Peru El Lechero Yellow Caturra
$ 22.00
Our third single origin Peru of the 2023 harvest comes from Ulises Nayra and Victoria Ramos at Finca El Lechero, and we’re stoked to have their yellow caturra back at Huck after a one year gap!
We source our Peruvian coffees through Origin Coffee Lab, and when we first visited back in 2021, we tasted one coffee, that prompted a very quick “whoa, what is that?” Floral and vibrant, not quite Gesha-level intensity, but definitely moving in that same direction, and different than what we had expected. That coffee was a yellow caturra variety from Ulises and Victoria, and luckily, Ulises was actually delivering more coffee to Origin at the same time we were cupping. It was a no-brainer to chat, then visit his farm a few days later.
Caturra - typically bearing red cherries - is a fairly common coffee variety throughout Latin America, prized for both solid productivity and a sweet, if more traditional, flavor profile. But there is a mutation of caturra that produces yellow cherries, and when kept separate and processed with care, it can be a completely distinct experience. Floral, bright, complex, and delicate. It’s not quite at the intensity level of a Gesha or Pink Bourbon, but it’s a unique experience, and arguably a mellower, easier drinker than those other two, currently-fashionable varieties.
Last year we took a break from singling out Ulises’ + Victoria’s coffees, but this year, they worked with Merci Fernandez and the team at Origin to fine-tune the process a bit. While in many cases we love coffees fermented in-cherry, after tasting early examples we asked (and committed to buy, regardless of quality) El Lechero to depulp immediately upon harvest, then extend the fermentation after depulping. This lends to a more delicate cup, but one that lets the florality and brightness of the variety shine a bit brighter.
El Lechero is named after a tree on the farm that produces a milky sap when cut, and while we called this coffee “Ulises Nayra” two years ago, this is truly a family effort. Ulises and Victoria oversee both coffee and granadilla production on the farm, their son Dilver works in Origin’s cupping lab in San Ignacio, and Ulises mother Esperanza and stepfather Maximiliano live just down the road, with family members helping on both farms.
We’re digging El Lechero for not just its elegant complexity, but also its uniqueness from our other Perus - chocolatey Familia Peralta and fruity La Pomarrosa. Sugar cookie sweetness, black currant and blackberry fruitiness, key lime acidity, and soft florals for the win.
*** for roasting schedule, shipping, receiving & additional information, please visit out Frequently Asked Questions . And, for a primer on coffee processing, check out our Processing Basics Guide. ***
Pictured: Ulises Nayra and Victoria Ramos
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Burundi Gitwe Washed
$ 23.00
Huck has been with Long Miles since their first harvest in 2013, and each year we’re lucky enough to taste through multiple delicious coffees from the group. Long Miles isolates coffees from individual hills, with Gitwe and Ninga the most frequent in our lineup. This year, Gitwe hill produced our favorite washed coffee, and we’re stoked to roast this one over the spring and into the summer!
The Long Miles Coffee Project was founded by Ben and Kristy Carlson, an American couple who moved to Burundi. Upon seeing the difficulties farmers faced while Ben was working as a coffee trader, the Carlsons built two washing stations in the region, and have worked with area farmers to help them fetch better prices. By working with the farmers to develop stringent quality practices at the farm level, then washing and milling the coffee with meticulous care, Long Miles is able to ensure that the coffee is of the highest quality possible. By working with Huckleberry and other roasters who commit to coffees before they've shipped from Burundi, the Long Miles Coffee Project is able to pay the farmers a higher price for their coffee than they would receive on the open market and from other washing stations.
Gitwe is a specific hill near Long Miles' Heza washing station, and this coffee comes exclusively from the Long Miles farmers living on that hill. Over the past few years, Gitwe has produced some of our favorite coffees - natural, washed, and honey alike. For two years running, washed Gitwe has been our favorite Long Miles Coffee.
We’re tasting tangerine, honey, and peach tea (think iced, sweetened, in a bottle that rhymes with apple) in this year’s Gitwe. With body, balance, and acidic complexity all at the same time, it’s gonna be a roast team favorite for the entirety of its turn at Huck!
*** for roasting schedule, shipping, receiving & additional information, please visit out Frequently Asked Questions ***
Photos courtesy Long Miles Coffee Project
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Colombia Los Cortés
$ 22.00
Los Cortés is a funky, fruit-driven Colombia produced by Arlison and Javier Cortés in Colombia, and while we called it Colina del Viento last year, this year we decided to honor the people behind the coffee.
This style of fermentation leads to a very bright and fruity cup. When done well, washed coffees with extended (and in this case, atypical) fermentation processes can be some of the most unique coffees on the market, and we think Javier and Arlisson Cortés have created quite an interesting coffee here. Between the syrupy raspberry and mulled wine flavors, this coffee will expand your horizon in what you thought coffee’s supposed to taste like.
This one’s a complex ride for sure, and one of the funkier coffees we’ll carry this year. If you expect Colombia to mean straightforward and approachable (or if that’s what you’re looking for), this one will defy those expectations a bit. Expect intense fruit, a bit of booziness, and a unique experience here. It’s a small lot that we think will go pretty quickly, so hop on soon if you want to try something different!
*** For roasting schedule, shipping, receiving & additional information, please visit out Frequently Asked Questions . And, for a primer on coffee processing, check out our Processing Basics Guide. ***
Pictured: Arlison Cortés, from Shelby's sourcing trip in 2023.
East Timor Eratoi
$ 20.00
It’s been a minute, but we’re excited to have coffee from East Timor's Letefoho district and Cafe Brisa Serena back at Huck!
Coffees from the Pacific islands can be round and sweet, but the wet hulled process that’s common in the region - in which the coffee’s protective parchment layer is removed before drying - lends itself to premature fade and vegetal, funky flavors. So, we specifically seek out washed coffees from the islands, dried in their parchment to preserve the goodness and keep out the funk. The tiny country of East Timor has been on the comeup the past few years, in large part by focusing on fully washed coffees.
Cafe Brisa Serena is a social enterprise that works with farmers in East Timor's Letefoho district to improve growing and processing practices, obtain organic certification, and access the specialty market. This particular coffee comes from 15 organic-certified family farms in the tiny village of Ducurai that have organized themselves into a group called Eratoi, and is all washed on-farm, rather than at a centralized mill. Eratoi translates to water spring, and the group has named itself after a waterfall near the village.
While this coffee does come from a different part of the world, it has quite a bit in common with a subtle, but nuanced washed coffee from Latin America. So if you’ve liked Huck coffees like Productores Cafénor from El Salvador or Atitlán Aprocafé from Guatemala, this could be your jam. We’re tasting pleasant toasted almond, a subtly-spicy cinnamon, buttery pastry, and just a hint of red apple-like fruitiness. Eratoi’s an approachable everyday drinker, and we’re glad to have East Timor back on the menu for 2024!
*** For roasting schedule, shipping, receiving & additional information, please visit out Frequently Asked Questions . And, for a primer on coffee processing, check out our Processing Basics Guide. ***
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