Region: Tarrazú
Name: F1 La Hacienda Naturally Processed
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 1 hectare
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Sudan, Villa Sarchi and Catimor
Cupping Notes: rum, tangerine, vanilla, grapefruit, sweet tart, strawberry, sparkling lemonade
Finca La Hacienda farm is owned and operated by Coope Tarrazu. For this small farm, the coffee trees are 8 years old and they have been harvesting for 5 years now. We’re offering this lot in 34.5 kilo bags to make this special coffee more accessible.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Natural Processed
Grade: SHB
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 2 hectares
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, blackberry jam, sweet tea and peach candy
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Total Farm Area: 2 hectares
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Processing: yellow honey processed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: strawberry, mango, balanced and dry
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Finca La Pastora
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,700 to 1,800 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: currant wine, blackberry, caramel and hazelnut
Location at Origin – Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Tana Karo Triple Picked ACEH
Processing – Giling Basah
Plant varietal – Catimor (Ateng) & Gayo 1 (Tim-Tim)
Altitude – 1,650 to 1,650 meters above sea level
Total number of farmers – 700
Total hectares – 800
Cupping Notes – citrus, lemongrass, beet-like acidity
In the northern end of Sumatra, around 700 independent farmers grow coffee alongside their family’s food. Each producer owns from 3 to 10 hectares each, cultivating coffee in the province of Aceh near the town of Takengon. This traceable Indonesian coffee, available as a Grade 1 lot, a Grade 1 Organic, or a Grade 1 Fair Trade-Organic, was sourced through Royal Pacific Indah International. Royal Pacific, one of our exporting partners in Indonesia, began as a group of local coffee traders in Medan, North Sumatra. In just a few years, the company grew into a 20,000 square foot office and warehouse space, where the team now specializes in Sumatran coffees.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Chimaltenango
Name of Farm – Finca El Pacayal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 masl
Plant Varietal – Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Green Apple
Finca El Pacayal is located in San Miguel Pochuta within Chimaltenango. The finca lies upon rich volcanic soil where the coffee is harvested from November to March and then shipped out from December to June. Finca El Pacayal uses substainable “shade-grown” techniques. The trees used to protect its environment and coffee trees include species like: Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga. All of these trees help with sun filtration. This process helps the coffee trees maintain their health. The sun filtration also maintains soil quality which is extremely important for production of coffee.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Mutiara, Gayo, Bener Meriah, Aceh, Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Mutiara Gayo Cooperative
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Certification – Fair Trade Organic
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Jember, Ateng, Bourbon, Bergandaal
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
F Gayo highland is the most well known place in Indonesia for it’s high quality Aribica beans and sustainably managed farms. “Gayo” itself means “nice” and comes from the local tribe which has around 85,000 people living in the mountains where this coffee is grown.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Pengalengan, West Java
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Smallholder Farmers
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Altitude – 1,300 – 1,500 masl
Cupping notes – banana bread, malt, chocolate
The coffee farms in West Java are mostly planted in sustainable forestry operation areas allowed and controlled by the local government. West Java was the first place in Indonesia where the Dutch first planted coffee during the Dutch Colonial conquest.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Ngura, Flores, Bajawa
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Semi-washed
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember
Cupping notes – spices, melon, dark chocolate, woody, red apple
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Sulawesi, Toraja
Name of farm – Smallholder farmers
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Giling Basah (wet hulled)
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember, Typica
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
Toraja is an exotic place located in Southern part of Sulawesi province.Toraja tribe is well known for their unique culture and one of the best in the world. Toraja tribe is also a “genuine tribe” in Indonesia. The coffee farms are planted on the plateau with unique texture of the land.
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Nyeri – Mount Kenya (Northern Kenya)
Grade – AA
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,500 meters – grown on highland slopes
Plant varietal – SL28, SL34, & Riuru 11
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – pomegranate, apricot, plum, cherry, bergamot tea
One of the first coffee farms established in eastern Africa, Nyeri Hill Estate planted its first coffee seedling in 1914. Located two kilometers northwest of the town of Nyeri, along the Nyeri-Ihururu road, this expansive estate stretches along the slopes of the region’s central highlands.
Nyeri Hill includes 1,415 total hectares, 344 of which are devoted to coffee cultivation. Here, 300 total employees harvest three main varietals: SL28, SL34 and Riuru 11. According to World Coffee Research, the SL28 varietal tends to be drought-tolerant and high potential for cup quality. SL28 and SL34 are unique in that they were both selected from single trees in Kenya, but these varieties are also susceptible to common coffee diseases. In contrast, Riuru 11, which makes up over 18 percent of the estate’s total production, is a varietal known for its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. As World Coffee Research explains, this dwarf hybrid varietal “owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production.” While each varietal’s susceptibility to disease may vary, the potential for excellence in cup quality remains constant.
Nyeri Hill is a unique coffee estate with equally distinct offerings. Here, management focuses on cultivating coffees that shine while also prioritizing the community’s long-term sustainability, both from environmental and social perspectives. The organization allocates part of its profits to academic development (with Nyeri High School), professional growth (with Kamwenja Teachers College) and community healthcare (with Mathari Mission Hospital). Along with these social commitments, the leaders at Nyeri Hill focus on reforestation in 250 hectares of the estate, preservation of natural vegetation to encourage biodiversity, and soil retention through solutions like Bermuda Grass cultivation. By approaching their role in the coffee industry holistically, Nyeri Hill Estate strikes a key balance between producing high-quality coffees and providing a high quality of life for their employees and partners.
Worka Sakaro
Origin - Ethiopia
Location – Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed, Natural & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200
Varietal – Indigenous Heirloom Cultivars (Kumie, Siga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: blueberry, lemongrass, melon
Worka Sakaro Washing Sation is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Origin - Ethiopia, HaloFuwaFuwate
Location – Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Grade – II
Processing method – Washed and dried on raised beds (150 beds)
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: floral, blueberry, spice, lemon
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – Peaberry
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – AA
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua – San Rafael
Name of Farm – Finca San Rafael Urias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed – 100% sun dried- no mechanical drying
Certification – Genuine Antigua
Altitude – 1500-1600 meters.
Plant Varietal – Bourbon 90% Caturra & Typica 10%
Shade grown with Gravilea and grown in volcanic loamy-sand
Cupping Notes – Very clean with a tea-like acidity, notes of honey-crisp apple, floral with brown sugar finish
San Rafael Urias is located in the highland valley of Antigua, the most traditional coffee region in the world. The farm was founded in the late 1800¹s by Rafael Valdes Quiroa. Today the farm is administered by the third generation of the Valdes family. It is situated in a very special microclimate. The naturally fertile soil is deep, loose, volcanic and sandy with good drainage. The weather is mild, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 60%, and 35 to 39 inches of precipitation each year. The coffee produced here, on 50% of the farm’s 226 hectares, is strictly hard bean, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, and has been recognized for its excellent cup quality, resulting from the care given during the entire process and the knowledge and experience passed down from its founder. After being handpicked, the fruit is wet-milled traditionally, hand washed with 100% natural water, and sun-dried. The strict quality control, utilizing samples and daily cupping, maintain an even and excellent quality. The farm is surrounded by hills and crossed by the Guacalate River, which also generates hydroelectric energy to power the wet mill. The farm has a small mountain forest with several sources of clean, naturally filtered water that carries nutrients to the plants and is used both for drinking and in the pulping and washing of coffee beans. The farm also produces berries, sweet potatoes, vegetables and basic grains, as well as dairy products.
Origin – Sidamo
Name of Farm – ECX
Grade – 3
Processing method- Natural
Altitude -1,550-2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes – muscadine grapes, funky, berry, winey
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Iglesias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 4,700 to 4900 feet
Plant Varietal – 60% Bourbon with 40% Catuai & Caturra
Cupping Notes – strawberry, Floral, Kiwi, Apple, Creamy Milk Chocolate, Baking Spices Finish
The famous ancient city of Antigua contains over 43 churches, so it is not surprise that this special coffee gets the brand “Iglesias.” Antigua Iglesias comes from the Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja in the state of Sacatepéquez at the slopes of the Volcano Agua. The coffee grows under Gravilea trees in rich volcanic soil. After harvest, the coffee is brought to the famous mill, Concepcion Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios, separated by size, density, and color. The result is a superior coffee with extreme complexities.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina & Anexo Portal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed & Natural
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Bourbon & Marsellesa
Washed Cupping Notes: honeycomb, dried apricot, yellow, apple, grape, lime
Natural Cupping Notes: cange sugar, watermelon, strawberry, fig
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the regions highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing coffee since 1842.
Origin – Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Name of Farm – Ixlama
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 1,524 to 1,830 masl
Plant Varietal – 50% Bourbon and 50% Caturra
Cupping Notes – juicy strawberry, bright, clean, balanced
Ixlama from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, comes from specialty-selected small producers, like Finca El Paternal and Finca Nueva Palmira, from the highlands of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad in the state of Huehuetenango. This shade-grown coffee is harvested and brought to the mill where it is sun dried on a patio and placed in “guardiolas.” It is separated by color via computer and density/size mechanically which results in a superior, clean, bright cup.
Cupping Notes: lemon, honey-nut cheerios. cherry
One of our freshest decaf options, this Kenya has been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, known industry-wide to give green coffees new life through the company’s proprietary process involving Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
As Swiss Water explains, “caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium,” creating clean, complex decaf coffee options in the process.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Burundi
Washing Station – Murago
Region – Muyinga, Butihinda
Altitude – 1,650 -1,750 meters above sea level
Processing – Washed
Drying method – Sun-dried on raised beds
Plant varietal – Bourbon
Cupping notes – mint, apricot, vanilla, botanical
Leading the charge for this coffee is Angèle Ciza, CEO of Kahawa (“coffee” in Swahili) Company, a leader in sustainability and women’s empowerment in Burundi. She believes that good coffee is achieved by using best practices in the nurseries and during picking but by also investing in additional training, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and cost sharing reductions for their producers. For her, investing in those who grow coffee, especially women, is essential to further developing Burundi.
