We get asked by friends and family where to buy coffee a lot. It’s a tough question! It’s easy to lose track of just how many incredible, fresh, vibrant coffees are out there. Every week, we ask our advertising roasting partners for coffee recommendations they’re most excited about. Here’s this week’s collection of some of the most interesting whole bean coffee offerings available from talented roasters across the globe.
Amavida Coffee Roasters
CXFFEEBLACK
Equator Coffees
Greater Goods Coffee Co.
Joe Coffee Company
Madcap Coffee Company
Monogram Coffee
Night Swim Coffee
Olympia Coffee Roasters
Onyx Coffee Lab
Partners Coffee
PERC Coffee
Portland Coffee Roasters
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Verve Coffee Roasters
Our coffee newsletter subscribers get this list each week, a few days before anyone else—check it out over at Substack.
Amavida Coffee Roasters
Amavida Coffee Roasters: Honey Comsa —This medium roast Honduran coffee from COMSA Cooperative has a mild, berry-like acidity and a full body. It features pronounced dried fruit notes in the aroma followed by prominent flavors of raisin, fig, and molasses. Certified Organic & Fair Trade Coffee.
CXFFEEBLACK
Cxffeeblack: Fatherland—Kenya, Lions Hill Farm, Tinderet Nandi County, Solai Coffee Junt, Washed Peaberry. My father’s first connection to coffee, my first connection to coffee. When my dad went to Africa while in college, Kenya changed his life. Years later, he introduced Kenyan coffee to our household. I didn’t know it then, but this was the first clue that coffee, like me, was black. This cxffee is our latest from the all black supply chain, sourced by the Kuria family. They are a multi-generational African-owned Kenyan importing company bringing over coffee from their families and neighbor’s farms. We met the Kuria family at the second inaugural Color of Coffee Collective, and we’re so excited to be able to share the the first of our collaborative offerings with you.
Equator Coffees
Equator Coffees: Burundi Women of Turihamwe—This single origin coffee from Burundi is a returning favorite among our coffee team: delivering a cup that’s juicy, spicy, and floral with flavors of elderberry, cardamom, and black tea.
Turihamwe, which means “together we can” in Kirundi, is Burundi’s first washing station built and owned by women farmers and is located in the Ngozi Province of Burundi, near the northern border with Rwanda, which is an area that is known for producing some of the best coffee in the country.
Greater Goods Coffee Co.
Greater Goods Roasting: Santa Gema —Last year, we had the privilege of visiting some incredible farms in Nicaragua, including Santa Gema. At Santa Gema, Mario Vilchez produces a remarkable maracaturra coffee with flavor notes of cherry cordial, tea rose, and tamarind. We’re proud to say that this coffee qualified for Nationals at the US Brewer’s Cup competition, a testament to its exceptional quality.
Joe Coffee Company
Joe Coffee: The Village — Currently, The Village comes from the Rubí sisters’ farm Finca Ruland 2, in Las Vegas, Honduras. Andrea and her sisters’ skill and diligence shine through this lot of washed and natural coffees. Expect a complex balance of layered acidity and structured sweetness. Beginning with notes of deep citrus and stone fruit, flavors arc towards ripe cherry as the coffee cools, leaving us with a final, soft note of spice and caramel.
The Village is a celebration of women in coffee, composed of seasonally-rotating selections from valued relationships with female producers and cooperatives, aimed at highlighting and addressing this gender gap. According to strong research, investing in women increases the sustainability of coffee everywhere—women are more likely to reinvest their income back into their families, their coffee businesses, and their communities. And when access to decision-making and the
Madcap Coffee Company
Madcap Coffee: Miguel Ortiz—Miguel Ortiz is a native of Santa Barbara and a lifetime coffee farmer operating his farm, La Guinellera, alongside his wife and children. Miguel is viewed as the patriarch of Las Flores and drives the quality in the area. His coffee showcases what makes this region so unique.
The climate is cool so the harvest is one of the later ones in Central America. During harvest, a team of 10-15 people — mostly family — harvest the cherry. After harvest, the coffee is dry fermented for 16 hours. The coffee then moves to a parabolic dryer, a specialized tool that utilizes solar power for drying agricultural products, for roughly 7 days. In this year’s harvest, expect a balanced body with notes of clementine, cherry, and cinnamon.
Monogram Coffee
Monogram Coffee: Elida Estate Catuai —Lamastus Family
Panama is now world famous for the gesha variety, producing some of the most delicious (and expensive) geshas in the world. Gesha’s popularity had a huge impact on speciality coffee by emphasizing the importance and impact of coffee variety. At the same time that there is an intense interest in variety, there is also a move to understand how processing can elucidate unique varietal characteristics in coffee varieties. Elida Estate is world famous for their gesha coffees, but they have not rested on their success and they are trying to improve every coffee they offer–including coffees that are not gesha.
