles, and their collective journey made them the perfect components for this cup.

The first is a blended lot produced by Brayan Alvear (Huila, Colombia) and imported by our friends at Forest Coffee. Affectionally named Juicy Strawberry, this lot underwent both aerobic and anaerobic fermentation wherein the coffee cherries were depulped and fermented with ground, freeze-dried strawberries. The result is a heavily fruited coffee that reminds us of strawberry jam. The second component, produced by Edwin Ferrenbach (Boquete, Panama), is another science experiment from the ever-innovative lab at Creativa Coffee District. This Natural lot underwent their Intrinsic Cherry process, resulting in a boozy, wine-y cup that reminds us of all things dark - well, dark fruits and dark chocolate, anyway.

In the cup: In terms of flavor, this coffee is bookended by the components of its namesake. On the nose, you'll immediately experience a pronounced strawberry aroma, and the first sip is full of red fruit and sweetness, reminding us of strawberry jam. The finish is sweet and silky, reminding us of craft chocolate - the special kind you can only get at bean-to-bar operations, like Videri Chocolate Factory here in Raleigh. Together with that boozy component from Edwin's high-fermentation Natural, this coffee also reminds of something we love to enjoy with chocolate-covered strawberries: a red fruit-forward wine with a chocolatey finish, like Malbec. Cheers, loves. 

Producers | Bryan Alvear | Edwin Ferrenbach

Processes | Juicy Strawberry |  Intrinsic Natural

Varieties | Various 

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | TOBOSI, LOS SANTOS, COSTA RICA

NOTES | ORANGE ZEST, TAMARIND, RED CHERRY

Don Nelsyn came on the coffee scene, not as multi-generational farmer or producer, but as an agronomy engineer! In 2010, he was hired by a huge company called Mercurio Industria to save a farm they had purchased forty-three years prior, Finca Los Loma. In 2020, after several years of implementing sustainable farming practices and plant cultivation, Nelsyn suggested turning their attention toward specialty coffee. Today, the farm is home to several coffee varieties including Bourbon, Villa Sarchi, Geisha, and others, including today's release: F1, a Costa Rican classic variety known for both its quality and disease resistance.

Processing: Coffee cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness before being delivered to the wet mill, where they are initially floated to remove any cherries of lesser quality. This lot has been processed as a natural, so it immediately found its way to a greenhouse where it sun-dried for 10 days in large mounds, allowing for natural fermentation to occur. Drying was finalized in mechanical dryers at a low temperature. 

 In the cup: This coffee is a truly lovely example of Natural processing from Costa Rica - it's vibrant and fruity, but not boozy or funky. It is approachable in its expression, reminding us of red popsicles and candy. At the cupping table, we enjoyed tasting notes like orange zest, tamarind, and red cherry. Cheers.

Producer | Don Nelsyn

Wet Mill | Fatima

Farm | Los Loma

Process | Natural

Variety | F1

Elevation | 1750 masl

ROAST | MEDIUM 

ORIGIN | MARCALA, LA PAZ, HONDURAS 

NOTES | RED CHERRY, SWEET CITRUS, BROWN SUGAR

We are thrilled to host Honduras's own coffee power couple, Marysabel Caballero and Moisés Herrera, on our menu once again! As far as coffee stories go, theirs is somewhat of a fairytale. 

For her part, Marysabel Caballero is a fourth generation coffee producer whose family ties to the industry date all the way back to 1907. Moisés Herrara is a newbie by contrast - he got his start in coffee while working for a Guatemalan coffee exporter in the early 1990's. In 1992, a work trip - or was it fate? - brought Moisés to very same region where Marysabel and her family had been growing high-quality coffee for nearly a hundred years. The two were married in 1996, and they immediately began planting and cultivating their first farm together, La Maltide. 

What began as two lovebirds and one farm in the municipality of Marcala has since grown to an empire of thirty-five distinct coffee farms, each bearing the couple's names - including Finca Los Lirios, the farm which yielded today's highly anticipated release, Lot 29. 

Processing: This lot underwent traditional Honduran Washed processing protocols.

In the cup: With notes of red cherry, sweet citrus, and brown sugar, this coffee is supremely "seeker-friendly" and delicious. It's a very good example of a Washed Honduran coffee, but it's not overly dramatic in presentation. Very clean and VERY sweet, this coffee is the perfect cup to share with both coffee professionals and your grandparents alike. 

