Ethiopian Natural & A Washed Mexican

Ethiopian Nigusse Lemma Natural

As many of you know, I adore African coffee varietals. The fluctuating flavor profiles of these coffees keep me on my toes and remind me that they are cultivated with great care, sun-dried, and hand-sorted. These exuberant coffees always make up in character what they lack in consistency. The Ethiopian Nigusse Lemma is a perfect example of what meticulous farmers can accomplish. Expect a smooth, sweet cup with luscious fruit and a snappy finish, complete with the slightest hint of earthen spice.

The well-structured profile begins with an elegant dry fragrance hinting at stone fruits and refined honey. In the cup, I can almost catch the scent of of apricot preserves with floral elements that translate into a wonderful tasting experience. On the tongue, this coffee subtly carries forward the flavors of almond extract and black cherry. This is a restrained and articulate coffee with a sweet and delicate personality. I count this among my personal favorites.

Roast Color: Varigated
Prep: Pulped Natural, Sun-Dried
Body: Medium
Flavor Profile: Bright, earthy, citrus, cinnamon, and fennel
Cupping Notes: Dry fragrance of subtle plum alongside heady, dark-wine and brown-sugar flavors. This smooth, sweet cup is nutty with notes of singed caramel and cinnamon shavings over a smooth, velvety body. Concludes in a snappy finish with just the slightest hint of earthen spice.

Mexican Oaxaca Finca Quiavicuzas
Grower Certified Organic

Finca Quiavicuzas (kee-uh-vee-koo-zuss) is located in a valley of lush vegetation with a diverse array of fruit trees used as protective shade for this organic, high-altitude varietal. I wasn't sure what to expect, having roasted coffee mostly from the state of Chiapas, but I am well satisfied by this darkly complex coffee from Oaxaca. Your Mexican Quiavicuzas exemplifies all of the qualities I've come to love in good Mexican coffee.

Field labor and harvesting is all done by hand and executed by specialized workers. Each foreign worker is assisted, if necessary, to acquire his personal work ID for legal status in Oaxaca. Whole families arrive for the harvest. The farm established a special schooling program for the children of migrant workers which is supervised by the Mexican Education Board. This is an excellent coffee produced by dedicated farmers and well-cared-for workers. Happy farmers and educated children make for good coffee.

Roast Color: Medium
Prep: Washed Mild
Body: Tea-like
Flavor Profile: Balanced, bright, sweet, and snappy
Cupping Notes: A fresh hot cup of this brew has a stunning medium-body, distinctly sweet & sharp caramel flavors, and a touch of almond & bittersweet chocolate.

Kenya Kirimara Estate Peaberry

Kenya is, without doubt, a country whose preeminent coffee origins are rarely matched. Well-run mills and efficient trade routes all contribute to a most exquisite cup quality. It's been more than two years since I've roasted a quality coffee from this region, and today I'm serving up something pretty special. Your Kenyan Kirimara Estate Peaberry is an East-African gem for any stripe of the coffee loving world.

Enjoy the impeccable quality control at the Kirimara Estate with the first grind, revealing a dry fragrance laced with burned sugarcane and vanilla. This sweetness subsides once water is added, when a distinctly spicy bouquet gesturing toward cardamom, cinnamon, and anise root develops. The wet aroma is delightfully tart, almost like a rounded, robust Shiraz. The delicate sweetness, with the faintest hint of burned caramel and golden raisin, fades into a somewhat rindy finish as it cools. A truly complex coffee, discover something beyond your standard, 'pleasant' cup.

Kenya Kirimara Estate Peaberry

Roast Color: Dark
Prep: Washed, Euro-prep
Body: Syrupy, heavy-bodied
Flavor Profile: Subdued sweetness, cardamom, cinnamon, and anise root
Cupping Notes: The grind reveals a dry fragrance laced with burned sugarcane and vanilla. The wet aroma is delightfully tart, developing a distinctly spicy bouquet. The delicate sweetness, with the faintest hint of burned caramel and golden raisin, fades into a somewhat rindy finish as it cools.

Papua New Guinea Nebilyer Valley Estate

We rang in the new year with this exceptional coffee from Indonesia, and I realized almost immediately that we needed to get our hands on more! Cultivated in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea, where several small farms are situated up along the hilltops, this gorgeous New Guinea Nebilyer Valley Estate is a sun-dried coffee with a bright, clean body and a dark caramel sweetness unlike anything else.

I expected this coffee to be more fruit-forward than it ultimately proved to be. The dry fragrance possesses a saturated plum sweetness with what almost smells like fresh rose petals. Once brewed, however, these brisk aromatics are overpowered by caramel and cinnamon bark, a genuinely spicy quality accented by a touch of soothing sandalwood. This is bold, to be certain, but with a disarming sweetness that's quite unusual, intense without being overpowering or sharp.

Papua New Guinea Nebilyer Valley

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Washed, Sun-Dried
Body: Heavy-Bodied, Creamy Texture
Flavor Profile: Subtle Earthiness, Dark Caramel, Cinnamon Bark
Cupping Notes: In this smooth, deep cup, expect a heavy, dark caramel quality in the sweet end, with the kind of body typical of most Indonesian varietals. This is a wet-processed coffee, washing away the extreme earthiness associated with Sumatras. This is a clean, balanced coffee with just a hint of those rustic qualities celebrated in Indonesian coffee.