Mexico Pluma Real Loxicha Estate

Coffee production in Mexico is deeply traditional, in which the fruit pulp is stripped from the coffee seed and the coffee is washed & sun-dried. Of all the micro-lots I've sampled from south of the border, this Organic Mexican Pluma Real from Loxicha Estate is tremendously satisfying. Sharing a border with the Huehuetenango, Guatemala, coffees from the southern regions of Mexico present a number of similarities. In general, one can expect Mexican coffee to be lighter-bodied and mild-mannered, with subtle sweetness and a stunning bouquet of lively aromas.

The dry grounds have an expected hazelnut aroma, but it's much more dry and spicy than I'd imagined. Adding hot water lifts up smells of baking spices and unrefined sugar; this coffee drinks just like eating a gourmet spiced chocolate. Cinnamon toast, fresh oats, and burned sugar dominate, with that nutty accent on the palate. What I think I love the most is the unexpected difference between the dry fragrance and brewed flavors. There's the aroma of a light-brown toast & fresh-cut hay, but the flavor of unsweetened Mexican chocolate with a dry caramel & molasses finish. This is clean, snappy, easy sipping coffee. Enjoy!

Nicaragua Caracolito Peaberry

This is an insanely special coffee, and I can't even begin to emphasize enough how incredibly rare peaberry coffees are. Representing 3% of all the coffee harvested in the world, the bulk of all peaberry varietals come from Eastern Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) and Papua New Guinea. Your Nicaraguan Peaberry is, arguably, the most unusual coffee I've ever roasted. The flavors are as smooth and delicious as the coffee is rare, filled with bright, flavorful nuances. This caramel dream is easy to love.

The dry fragrance presents a smoky vanilla quality, with apricot and dark stone-fruits. The sweet notes here are unusually pronounced, reminding me of honey-nut cereal. The wet aroma reminds me of freshly cut white cedar and, once brewed, the front end proves incredibly floral with a crisp acidity. Expect a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. With an elegant mouth-feel and subtle, creamy flavors, I can't imagine anybody not loving this coffee. I only have a limited number of bags, so expect this delicious brew to disappear quick!

Received 09/03/2013

Nicaragua Caracolito Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium/Dark
Prep: Washed, Euro-prep
Body: Medium, Buttery Body
Flavor Profile: Balanced with a crisp sweetness
Cupping Notes: Exceptionally clean with a bright acidity and a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. A restrained cup with an elegant mouth-feel and subtle flavor notes.

Peru COOPARM Grower Certified Organic

Grown beneath a thick canopy of lush trees, this Grower Certified Organic Peru from COOPARM provides a perfect balance between earthen musk and crisp, bright acidity. The dry fragrance reveals a near-absence of sweetness with a husky, light molasses quality with an unexpected touch of tanned leather, forest herbs, and oak shavings. Once brewed, the aromas give rise to plum and jasmine, a rich burst of bittersweet chocolate, and toasted almonds.

The best organic lots from Peru tend to yield a somewhat "unpolished" coffee experience. The difference, here, is that the earth and clay latent in the roast are beautifully counterbalanced by a rich cup quality. Infused with silt, dry ash, and a decidedly loamy undercurrent, this cup presents a buttery body, unique brightness, unexpected flavor complexity, and wonderful depth.

Received 06/25/2013

Peruvian COOPARM
Grower Certified Organic

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Washed
Body: Medium, smooth
Flavor Profile: Balanced, mildly sweet
Cupping Notes: Mild earthen undertones with a silken body.

Nicaragua Dipilto Nueva Segovia & Brazilian Fazenda Auerea

Nicaragua Dipilto Nueva Segovia

This coffee is really unusual in its mild, even-handed profile. Most of the specialty coffees from Nicaragua are typically categorized as a "classic" cup possessing a medium body, clean flavors, and extreme balance. Your Nicaraguan Dipilto de Nueva Segovia is a real crowd-pleaser if I ever tasted one, but that doesn't mean it's boring. In fact, it's filled with bright, flavorful nuances that make it incredibly easy to enjoy.

The dry fragrance reminds of a honey-nut cereal with qualities that point toward shaved cedar, toasted nuts, and semi-sweet chocolate with an exuberant proliferation of forest herbs. The wet aroma reminds me of freshly cut white cedar with a peculiar hint of terra-cotta. This cup is exceptionally clean with a crisp acidity and a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. It's a restrained cup with an elegant mouth-feel and subtle flavor notes that any coffee-lover should taste.

Received 05/31/2013

Roast Color: Medium
Prep: Washed, Euro-prep
Body: Medium, balanced body
Flavor Profile: Mild and balanced
Cupping Notes: Exceptionally clean with a crisp acidity and a brusque, malty, salted-caramel sweetness in the aftertaste. A restrained cup with an elegant mouth-feel and subtle flavor notes.

Brazilian Fazenda Auerea


Specialty coffees from Brazil are becoming harder to find, especially as larger commercial operations expand in the country. Truly unusual heirloom varietals can still be found in Brazil, however, and the Brazilian Fazenda Aurea is an incredible find. If you like a strong, clean cup of coffee with a hint of ripened cherry, then this is exactly what you want.

Discover a beautiful complexity in the dry fragrance of cocoa powder, raw honey and bittersweet chocolate. This coffee favors a darker roast. Add hot water and more sweetness emerges along with hazelnut and a wonderful, classic chocolate taste, allowing for slightest bit of nuanced fruit to reveal itself. This works well for espresso and also makes for a pleasantly strong, well-balanced cup of coffee with an extraordinarily long finish.

Received 06/04/2013

Roast Color: Medium-to-Dark Roast Color
Prep: Wet-Process, Washed-Mild, Sun-Dried
Body: Smooth, Heavy-Bodied
Flavor Profile: Bright, Balanced Acidity, Caramel
Cupping Notes: The dry fragrance is undeniably nutty, with a sweetness aligned with dark berries and forest herbs. This is an unusual lot from South America, yielding a velvety body and flavors that hint at the more dark or robust.

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.