Producers | Marysabel Caballero & Moisés Herrera

Farm | Finca Los Lirios

Process | Washed

Variety | Catuai 

Elevation | 1550 masl

ROAST | LIGHT

ORIGIN | HUILA, COLOMBIA

NOTES | EARL GREY TEA, LIMEADE, WILDFLOWER HONEY

This coffee featured on our menu late last summer, and it made such an impression upon our palettes (and yours!), we are bringing Wilder Lasso's latest Lemon Gesha lot back for a victory lap.

Wilder grew up on a coffee farm, but until 2017, he was a veterinarian by trade! Something stirred in him while visiting his father's farm that year, and he - like so many other producers we've featured over the years - left his day job behind to pursue specialty coffee. His background in genetics and insatiable love of learning led Wilder to begin a varietal program in Tocora which has since grown to include more than twelve different coffee varieties from various origins. He is passionate about specialty coffee and relentless in his pursuit of excellence, and those qualities are nowhere more apparent than in this incredible lot from Wilder's farm, Bella Alejandría.

Processing: This Gesha lot is an exceptional example of what meticulous and inventive processing methods are capable of producing when they are masterfully executed. The coffee went through two stages of anaerobic fermentation: first, it was submerged in mucilage for 200 hours before being pulped (this helps develop that truly remarkable floral and citric profile we all know and love in our favorite Gesha coffees!). Second, the coffee is re-fermented in the sun with indigenous lemon peel for 18 days. The resulting cup of coffee is worthy of a standing ovation. 

In the cup: At the risk of sounding redundant, this coffee brings to the cupping table everything we look for and love in our Gesha lots. Its particular floral characteristics remind us of Earl Grey tea sweetened with wildflower honey, and the kiss of that co-fermentation with indigenous lemon peel leave us with a citrus note akin to limeade. Both the literal and figurative fruits of Wilder Lasso's meticulous labor are on full display in this cup, and we are honored to have the privilege of hosting it on our menu once again.

Producer | Wilder Lasso

Variety | Gesha

Process | Semi-washed Anaerobic

Elevation | 1890 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | QUINDIO, ARMENIA, COLOMBIA

NOTES | TART CHERRY, BLUE RAZZ, ORANGE ZEST, DARK CHOCOLATE

Sebastian Gomez is quickly becoming a real household name here at Black & White. In the last calendar year alone, his coffees have featured on our menu no less than five times, including as critical components in two of our proudest blends - Happy Birthday Pink Bourbon, and the simply sublime The Future: Champagne New Year.

When it comes to exceptional and experimental processing methods, Sebastian Gomez is a pioneer. He has been perfecting these unique methods on his farm in the southern region of Quindio for years, and what he's done with this natural Pink Bourbon lot is truly remarkable.

Processing: You'll notice at the very first sip that this coffee has been pretty heavily influenced by its processing. Sebastian used a method he calls EF2, or Extended Fermentation, Variation #2. You might be more familiar with a similar approach to processing, called Slow Dried, from Panamanian coffees. EF2 is a unique, multi-fermentation processing method first developed by Felipe and Carlos Arcila, and it has been used here by Sebastian to create a vibrant, fermentation-forward coffee. During this process, the coffee cherries initially go through 24 hours of aerobic fermentation before being sealed in airtight bags and undergoing several stages of anaerobic fermentation. The overall fermentation and drying times are extended well beyond those numbers we normally see, resulting in a coffee that is deliberately funky (though, we'd argue, not toooooo funky).

In the cup: There's a lot going on here! With tasting notes of everything from tart cherry and blue razz to orange zest and dark chocolate, sipping this coffee reminds us of sampling a box of artisan bon bons. The coffee also showcases different flavors as it changes temperature. When hot, for example, it is distinctly boozier in nature. Red fruits take center stage as the coffee begins to cool, and citrus really shines through once the cup has cooled completely. So really, the metaphor mentioned earlier works quite nicely in the end: just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. 

Producer | Sebastian Gomez

Farm | Finca La Divisa

Process | Slow Dried Natural

Variety | Pink Bourbon

Elevation | 1700-1750 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | HAYISSA OLOCHO, KERAMO, BENSA, SIDAMA, ETHIOPIA

NOTES | RED GRAPE, RASPBERRY, LIMEADE, HIBISCUS

Traveling along roads which are barely paved - and sometimes downright frightening - in the Bensa district of Sidama, you'll eventually come across the small-but-mighty village of Keramo. It's a place that's been growing exquisite coffee for many years, but only recently has that coffee been showcased on its own (rather than being included in larger Sidama lots). Their washing station, Hayissa Olocho, is similarly small in stature but impressive in production: with only 30 raised drying tables and 148 total bags exported this year, Hayissa Olocho truly is a small fish in a very large Ethiopian pond. Our new friends at Catalyst Trade purchased all 148 of these bags, and we have the honor of sharing the first of three offerings from them - a natural lot from Keramo - with you today.