Her company, Kahawa Company, also known as KALICO, operates seven washing stations in northeast Burundi, specifically in the Kirundo and Muyinga provinces. In the Muyinga province, you will find the Murago washing station, one of seven owned by KALICO. The mill draws in coffee from 3,023 producers from Bonero hill, who primarily grow the Bourbon variety. This coffee is selected from a combination of smallholder farmers in Butihina commune, lying between 1650m and 1750m above sea level, and processed at the Murango washing station. It is one of many coffees processed at Murango, and the collection of mills run by KALICO, which have placed several top scoring coffees in past Burundi COE competitions.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoRegion: Santa Rosa de Copán
Producer Group: Beneficio Santa Rosa
Certification: Organic
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level
Processing: Washed
Harvest Season: December to March
Cupping Notes: chocolate, grape, light berry, rose, lemon
The Copán Department of Western Honduras, a historically prominent area for the ancient Mayan civilization, is known for its fine cigars, tobacco, and of course, coffee. Here you can find Beneficio Santa Rosa de Copan, a dry mill and exporter working with small community cooperatives to produce specialty coffee and connect them to international markets.
Beneficio Santa Rosa was founded in 2005 with the intent of helping facilitate the exportation of high-quality coffee from western Honduras. Since then, they have continuously worked with various smallholder farmers, regional producer groups, associations, and cooperatives to promote specialty coffee in the region. For Beneficio Santa Rosa, coffee quality is the focus, and traceability is the method of ensuring it, for each lot is tagged so it can be traced back to its origin.
This organic certified lot of coffee is sourced from several small community cooperatives and processed by Beneficio Santa Rosa. Grown in soils rich with clay minerals, a building block for organic matter, these coffees showcase the rich quality potential present in Honduras. The pleasantly clean final cup is an ode to the hard work put in by the small-holder cooperatives and Beneficio Santa Rosa to bring this coffee to life.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
Region – Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas
Process – Washed & Sun-Dried
Altitude – 1,100 -1,800 meters above sea level
Variety – Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor, Catimor, Costa Rica & Marago
Cupping Notes – vanilla, dark chocolate and cranberry.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1300 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catua
Cupping Notes – cherry, pecan, pineapple, plum, honey
This coffee is produced under out Program Cafe Ecoforestal, an environmentally-friendly system, where farmers establish hardwood trees, fruit trees, banana plants, cover crops and coffee.
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certificate – Fair Trade
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1450 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes – hazelnut, red plum, candied almond
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Ibisi Mountain
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: Apricot, floral, honeyed, cherry fragrance with a delicate body
The Ibisi Mountain Hills washing station is located in the hills of
Southern Rwanda, just a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, which
has been traced as the source of the Nile River. Bernard Uwitije, a
native of the area, had been trading non-washed, ordinary coffee up
until 2015, when he realized the potential for fully washed,
specialty grade coffee. He built his first washing station, Gitega
Hills, which operated successfully in his first year and he decided
to expand the operations by building a second washing station,
Ibisi Mountain. The quality at both stations remain outstanding.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Ruvumbu
Processing method – Fully washed after a dry fermentation period, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,800 masl
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Sweet citrus, round body, pomegranate, fig, clementine, lime finish
The Ruvumbu Washing Station, once cooperative-owned, formerly processed around
100 metric tons of coffee cherries. Now that the station is under the ownership and
management of a private investor, it has produced 250 metric tons of cherries
for the first time this year. Ruvumbu uses a single-disc McKinnon
depulper and raised drying beds. Rwanda Trading Company is
responsible for milling and exporting 100 percent of Ruvumbu’s parchment
and green coffee. Despite the small volume from Ruvumbu, the
station has some of the best quality coffee in Rwanda. Ruvumbu
took 3rd place overall in the 2014 Rwanda Cup of Excellence
Competition and was given a Presidential Award for receiving a
cupping score above 90 points.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed and dried for 32 hours in a guardiolas
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Caturra Peaberry
Harvest Dates: October 2017 to January 2018
Cupping Notes: honey, lemon, with an almond fragrance and overall complexity
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing Type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed with a partial fermentation and dried for 32 hours using guardiolas
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Harvest Dates: November 2017 to February 2018
Cupping Notes: banana, plum, peach, pomegranate, bright and complex
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Mapache
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honeyed, dried on African raised beds for 20 days
Altitude: 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: white grape, honey, blueberry candy, starfruit, with a vibrant acidity and hoppy finish
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Pacamara varietal is selected and picked with a particular level of care, as this varietal requires more time to ripen than others. This specific lot comes from a part of the farm called El Batallón, which can be difficult to access due to its narrow roads. Here, nimble pickup trucks haul small loads of cherries to transfer to a larger truck parked at a nearby soccer field at Finca El Naranjito. Drivers bring the cherries to Beneficio El Recreo, where the entire wet milling process is done manually for this coffee. Mapache uses a manual depulper before carrying the coffee in small batches to African raised beds where they dry for nearly 20 days. The Pacamara varietal, first created in 1958, was derived by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varietals. This particular lot, one of our favorite Salvadoran coffees of the season, balances notes of brown sugar and citrus with a unique hoppy finish.
Name of Farm: Mapache Partida #74 Fantastic Four Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo, then sun dried on clay patios
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Red & Orange Bourbon
Cupping Notes: white grape and dried fruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this washed Bourbon lot one of their Fantastic Four Coffees. This specific lot comes from Vía María which is the highest part of the farm. The farm is planted with entirely pure Orange & Red Bourbon plants.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honey
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Bourbon
Cupping Notes: kiwi, brown sugar, honey, tropical, orange blossom
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this Bourbon Honey lot one of their “Fantastic Four Coffees”. It was processed 100% by hand at their milling station. The fresh cherries are first floated using barrels full of clean water, then the pulp is separated using a manual pulper that uses no water at all. The mucilage covered beans are dried on their raised beds for more than 15 days. Partida 112 was picked in the middle of harvest when most of the cherries are perfectly ripe, making selection easier. The cherries come from unique rows of Bourbon planed at 1350 meters above sea level on “El Tamagás” peak, a mountain named from the poisonous snake that inhabits the mountains of Concepción de Ataco.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito I & II and Finca Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Pacas and Bourbon
Cupping Notes: tart, cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Gifted with an ideal climate for growing coffee, Finca El Naranjito and Casa de Zinc sit at an average of 1,300 meters above sea level with a stellar view of the Pacific Ocean. El Imposible National Park, the largest forest reserve in El Salvador, sits just one mile away. As with every coffee we source through Mapache, you can be sure that thoughtful preparation and consistency shine through in the cup.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Kigali
Farm – Inzovu
Processing method – Fully washed
Altitude – 1,400 – 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon & Typica
Cupping Notes – fig, cantaloupe, and orange with a syrupy body
Our Inzovu PB coffee blend comes from 75 washing stations in RTC’s supply chain. 16 of those washing stations are owned by RTC, and the rest are pre-financed and work exclusively with RTC. The coffee is gown in fertile volcanic soil at an altitude of 1400 meters and above. The cherries are selectively handpicked, wet-processed, and sun-dried on raised tables for a period of 15-20 days. After drying, the parchment is delivered to RTC’s dry mill for hulling and grading, whereby the round beans get separated from the normal flat beans. The Inzovu PB brings unique features to the taste of Rwandan coffee, with balanced acidity, mellow body, and a sweet lingering aftertaste
“All decaffeinators utilize the same steps to accomplish the extraction of caffeine from green coffee. The steps include Steaming, Hydration, Extraction and Drying. All of the steps are done in 3 primary pieces of equipment. First is the Pre-treatment tank, second is the Extractor and the last step is done in the Dryer. Each piece of equipment is designed to specifically achieve a desired result. The internal design differentiates the decaffeinated coffee processors.
Our proprietary DFE Decaf Process ® design enhancements provide the platform necessary to achieve coffee decaffeination with considerably less drain on resources. By reducing the amount of resources and energy required to produce our decaffeinated coffee, we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint once again. Our proprietary DFE Process ® has positioned QUSAC as the leader in the decaf industry for the lowest carbon emissions.
By using Green Chemistry, our DFE Decaf Process ® has achieved the incredible results in our flavour profiles. Our team has determined the optimal parameters to target the caffeine with surgical precision and remove it from the green coffee beans. We named this step Target Specific Extraction Technology (TSET). TSET not only extracts the caffeine with surgical precision, it can also be used to extract unwanted mould and fungi such as the one responsible for the production of naturally occurring chemical compounds known as Mycotoxins. The end result is a decaffeinated coffee overflowing with its natural flavours.
Our DFE Decaffeinated coffee is the best tasting decaf with the lowest carbon footprint and presents the consumer with a decaffeinated cup of coffee that is free of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Our decaffeinated coffee is clean, fresh, healthy and eco-friendly. It is the socially responsible choice.” – Qusac Decaf
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Kiambu County
Grade – AB
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant varietal – SL28 & SL34
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – apricot, starfruit, grapefruit-like acidity
Three kilometers south of the town of Kiambu, 105 hectares of land creates Ibonia Estate. Leaders of the property, which lies 1,700 meters above sea level, focus on organic matter management and soil conservation as top priorities in coffee production. Ibonia Estate sees the value of the region’s soil – a deep, reddish-brown composition known as Kikuyu loam – and recognizes its role in developing to the distinctive qualities of their coffee offerings.
