We’re pretty big fans of coffee subscriptions here at Sprudge. You’ve probably seen us go on about Nordic roaster-only subscription service Kaffebox, the global excellence of Dayglow, or Fellow’s new no-commitment sub, Fellow Drops. There really isn’t much better of a way to break out of your comfort zone to discover roasters and styles or to lean into an origin that you may otherwise shy away from than a well-curated subscription.
Enter Quintal, a new subscription service by Vac Air Brewer, whose novel new approach to coffee curation comes via a monthly selection from Latin America roasted in the same country of its origin.
We first reported on Vac Coffee back in 2018, when they were known as FrankOne, whose Sprudgie-nominated brewer—designed by Eduardo Umaña and Amor Perfecto’s Luis Fernando Vélez—was billed as the “first Colombian coffeemaker.” Now, after a rebrand, the company is back with a similarly-focused subscription in tow.
Called Quintal, which their website states is a “unit of weight used to trade coffee at the Origin equal to a hundredweight, a unit of weight equal to 100 lbs.,” the new monthly subscription is said to offer rare coffees, roasted in their country of origin by expert roasters. Past offerings include a honey-processed Yellow Caturra from Finca Pampojilá near Lake Atitlán in Guatemala roasted by 2012 WBC Champion Raul Rodas as well as a natural processed blend of Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai grown in the Jalapa region of Guatemala roasted by Q Grader Betty Leiva.
The latest offering is a homecoming of sorts for Umaña and Vac. The third installment, the Azahar, is an experimental processed Caturra variety hailing from Risaralda, Colombia, roasted on the farm it was grown on, using a Colombian-made Prisma Roaster, roasted by Q Grader Andres Quiceno.
Subscriptions run $20 a month for a 10-ounce bag of coffee. Shipments are made one day after roasting to ensure freshness.
I have to say, of all the many ways you can slice and dice and curate a coffee selection, giving complete control over a coffee the those in the country of its production is a new and exciting angle. For more information or to subscribe to Quintal, visit Vac Air Brewer’s official website.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