Processing: Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove any defects. After sorting, the full coffee cherries are placed on one of thirty raised drying tables at the Hayissa Olocho washing station where they are rotated regularly to ensure even sun-drying.

In the cup: It's been a challenging crop year for Ethiopia, and we haven't seen many truly fruity natural Ethiopia lots on our cupping table as a result. `However, this coffee is a clear exception! It's delightfully red fruit-forward and a lovely example of the naturally processed Ethiopian cup profile we love so dearly. With notes of red grape, raspberry, limeade, and hibiscus, this coffee reminds us of a frozen raspberry limeade and has us dreaming of warmer days.

Washing Station | Hayissa Olocho

Farm | smallholders in the Keramo community

Process | natural

Variety | 74110, 74158

Elevation | 1900 - 2300 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | RIRIPA, NENSEBO, WEST ARSI, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

NOTES | LEMON CANDY, FLORAL HONEY, NECTARINE

You might remember Negusse Debela from several other Ethiopian offerings on our menu this year - he's the computer-guru-turned-coffee-producer who has been making all kinds of waves throughout the specialty coffee community in Ethiopia. Prior to 2008, Negussee was known as "the computer guy" in his hometown of Addis Ababa, where he ran a successful computer part import company. While in America on a business trip, he tasted a pour-over at a café in Minnesota that changed the trajectory of his career - and the object of his entrepreneurial spirit.

Established in 2008, Negussee's new endeavor - SNAP Specialty Coffee - seeks to provide specialty Ethiopian coffees processed "consistently and exceptionally." They run or partner with several washing and processing stations throughout Ethiopia, including the Haji Betro Wet Mill in Nensebo, West Arsi. Over the summer, we featured another lot from that wet mill, a natural lot from the very same farmers in the Riripa community who supplied the washed lot you'll get to taste with us today. 

Processing: Ripe cherries are delivered to the washing station by 742 smallholder farms in the Riripa community. During the washing process, the coffee seeds are pulped from the skin and fruit and then fully submerged in water to ferment  for 36-48 hours. This loosens the seed from the rest of the fruit and allows it to be brushed off by agitation. The washed and cleaned coffee seeds are then placed on traditional raised drying beds to dry in the sun for 15-20 days, depending on the weather. 

In the cup: This coffee is reminiscent of two things we love dearly: Yirgacheffe coffees, and summer. As the temperatures continue to dip well below freezing here in North Carolina, we thought there might be others out there who wouldn't mind being transported for a moment to a warmer season. This coffee, with all of its florality and citrus characteristics, is capable of doing just that. It's clean and sweet, with notes of lemon candy, floral honey, and nectarines. It reminds us of lemon tea sweetened with orange blossom honey, transporting us to a place that's both warm and nostalgic. Cheers. 

Producer | Negussee Debela (SNAP Specialty Coffee)

Farm | Smallholders in the Riripa area

Washing Station | Haji Betro Wet Mill

Process | washed

Variety | landraces selctions

Elevation | 1900 - 2100 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | CHALATENANGO, EL SALVADOR

NOTES | CARA CARA ORANGE, RASPBERRY GANACHE, PINOT NOIR

Jorge Raul Rivera is the son of a coffee grower from the northwest corner of El Salvador. He's also the recipient of a master's degree in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University. When you put these two life experiences together, what you get - apparently - is a man of great ambition and enthusiasm who's made it his life's mission to elevate his father's farm, which once grew low-quality coffee and timber, into a thriving global business that competes (and wins!) on the world stage. 

So far, it would be hard to make the case that Jorge isn't doing exactly that. His famed Pacamara lots have fetched three overall Cup of Excellence wins - in 2014, 2017, and most recently in 2019. He also holds the record for fetching the highest price for coffee in El Salvador, at $95.75 per pound as of last year.

For our part, we had the distinct pleasure of meeting Jorge before Black & White ever opened its doors, and this is our third year purchasing coffee from his idyllic farm on the slopes of El Pital. Today's release is the fourth lot we've featured from Jorge this year, and it's the funkiest natural he sent us to date (don't worry - it's not that funky).

Processing: Before undergoing the traditional drying process for natural coffees, this lot underwent 23 hours of aerobic fermentation in a tile-lined tank. After this short fermentation, the coffee cherries were laid out in thin layers on raised drying beds until they achieved a moisture content below 20% - usually 2-4 weeks, depending on the weather. 