Aside from the farm’s soil, Ibonia Estate embraces its local climate, which features cool, wet periods from May to July. This environmental pattern allows the coffee plants to mature slowly and develop complexity in flavor. Each day, 200 community workers gather at Ibonia Estate to harvest, wash, and sort the day’s share of the 180 tons of coffee the property exports each year. Ibonia Estate primarily cultivates SL28 and SL34 varieties, both known for communicating exceptional quality in the cup.
Origin – Ethiopia, Aroresa, Jengelo Tedeta
Location at Origin – Sidamo
Grade – Grade 3
Processing – Natural, Sun-dried on raised beds (130 raised beds)
Altitude – 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping notes – strawberry, citrus, honey, plum
Aroresa (pronounced “A-ro-ress-a”)
Name of Farm: Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,350 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: caramel, mango, grapefruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Much like it’s honeyed counterpart, Mapache’s Pacamara Natural is characterized by its thoughtfulness through the entire harvesting and milling process. The area where this Pacamara cultivar is located is privileged, totally protected from the strong winds and direct sunlight. It is also surrounded by untouched forests that provide the trees with great amounts of natural nutrients and minerals. Mapache’s team of coffee pickers delicately select the ripest cherries to ensure longevity and continual protection. At the processing station, the coffee is floated and then spread over moveable drying beds. The coffee is then monitored constantly for 25 days to ensure even drying. This lot of bronzed-leaved Pacamara is 4 years old and produces a coffee with a particular grapefruit note, lingering aftertaste and some hints of caramel and mango.
Name of Farm: Santa Erlinda
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Sampacho
Cupping Notes: strawberry, spices, pineapple
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Santa Erlinda is a small farm located in the town of Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. Santa Erlinda receives more than 3000 mm of rain a year, making it a very fertile land for growing coffee. The Sampacho cultivar is nestled among cedar trees and surrounded by Copalchi windbreakers.
Santa Erlinda goes back three generations. It is a small but very productive farm that was replanted in 2014 after the coffee rust breakout of 2012 wiped out the entire farm. The property is now taken care of 5 young farmers who work yearlong doing every task needed to produce great coffee. When the harvest is ready, the families that live nearby come to carefully select the cherries that are then processed in Beneficio Recreo.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Farm: Sigri Coffee Estate
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Arusha, Caribbean Blue, Catimor, Maragogype
Altitude: 1,550 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, honey, peach, pecan, melon, starfruit acidity
The Sigri coffee estate is located in the Waghi Valley, a fertile region of the western highlands and Jikawa Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Carpenter Estates, a collection of three farms which span over 3000 hectares of coffee and tea. The 125-acre Sigri estate stands at 1,500 MASL and uses precisely managed shade trees to promote even coffee ripening, improved quality, and diversified wildlife habitat. The estate and those nearby are home to some 90 various species of birds, resulting in being awarded “bird-friendly” status.
The quality of coffee produced is representative of the unique factors that go into its production. The coffees planted at Sigiri Estate are all of Typica origin, originating from seeds of the Jamaica Blue Mountain variety planted here many years ago. Following strict quality control measures, the coffee is wet-processed throughout a three-day fermentation process and then sun-dried for 10 to 14 days. After hulling, the coffees are sorted using both color sorting machines and hand-sorting to ensure consistency and quality. The end result of this rigorous quality control is a uniquely complex coffee truly reminiscent of PNG. The final cup is medium-bodied, layered with tropical fruits and soft lemon acidity that finished with milk chocolate and spice notes.
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Processing type: Washed, Natural, Anaerobic Natural, Lactic Honey
Variety: Caturra, Chiroso & Colombia (single variety available)
Altitude: 1,800 to 2,700 meters above sea level
Located in Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia, La Reserva exemplifies the struggle that is coffee farming, but also a sign of what’s possible with perseverance. The 70-hectare farm is split between two areas, and nearly half this land is within a protected nature preserve and is home to a wide diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Andean Bear. The other half of the land lies on its own and has seen its fair share of challenges, as the previous owners were unable to maintain it due to insufficient profit from low coffee prices.
The land has now been taken over by a pioneering farmer, Juan Felipe, who looked past the abandoned plots and saw the teeming potential for specialty coffee. Noticing the fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,800 m.a.s.l. and 2,700 m.a.sl., Juan took the initiative to breathe new life into this beautiful farm.
In its second year of focused specialty production, the coffees from La Reserva are already showcasing the depth and diversity of its land. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Colombia varieties, the coffee possesses pronounced citrus fruit character, natural sweetness, and a pleasantly creamy body. The utilization of various processing techniques, whether it be washed, honey, or natural, only further accentuates the diversity of flavors possible from the coffee at La Reserva.
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Natural
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – pineapple, stonefruit, red apple, vanilla, lime
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Honey
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – lemon, peach, plum, grapefruit, hibiscus
Producer – Diédericks Gadea
Farm – Los Encuentros – Los Pedernales
Region – Jinotega
Altitude – 1,230 meters above sea level
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – Natural, Sun-dried
Variety – Catuai
Farm Size – 17 Ha total; 9 Ha Coffee
Cupping Notes – berries, champagne, orange, lime
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
LosEncuentros became the first farm producing Ecoforestal coffee in the community
Name of farm: La Yalena
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural, selective picking, sun-dried
Varietal: Caturra
Altitude: 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: lime, citrus, jasmine, raspberry, red tea
Elkin, with his family, wife Fernely and his daughter Dana Yalena who was the inspiration for the name of the farm all together live on this farm. Elkin comes from a coffee producer family. He bought the farm with the money that he had been saving for several years working as a coffee picker on other farms. In the beginning, he only had 500 coffee trees which were insufficient to make living out of it and he decided to move to Medellín, but life in the city was very different and he decided to come back to his farm. This time things were different. Elkin knew that the only way to make it work is to do everything differently. He needed to improve the quality of the cup to get a better price, and he began to produce honey processed coffee.
Elkin realized that picking quality is the key to improve the cup profile. He started paying more to his workers and process coffee differently and more thoroughly. Firstly they remove floaters then depulp and begins drying, carefully raking to ensure even drying process. He is going to learn more techniques to improve the quality of his coffee and he wants to be recognized as a high quality coffee producer.
Farm: Cadefihuila Cooperative
Region: Huila
Variety: Castillo, Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,550 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: chocolate, apricot, green apple, citrus
Located in Nieva, Huila, Cadefihuila was established in 1963 when a group of coffee growers joined forces to develop opportunities for sustainable coffee growing practices and to empower its members by providing access to better methods for drying parchment. Through this, the Cooperative has achieved success by improving their coffee quality, supporting their farmers, and by creating an organization that enables their farmers to reach across borders with a coffee they can be proud to share with us.
Cadefihuila’s smallholder farms spread across Southern Colombia in the Andes Mountain Range. These small acre farms have fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,100 m.a.s.l. and 1,550 m.a.sl. are ideal for growing quality coffee. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Castillo varieties, this coffee possesses a natural sweetness, hints of green apple, citrus, apricot, and pleasantly creamy body.
Farm: Marcala La Paz
Region: Marcala
Variety: Catuai, Lempira, Ihcafe 90
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: orange-like acidity, raisin, and milk chocolate
COMSA is a society of small coffee producers in the Marcala Region in La Paz, Honduras. The group was founded with aims to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions for farmers in the region, focusing on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
COMSA was founded in 2001 and now has 1,573 members focused on innovation, constant learning and training, and commitment to their community. This lot was harvested at peak maturation and then placed in a de-pulper before being left in a fermentation pile. The coffee is then washed and dried on patios and mechanical dryers until the parchment reaches a moisture of 12%.
Origin - Ethiopia, Biloya
Location – Kochere, Gedeo
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed & Natural
Altitude -1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Varietal – Kumie, Diga & Wilsho
Cupping Notes: blueberry pie, pineapple, kiwi, vanilla, watermelon
The Kochere district is one of the woredas (districts) in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gedeo Zone, Kochere is bordered on the east by Gedeb, on the southwest by the Oromia Region, and on the north by Yirgachefe, all well- known coffee-producing regions. Kochere is a diverse woreda which is made up primarily by three ethnic groups, the Gedeo, the Oromo, and the Amhara, in order of population. The coffees produced in this area are consistently some of the most beautiful coffees grown in the world thanks to the unique combination of the local environment, coffee genetics, and processing methods. Numerous variables come together to develop the unique flavors present in this coffee. First, the coffee is grown at noticeably high altitude, around 1,700 meters above sea level. Temperatures stay cool, with average highs around 70 °F and lows around 60 °F. Additionally, the varieties, Kumie, Diga, and Wilsho make up this coffee, which are all local varieties to this area of Ethiopia. This may account for what makes this coffee stand out, as these are not common to any other areas of the world. Lastly, this coffee is processed carefully using typical dry processing methods. To process this natural coffee, the coffee arrives to the Kocherie Beloya (or Biloya) washing station where is first sorted by hand to select the densest cherries. It is then taken to raised beds where the coffee is dried for up to 21 days. After drying, the coffee is milled and ready to be shipped off. Naturally processed Ethiopian coffees are often the coffees that stand out for the profound sweetness and fruit notes, and this one stands up to that.
Name of farm: Fazenda Reunidas Bela Vista
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Honey
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 – 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: dark chocolate, almond butter, brown sugar
Fazenda Bela Vista was founded in 1981 by Paulo Enídio Crabi in the rural mining town of Eloi Menes. In 2015, Bela Vista received UTZ certification ensuring that there are good agricultural practices, sustainability, social responsibility, traceability, conservation of the ecosystem, preservation of wildlife, and fair working conditions.
Bela Vista uses a ‘fertigation’ system that distributes fertilizer with a mixture of water directly at the roots to reduce water and fertilizer waste. This coffee was processed using a semi-washed honey process and has notes of dark chocolate, almond butter, and brown sugar.
