The Future - Spiced Orange

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 predominantly 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've seen several installments of this concept throughout the year, and today's release is the ninth in this flavor-forward series. With it, we were inspired by a holiday craft project of our youth - one of our most lingering sense memories of the season. We made pomanders (oranges pierced all over with cloves) in our classrooms and our living rooms, and the aroma released as the fruit dried was such a delight to our olfactory senses. This blend, composed of six coffees from Colombia and Ethiopia, is our attempt to recreate that sense memory in  caffeinated form. It's an ode to all of the flavors and smells we cherish most dearly each holiday season.

MEET THE PRODUCERS | This blend was a bigger challenge than we originally anticipated, and it took us over twenty attempts to really get it right. In the words of John Hammond, you might say that we "spared no expense." Four producers from two countries contributed to this sense-sational blend, including many names you've seen featured on our menu several times this year. Jairo Arcila (Huila, Colombia) is one of our most beloved processing gurus, and his mandarin co-fermented lot makes up about 50% of this blend. He is also responsible for a lychee co-fermented coffee with a minority share (less than 5%). Sebastián Ramírez (Quindío, Colombia) is another Colombian fermentation specialist, whose lemongrass and peach co-fermented coffees each make up less than 5% of the blend. The fifth and final co-fermented coffee in the blend is a cinnamon anaerobic honey experiment from Carlos Plazas (Huila, Colombia), which contributes all of those ubiquitous baking spice flavors to this cup. Finally, the whole blend is made more complex and vibrant by the addition of Negussee Debela's (Gedeb, Ethiopia) anaerobic honey lot, coming to us from the processing enthusiasts at Wate Danche in Ethiopia.

TRUST THE PROCESS | With the sole exception of the Ethiopian coffee from Wate Danche, the components of this blend are gorgeous examples of co-fermentation experiments in Colombia! The mandarin co-fermented coffee makes up the largest share of the blend, but lots co-fermented with cinnamon, lemongrass, peach, and lychee each play a crucial role in the final flavor profile found in this festive cup. As for Negusse Debela's anaerobic honey lot, it serves as a somewhat rare example of experimental processing techniques in Ethiopia today.

TAKE A SIP | Some iterations of this concept throughout the year have been a wild ride, in terms of flavor (we're looking at you, Bananas Foster.). But this cup, like a Christmas morning, invites you to slow down and savor both it and the season itself. It's balanced, fresh, and clean. The citrus profile here reminds us of candied orange, with flavors of apple cider and red currant abundant in the cup. Sweet cinnamon lingers on the palette, leaving us feeling thoughtful and nostalgic - and eager to recreate a centuries-old holiday craft tradition.

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Origins | Huila, Colombia | Gedeb, Ethiopia | Huila, Colombia | Quindío, Colombia

Producers | Jairo Arcila | Negusse Debela | Carlos Plazas | Sebastian Ramirez

Process | Mixed (but mostly co-fermentation)

Variety | Various