HOLIDAY BLEND

GESHA VILLAGE NATURAL & JORGE RAUL RIVERA HONEY

NOTES: FLORAL, FUJI APPLE, TURBINADO SUGAR

Coffee is not only a drink, but a social encounter, and at times a tool for social good; opening minds through conversation, and even helping to build a future for coffee producers.

This year for our first of three Holiday blend variations, we are blending two of our direct relationship coffees, Gesha VIllage Natural and Jorge Raul Rivera. This coffee is fruity and delicious with notes of fuji apples and sugar with a clean body. 

For all three of our Holiday coffee iterations, we are partnering with Gesha Village to help give back this year! Gesha Village has always had a special place with us here at Black & White Coffee. The Gesha Village is a project with a clear and distinct vision to produce the most amazing coffees possible. It started as a coffee documentary project from Rachel Samuel and Adam Overton, who after gaining permission from the local Meanit Shasha Woreda people to plant wild seeds harvested from the Gori Gesha Forest. 

The Meanit people, the local inhabitants and ancestral protectors of the land on which Gesha Village is build, account for a considerable portion of the Gesha Village workforce. The money they’ve made from coffee production has helped them enrich their community.

$1 of each Pound of coffee will go towards building a high school in the area that will serve five kebele (neighborhoods); this is a multi-year project that Gesha Village began in 2018. The school will be a vital addition to the community: Currently, education in the area continues only to eighth grade, and the closest high school is located more than 60 km away. The school will be built to the government standard in Ethiopia, with four classrooms for grades 9 and 10 (with 40 students per classroom), an administration room, library, laboratory, meeting hall, restrooms, and teacher and staff rooms. 

We are excited to be apart of such an important project. 

Regions: Bench Majo, Gesha, Ethiopia & Chalatenango, El Salvador

Process: Natural (Gesha Village) & Honey (Jorge Raul Rivera)

Elevation: 1850 - 2100 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

RIOBLANCO, TOLIMA, COLOMBIA

NOTES: CHERRY BLOSSOM, YUZU, WHITE PEACH, TOFFEE

Luis Edier Reinoso started growing coffee around 30 years ago when he decided to continue his parents legacy of growing coffee. He has been involved with coffee since he was young and use to help his father in and around the farm. He continues this legacy today with his own family. Luis Reinoso believes in that the most important thing is to work with high standards in every step of his coffee process. 

Farm: Finca Vista Hermosa

Variety: Gesha and Bourbon

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1800 masl

YEAR ROUND

DAYA BENSA HONEY & EL EDEN JAVA

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 Honey Process from Sidama, Ethiopia; blended with the ever vibrant El Eden Washed Java from Tolima, Colombia.  This is a juicy and clean cup represented by the orange 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: Sidama, Ethiopia & Tolima, Colombia

Process: Anaerobic Honey (Daya Bensa) & Anaerobic Washed (El Eden Java)

Elevation: 1450 - 2100 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

CHALATENANGO, EL SALVADOR

NOTES: PEACH TEA, RASPBERRY, DARK HONEY

J. Raul Rivera and Kyle met at an SCAA training in California years ago. Kyle had no idea J. Raul Rivera was a coffee producer until about halfway through the class when he, quite humbly, informed us about what he did for a living. Kyle and J. Raul became friends on Facebook, and kept up a bit. A few years later J. Raul Rivera took 3rd place in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence, which is a competition for coffee producers to submit coffee and them be judged by an outside panel of judges.  It is a big deal to place in the top 10. The coffees go up for auction fetching prices up to 150 times the commodity price for coffee. 

Last year Raul, and his Honey Process Pacamara took 1st place overall at COE, and commanded a record $95 a pound for his beautiful coffee. Kyle was lucky enough to get to taste this winning coffee from Jonathan Mendoza the 2018/2019 El Salvadorian Barista Champion in Amsterdam. It was one of the most memorable espressos Kyle has ever been served. Quote Kyle, “It is on my Mount Rushmore of Espresso; floral, super fruity, bright, juicy, clean, but a bit funky too. It was killer.”  When Jonathan told Kyle it was a Honey Process Pacamara from Raul He was blown away.

Pacamara coffees are intensely polarizing, as they are at times savory, even in some places tasting like onion (which some people love). Both Lem and Kyle are not in to the onion pacamara coffees at all, so for this one to be super fruity, and clean with none of those off flavors, they were pumped on it.

This Lot is #31 and another Honey Process Pacamara, which Raul specializes in, from his farm in northern Chalatenango mountains of El Salvador. Not only is his processing on point, but with pretty intense elevation for El Salvador. This coffee along with the natural lot coming later is super bright and fruity. We think you will all love it like Kyle and Lem does.