Kumara Blend
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed – Sun-dried (8 days) 14-16 days of fermentation
Variety: Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,980 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, orange, apple
Catalina Vásquez, a fourth-generation coffee producer, helps manage and market harvests from her family’s three coffee farms in Antioquia.
Through her family’s decades of growing experience and her forward- thinking, entrepreneurial eye, Catalina and her family have invested in other farmers throughout the country to create a modern Colombian coffee brand called Cafelumbus. By sourcing coffee from farmer friends in other regions of Colombia Cafelumbus ensures a constant supply throughout the whole year.
Jaer Palacio Morales, Gloria Ruiz, and their two children, Samuel and Miguel own El Guayabal where they have producing coffee for 10 years. Jaer has always been surrounded by coffee in his life and bought Guayabal after a friend suggested he produce coffee in Antioquia. Since then Jaer and his family have been working to perfect their coffee. El Guayabal is located at 1,980 meters above sea level. Jaer has planted Caturra and Colombia on the farm and has been experimenting with perfecting washed coffees on his small 5-hectare land. He produces around 45 bags annually. This lot was fermented for 14-16 hours and then sun- dried for approximately 8 days.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Sun Dried
Variety: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raisin, melon, PEZ
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Bolivar Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Bolivar Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed
Variety: 50% Caturra, 30% Colombia, 20% Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, stone fruit, orange
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Giraldo Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Giraldo Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Carbonic Maceration 120 hours with CO2
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1,950 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raspberry, vanilla, pineapple
Region: Sierra Nevada
Processing type: Fully washed
Certification: FairTrade Organic
Variety: Caturra, Castillo & Colombia
Altitude: 700 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: red apple, caramel, floral undertones
The Tayronaca Cooperative (Asociación Tayronaca) was founded in 2014 by producers from Colombia’s far Northern coastal area. The farms of these producers are nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, just 26 miles from the Caribbean coast.
With altitudes of 1,700 meters above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is one of the world’s highest coastal ranges.
The Magdalena coffee zone is home to incredible biodiversity and has the ideal environmental conditions to produce specialty coffees. The Asociación Tayronaca has over 200 members from the surrounding communities. Most of these communities are Indigenous Arhuhuaco, Chibchan-speaking people, and descendants of the Tairona culture.
Most families do their own harvesting and processing with a manual pulper at their home. The leftover cherries are used as fertilizer for the coffee trees. The coffee is fermented for 12 to 48 hours and dried on patios.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
CoopeTarrazú is a Costa Rican cooperative made of over 3,500 partners and associates in the province of San José. Bearing in mind the organization’s values of solidarity and sustainability, CoopeTarrazú prioritizes the welfare of its associates, their families, and communities by providing hands-on technical assistance and investing in solutions to combat challenges like coffee rust.
One of the most recognizable coffee-producing regions in Costa Rica, Tarrazú accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total coffee production. Each coffee exported by CoopeTarrazú is cultivated at an elevation of 1,200 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Harvest coincides with the region’s dry season, which lasts from November to March, this contributes not only to coffee uniformity but also the ability to process the coffee by sun-drying.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Honey
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Geisha
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
During harvest time at Finca Nueva Granada, in the municipality of San Marcos, seasonal workers strap wicker baskets to their waists each morning, preparing to pass through the farm’s full groves, making pregnant bellies of deep red coffee cherries.
Nestled between Guatemala’s tallest volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, the
coffee trees at Finca Nueva Granada sit high on mountainous slopes in soil made rich by volcanic ash. After picking, employees use the farm’s spring water source to pulp the cherries, washing and grading the coffees before they are dried on patios. This season, we’re proud to collaborate with Finca Nueva Granada once again, continuing to build our 15-year relationship with Guatemala’s first Rainforest Alliance- certified farm. We’re especially excited to offer a Honey Processed Geisha.
Finca Medina
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed, Black Honey, Yellow Honey, Natural
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon and Marsellesa
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the region’s highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing quality coffee since 1842. Located in the village of San Lorenzo El Cubo, in the region of Ciudad Vieja, Finca Medina includes two estates, one named after the organization itself and the other called Anexo Portal. At both farms, the staff implements some of the most modern processing technology we’ve seen in Latin America, contributing to
each coffee’s consistency and quality. In addition, Finca Medina has been a member of the Antigua Coffee Producers Association since 2000 and has maintained a focus on producing Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees in recent years.
Red Honey Uraga
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Guji, Sidamo
Name of Farm – Uraga
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: cherry, orange
Uraga Washing Station is located in the Guji Zone with over 600 smallholder farmers contributing cherries. These farmers grow their coffee on the mountain slopes of Guji at 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Guji is part of the Oromia region which shares a border with the Gedeo Zone. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then red honey is processed. When the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Natural – Sun-drying 2 days pre-drying, ceramic floor 10 days raised beds 28-45C & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Cupping Notes: raspberry and melon
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants. The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares Typica
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Red Honeyed – Sun Dried for 10 days
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Typica
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares F1 Centroamericano
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Anaerobic Natural & Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: F1 Centroamericano (Sarchimor x Rume Sudan)
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Worka Chelchele Gedeo Yirgacheffe
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Gedeb
Name of Washing Station – Worka Chelchele (Chelchelie)
Grade – Grade 2
Processing – Washed
Altitude – 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: candied lemon, jasmine tea, red fruit, good body
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho) Gedeb Worka Chelchelie Washing Station is located in the Gedeo Zone and is named for the village (kebele) of Chelchelie. The smallholder farmers frown their coffee on steep mountain slopes at approximately 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Cordia, Africana, Acacia, and Ensete trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and over-ripe and under-ripe cherries are handpicked and separated before pulping. Coffees are pulped and allowed to ferment naturally for 36-48 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean running water and sun-dried for approximately 18 days or until the desired moisture content of 11.5% is reached. Dried parchment is then stored in a field warehouse until ready for transport to Addis Ababa.
Shefina, Yirgalem, Sidamo RA OG UTZ
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Yirgalem, Sidamo
Name of Washing Station – Shefina
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Natural
Altitude – 1,900 to 2,300 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars
Cupping Notes: chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberry, delicate body
Sidamo has climatic conditions, including altitude, rainfall, and temperature that create a wonderful environment for quality coffee. Specialty coffees from Sidamo are grown mainly in small villages (kebeles). These kebeles refer to the coffee as “garden coffee” which is grown at low density, only around 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, and is fertilized with organic matter.
Ripe coffees arrive at the Shefina washing station where they are pulped and allowed to ferment. The fermented coffee is washed with running water, soaked, and then dried until the desired moisture of 11.5%. This lot from Shefina washing station is RA, Organic and UTZ certified and has notes of lemongrass, lime, and honey.
Red Honey El Diamante
Origin – Nicaragua
Location at Origin – Jinotega
Name of Farm – El Diamante
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Varietal – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes: orange, vanilla
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Farm: Kuta Kofi Mill
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Bourbon, Arusha
Altitude: 1,600 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, papaya, toffee, dried apricots
The Kuta Papua New Guinea is sourced from smallholder farmers in the Upper Waghi Valley. The region has black volcanic loamy soil and a climate favorable for growing quality coffee. Receiving approximately 1,800-2,000 mm of rainfall per year with a dry season from April to August.
The coffee is processed at the Kuta Kofi mill. Smallholder farmers from Ambra, Kelewa, and Wurup bring cherry to the Kuta mill for purchase. The cherries are sorted and depulped before being fermented in vats for 36 hours. The coffee is washed 3 times and then brought to large sun-drying fields. The coffee is fully sun-dried on tarpaulins for 3 to 4 hours daily for a period of 5 to 10 days depending on weather conditions. The dry parchment is taken to the dry mill and placed in wooden conditioning bins where it is allowed to rest for 2 to 3 weeks prior to hulling. The result is a lovely coffee with chocolate, papaya, and toffee.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Gitega Hills
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: apricot, floral, honey
The Gitega Hills washing station sits within the hills of Southern Rwanda, located a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, a national park known for its incredible biodiversity of endemic species. Here, local farmer Bernard Uwitije focused primarily on producing commodity coffee until 2015, when he realized the potential for processing fully-washed specialty coffees in partnership with Rwanda Trading Company. Rwanda Trading Company was established in 2009 as a vehicle for positive social impact. This group has displayed a consistent commitment to securing economic freedom and security for smallholder farmers by building resilient, transparent supply chains.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Mwito
Processing method – Natural, dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,347 meters above sea level
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: purple grape, jolly ranchers, blueberry, aloe
The Mwito Washing Station sits on the shores of Lake Kivu in West Nyamasheke.
