July 2011 Tasting Box

Ozone Park, New York

Talk about micro-batch: The lots from the family farmers in Kenya’s Nyeri region are often too small to be processed on site. But rather than risk mediocre off-site processing, the farmers take their crops to the Kiamabara mill, where stringent wet-mill procedures ensure the best results possible. Case in point, this offering of SL-28 and SL-34 varieties grown at 1,615 meters by the Mugaga Farmers Society. Roasted by Dallis Bros. Coffee in Ozone Park, New York, the resulting brew is bright and lemon-y, drawing you in with tropical aromatics before developing into a sweet lingering finish.

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• Producer

  Kiamabara

• Origin

  Nyeri, Kenya

• Varieties

  SL-28, SL-34

• Elevation

  1,615 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed and sun-dried

• Our Notes

  Tropical fruit aromatics are followed by a bright lemon acidity that fades with a pleasant and lingering sweetness.

San Francisco, California

You have to admire the perfectionist streak of Luis Alejandro Ortega, a second-generation coffee grower in Colombia’s San Agustin. Rather than accept the status quo, Ortega is constantly working to improve his (already stellar) harvest. He grows only the Caturra variety, pays his workers a higher-than-average wage, and invests in equipment--like the raised drying beds that finished this wet-processed and fermented lot. The extra effort shows up in the cup: roasted by San Francisco’s Four Barrel Coffee, you’ll find bright, snappy notes of nectarine, orange zest and graham cracker.

Craft Coffee subscriptions are the best way to drink better coffee for less money. With prices as low as $7.99 per 12oz bag, Craft Coffee's subscriptions are the best coffee deal anywhere -- online or offline.

• Producer

  La Cabana farm, farmed by Luis Alejandro Ortega

• Origin

  San Agustin, Huila, Colombia

• Varieties

  Caturra

• Elevation

  1,725-1,750 meters above sea level

• Process

  Wet-processed, fermented for 14 hours and dried on raised parabolic beds

• Our Notes

  A beautifully balanced cup with a nectarine sweetness and acidity that cools with lingering notes of orange zest and graham cracker.

Ramsey, Minnesota

Nothing can approximate the mastery that comes with experience. And that’s exactly where La Minita stands out. For the past 20 years, the Minita team has perfected the concept of single estate coffee. Bringing their experience to Indonesia, La Minita partnered with another venerable producer, Volkopi, to source this delicious Sumatran lot. Roasted by Paradise Coffee Roasters in Ramsey, Minnesota, each cup yields a striking combination of vegetable garden flavors: notes of tomatoes and snap peas give way to muscovado sugar and a tinge of smoke. Indeed, it seems that two heads are better than one.

Craft Coffee subscriptions are the best way to drink better coffee for less money. With prices as low as $7.99 per 12oz bag, Craft Coffee's subscriptions are the best coffee deal anywhere -- online or offline.

• Producer

  Volkopi

• Origin

  Lintong Nihuta, Sumatra, Indonesia

• Varieties

  Ateng, Dejember, TimTim

• Elevation

  1,220 meters above sea level

• Process

  Wet-hulled and sun dried

• Our Notes

  Vegetable garden flavors of tomatoes and snap peas segue into muscovado sugar and a subtle smokiness. A clean and balanced cup with a creamy mouthfeel.