$ 23.00
Dario Rodriguez is back in the Huck lineup, and while his Pink Bourbon variety is an extra-special treat, we’re also roasting up some of his more “normal” coffee and slinging it in slightly less-fancy packaging. Hard air quotes around that “normal” though, because Dario’s other coffee is also delicious!
We’ve been buying coffee from the Desarollo Growers Association for years now, and two years back, our head roaster Shelby singled out Dario Rodriguez and his pink bourbon variety for special release. For the second year running, we went all-in on Dario, and are roasting up not just his extra-special pink stuff, but also his very tasty, “normal” coffee. It’s a touch less in-your-face, but still bright, sweet, and super enjoyable.
In a world where mono-cropping has taken over much of the Colombian mountainsides, Dario aims to create an old-world farm with organic and sustainable practices. While his main source of income is his coffee, Dario has only planted 11 of his 16 hectares with coffee trees. Why, you ask? Because Dario knows that the key to long-term success is biodiversity. Mono-cropping (planting only one type of crop in an area) can easily destroy a delicate ecosystem, cause major erosion and kill the nutrient rich soil.
From macro to micro, Dario has his operation molded into a symbiotic ecosystem. The ash from his stove and the scraps from his kitchen go into his compost. His chickens eat the fallen, overripe cherries off of the ground to control the insects, and they, in turn, fertilize the soil. The shade crops he planted exist to draw the right kind of wildlife, enticing the indigenous species back to the land, creating the bustling environment needed for truly phenomenal coffee. Not much happens by accident on Dario's farm, and that intention is something that we can taste in the cup.
Dario’s “normcore” coffee - primarily, but probably not only Colombia variety - combines bright fruit with more traditional and expected Latin American sweetness. We’re tasting molasses, boysenberry, and blood orange here, and this one’s coming in a full 12 oz bag.
*** 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. ***
$ 23.00
Last year marked our first foray into Indian coffee, and we're back for round two!
While coffees from India are a relative rarity on US specialty roasters' menus, coffee in India has a storied history, tracing back further than any country besides Ethiopia and Yemen. Indian coffee dates to the late 1600s when, according to legend, a Sufi pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled coffee seeds from the Arabian Peninsula, planting them in the Western Ghat mountain range.
Despite the long history, we haven't always associated Indian coffees with the qualities we seek out at Huck, and we had steered clear of coffees from mainland Asia until last year. Over the past few years though, producers in India, China, and Myanmar, to name a few countries, have raised the bar for specialty coffee in Asia, and we've had to reconsider our preconceived notions. Gundhikan and Ratnagiri Estates are among the producers that have forced us to open our minds to coffees from mainland Asia, and both happen to lie in Chikmagalur, India, the same region where Baba Budan purportedly planted his smuggled seeds.
Saif Ulla and his farm, Gundhikan Estate, are founding members of KaadKaapi Collective, a group of environmentally-conscious farmers aiming to preserve habitats and migration corridors for native animal species. Extremely dense shade cover and the occasional downed tree - courtesy roaming elephants and Gaur (Indian Bison) - make for significantly lower productivity and higher costs, offset by pursuing quality and earning higher prices.
Gundhikan produces only a small amount of natural-processed coffee each year, and it’s a privilege to roast it for you! This small, natural-processed lot is wildly fruity and a bit boozy, with notes of red wine, honey, bittersweet cacao, and pomegranate. Only available at Huck cafes and our webstore!
*** 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: Saif Ulla at Gundhikan Estate, courtesy Osito Coffee.
View full product details$ 22.00
Lucinda is back in the lineup and her coffee’s the official kickoff to our Aprocafé microlots for the year!
We've been working with the Aprocafé Association in Guatemala for years now, and back in 2015, Manuel Tzic Saso and Lucinda Puac Perez were the first two farmers Huck featured on their own. In the years since, we've roasted standout coffees from other farmers in the group, but it always feels good when we get to feature one of the OGs.
Lucinda and her husband Bacilio are some of our favorite farmers to visit when we make our near-annual pilgrimage to Guatemala - caring, hospitable, opinionated but open to feedback, and hilarious. All smiles, every visit. After a few years of good, but not amazing coffee, Lucinda made some subtle tweaks to her post-harvest processing, and the last 4 years have been a return to form!
Every farm’s coffee will fluctuate a bit from year-to-year, but Lucinda’s has been remarkably consistent since she’s made those process tweaks a few years back. We’ve come to expect red fruit and big sweetness, and the 2024 harvest delivers! We’re digging the sweet notes of toffee, with fruity black plum and tart cranberry punching through to keep things interesting!
*** for roasting schedule, shipping, receiving & additional information, please visit out Frequently Asked Questions ***
Pictured: Lucinda Puac Pérez and her husband, Bacilio Alescio.
View full product details$ 20.00
Guatemala is always on our minds here at Huckleberry, and even though the coffees from the AProCafé Aprocafé Growers Association might only be on our menu for a few months each year, these coffees represent year-round work and commitment from both Huck and the growers. After months of work and a bit of waiting, we’re always excited to drop this coffee back into the lineup.
We've been roasting coffee from AProCafé since 2015, and it’s been a hands-on relationship since day one. Several years ago we worked with the group to develop their first single farmer microlot program, and each year, have used a portion of proceeds from our holiday Sister Winter blend to help the group with a variety of projects.
AProCafé has used Sister Winter funds to purchase and apply organic-approved leaf rust prevention treatments, to build raised drying beds to improve coffee processing, and buy Brix meters to help in harvesting coffee cherries at their optimal ripeness. Three years ago, Sister Winter funds helped the group with a few final pieces of equipment at a new mini wet mill, close to the group’s more remote growers, and over the past few seasons, much of our coffees have been processed at the new station.
We’ll also have a few special single farm microlots from the group, but the coffees from AProCafé as a whole are equally special. We're tasting green apple, pastry, subtle berries, and almondy nougat in this year's crop - dependably sweet and delicious!
*** 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: Aprocafé co-director Pedro Isaias Gonzalez, plus the core group of Aprocafé farmers in Panyebar + Pasajquim.