India Ratnagiri
$ 20.00
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.
Ashok and Divya Patre are 3rd-generation coffee and pepper farmers, and for the past decade or so, the family has focused on innovative processing techniques and equipment to push flavor potential at Ratnagiri Estate. In this case, Ratnagiri produced a traditional washed coffee, and the result is a clean, approachable window into Indian coffee, without too much processing intervention. With notes of walnut, graham cracker + cocoa, spice, and baked, our second year of Ratnagiri is low acidity, milk-friendly, and easy-drinking.
*** 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: Ashok + Divya Patre at Ratnagiri Estate, courtesy Osito Coffee.
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Colombia Dario Rodriguez
$ 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. ***
Ethiopia Danche Marcelo
$ 24.00
Danche Marcelo is back, and we’re running this experimental washed process alongside a full natural from the same folks and the same place. Danche is the washing station in Gedeb, and while the natural is, well, a natural, Marcelo is named after the station manager.
Ethiopia's the birthplace of coffee, with unparalleled genetic diversity, plus unique terroir and processing that can produce super floral, citric washed coffees and the cleanest, juiciest, most berry- and tropical-forward naturals.
And Snap Coffees, a quality-focused exporter and washing station operator, has been a longtime partner for us at Huck. We've featured coffees from Snap's two washing stations in the kebele of Worka Chelbesa - the eponymous Worka Chelbesa station, plus the newer Danche station - for most of the last 5+ years, and coffees from within the Snap network often make up at least some, and sometimes all, of our flagship Phantom Limb Blend.
Over the past couple years, Snap has given its washing station managers the opportunity to experiment a bit with processing, and deviate a bit from the traditional washed and natural profiles. In this case Marcelo, one of the employees at Danche, pioneered a weird take on the washed process, keeping the coffee in-cherry, but in a sealed, cool environment, for 5 full days before undergoing a more typical washed process. Risky, but it works.
Last year, we spent some time with Snap in Addis Adaba, tasting dozens of coffees from throughout their network. When we came across the Marcelo process, it was "wow, wtf is this Amanuel?, we gotta have it" at first sip. And we were tasting samples blind, so even better that it came from a station we've bought from for years. Now we’re stoked to have it back for round two!
This one's combines the things we love in both the best washed and natural Ethiopias - citrus and florality, plus bigger fruit and body - without some some of the funky wine, pushing vinegar, that we sometimes taste in super-long fermentations. We're tasting nectarine and mango front and center, with white tea florality, subtle blackberry, and bright, clementine-like citrus acidity. Crisp, bright, and just a touch more fruit than you might expect in a washed Ethiopia.
*** 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. ***
*washing station photos courtesy Snap Coffees.
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Ethiopia Danche Natural
$ 21.00
Natural Ethiopia is back in the Huck lineup, and we’re kicking things off with this juicy and complex fruitbomb from the village of Worka Chelbesa and Danche Washing Station! Sweet, juicy berry flavors are the main attraction here, and they’re complemented by some delicious florals and citrus.
SNAP Specialty Coffees has impressed us quite a bit over the last few years. They’ve exported and dry milled some of our favorite coffees from the Guji Zone, but also own a few washing stations throughout Ethiopia. This is the second year we'll be showcasing coffees from their stations in Worka Chelbesa. Worka Chelbesa is the highest kebele (village) in the Gedeb municipality, and Gedeb is well-known for producing some of the best coffees in Ethiopia's famous Yirgacheffe region.
Several years ago, SNAP built its first washing in Worka Chelbesa, and named it after the town. After a few seasons with one station, Snap decided to build a second, newer station, closer to some of the more remote farmers, and named it Danche. This year we'll have two delicious coffees from Danche - this full natural fruitbomb and the return of last year's all-star, the experimental washed lot named after station manager Marcelo.
Berries, tropical fruit, jammy goodness, with a touch of florality and citrus to mix things up. This one’s for all you fruity coffee lovers out there - we hope you enjoy this one as much as we do.
For questions about roast and ship details, please visit our FAQ page!
*washing station photos courtesy Snap Coffees.
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