Mwito washing station was constructed in 2008, but for many years there was no stability due to a lack of financing. For all those years, farmers lacked a consistent partner who would support them beyond buying coffee cherries. RTC purchased Mwito in 2017 and operated it for the first time in the 2018 season. One year after, all farmers had been registered to enroll in RTC’s farmer impact programs for extension services and preparation for certification. In 2019 RTC built a kindergarten school for the coffee farmers’ children.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Karonigi
Farm – Gitesi
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,735 to 1,800 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes: honeydew melon, grapefruit
Gitesi Washing Station was built in 2005 and began milling cherries in 2006. 1,830 smallholder coffee farmers in the area supply Gitesi with cherries each year. The station, owned by Gahizi Alex, has a very good relationship with the farmers and gives them a bonus at the end of each season based on performance. RTC worked with Gitesi for the first time in 2011 and provided them with operating capital to assist in production costs. Gitesi supplied RTC with 34,000 kgs of parchment in 2011 and ever since has consistently been able to produce around 2 containers of high-quality green beans.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: F1 La Hacienda Naturally Processed
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 1 hectare
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Sudan, Villa Sarchi and Catimor
Cupping Notes: rum, tangerine, vanilla, grapefruit, sweet tart, strawberry, sparkling lemonade
Finca La Hacienda farm is owned and operated by Coope Tarrazu. For this small farm, the coffee trees are 8 years old and they have been harvesting for 5 years now. We’re offering this lot in 34.5 kilo bags to make this special coffee more accessible.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Natural Processed
Grade: SHB
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 2 hectares
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, blackberry jam, sweet tea and peach candy
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Total Farm Area: 2 hectares
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Processing: yellow honey processed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: strawberry, mango, balanced and dry
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Finca La Pastora
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,700 to 1,800 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: currant wine, blackberry, caramel and hazelnut
Location at Origin – Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Tana Karo Triple Picked ACEH
Processing – Giling Basah
Plant varietal – Catimor (Ateng) & Gayo 1 (Tim-Tim)
Altitude – 1,650 to 1,650 meters above sea level
Total number of farmers – 700
Total hectares – 800
Cupping Notes – citrus, lemongrass, beet-like acidity
In the northern end of Sumatra, around 700 independent farmers grow coffee alongside their family’s food. Each producer owns from 3 to 10 hectares each, cultivating coffee in the province of Aceh near the town of Takengon. This traceable Indonesian coffee, available as a Grade 1 lot, a Grade 1 Organic, or a Grade 1 Fair Trade-Organic, was sourced through Royal Pacific Indah International. Royal Pacific, one of our exporting partners in Indonesia, began as a group of local coffee traders in Medan, North Sumatra. In just a few years, the company grew into a 20,000 square foot office and warehouse space, where the team now specializes in Sumatran coffees.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Chimaltenango
Name of Farm – Finca El Pacayal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 masl
Plant Varietal – Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Green Apple
Finca El Pacayal is located in San Miguel Pochuta within Chimaltenango. The finca lies upon rich volcanic soil where the coffee is harvested from November to March and then shipped out from December to June. Finca El Pacayal uses substainable “shade-grown” techniques. The trees used to protect its environment and coffee trees include species like: Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga. All of these trees help with sun filtration. This process helps the coffee trees maintain their health. The sun filtration also maintains soil quality which is extremely important for production of coffee.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Mutiara, Gayo, Bener Meriah, Aceh, Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Mutiara Gayo Cooperative
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Certification – Fair Trade Organic
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Jember, Ateng, Bourbon, Bergandaal
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
F Gayo highland is the most well known place in Indonesia for it’s high quality Aribica beans and sustainably managed farms. “Gayo” itself means “nice” and comes from the local tribe which has around 85,000 people living in the mountains where this coffee is grown.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Pengalengan, West Java
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Smallholder Farmers
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Altitude – 1,300 – 1,500 masl
Cupping notes – banana bread, malt, chocolate
The coffee farms in West Java are mostly planted in sustainable forestry operation areas allowed and controlled by the local government. West Java was the first place in Indonesia where the Dutch first planted coffee during the Dutch Colonial conquest.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Ngura, Flores, Bajawa
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Semi-washed
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember
Cupping notes – spices, melon, dark chocolate, woody, red apple
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Sulawesi, Toraja
Name of farm – Smallholder farmers
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Giling Basah (wet hulled)
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember, Typica
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
Toraja is an exotic place located in Southern part of Sulawesi province.Toraja tribe is well known for their unique culture and one of the best in the world. Toraja tribe is also a “genuine tribe” in Indonesia. The coffee farms are planted on the plateau with unique texture of the land.
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Nyeri – Mount Kenya (Northern Kenya)
Grade – AA
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,500 meters – grown on highland slopes
Plant varietal – SL28, SL34, & Riuru 11
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – pomegranate, apricot, plum, cherry, bergamot tea
One of the first coffee farms established in eastern Africa, Nyeri Hill Estate planted its first coffee seedling in 1914. Located two kilometers northwest of the town of Nyeri, along the Nyeri-Ihururu road, this expansive estate stretches along the slopes of the region’s central highlands.
Nyeri Hill includes 1,415 total hectares, 344 of which are devoted to coffee cultivation. Here, 300 total employees harvest three main varietals: SL28, SL34 and Riuru 11. According to World Coffee Research, the SL28 varietal tends to be drought-tolerant and high potential for cup quality. SL28 and SL34 are unique in that they were both selected from single trees in Kenya, but these varieties are also susceptible to common coffee diseases. In contrast, Riuru 11, which makes up over 18 percent of the estate’s total production, is a varietal known for its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. As World Coffee Research explains, this dwarf hybrid varietal “owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production.” While each varietal’s susceptibility to disease may vary, the potential for excellence in cup quality remains constant.
Nyeri Hill is a unique coffee estate with equally distinct offerings. Here, management focuses on cultivating coffees that shine while also prioritizing the community’s long-term sustainability, both from environmental and social perspectives. The organization allocates part of its profits to academic development (with Nyeri High School), professional growth (with Kamwenja Teachers College) and community healthcare (with Mathari Mission Hospital). Along with these social commitments, the leaders at Nyeri Hill focus on reforestation in 250 hectares of the estate, preservation of natural vegetation to encourage biodiversity, and soil retention through solutions like Bermuda Grass cultivation. By approaching their role in the coffee industry holistically, Nyeri Hill Estate strikes a key balance between producing high-quality coffees and providing a high quality of life for their employees and partners.
Worka Sakaro
Origin - Ethiopia
Location – Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed, Natural & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200
Varietal – Indigenous Heirloom Cultivars (Kumie, Siga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: blueberry, lemongrass, melon
Worka Sakaro Washing Sation is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Origin - Ethiopia, HaloFuwaFuwate
Location – Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Grade – II
Processing method – Washed and dried on raised beds (150 beds)
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: floral, blueberry, spice, lemon
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – Peaberry
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – AA
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua – San Rafael
Name of Farm – Finca San Rafael Urias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed – 100% sun dried- no mechanical drying
Certification – Genuine Antigua
Altitude – 1500-1600 meters.
Plant Varietal – Bourbon 90% Caturra & Typica 10%
Shade grown with Gravilea and grown in volcanic loamy-sand
Cupping Notes – Very clean with a tea-like acidity, notes of honey-crisp apple, floral with brown sugar finish
San Rafael Urias is located in the highland valley of Antigua, the most traditional coffee region in the world. The farm was founded in the late 1800¹s by Rafael Valdes Quiroa. Today the farm is administered by the third generation of the Valdes family. It is situated in a very special microclimate. The naturally fertile soil is deep, loose, volcanic and sandy with good drainage. The weather is mild, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 60%, and 35 to 39 inches of precipitation each year. The coffee produced here, on 50% of the farm’s 226 hectares, is strictly hard bean, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, and has been recognized for its excellent cup quality, resulting from the care given during the entire process and the knowledge and experience passed down from its founder. After being handpicked, the fruit is wet-milled traditionally, hand washed with 100% natural water, and sun-dried. The strict quality control, utilizing samples and daily cupping, maintain an even and excellent quality. The farm is surrounded by hills and crossed by the Guacalate River, which also generates hydroelectric energy to power the wet mill. The farm has a small mountain forest with several sources of clean, naturally filtered water that carries nutrients to the plants and is used both for drinking and in the pulping and washing of coffee beans. The farm also produces berries, sweet potatoes, vegetables and basic grains, as well as dairy products.
Origin – Sidamo
Name of Farm – ECX
Grade – 3
Processing method- Natural
Altitude -1,550-2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes – muscadine grapes, funky, berry, winey
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Iglesias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 4,700 to 4900 feet
Plant Varietal – 60% Bourbon with 40% Catuai & Caturra
Cupping Notes – strawberry, Floral, Kiwi, Apple, Creamy Milk Chocolate, Baking Spices Finish
The famous ancient city of Antigua contains over 43 churches, so it is not surprise that this special coffee gets the brand “Iglesias.” Antigua Iglesias comes from the Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja in the state of Sacatepéquez at the slopes of the Volcano Agua. The coffee grows under Gravilea trees in rich volcanic soil. After harvest, the coffee is brought to the famous mill, Concepcion Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios, separated by size, density, and color. The result is a superior coffee with extreme complexities.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina & Anexo Portal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed & Natural
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Bourbon & Marsellesa
Washed Cupping Notes: honeycomb, dried apricot, yellow, apple, grape, lime
Natural Cupping Notes: cange sugar, watermelon, strawberry, fig
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the regions highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing coffee since 1842.
Origin – Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Name of Farm – Ixlama
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 1,524 to 1,830 masl
Plant Varietal – 50% Bourbon and 50% Caturra
Cupping Notes – juicy strawberry, bright, clean, balanced
Ixlama from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, comes from specialty-selected small producers, like Finca El Paternal and Finca Nueva Palmira, from the highlands of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad in the state of Huehuetenango. This shade-grown coffee is harvested and brought to the mill where it is sun dried on a patio and placed in “guardiolas.” It is separated by color via computer and density/size mechanically which results in a superior, clean, bright cup.
Cupping Notes: lemon, honey-nut cheerios. cherry
One of our freshest decaf options, this Kenya has been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, known industry-wide to give green coffees new life through the company’s proprietary process involving Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
As Swiss Water explains, “caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium,” creating clean, complex decaf coffee options in the process.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Burundi
Washing Station – Murago
Region – Muyinga, Butihinda
Altitude – 1,650 -1,750 meters above sea level
Processing – Washed
Drying method – Sun-dried on raised beds
Plant varietal – Bourbon
Cupping notes – mint, apricot, vanilla, botanical
Leading the charge for this coffee is Angèle Ciza, CEO of Kahawa (“coffee” in Swahili) Company, a leader in sustainability and women’s empowerment in Burundi. She believes that good coffee is achieved by using best practices in the nurseries and during picking but by also investing in additional training, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and cost sharing reductions for their producers. For her, investing in those who grow coffee, especially women, is essential to further developing Burundi.
