May 2011 Tasting Box

Portland, Oregon

This is a gateway coffee. A coffee that makes things click. The first coffee that blew our minds. Utterly distinctive, Ethiopian coffees like this classic Yirgacheffe from the village of Chalalacktu in the Kochere region are easy to fall in love with. Which is why this coffee, an heirloom varietal grown at an elevation of 1850-2000 meters that’s washed and sun-dried is hotly demanded--the coffee from this area makes up 30 percent of all the coffee exported from Yirgacheffe. What makes this coffee so singular? The body is delicate, almost like Earl Grey tea, while notes of lemon and bergamot linger throughout. Roasted by wunderkind Coava Coffee Roasters in Portland, this is the beautiful kind of coffee that’s amazingly typical for this stunningly innovative coffee company--even as it’s changing the way people brew coffee with clever gadgets like the Kone and AeroPress Disk.

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

  Kochere District

• Origin

  Chalalacktu, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

• Varieties

  Heirloom (Ethiopian)

• Elevation

  1,850-2,000 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed

• Our Notes

  The body is delicate, almost like Earl Grey tea, with notes of lemon and bergamot lingering throughout.

Ithaca, New York

There are only 16 bags of this coffee in the world. All of it produced by Aida Titirico Hilari, a 25-year-old mother of three. The Cima del Jaguar (“Jaguar’s Hilltop”) collective she runs with her husband Braulio and brother Carmelo doesn’t just have a really sweet name--it produced 3 of the top 10 winning lots in the 2009 Cup of Excellence. When the 2010 Cup of Excellence program was cancelled in Bolivia, coffee roasters rushed to lock up the best coffees in the country--Ithaca’s Gimme Coffee snatched up Aida’s entire lot. Grown at 1800 meters, Aida’s farm produces both the Caturra and Catuai varieties, which are washed and sun-dried and totally organic.

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

  Cima Del Jaguar, farmed by Aida Titirico Hilari

• Origin

  Caranavi, Bolivia

• Varieties

  Caturra, Catuai

• Elevation

  1,700-1,900 meters above sea level

• Process

  Fully washed and sun dried on elevated tables

• Our Notes

  Sweet aromatics of almond butter are followed by hints of tart cherry. The delicate and soft body of this coffee finishes with notes of dry Riesling.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Colombian coffee crops have been devastated by unrelenting weather and punishing floods. Which makes this coffee, a Caturra varietal grown by Didier Reinoso on a small farm in the mountains of Las Mercedes, Herrera at an elevation of 1700-1850 meters--where he also grows avocados, plantains, yucas and herbs--all the more exceptional. The first thing that hits you is the beautiful fragrance of tropical fruit. The finish is tart--this is a “juicy” coffee defined. As it cools, it sweetens to bittersweet chocolate. Washed and dried on covered patios, it’s roasted by MadCap Coffee Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who loves this coffee as much we do: They bought the entire lot to offer it exclusively. And we’re very happy to bring it to you.

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

  Didier Reinoso of San Isidro

• Origin

  Las Mercedes, Herrera, Tolima, Colombia

• Varieties

  Caturra

• Elevation

  1,700-1,850 meters above sea level

• Process

  Washed and dried on covered patios

• Our Notes

  Beautiful fragrance of tropical fruit with a tart finish that sweetens to bittersweet chocolate as it cools.