Kickapoo Coffee

In an old train depot along Wisconsin’s Kickapoo River, an enormous 1930’s roasting machine whirs. The only known surviving machine of its size and type, the German machine turns out 30 kilos of elegantly roasted coffee at a time. This is how a small company like Kickapoo Coffee creates beans with a huge reputation. In this month’s box, the award-winning roaster gives us a rich and exotic take on a coffee farmed by the Tairora Smallholders in Papua New Guinea. This lush brew bursts with tropical flavors: sweet mango acidity, a creamy coconut milk body, with tarragon and cardamom notes carrying through into the finish.

We feature truly small-batch, seasonal coffees. So there might not be any left. But that's a good thing! Only big corporate factories have the same stuff all year round.

Wisconsin may be thousands of miles away from Kenya, but that hasn’t stopped Kickapoo coffee roasters from forging a long-distance friendship with the Kaliluni Cooperative. The former is a family business that values connection to the land and strong communities. The latter is comprised of 1,104 farmers producing high quality beans. The partnership ensures that these small-scale producers are recognized for their work. The flavor of this coffee is particularly complex, with grapefruit acidity leading into black currants and oolong tea. But it doesn’t end there – notes of brown sugar and bing cherries linger on your tastebuds long after.

We feature truly small-batch, seasonal coffees. So there might not be any left. But that's a good thing! Only big corporate factories have the same stuff all year round.