Her company, Kahawa Company, also known as KALICO, operates seven washing stations in northeast Burundi, specifically in the Kirundo and Muyinga provinces. In the Muyinga province, you will find the Murago washing station, one of seven owned by KALICO. The mill draws in coffee from 3,023 producers from Bonero hill, who primarily grow the Bourbon variety. This coffee is selected from a combination of smallholder farmers in Butihina commune, lying between 1650m and 1750m above sea level, and processed at the Murango washing station. It is one of many coffees processed at Murango, and the collection of mills run by KALICO, which have placed several top scoring coffees in past Burundi COE competitions.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoRegion: Santa Rosa de Copán
Producer Group: Beneficio Santa Rosa
Certification: Organic
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level
Processing: Washed
Harvest Season: December to March
Cupping Notes: chocolate, grape, light berry, rose, lemon
The Copán Department of Western Honduras, a historically prominent area for the ancient Mayan civilization, is known for its fine cigars, tobacco, and of course, coffee. Here you can find Beneficio Santa Rosa de Copan, a dry mill and exporter working with small community cooperatives to produce specialty coffee and connect them to international markets.
Beneficio Santa Rosa was founded in 2005 with the intent of helping facilitate the exportation of high-quality coffee from western Honduras. Since then, they have continuously worked with various smallholder farmers, regional producer groups, associations, and cooperatives to promote specialty coffee in the region. For Beneficio Santa Rosa, coffee quality is the focus, and traceability is the method of ensuring it, for each lot is tagged so it can be traced back to its origin.
This organic certified lot of coffee is sourced from several small community cooperatives and processed by Beneficio Santa Rosa. Grown in soils rich with clay minerals, a building block for organic matter, these coffees showcase the rich quality potential present in Honduras. The pleasantly clean final cup is an ode to the hard work put in by the small-holder cooperatives and Beneficio Santa Rosa to bring this coffee to life.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
Region – Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas
Process – Washed & Sun-Dried
Altitude – 1,100 -1,800 meters above sea level
Variety – Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor, Catimor, Costa Rica & Marago
Cupping Notes – vanilla, dark chocolate and cranberry.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1300 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catua
Cupping Notes – cherry, pecan, pineapple, plum, honey
This coffee is produced under out Program Cafe Ecoforestal, an environmentally-friendly system, where farmers establish hardwood trees, fruit trees, banana plants, cover crops and coffee.
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certificate – Fair Trade
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1450 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes – hazelnut, red plum, candied almond
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Ibisi Mountain
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: Apricot, floral, honeyed, cherry fragrance with a delicate body
The Ibisi Mountain Hills washing station is located in the hills of
Southern Rwanda, just a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, which
has been traced as the source of the Nile River. Bernard Uwitije, a
native of the area, had been trading non-washed, ordinary coffee up
until 2015, when he realized the potential for fully washed,
specialty grade coffee. He built his first washing station, Gitega
Hills, which operated successfully in his first year and he decided
to expand the operations by building a second washing station,
Ibisi Mountain. The quality at both stations remain outstanding.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Ruvumbu
Processing method – Fully washed after a dry fermentation period, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,800 masl
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Sweet citrus, round body, pomegranate, fig, clementine, lime finish
The Ruvumbu Washing Station, once cooperative-owned, formerly processed around
100 metric tons of coffee cherries. Now that the station is under the ownership and
management of a private investor, it has produced 250 metric tons of cherries
for the first time this year. Ruvumbu uses a single-disc McKinnon
depulper and raised drying beds. Rwanda Trading Company is
responsible for milling and exporting 100 percent of Ruvumbu’s parchment
and green coffee. Despite the small volume from Ruvumbu, the
station has some of the best quality coffee in Rwanda. Ruvumbu
took 3rd place overall in the 2014 Rwanda Cup of Excellence
Competition and was given a Presidential Award for receiving a
cupping score above 90 points.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed and dried for 32 hours in a guardiolas
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Caturra Peaberry
Harvest Dates: October 2017 to January 2018
Cupping Notes: honey, lemon, with an almond fragrance and overall complexity
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing Type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed with a partial fermentation and dried for 32 hours using guardiolas
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Harvest Dates: November 2017 to February 2018
Cupping Notes: banana, plum, peach, pomegranate, bright and complex
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Mapache
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honeyed, dried on African raised beds for 20 days
Altitude: 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: white grape, honey, blueberry candy, starfruit, with a vibrant acidity and hoppy finish
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Pacamara varietal is selected and picked with a particular level of care, as this varietal requires more time to ripen than others. This specific lot comes from a part of the farm called El Batallón, which can be difficult to access due to its narrow roads. Here, nimble pickup trucks haul small loads of cherries to transfer to a larger truck parked at a nearby soccer field at Finca El Naranjito. Drivers bring the cherries to Beneficio El Recreo, where the entire wet milling process is done manually for this coffee. Mapache uses a manual depulper before carrying the coffee in small batches to African raised beds where they dry for nearly 20 days. The Pacamara varietal, first created in 1958, was derived by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varietals. This particular lot, one of our favorite Salvadoran coffees of the season, balances notes of brown sugar and citrus with a unique hoppy finish.
Name of Farm: Mapache Partida #74 Fantastic Four Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo, then sun dried on clay patios
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Red & Orange Bourbon
Cupping Notes: white grape and dried fruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this washed Bourbon lot one of their Fantastic Four Coffees. This specific lot comes from Vía María which is the highest part of the farm. The farm is planted with entirely pure Orange & Red Bourbon plants.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honey
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Bourbon
Cupping Notes: kiwi, brown sugar, honey, tropical, orange blossom
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this Bourbon Honey lot one of their “Fantastic Four Coffees”. It was processed 100% by hand at their milling station. The fresh cherries are first floated using barrels full of clean water, then the pulp is separated using a manual pulper that uses no water at all. The mucilage covered beans are dried on their raised beds for more than 15 days. Partida 112 was picked in the middle of harvest when most of the cherries are perfectly ripe, making selection easier. The cherries come from unique rows of Bourbon planed at 1350 meters above sea level on “El Tamagás” peak, a mountain named from the poisonous snake that inhabits the mountains of Concepción de Ataco.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito I & II and Finca Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Pacas and Bourbon
Cupping Notes: tart, cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Gifted with an ideal climate for growing coffee, Finca El Naranjito and Casa de Zinc sit at an average of 1,300 meters above sea level with a stellar view of the Pacific Ocean. El Imposible National Park, the largest forest reserve in El Salvador, sits just one mile away. As with every coffee we source through Mapache, you can be sure that thoughtful preparation and consistency shine through in the cup.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Kigali
Farm – Inzovu
Processing method – Fully washed
Altitude – 1,400 – 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon & Typica
Cupping Notes – fig, cantaloupe, and orange with a syrupy body
Our Inzovu PB coffee blend comes from 75 washing stations in RTC’s supply chain. 16 of those washing stations are owned by RTC, and the rest are pre-financed and work exclusively with RTC. The coffee is gown in fertile volcanic soil at an altitude of 1400 meters and above. The cherries are selectively handpicked, wet-processed, and sun-dried on raised tables for a period of 15-20 days. After drying, the parchment is delivered to RTC’s dry mill for hulling and grading, whereby the round beans get separated from the normal flat beans. The Inzovu PB brings unique features to the taste of Rwandan coffee, with balanced acidity, mellow body, and a sweet lingering aftertaste
“All decaffeinators utilize the same steps to accomplish the extraction of caffeine from green coffee. The steps include Steaming, Hydration, Extraction and Drying. All of the steps are done in 3 primary pieces of equipment. First is the Pre-treatment tank, second is the Extractor and the last step is done in the Dryer. Each piece of equipment is designed to specifically achieve a desired result. The internal design differentiates the decaffeinated coffee processors.
Our proprietary DFE Decaf Process ® design enhancements provide the platform necessary to achieve coffee decaffeination with considerably less drain on resources. By reducing the amount of resources and energy required to produce our decaffeinated coffee, we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint once again. Our proprietary DFE Process ® has positioned QUSAC as the leader in the decaf industry for the lowest carbon emissions.
By using Green Chemistry, our DFE Decaf Process ® has achieved the incredible results in our flavour profiles. Our team has determined the optimal parameters to target the caffeine with surgical precision and remove it from the green coffee beans. We named this step Target Specific Extraction Technology (TSET). TSET not only extracts the caffeine with surgical precision, it can also be used to extract unwanted mould and fungi such as the one responsible for the production of naturally occurring chemical compounds known as Mycotoxins. The end result is a decaffeinated coffee overflowing with its natural flavours.
Our DFE Decaffeinated coffee is the best tasting decaf with the lowest carbon footprint and presents the consumer with a decaffeinated cup of coffee that is free of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Our decaffeinated coffee is clean, fresh, healthy and eco-friendly. It is the socially responsible choice.” – Qusac Decaf
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Kiambu County
Grade – AB
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant varietal – SL28 & SL34
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – apricot, starfruit, grapefruit-like acidity
Three kilometers south of the town of Kiambu, 105 hectares of land creates Ibonia Estate. Leaders of the property, which lies 1,700 meters above sea level, focus on organic matter management and soil conservation as top priorities in coffee production. Ibonia Estate sees the value of the region’s soil – a deep, reddish-brown composition known as Kikuyu loam – and recognizes its role in developing to the distinctive qualities of their coffee offerings.
Aside from the farm’s soil, Ibonia Estate embraces its local climate, which features cool, wet periods from May to July. This environmental pattern allows the coffee plants to mature slowly and develop complexity in flavor. Each day, 200 community workers gather at Ibonia Estate to harvest, wash, and sort the day’s share of the 180 tons of coffee the property exports each year. Ibonia Estate primarily cultivates SL28 and SL34 varieties, both known for communicating exceptional quality in the cup.