Farm: Finca Santa Rosa

Variety: Pacamara

Process: Honey

Altitude: 1850 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

ACATENANGO, GUATEMALA

NOTES: RED FRUIT, NAVEL ORANGE, JUICY

Max Perez was born and raised among coffee plantations and has always had the idea of starting a coffee business himself and in 2010, the opportunity came. His idea was to develop a specialty coffee farm that would blend tradition and innovation to supply its customers with amazing coffees while having a positive impact in the society. 

His farm is located in the Acatenango region, which has mineral rich soil and great altitude for growing coffee. This region is home to great coffees and other dedicated coffee growers who love what they do including Max Perez. This coffee is juicy with red fruit and navel orange through out. 

Producer: Max Perez

Variety: Pache, Typica, Caturra, Bourbon

Process: Natural

Elevation: 1900 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

EMBU, KENYA

NOTES: PINK GRAPEFRUIT, BLACKBERRY, RAW SUGAR

Kenyan coffees have one of the more polarizing flavor profiles in Speciality Coffee. Some people love them and other love to hate them. To be fair during different parts of my (Kyle) career I have held both opinions of Kenyan coffees. 

When Kenyan coffees are done well they can be floral, juicy, fruity, and super sweet, but sometimes they go wrong and taste almost exactly like tomatoes. Heated debates pop up all over the place about which which is good or bad; can the both be good, are the both bad? Think of it like sour beer.  It is the best thing ever to some people, but it totally misses others.

Lem used Kenyan coffee quite a few times in competition, winning so many South East Regional Barista Competitions with those big acidity Kenyan coffees. The way he pulled them they were usually pretty amazing, but I (Kyle) never quite came around. 

However, this year we found 2 that we liked quite a bit. You may remember Oreti- Natural which was truly something special, and we hope for it to be available next year. We also found this coffee, Kevote - Peaberry.  This coffee has what some call a hybrid profile, floral and citrus, with that classic blackberry and huge sweetness and subtle baking spice.  The Peaberry just had a touch more of that sparkley acidity that we really enjoy. We think you all will really enjoy this coffee, defiantly leaning toward that floral and sweet, I promise.

Process: Washed

Varieties: SL 28, SL 34 and Ruiru 11

Elevation: 1400 - 1600 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

SIDAMA, ETHIOPIA

NOTES: MANDARIN, PEACH RINGS, CREAMY

Ethiopian coffees play a huge part in the flavor profile of Black & White. My (Kyle) "ah ha" coffee was a washed Yirgacheffe many moons ago.  So, when my long time friend Steve Holt approached me about the Unravel Coffee Project I was all ears. Steve was a part of another "High Scoring Coffee" project a few years back and through his connections in Ethiopia he is helping to bring this coffee and many other experimental and high quality Ethiopian coffees to the American Market.  

On the ground in Ethiopia is Ashenafi Argaw (Ardent Coffee Exporters) controlling processing and experimentation. Ashenafi has made a name for himself over the years for his inventive and often intensely delicious flavor profile generation.

We are so happy to be able to offer this Anaerobic Honey Process coffee from Ashenafi. I (Kyle) would classify this a "low impact Anaerobic" meaning that most of the flavor transmitted is from the variety. There is some amazing sweetness and acidity that I believe come from the process, along with a creamy tactile.  

I haven't tasted many honeys from Ethiopia, until Unravel Zero Anaerobic coffees, We are very excited for what the future can bring. 

Process: Anaerobic Honey

Altitude: 1900 - 2100 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

HUEHUETENANGO, GUATEMALA

NOTES: TROPICAL, BLACK GRAPE, BROWN SUGAR

This year has shown some amazing coffees from Guatemala, and this Single Producer Bourbon coffee is no exception.  Huehuetenango is known for its bright and heavily fruited coffees, and we are happy to bring you a stunner.  Evaristo's coffee stood out on the table with its big winey acidity and incredible sweetness. 

The big sweetness is the characteristic of this coffee we thing is the most charming and this is why it makes its home on the Hunter Green flavor tile.  This color will always showcase a coffee with complex flavor but mostly driven by its intense sweetness.

Producer: Evaristo Gomez

Variety: Bourbon

Process: Washed

Elevation: 1700 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

HAMBELA, GUJI, ETHIOPIA

NOTES: CITRUS, MIXED BERRIES, CHOCOLATE

There is just something about that classic Ethiopian Natural profile that seems to catch and empower coffee professionals and enthusiasts alike to dig deeper. Deri Kojowa is exactly that. Classic heavily fruited character, with a huge body, and vibrant acidity. Whats not to like.

This coffee comes from 416 coffee farmers around the village of Dabaye in the larger community of Deri Kojowa. This natural coffee processing site was bought by Negusse Debela in 2018, to focus on this well known part of the Hamebla Wamena district.

