Mountain Air Roasting

This washing station is high, even in a country where most of the washing stations are high to start with. Up at 1900 meters (and collecting coffee from another 200 meters up on the hillsides, Kigeyo was built in 2009 by Emmanuel (president of Coopac Cooperative and Sacof) to get where the good coffees are. This coffee was done in the Kenyan double fermentation style for increased complexity and sweetness. --Mountain Air Roasting

This coffee screams 'Yirga Cheffe.' It's floral, bright, and sweet, and with loads of fruit flavors that change dramatically in the cooling cup. This is one amazing cup of coffee. The fruits are lively, the sweetness is like pure honey, and the finish is pristine. -Mountain Air Roasting

Throughout the coffee-growing world significant strides are being made to promote direct relationships between farmers and roasters. In certain countries, though, these efforts remain difficult because of strict rules regarding how coffee can be sold for export. In Ethiopia, individual farmers that are not members of cooperative societies have only one option - sell their coffee through the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange. This system makes it impossible to know any coffee’s specific origin. On the other hand, this guarantees high wages for exceptional coffees, such as this captivating selection from the Sidama region brought to us by Mountain Air Roasting. So while it would be great to know the names and faces of the farmers behind this coffee, you can feel good knowing that the unparalleled quality of these Grade 1 beans has been recognized with premium prices. This is the second coffee we’ve featured from Mountain Air Roasting, a micro-roaster based in Asheville, North Carolina. The man behind the operation, Marshall Hance, brings a rather unorthodox perspective to the art and science of coffee roasting, with a background in textile materials science. His proprietary air-roasting technique produces coffees with a kind of sugar development we’ve never experienced before; it reminds us of the crystal texture of cotton candy, but without the sticky coating all over your mouth. We can’t pretend to understand the technical aspects of Marshall’s process, but with coffees as delightful as this Ethiopian gem, we can bet that other roasters are taking note and trying to capture some of his magic.

In southwestern Colombia, members of the APROCAFEQ El Paraiso Association have cultivated their own little slice of paradise. Banding together has allowed the collective’s farmers to bring their high quality coffees to markets around the world, and to develop direct relationships with passionate roasters, like Marshall Hance of Mountain Air Roasting. A material scientist and engineer by training, Marshall was first exposed to the delicate art of coffee roasting while working at an upscale restaurant. It didn’t take long for his inner-scientist to kick in. Soon he was designing a one-of-a-kind air roaster that gives him meticulous control over his roasting process. You can taste the result of his innovation in this beautifully-structured, sugary sweet Colombian brew.