Origin – Ethiopia, Aroresa, Jengelo Tedeta
Location at Origin – Sidamo
Grade – Grade 3
Processing – Natural, Sun-dried on raised beds (130 raised beds)
Altitude – 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping notes – strawberry, citrus, honey, plum
Aroresa (pronounced “A-ro-ress-a”)
Name of Farm: Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,350 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: caramel, mango, grapefruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Much like it’s honeyed counterpart, Mapache’s Pacamara Natural is characterized by its thoughtfulness through the entire harvesting and milling process. The area where this Pacamara cultivar is located is privileged, totally protected from the strong winds and direct sunlight. It is also surrounded by untouched forests that provide the trees with great amounts of natural nutrients and minerals. Mapache’s team of coffee pickers delicately select the ripest cherries to ensure longevity and continual protection. At the processing station, the coffee is floated and then spread over moveable drying beds. The coffee is then monitored constantly for 25 days to ensure even drying. This lot of bronzed-leaved Pacamara is 4 years old and produces a coffee with a particular grapefruit note, lingering aftertaste and some hints of caramel and mango.
Name of Farm: Santa Erlinda
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Sampacho
Cupping Notes: strawberry, spices, pineapple
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Santa Erlinda is a small farm located in the town of Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. Santa Erlinda receives more than 3000 mm of rain a year, making it a very fertile land for growing coffee. The Sampacho cultivar is nestled among cedar trees and surrounded by Copalchi windbreakers.
Santa Erlinda goes back three generations. It is a small but very productive farm that was replanted in 2014 after the coffee rust breakout of 2012 wiped out the entire farm. The property is now taken care of 5 young farmers who work yearlong doing every task needed to produce great coffee. When the harvest is ready, the families that live nearby come to carefully select the cherries that are then processed in Beneficio Recreo.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Farm: Sigri Coffee Estate
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Arusha, Caribbean Blue, Catimor, Maragogype
Altitude: 1,550 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, honey, peach, pecan, melon, starfruit acidity
The Sigri coffee estate is located in the Waghi Valley, a fertile region of the western highlands and Jikawa Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Carpenter Estates, a collection of three farms which span over 3000 hectares of coffee and tea. The 125-acre Sigri estate stands at 1,500 MASL and uses precisely managed shade trees to promote even coffee ripening, improved quality, and diversified wildlife habitat. The estate and those nearby are home to some 90 various species of birds, resulting in being awarded “bird-friendly” status.
The quality of coffee produced is representative of the unique factors that go into its production. The coffees planted at Sigiri Estate are all of Typica origin, originating from seeds of the Jamaica Blue Mountain variety planted here many years ago. Following strict quality control measures, the coffee is wet-processed throughout a three-day fermentation process and then sun-dried for 10 to 14 days. After hulling, the coffees are sorted using both color sorting machines and hand-sorting to ensure consistency and quality. The end result of this rigorous quality control is a uniquely complex coffee truly reminiscent of PNG. The final cup is medium-bodied, layered with tropical fruits and soft lemon acidity that finished with milk chocolate and spice notes.
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Processing type: Washed, Natural, Anaerobic Natural, Lactic Honey
Variety: Caturra, Chiroso & Colombia (single variety available)
Altitude: 1,800 to 2,700 meters above sea level
Located in Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia, La Reserva exemplifies the struggle that is coffee farming, but also a sign of what’s possible with perseverance. The 70-hectare farm is split between two areas, and nearly half this land is within a protected nature preserve and is home to a wide diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Andean Bear. The other half of the land lies on its own and has seen its fair share of challenges, as the previous owners were unable to maintain it due to insufficient profit from low coffee prices.
The land has now been taken over by a pioneering farmer, Juan Felipe, who looked past the abandoned plots and saw the teeming potential for specialty coffee. Noticing the fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,800 m.a.s.l. and 2,700 m.a.sl., Juan took the initiative to breathe new life into this beautiful farm.
In its second year of focused specialty production, the coffees from La Reserva are already showcasing the depth and diversity of its land. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Colombia varieties, the coffee possesses pronounced citrus fruit character, natural sweetness, and a pleasantly creamy body. The utilization of various processing techniques, whether it be washed, honey, or natural, only further accentuates the diversity of flavors possible from the coffee at La Reserva.
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Natural
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – pineapple, stonefruit, red apple, vanilla, lime
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Honey
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – lemon, peach, plum, grapefruit, hibiscus
Producer – Diédericks Gadea
Farm – Los Encuentros – Los Pedernales
Region – Jinotega
Altitude – 1,230 meters above sea level
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – Natural, Sun-dried
Variety – Catuai
Farm Size – 17 Ha total; 9 Ha Coffee
Cupping Notes – berries, champagne, orange, lime
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
LosEncuentros became the first farm producing Ecoforestal coffee in the community
Name of farm: La Yalena
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural, selective picking, sun-dried
Varietal: Caturra
Altitude: 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: lime, citrus, jasmine, raspberry, red tea
Elkin, with his family, wife Fernely and his daughter Dana Yalena who was the inspiration for the name of the farm all together live on this farm. Elkin comes from a coffee producer family. He bought the farm with the money that he had been saving for several years working as a coffee picker on other farms. In the beginning, he only had 500 coffee trees which were insufficient to make living out of it and he decided to move to Medellín, but life in the city was very different and he decided to come back to his farm. This time things were different. Elkin knew that the only way to make it work is to do everything differently. He needed to improve the quality of the cup to get a better price, and he began to produce honey processed coffee.
Elkin realized that picking quality is the key to improve the cup profile. He started paying more to his workers and process coffee differently and more thoroughly. Firstly they remove floaters then depulp and begins drying, carefully raking to ensure even drying process. He is going to learn more techniques to improve the quality of his coffee and he wants to be recognized as a high quality coffee producer.
Farm: Cadefihuila Cooperative
Region: Huila
Variety: Castillo, Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,550 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: chocolate, apricot, green apple, citrus
Located in Nieva, Huila, Cadefihuila was established in 1963 when a group of coffee growers joined forces to develop opportunities for sustainable coffee growing practices and to empower its members by providing access to better methods for drying parchment. Through this, the Cooperative has achieved success by improving their coffee quality, supporting their farmers, and by creating an organization that enables their farmers to reach across borders with a coffee they can be proud to share with us.
Cadefihuila’s smallholder farms spread across Southern Colombia in the Andes Mountain Range. These small acre farms have fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,100 m.a.s.l. and 1,550 m.a.sl. are ideal for growing quality coffee. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Castillo varieties, this coffee possesses a natural sweetness, hints of green apple, citrus, apricot, and pleasantly creamy body.
Farm: Marcala La Paz
Region: Marcala
Variety: Catuai, Lempira, Ihcafe 90
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: orange-like acidity, raisin, and milk chocolate
COMSA is a society of small coffee producers in the Marcala Region in La Paz, Honduras. The group was founded with aims to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions for farmers in the region, focusing on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
COMSA was founded in 2001 and now has 1,573 members focused on innovation, constant learning and training, and commitment to their community. This lot was harvested at peak maturation and then placed in a de-pulper before being left in a fermentation pile. The coffee is then washed and dried on patios and mechanical dryers until the parchment reaches a moisture of 12%.
Origin - Ethiopia, Biloya
Location – Kochere, Gedeo
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed & Natural
Altitude -1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Varietal – Kumie, Diga & Wilsho
Cupping Notes: blueberry pie, pineapple, kiwi, vanilla, watermelon
The Kochere district is one of the woredas (districts) in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gedeo Zone, Kochere is bordered on the east by Gedeb, on the southwest by the Oromia Region, and on the north by Yirgachefe, all well- known coffee-producing regions. Kochere is a diverse woreda which is made up primarily by three ethnic groups, the Gedeo, the Oromo, and the Amhara, in order of population. The coffees produced in this area are consistently some of the most beautiful coffees grown in the world thanks to the unique combination of the local environment, coffee genetics, and processing methods. Numerous variables come together to develop the unique flavors present in this coffee. First, the coffee is grown at noticeably high altitude, around 1,700 meters above sea level. Temperatures stay cool, with average highs around 70 °F and lows around 60 °F. Additionally, the varieties, Kumie, Diga, and Wilsho make up this coffee, which are all local varieties to this area of Ethiopia. This may account for what makes this coffee stand out, as these are not common to any other areas of the world. Lastly, this coffee is processed carefully using typical dry processing methods. To process this natural coffee, the coffee arrives to the Kocherie Beloya (or Biloya) washing station where is first sorted by hand to select the densest cherries. It is then taken to raised beds where the coffee is dried for up to 21 days. After drying, the coffee is milled and ready to be shipped off. Naturally processed Ethiopian coffees are often the coffees that stand out for the profound sweetness and fruit notes, and this one stands up to that.
Name of farm: Fazenda Reunidas Bela Vista
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Honey
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 – 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: dark chocolate, almond butter, brown sugar
Fazenda Bela Vista was founded in 1981 by Paulo Enídio Crabi in the rural mining town of Eloi Menes. In 2015, Bela Vista received UTZ certification ensuring that there are good agricultural practices, sustainability, social responsibility, traceability, conservation of the ecosystem, preservation of wildlife, and fair working conditions.
Bela Vista uses a ‘fertigation’ system that distributes fertilizer with a mixture of water directly at the roots to reduce water and fertilizer waste. This coffee was processed using a semi-washed honey process and has notes of dark chocolate, almond butter, and brown sugar.
Kumara Blend
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed – Sun-dried (8 days) 14-16 days of fermentation
Variety: Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,980 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, orange, apple
Catalina Vásquez, a fourth-generation coffee producer, helps manage and market harvests from her family’s three coffee farms in Antioquia.
