Origin of the Month
Our monthly coffee selections!
Learn about our monthly coffee selections! Every 30 days we bring in a new exotic origin and a new premium origin every quarter.
Origin of the Month April 2025
tanzania Organic Kilimanjaro AA
Coffee farmers in Tanzania often form alliances or cooperatives designed to help all the farmers have a better life. These organizations are called Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS). Small holder farmers (less than 5 acres) from four of these AMCOS along the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro contributed to this lot.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano, is Africa’s highest mountain, and believe it or not, is the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. The soil here is so rich and the climate so perfect for coffee trees that the farmers have no need to use non-organic fertilizers or products. The farmers use sustainable farming practices and agricultural strategies. The focus is on indigenous methods as this preserves the cultural aspects of coffee farming that Tanzania has historically produced.
The farmers in these AMCOS hand pick the ripe cherries and deliver them to a Coffee Processing Unit, where they are recorded for traceability. The cherries are de-pulped the day they are harvested and the beans ferment in water tanks for 72 hours. The beans are washed and sorted by density through channels with wooden shunts that control the flow. As the beans
travel through the channels, the lighter beans float. Workers remove the floaters from the lot. The processed coffee beans are then laid out on raised beds for drying for up to 14 days.
Dawn and I are really liking this coffee. It is smooth with a lighter body and bright acidity that gives it a clean finish. This coffee achieved a cup score of 84.25.
While enjoying this coffee you
may detect notes of Coca Powder, Dried Plum, Brown Sugar, Lemon Lime, and Black Tea. A Pairing Guide is available!
Origin of the Quarter Q2 2025
Costa Rica Montano Micro-Mill Anaerobic
We are really excited about this coffee, as it is the first anaerobic processed coffee we have brought to you. What’s the big deal, you say? Let me explain.
Anaerobic processed coffees are unique in that they are fermented without oxygen present. Freshly harvested cherries are placed in air-tight tanks. The oxygen is purged from the tanks and the cherries are fermented for up to four days. With no oxygen being present, specific bacteria and yeast strains thrive. These have a profound impact on the coffee’s acidity and flavor profile.
Nitrogen and carbon dioxide are prominent during anaerobic fermentation and workers vent these gases as is necessary.
Often, the result of anaerobic fermentation is a very clear cup, with heightened flavor notes and a creamy body. It sounds easy, but temperature, pH, and duration must be closely monitored.
Metabolically speaking, a process called glycolysis occurs that facilitates the synthesis of energy from the glucose in the cherries. This process breaks down the body of the cherries (mucilage) over about 4 days, as opposed to one day for aerobically processed cherries. This longer breakdown gives the coffee more distinct flavors and lactic acids.
This coffee was processed at the Montano Micro-Mill, which was acquired and set up specifically for the purpose of experimentation with processing methods. It is run by a man named Juan Ramon, who is also a coffee farmer and has a stellar reputation for consistently producing outstanding coffees.
The Costa Rican coffee community is more advanced than any other in the coffee producing world. The farmers always produce high quality and innovative coffees. These two characteristics make it easy for Costa Rican coffees to demand premium prices. In essence, Costa Rica is built to support its coffee. The country has high socio-economic infrastructure programs like universal healthcare, high education levels, sophisticated agronomy and research, and well-regulated agricultural sustainability
programs, all of which add to the high value of Costa Rican coffees.
This lot was grown in the Tarrazú & Tres Ríos regions of Costa Rica at elevations between 3,937 and 5,741 feet above sea level by various smallholder farms. This lot consists of both the Caturra and
Catuai varietals. This is an exceptional coffee; lighter bodied with bright acidity, that earned a cup score of 86.5. If you pay close attention while sipping this coffee you may detect notes of Cinnamon, Blackberry, Brown Spice, Mango, Raspberry and Tea Rose.