Exciting and Bright Spring Coffees

by Kevin Nealon May 05, 2014

It's an exciting time for us coffee roasters! The fresh crop coffees from Ethiopia have landed, are dialed in and have been tasting really exceptional. Our two Ethiopia offerings of the moment, the natural processed Ardi and a zero defect washed Yirgacheffe, really are the best of both worlds, especially when brewed and served as filtered coffee. The very berry, fruit forward and bigger bodied Ardi is a coffee that's easily accessible by all palettes.

The YirgZ is one of the cleanest, most aromatically intense coffees that we've ever had. A coffee that, in the cup, offers up flavors ranging from citrus and melon, to graham cracker and sweet honeysuckle florals. YirgZ is an amazing washed coffee produced by one of our importers, Keffa Coffee, and Masrshu Sima, the owner of a private washing station in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Compared to the already high standards for Grade 1 prep coffees, Mr. Sima employs twice as many workers and takes twice as much time to sort the green coffee that comprises YirgZ, with the goal of producing an exceptionally clean, zero defect coffee.

Our trial roast from Saturday tasted great on the cupping table. Super clean, with lemon and key lime brightness, lavender aromatics, and a sweet base of honey, graham cracker, and honeydew melon. This delicate but juicy coffee is going to be awesome for any paper filter brew, and killer as an iced coffee, particularly when brewed using the hot-over-ice/Japanese method.

Expect new, fresh crop El Roble from Costa Rica in 2-3 weeks. Last year's crop has been an all-star for us, and this harvest should taste even better. In the meanwhile, we've been playing around with using Phantom Limb as a brewed coffee here at the roastery and think it's a great option for a house blend or batch brew. Ardi is a fantastic natural, but it's a fruit bomb, and by itself can be a bit much as an everyday coffee. In Phantom Limb though, that strawberry-forward flavor is balanced with nutty sweetness from the Burundi Long Miles project for a great espresso or approachable-enough, but interesting and round-bodied filter coffee.