In the cup: As a variety, Pacamara is known for its propensity toward the savory, often possessing herbaceous or even onion-y flavor characteristics. This coffee is certainly none of those things. Instead, Jorge's Pacamara lot is lightly floral, perfectly tropical, and delightfully complex. We experienced fruity notes like cara cara orange and raspberry ganache (Does raspberry ganache count as a fruit? Asking for a friend...). The cup is vibrant and wine-y in character, reminding us of our favorite pinot noir. 

Producer | Jorge Raul Rivera

Farm | Finca Santa Rosa

Process | natural

Variety | Pacamara

Elevation | 1550 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | PALMIRA ARRIBA, BOQUETE, PANAMA

NOTES | JUICY PEAR, CITRUS, RED CHERRY, BROWN SUGAR

Edwin Ferrenbach is 75 years old, and he's been tending his farm in Palmira Arriba for over 35 years. He lovingly named the estate, Sombras del Barú, because it is nestled in the shade of Panama's largest volcano, Volcano Barú. From there, Edwin tends to over 50,000 coffee trees of several varieties, and he does all weeding and maintenance on the property with a machete, an extension of respect for the natural environment surrounding the volcano.

This lot, grown under the watchful eye of both Edwin and Barú, has been processed in collaboration with our friends at Creativa Coffee District (their name should start to sound familiar to some of you by now!). Known for their excellence in processing, CCD endeavors to "spark collaboration in the coffee industry and beyond," and we have been the giddy recipients of many of those collaborations since they began working in Panama in 2018. Each lot of ripe cherries arriving at their mill is assigned to one of four carefully constructed fermentation designs, each with varying levels of fermentation impact. If you've sampled anything from CCD before, you might be aware of their love for anaerobic fermentation and their subsequent ability to produce some big, boozy, wild flavor profiles in a given micro or nano lot. This coffee, however, is none of those things.

Processing: Edwin's coffee underwent a variation of a processing method known as Intrinsic Cherry, which is CCD's ode to the more classic coffee profile. This method features the lowest fermentation level coming out of CCD's wet mill, and this particular washed lot underwent a variation in which it encountered both aerobic and anaerobic fermentation (for 24 hours and 48 hours, respectively). The result is a flavor profile profile that is both sweet AND complex, a combination difficult to achieve at elevations as low as Edwin's farm, which sits at 1400 masl. If you'll forgive our pun, we like to think of the resultant cup as an elevated washed coffee, with flavors that are bright without being blinding, and sweet without being simply that.

In the cup: In place of their more common "boozy red fruit" notes, CCD has processed this lot so that it features more subtle fruit notes, like pear, and a citrus-like acidity that is pleasantly bright. Flavors of red cherry and brown sugar add depth and sweetness to the cup, leaving us with a coffee that beautifully embodies what people love most about both well-executed commercial coffee (its sweetness) and higher-elevation specialty coffee (its complexity). Cheers.

Producer | Edwin Ferrenbach

Farm | Sombras del Barú

Process | Intrinsic Washed

Variety | Catuai, Caturra, Gesha, Pacamara

Elevation | 1400 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | NYERI, KENYA

NOTES | PINEAPPLE JAM, BLACK CURRANT, BROWN SUGAR

Kenyan coffee can be a bit... polarizing. With flavor profiles that have a propensity toward the savory (think: tomatoes, herbs), Kenyan coffees are often intensely acidic and very lightly roasted, leaving us with a cup of coffee that sort of shouts at us while we're trying to wake up in the morning. Some people love this unique profile - in fact, the largest exporter of Kenyan coffee almost exclusively exports lots which meet this criteria. But there are others - like many people at our own cupping table - who weren't even sure they liked Kenyan coffees because of this. 

Earlier this season, we introduced a really lovely Kenyan coffee called Gichichi, which we felt embodied the things we DO like about Kenyan coffee while omitting the things we didn't care for (looking at you, tomatoes...). Today, we are so excited to share another example of that alternate flavor profile with you, brought to us by the smallholders at Mahiga Wet Mill and our friends at Atlantic Specialty Coffee. Thoroughly approachable and beautifully balanced, Mahiga is precisely what we wish we tasted in more Kenyan coffees today.

Processing: Fully ripe cherries are pulped, fermented, and washed. Then, the lot is dried slowly over 2-3 weeks until the moisture content is reduced to 10-12% before being delivered to the dry mill. 

In the cup: Hold the savory, marinara sauce vibes! You won't find those here. This coffee is crazy sweet, pleasantly acidic, and 100% crushable. The sweet-citrus note reminded us of pineapple jam, while flavors of brown sugar and black currant (which is certainly a tip of the hat to more traditional Kenyan flavor profiles) complete the experience. 

