The Future - Tiki
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.
MEET THE PRODUCERS | Today's release is a blend of six coffees, sourced from four producers across two countries. Jairo Arcila headlines the blend, with three of those six coffees coming from his experimental fermentation headquarters in Colombia. Ivan Solis, the multigenerational coffee producer from Costa Rica, and Mauricio Duque, a Gesha guru from Caldas, contributed the two coffees which make up the lion's share of the blend (at 24% each). Finally, Wilder Lasso, our favorite veterinarian-turned-coffee-producer from the hills of Huila, produced the stunning Lemon Gesha lot that rounds out the blend.
TRUST THE PROCESS | Tiki cocktails come in a wide array of colors, recipes, and glassware, but they are commonly known for at least three basic ingredients: rum(s), fresh fruit juice, and homemade or specialty syrups, such as orgeat or falernum. To recreate these flavors in coffee form, we chose primarily lots which have been co-fermented with some of the very ingredients found in those original cocktails. Ivan Solis's Washed Anaerobic Cinnamon and Jairo Arcila's Honey Cinnamon coffees contribute the unique spice flavor we needed to represent falernum. Coffees which were co-fermented with passionfruit and lemons (from Jairo Arcila and Wilder Lasso, respectively) bring those big fruit flavors and contribute spectacular acidity to the blend. And, Jairo Arcila's rum-aged Castillo lot showcases the quintessential rum characteristics for which we were searching. The sixth and final blend component is Mauricio Duque's lovely Natural Gesha lot, which is not a co-fermented coffee at all, but it has so many of the tropical flavor notes needed to bring this coffee to certified Mai Tai status, we couldn't not use it here.
TAKE A SIP | Tiki cocktails as a whole are known for being both fruity and boozy, both acidic and spicy. They are uniquely complex and crushable, and we certainly think our coffee is also both of those things! When playing around with the blend components and flavor profile, we had in mind some of the original tiki cocktails: the Zombie, the Hurricane, and the Mai Tai, for example. Fresh fruit juice and big acidity shine in this coffee as notes of pineapple, lychee, and passion fruit; baking spices reminiscent of that unique falernum syrup are readily present in the cup; and the coffee as a whole is boozy in character. It all culminates in a cup that is very "tiki core," but in caffeinated form - and, as a bonus, it won't leave you feeling like a zombie the next day.
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Origin | Costa Rica & Colombia
Producers | Ivan Solis, Mauricio Duque, Jairo Arcila, & Wilder Lasso
Process | Mixed
Variety | Various
Brewing Suggestions For Our Coffee At Home
“How should I brew coffee from Black & White?” We get this question a lot, and we love chatting about how folks can get the most out of the coffees we roast. But, since everybody’s gear setup, water sources, and preferences are different, we haven’t found a great way to post definitive brew guides for specific coffees.
We do have some tips that have seemed to help most folks, though…
First, our coffees do great with a bit of rest. In our cafes, we’ve discovered that things really start to shine at or after 14 days post roast. You certainly don’t have to wait so long, but you’ll notice the cup’s clarity increase over time. Clean, washed coffees tend to need less rest than funkier coffees that feature higher-impact fermentation methods (like naturals, anaerobic naturals, or co-ferments).
For espresso, we start all of our coffees at a 1:2 ratio with a brew time around 24 seconds. This recipe usually works great for year round coffees and single origin coffees with lower impact fermentations. Funky coffees often get the longer ratio treatment (sometimes up to 1:3), but your preferences may lead you elsewhere. We celebrate that!
For filter style coffee, we tend to like hotter (at or above 205F), faster (at or under 3 minutes) brews. Our roasting philosophy focuses on maximizing sweetness and solubility in all our coffees, so you’re probably safe applying your favorite recipe.
If you have more questions, feel free to shoot us a DM or email. We’re always here for curiosity. Oh! And don’t forget–if it tastes good, it is good.
Roasting all the coffee in Raleigh, North Carolina
We roast and ship Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Please place your order the day before the roast day you would like your order shipped on.