They grow a large amount of Catuai on the farm and they have developed a process that brings the best out of the variety. They ferment the coffee cherry in oxygen-free tanks for 5 days and then dry it very slowly for up to 30 days, with the last part of the drying finished in a covered tent. This process reveals the power and structure of Catuai, with big aromas, intense fruit, and a heavy body.
Night Swim Coffee
Night Swim Coffee: Kaku – Washed—CO-OP: Kaku
LOCATION: Menglian, Yunnan, China
ALTITUDE: 1400 MASL
VARIETY: Catimor
PROCESSES: Washed
Tasting Notes: Meyer Lemon, Mandarin, Almond, Nutmeg
The first container of specialty coffee left Yunnan, China for Australia in late 2015. Over the last nine years, Yunnan’s specialty coffee production has increased in leaps and bounds in both quantity and quality. We’re typically not familiar with specialty grade Asian coffees, but the truth is that these coffees can pass quality tests with flying colors and display an enormous amount of sweetness, consistency, and complexity.
We purchased two lots from the project in Yunnan, both washed and naturally processed 100% Catimor lots. Both of these coffees are high in complexity and sweetness, offered varied cup profiles, and we are honored to represent the best of what Chinese Specialty Coffee production has to offer.
Olympia Coffee Roasters
Olympia Coffee Roasting: Ariz Family Gesha Natural—Olympia Coffee: According to our sourcing experts, this coffee is—and we quote—”insanely ****ing good.” The coffee-producing superpowers of Ricardo and Marco Ariz are responsible for this mindblowingly-delicious, anaerobic-natural Gesha from El Salvador. We found flavors of strawberry jam and gummy candies, along with a florality that makes for an extra elevated cup.
Onyx Coffee Lab
Onyx Coffee Lab : Doyenne — One 10oz Box of the World’s Best Female-Produced Coffee Once a Month + Roasted and shipped the first Wednesday of every month.
Doyenne is defined as a woman who is the most prominent person in a particular field. Coffee production is traditionally male led due to the cultural relationship dynamics in producing countries. Women have always contributed to and are often the backbone of coffee production, contributing detail oriented, quality-focused excellence to the field. Until recent years, they are rarely honored for this work. Doyenne seeks to identify and amplify the stories of woman achieving incredible marks in coffee. The selections are curated by Andrea Allen, co-founder of Onyx Coffee Lab and 2020 US Barista Champion. The heart is for women to collaborate and to boost each other’s work and achievement through stories.
Partners Coffee
Partners Coffee: Burundi – Gahahe—Hundreds of farmers deliver their coffee to the Gahahe Washing Station in Kayanza, Burundi. The station serves the critical purpose of buying, sorting, and processing coffee, and also participates in a number of farmer outreach and support projects. In this fully washed lot, we taste delicious flavors of golden raisin and honey as well as dried apricot, caramel, lime, and subtle florals.
PERC Coffee
PERC: El Salvador Delagua Pacamara—We knew we had to bring it in as soon as we tasted this coffee. It reminds us of freshly picked strawberries, oranges, and maple syrup. Pacamaras are giant beans that yield big, juicy flavors with lots of sweetness, and Delagua delivers on that reputation in spades. Now, we can fit these beans in the dang bag.
Portland Coffee Roasters
Portland Coffee Roasters: Bridge Blend—This Limited Release is a blend of coffees from Guatemala and Peru. The Guatemala is from Maya Ixil, and the Peru is from the Pueblo Libre and Mamahuaca communities. When we cup this coffee it is floral and herbal, with hints of sugar cane and chocolate.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Ethiopia Mordecofe—We’ve been serving up Ethiopia Mordecofe for over 15 years now. A perennial favorite in our cafes for its versatility, it performs beautifully in any brew method. This year’s crop is brewing a complex and floral cup, sparkling with notes of nectarine, melon and jasmine.
Verve Coffee Roasters
Verve Coffee Roasters : ASTER— Formerly known as The 1950, Aster’s components highlight the best of what Ethiopian coffee has to offer. A key lime sweetness and brown sugar complexity come together to inspire adventure in your morning.
The 1950 began as a blend that played with the idea of being a mid-century, mocha-java-type vintage blend that combined two African coffees. But as Verve continued to evolve, The 1950 grew beyond its name origins. As our only blend sourced from one origin roasted two different ways, Aster is our star on the map that marks the birthplace of coffee – Ethiopia.