Wet Mill | Mahiga Wet Mill

Producers | 501 smallholders from the Rukira Village

Process | washed

Variety | SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

Elevation | 1840 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | SANTA MARIA DE DOTA, TARRAZU, COSTA RICA

NOTES | TART CHERRY, ORANGE PEEL, MANGO, RED SANGRIA

Ivan Solis comes from a storied family background of agricultural workers in Costa Rica. He has worked in the food and beverage production sector for his entire adult life and is making quite a name for himself as an innovative and adventurous processor of specialty coffee in the Tarrazu region! Ivan became a certified Q Grader back in 2009, and he's been obsessed with flavor ever since. After working with two of the largest milling operations in Costa Rica, Ivan began operating his own wet mill, named Santa Fe, back in 2017. It is here that he began experimenting with a new processing method called Candy Natural a couple of years ago. We had the opportunity to bring you one of these such lots from the Santa Fe Wet Mill last year, and we are thrilled to introduce its triumphant return to our menu in 2022.  

Processing: "Candy Natural" is the name coined by Ivan for this unique twist on anaerobic processing. During this process, whole coffee cherries undergo dry anaerobic fermentation for four days before being removed to raised beds to dry in the sun. Sounds pretty standard, right? Here's where the twist comes in: after the cherries from one batch are removed, Ivan and his workers take the leftover mosto (the juice created from the fermentation process) and pour that juice, which contains many microorganisms, into the next batch to kickstart the fermentation process. This step, similar to sour mashing in bourbon production, promotes consistency in flavor profiles across various batches of freshly-picked coffee cherries. 

In the cup: The result is intense, vibrant, and fun. On the nose, this coffee smells wild and funky, but on the palette, it drinks clean and tropical. The finish is heavy and wine-y, reminding us of red sangria. Fruit flavors abound in this cup - we taste tart cherry, orange peel, and mangoes! All in all, you could say this coffee is middle-of-the-road as far as high-fermentation naturals go.

There's a lot to love about this super-vibrant, beautifully processed lot from the Santa Fe Wet Mill, but perhaps our favorite thing is its ability to transport us somewhere tropical and warm as the weather continues to cool here in sweet Carolina. 

Farmers | Ronald Madregal Monge and Joaquin Solis

Washing Station | Santa Fe Wet Mill, owned and operated by Ivan Solis

Process | Candy Natural

Variety | Catuai

Elevation | 1500 - 1900 masl

ROAST | LIGHT MEDIUM

ORIGIN | EL RODEO, SAN MARCOS, TARRAZU, COSTA RICA

NOTES | CINNAMON SUGAR, CANDIED ORANGE, APPLE CIDER

There are those of us who long for summer to go on and on forever, who actually dread fall as it threatens to take away our pool days and warm, sunny evenings. And then there is, well, the overwhelming majority of everyone else, who start buying up pumpkins and breaking out chunky sweaters the day after Labor Day. For these people - including yourself, I imagine - we are pleased to announce the arrival of our first Costa Rican cinnamon coffee of the season!

Esteban Zamora is no stranger to our menu - you'll recognize his name, and this uniquely processed coffee, from our offering list last fall. Esteban, a mechanical-engineer-turned-coffee-producer processes the coffee grown on his family's five-hectare plantation by hand! The process for fermenting a coffee anaerobically with cinnamon is tedious and long, but Esteban has sees it through beautifully

Processing: First, fresh coffee cherries are brought to the wet mill where the fruit is pulped, but mucilage is not washed from the seed. Everything but the cascara (coffee cherry skin) is added to GrainPro bags and combined with 1 kg of cinnamon powder for every 46 kg of coffee cherries. This mixture is left to ferment in an anaerobic environment for six days before finally being moved to concrete patios to begin drying. This drying process is finished in stationary mechanical dryers at the mill because reactions between the cinnamon powder and the mucilage form a seal around the coffee seed, making it more difficult to dry and requiring the use of mechanical dryers. 

In the cup: The end result is a lovely, exceptional example of how cinnamon coffee can taste. The cinnamon note is - perhaps obviously - a pronounced one. But there's so much more going on in this cup! This coffee isn't merely warm and cozy; it's also vibrantly acidic, sweet, and complex. We experienced these characteristics as candied orange and apple cider. So, go ahead - you have our permission to break out the flannel, start a fire (even though it's probably 90 degrees in Raleigh today), and enjoy a cup of this fall-forward coffee from our friends in Costa Rica. 

Producer | Esteban Zamora

Farm | El Cedro

Washing Station | La Cruz Wet Mill

Process | Cinnamon Anaerobic

Variety | Caturra, Catuai

Elevation | 1600 - 2000 masl