New Guinea Sigri Estate Peaberry

For some silly reason, Papua New Guinea coffees are routinely lumped together with other Indonesian coffees, but this varietal is distinct in almost every way. The New Guinea Sigri Estate Peaberry was initially established in the early 1950's with plant trimmings from East Africa. All plantings are exclusively Arabica, concentrating on Arusha and Typica varieties, making for a truly worthy single-origin coffee. These beans are hand-picked, sun-dried, and tank fermented, making for a fruit-forward coffee with a wonderful and intense concentration of flavors.

The dry fragrance delivers beautiful polished notes of raw honey and bittersweet chocolate with just the slightest hint of dark fruit. What really stands out is that, along with its unique character, this cup preserves a mouth-feel akin to a Sumatra or Java. There's blackberry in the cup that mingles with rich, compelling chocolate. There's a wild and rustic note that reminds me of chewing unrefined, hand-pounded cacao, accented by an array of spices, from cinnamon and nutmeg to ginger. This is another astonishing peaberry with a gorgeous, clean finish. Enjoy!

Received 10/01/2013

Papua New Guinea
Sigri Estate Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Wet-Hulled, 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.

Tanzania Ruvuma Peaberry

It's my job to find the most unusual, expressive, and tasty small-farm coffees. When something exciting comes along, I love to play with the coffee, experimenting with different roasts in order to discover how best to unlock the flavors. Your Tanzanian Peaberry is definitely one of the most popular coffees I've ever served, and it's back in the shop, just waiting for you!

This peaberry varietal is incredibly unique, presenting a zingy, bright character with a pleasant, velvety texture. The cup is sweet, with a husky, light molasses quality. The wet aroma presents a crisp, zesty acidity with delicate hints of orange blossom, cherry, and floral-toned sweetness. What makes this a wonderful brew is the touch of rustic exuberance in the finish, enough to remind you where the coffee is from. As the cup cools down, the perceived body increases, making this a wonderfully luxurious coffee. What I love most, though, is the slightest hint of wine-berry and apple, which I expect is why this particular coffee is so incredibly popular.

Received 08/20/2013

Tanzania Ruvuma Peaberry

Roast Color: "Full City" Dark Roast Color
Prep: Washed, sun-dried
Body: Medium, velvety
Flavor Profile: Bright, effervescent, lively and crisp
Cupping Notes: The dry fragrance has a subtle sweetness with a husky, light molasses quality. Once brewed, the wet aroma introduces elements of orange blossom and berries.

Papua New Guinea Nebilyer Valley Peaberry

This is some incredibly good coffee. Cultivated in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea, where several small farms are situated up along the hilltops, this gorgeous New Guinea Peaberry from Nebilyer Valley Estate is a sun-dried coffee with a bright, clean body and a dark caramel sweetness that makes it stand out among other Indonesian varietals.

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 a slight hint of rose pedals. Once brewed, these brisk aromatics are overpowered by salted 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 overly sharp.

Received 07/30/2013

Papua New Guinea
Nebilyer Valley Peaberry

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Wet-Hulled, 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.

Papupa New Guinea Korgua Estate Peaberry

Flavor profiles are often assigned by region, but I find there are always those unusual outliers to remind us how unique and varied each seed actually is. Indonesian coffees are typically known for being dark, strong, and earthy. Your Korgua Estate Peaberry from Papua New Guinea is infinitely more round, with a subdued creamy quality to it. Derived from trimmings from the famous Blue Mountain coffee trees of Jamaica, this coffee is a fantastic origin with an exceptional history.

The dry fragrance delivers a polished note of raw honey and bittersweet chocolate with very little sweetness. Once brewed, I've discovered that I'm really enjoying the velvety mouth-feel of this coffee. The wet aroma lifts out a touch of burned cane sugar and forest mushrooms, revealing genuine, old-world flavors, wild and rustic, reminiscent of hand-pounded Mexican cacao, salted caramel, and ginger. I also recommend pouring this over a bed of crushed ice to make the perfect summertime iced coffee. This is some seriously good stuff.

Received 07/02/2013

Papua New Guinea Nebilyer Valley

Roast Color: Medium-Dark
Prep: Wet-Hulled, 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.

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.

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.