June 2014 Tasting Box

San Francisco, California

Carlos Olivero named his parcel "Cubito" after a famous natural spring on the property. Cubito is planted out with Bourbon trees that thrive in the rich alluvial soil. The coffee from Cubito is wet and dry milled at Beneficio Bella Vista. Incoming coffee is mechanically de-pulped, fermented for 14-16 hours, and washed in concrete channels. The washed coffee is spread out on raised African drying beds where it dries for up to 15 days.

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• Producer

  Carlos Olivero Cubito

• Origin

  Antigua, Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala

• Varieties

  Bourbon, Caturra

• Elevation

  1,500 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed

• Our Notes

  Savory aromas of cocoa, cinnamon, and hazelnut open into a dynamic cup with flavors of black tea and cherry that finishes with a clean brown sugar sweetness.

New York, New York

Daterra is recognized as one of the most advanced and consistent producers of quality coffee in the world. Over the past 35 years they have worked to track every single part of the process their coffee goes through and how each step affects cup quality. Daterra is also known for their commitment to sustainable farming: they maintain Rainforest Alliance Certification and have set aside more than half of their farm—3,250 hectares—as a nature preserve. Daterra’s success has also enabled them to do revolutionary things for their workers. They provide profit sharing to all their employees as well as free day care and health care. Daterra is setting the standard for producing quality coffee without sacrificing care for the environment or their employees.

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

  Daterra

• Origin

  Cerrado, Brazil

• Varieties

  Typica, Bourbon, Mundo Novo

• Elevation

  1,150 meters above sea level

• Process

  Natural

• Our Notes

  Rich aromas of raisins and freshly roasted pecans lead into a creamy, full-bodied cup with decadent layers of peanut butter and milk chocolate that fade into a lingering, buttered toast finish.

Viroqua, Wisconsin

Named for the Reko washing station which started production in 2001 and is located in Kochere, Yirgacheffe. Kochere is the Westernmost part of Yirgacheffe and boasts some of the highest elevations in the region. This particular lot was grown at a staggering 1850-2100 meters. During harvest, which took place between late October and mid-January, about 850 farmers brought their red cherries to the station for processing. Cherries are washed with water from a nearby river, after which the cherry is removed from the bean by a vintage Agard pulping machine. The mucilage covered bean then goes through a wet fermentation for 36 to 48 hours depending on the weather. After a wash and an overnight soak, the coffee is finally dried on raised African beds for 10-12 days. If Reko is an indication of the quality of this season's harvest from Ethiopia, it's going to be a beautiful summer.

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

  Various Smallholders

• Origin

  Kochere, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

• Varieties

  Kurume, Heirloom

• Elevation

  1,850-2,100 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed

• Our Notes

  A lively Ethiopian with fragrant top notes of red licorice and raspberry lemonade that give way to flavors of peach, apricot, and dark chocolate, complemented by a delicate floral honey sweetness.

New York, New York

Ardi coffee is processed at a mill in the Guji area of Sidamo zone near Michicha and Kelenso Moconissa town. In Guji, 3 privately owned wet-mills pay individual farmers for their coffee. To assure that the coffee attains the right flavor, they pass through the drying cherries multiple times a day to pick out any under ripe cherries. Meanwhile the coffee is raked constantly to assure even drying -- minimizing the extent to which mildew and other molds could impart a fermented flavor to the coffee. This meticulous effort over the course of 3 weeks ensures a clean, natural Ethiopian.

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

  Ardi, Guji

• Origin

  Sidamo, Ethiopia

• Varieties

  Heirloom

• Elevation

  1,900-2,000 meters above sea level

• Process

  Natural

• Our Notes

  A nose of mixed berry jam introduces a cup bursting with juicy blueberries and strawberries, dark molasses, and a hint of fruity bubblegum, with a sweet and malty finish like a great Belgian ale.

New Haven, Connecticut

This is a solid organic coffee from the Potosi farm. The farm produces 100% of it's own organic fertilizers from their own cattle which receive natural, balanced feeding. The Potosi farm is cultivated with a blend of varietals such as Typica, Caturra, Colombia and Castillo. All coffee plants are managed and certified by standards of the Rainforest Alliance, NOP, CEE and JAS seas, meaning that from cultivation to fertilization all processes look to preserve the environment and workers' health. Cafe Granja La Esperanza manages 3 farms: Cerro Azul, Potosi, and Las Margaritas in eight distinct microclimates located in three mountain ranges in Colombia, which gives the experienced agronomists behind Cafe Granja La Esperanza plenty of room to experiment with a number of variables, such as microclimates, processing methods, and varietals. The team at Granja La Esperanza is driven by a combination of science, business, and an obsession with quality coffee. The team creates milling and processing protocols tailored for each distinctive microclimate and varietal. The staff is so dedicated to quality and research that they recently spent two years studying the famous Geisha varietal in Panama before becoming the first producers to bring the varietal to Colombia at their Finca Cerro Azul in Trujillo. Their dedication to quality goes so far that coffee harvesters must demonstrate a level of excellence during a five month training period before being qualified to pick the Geisha cherries at the peak of ripeness.

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

  Granja La Esperanza, Potosi

• Origin

  Valle Del Cauca, Trujillo, Colombia

• Varieties

  Caturra, Colombia, Typica

• Elevation

  1,550 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed

• Our Notes

  A lush, easy-drinking Colombian with flavors of caramel, black cherries, and rose water, accented by vibrant aromas of oranges and chocolate-covered graham crackers.