Negusse Debela has not been in the coffee industry long. Nugusse is known in Ethiopia as a computer guy, running a large successful computer part import company. While coffee does not seem like a natural leap, Nugussie was inspired on trip to Minnesota where at a cafe he had a pour-over that changed his whole mindset. At that moment he realized the potential of coffee in his home country and upon his return he got right to work. Nugusse started off by touring coffee processing sites throughout southern Ethiopia to understand the farming and processing better. From that initial tour, Nugusse was determined to set SNAP on acourse to be one of the best quality coffee exporters in Ethiopia. To do this Nugusse started by hiring Abenezer Asafaw, an energetic young coffee professional, as his quality and coffee manager. Nugusse, with Abenezer by his side, has since bought land for SNAP to process coffee themselves, but have also started managing processing sites in Nensebo, Yirgacheffe, and Guji. In early 2019, SNAP finished the final touches on their own export dry mill, giving them full control of their product and quality.

Farm: Guji Highlands Estate

Process: Natural

Elevation: 1800 - 2000 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN

GEDEB, ETHIOPIA

NOTES: LIME, TROPICAL, ZESTY

Banko Gotiti is a community in the most south-eastern part of Yirgacheffe, bordering the region of Hambela in Guji. This community has been producing amazing Washed and Natural for many years, and have graced the menus of many of our closest "Roaster Friends" around the countryUnsurprisingly, the profile of coffees from this area tend to be a hybrid between the two regions, and is likely a reason why they are so sought after. This single community lot from Banko Gotiti was processed at the Worka Chelbessa washing station being run by producer Negusse Debela and his company SNAP.

We loved this coffee for its vibrant acidity, and clean fruited character. These hallmark treats of the Yirgacheffe region, mesmerize us and we are happy to bring another stunning example.

Producer: Negusse Debela - SNAP 

Process: Washed

Varieties: Indigenous Varieties

Elevation: 1900 - 2200 masl

SINGLE ORIGIN | DIRECT TRADE

BENCH MAJI, GESHA, ETHIOPIA

NOTES: FLORAL, MANGO, POMEGRANATE, HONEY

Gesha Village has always had a special place with us here at Black & White Coffee. The Gesha Village is a project with a clear and distinct vision to produce the most amazing coffees possible, and have been wildly popular in the competition circuit. It started as a coffee documentary project from Rachel Samuel and Adam Overton, who after gaining permission from the local Meanit Shasha Woreda people to plant wild seeds harvested from the Gori Gesha Forest.

The farm is home to more than 30,000 native shade trees and 700,000 coffee trees with half descended from the Gori Gesha forest seeds. The lot we were able to obtain through last year from our friends at Genuine Origin was the highest scoring coffee we have brought into the Black and White Coffee family. We are excited to offer this amazingly clean and complex natural processed coffee, that we were able to work directly with Adam at Gesha Village to buy direct with help from Trabocca.

Kyle and Adam have cultivated a friendship of sharing information and chatting about the possibilities of the speciality coffee market. Both of them share an amazing love for Ethiopian coffee along with the Gesha Variety that they both love so very much. All of this adds to the beautiful complex and juicy cup with notes of tropical fruit, delicate florals and intense berries and an even syrupy sweetness throughout.

FARM: Gesha Village, Chaka Selection 

VARIEITY: Gori Gesha Forest, Gesha 1931, Illubabor Forest 1974

PROCESS: Natural

ELEVATION: 1,909-2,069 masl

 SINGLE ORIGIN

CALDAS, COLOMBIA

NOTES OF CARAMEL, MILK CHOCOLATE AND SUBTLE CHERRY

The Sugar Cane Decaffeination process is a natural process that not only maintains the integrity of the coffee flavor, but allows complete traceability with our coffee since both the growing/ processing and decaffeination all occurs in Colombia, the coffee’s source. Colombian Coffees are commonly known to be big, rich, chocolaty coffees with exceptional fragrance and often great acidity. Since Colombia has many diverse growing regions, the coffee varies mildly from region to region.

Origin: Caldas, Colombia

Process: Sugar Cane/ EA

SINGLE ORIGIN | DIRECT PARTNERSHIP

TOLIMA, COLOMBIA

NOTES: CITRUS ZEST, TAMARIND, CANE SUGAR

The Crew at Colombian Coffee Club continue to innovate and utilize feedback from the specialty coffee industry. We are so excited to see some of our direct feedback given and utilized in this Lot of El Eden - Java.  

Instead of drying this coffee as a natural, which adds a ton of big fruit flavors, they dried this one as a washed, which involves removing the fruit (cherry) and drying as clean parchment.

We wanted to see what the Anaerobic processing of this coffee could do with a more traditional washing.  We are excited to share this beautifully clean and Ethiopian like coffee with you. This coffee has notes of big citrus, and sweet tropical fruit flavors.  

Farm: El Eden

Variety: Java

Process: Anaerobic washed

Altitude: 1450 masl

Farm: Finca El Diviso