Through her family’s decades of growing experience and her forward- thinking, entrepreneurial eye, Catalina and her family have invested in other farmers throughout the country to create a modern Colombian coffee brand called Cafelumbus. By sourcing coffee from farmer friends in other regions of Colombia Cafelumbus ensures a constant supply throughout the whole year.
Jaer Palacio Morales, Gloria Ruiz, and their two children, Samuel and Miguel own El Guayabal where they have producing coffee for 10 years. Jaer has always been surrounded by coffee in his life and bought Guayabal after a friend suggested he produce coffee in Antioquia. Since then Jaer and his family have been working to perfect their coffee. El Guayabal is located at 1,980 meters above sea level. Jaer has planted Caturra and Colombia on the farm and has been experimenting with perfecting washed coffees on his small 5-hectare land. He produces around 45 bags annually. This lot was fermented for 14-16 hours and then sun- dried for approximately 8 days.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Sun Dried
Variety: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raisin, melon, PEZ
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Bolivar Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Bolivar Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed
Variety: 50% Caturra, 30% Colombia, 20% Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, stone fruit, orange
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Giraldo Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Giraldo Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Carbonic Maceration 120 hours with CO2
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1,950 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raspberry, vanilla, pineapple
Region: Sierra Nevada
Processing type: Fully washed
Certification: FairTrade Organic
Variety: Caturra, Castillo & Colombia
Altitude: 700 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: red apple, caramel, floral undertones
The Tayronaca Cooperative (Asociación Tayronaca) was founded in 2014 by producers from Colombia’s far Northern coastal area. The farms of these producers are nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, just 26 miles from the Caribbean coast.
With altitudes of 1,700 meters above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is one of the world’s highest coastal ranges.
The Magdalena coffee zone is home to incredible biodiversity and has the ideal environmental conditions to produce specialty coffees. The Asociación Tayronaca has over 200 members from the surrounding communities. Most of these communities are Indigenous Arhuhuaco, Chibchan-speaking people, and descendants of the Tairona culture.
Most families do their own harvesting and processing with a manual pulper at their home. The leftover cherries are used as fertilizer for the coffee trees. The coffee is fermented for 12 to 48 hours and dried on patios.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
CoopeTarrazú is a Costa Rican cooperative made of over 3,500 partners and associates in the province of San José. Bearing in mind the organization’s values of solidarity and sustainability, CoopeTarrazú prioritizes the welfare of its associates, their families, and communities by providing hands-on technical assistance and investing in solutions to combat challenges like coffee rust.
One of the most recognizable coffee-producing regions in Costa Rica, Tarrazú accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total coffee production. Each coffee exported by CoopeTarrazú is cultivated at an elevation of 1,200 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Harvest coincides with the region’s dry season, which lasts from November to March, this contributes not only to coffee uniformity but also the ability to process the coffee by sun-drying.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Honey
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Geisha
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
During harvest time at Finca Nueva Granada, in the municipality of San Marcos, seasonal workers strap wicker baskets to their waists each morning, preparing to pass through the farm’s full groves, making pregnant bellies of deep red coffee cherries.
Nestled between Guatemala’s tallest volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, the
coffee trees at Finca Nueva Granada sit high on mountainous slopes in soil made rich by volcanic ash. After picking, employees use the farm’s spring water source to pulp the cherries, washing and grading the coffees before they are dried on patios. This season, we’re proud to collaborate with Finca Nueva Granada once again, continuing to build our 15-year relationship with Guatemala’s first Rainforest Alliance- certified farm. We’re especially excited to offer a Honey Processed Geisha.
Finca Medina
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed, Black Honey, Yellow Honey, Natural
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon and Marsellesa
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the region’s highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing quality coffee since 1842. Located in the village of San Lorenzo El Cubo, in the region of Ciudad Vieja, Finca Medina includes two estates, one named after the organization itself and the other called Anexo Portal. At both farms, the staff implements some of the most modern processing technology we’ve seen in Latin America, contributing to
each coffee’s consistency and quality. In addition, Finca Medina has been a member of the Antigua Coffee Producers Association since 2000 and has maintained a focus on producing Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees in recent years.
Red Honey Uraga
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Guji, Sidamo
Name of Farm – Uraga
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: cherry, orange
Uraga Washing Station is located in the Guji Zone with over 600 smallholder farmers contributing cherries. These farmers grow their coffee on the mountain slopes of Guji at 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Guji is part of the Oromia region which shares a border with the Gedeo Zone. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then red honey is processed. When the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Natural – Sun-drying 2 days pre-drying, ceramic floor 10 days raised beds 28-45C & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Cupping Notes: raspberry and melon
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants. The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares Typica
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Red Honeyed – Sun Dried for 10 days
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Typica
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares F1 Centroamericano
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Anaerobic Natural & Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: F1 Centroamericano (Sarchimor x Rume Sudan)
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Worka Chelchele Gedeo Yirgacheffe
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Gedeb
Name of Washing Station – Worka Chelchele (Chelchelie)
Grade – Grade 2
Processing – Washed
Altitude – 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: candied lemon, jasmine tea, red fruit, good body
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho) Gedeb Worka Chelchelie Washing Station is located in the Gedeo Zone and is named for the village (kebele) of Chelchelie. The smallholder farmers frown their coffee on steep mountain slopes at approximately 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Cordia, Africana, Acacia, and Ensete trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and over-ripe and under-ripe cherries are handpicked and separated before pulping. Coffees are pulped and allowed to ferment naturally for 36-48 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean running water and sun-dried for approximately 18 days or until the desired moisture content of 11.5% is reached. Dried parchment is then stored in a field warehouse until ready for transport to Addis Ababa.
Shefina, Yirgalem, Sidamo RA OG UTZ
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Yirgalem, Sidamo
Name of Washing Station – Shefina
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Natural
Altitude – 1,900 to 2,300 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars
Cupping Notes: chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberry, delicate body
Sidamo has climatic conditions, including altitude, rainfall, and temperature that create a wonderful environment for quality coffee. Specialty coffees from Sidamo are grown mainly in small villages (kebeles). These kebeles refer to the coffee as “garden coffee” which is grown at low density, only around 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, and is fertilized with organic matter.
Ripe coffees arrive at the Shefina washing station where they are pulped and allowed to ferment. The fermented coffee is washed with running water, soaked, and then dried until the desired moisture of 11.5%. This lot from Shefina washing station is RA, Organic and UTZ certified and has notes of lemongrass, lime, and honey.
Red Honey El Diamante
Origin – Nicaragua
Location at Origin – Jinotega
Name of Farm – El Diamante
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Varietal – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes: orange, vanilla
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Farm: Kuta Kofi Mill
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Bourbon, Arusha
Altitude: 1,600 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, papaya, toffee, dried apricots
The Kuta Papua New Guinea is sourced from smallholder farmers in the Upper Waghi Valley. The region has black volcanic loamy soil and a climate favorable for growing quality coffee. Receiving approximately 1,800-2,000 mm of rainfall per year with a dry season from April to August.
The coffee is processed at the Kuta Kofi mill. Smallholder farmers from Ambra, Kelewa, and Wurup bring cherry to the Kuta mill for purchase. The cherries are sorted and depulped before being fermented in vats for 36 hours. The coffee is washed 3 times and then brought to large sun-drying fields. The coffee is fully sun-dried on tarpaulins for 3 to 4 hours daily for a period of 5 to 10 days depending on weather conditions. The dry parchment is taken to the dry mill and placed in wooden conditioning bins where it is allowed to rest for 2 to 3 weeks prior to hulling. The result is a lovely coffee with chocolate, papaya, and toffee.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Gitega Hills
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: apricot, floral, honey
The Gitega Hills washing station sits within the hills of Southern Rwanda, located a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, a national park known for its incredible biodiversity of endemic species. Here, local farmer Bernard Uwitije focused primarily on producing commodity coffee until 2015, when he realized the potential for processing fully-washed specialty coffees in partnership with Rwanda Trading Company. Rwanda Trading Company was established in 2009 as a vehicle for positive social impact. This group has displayed a consistent commitment to securing economic freedom and security for smallholder farmers by building resilient, transparent supply chains.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Mwito
Processing method – Natural, dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,347 meters above sea level
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: purple grape, jolly ranchers, blueberry, aloe
The Mwito Washing Station sits on the shores of Lake Kivu in West Nyamasheke.
Mwito washing station was constructed in 2008, but for many years there was no stability due to a lack of financing. For all those years, farmers lacked a consistent partner who would support them beyond buying coffee cherries. RTC purchased Mwito in 2017 and operated it for the first time in the 2018 season. One year after, all farmers had been registered to enroll in RTC’s farmer impact programs for extension services and preparation for certification. In 2019 RTC built a kindergarten school for the coffee farmers’ children.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Karonigi
Farm – Gitesi
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,735 to 1,800 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes: honeydew melon, grapefruit
Gitesi Washing Station was built in 2005 and began milling cherries in 2006. 1,830 smallholder coffee farmers in the area supply Gitesi with cherries each year. The station, owned by Gahizi Alex, has a very good relationship with the farmers and gives them a bonus at the end of each season based on performance. RTC worked with Gitesi for the first time in 2011 and provided them with operating capital to assist in production costs. Gitesi supplied RTC with 34,000 kgs of parchment in 2011 and ever since has consistently been able to produce around 2 containers of high-quality green beans.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: F1 La Hacienda Naturally Processed
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 1 hectare
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Sudan, Villa Sarchi and Catimor
Cupping Notes: rum, tangerine, vanilla, grapefruit, sweet tart, strawberry, sparkling lemonade
Finca La Hacienda farm is owned and operated by Coope Tarrazu. For this small farm, the coffee trees are 8 years old and they have been harvesting for 5 years now. We’re offering this lot in 34.5 kilo bags to make this special coffee more accessible.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Natural Processed
Grade: SHB
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 2 hectares
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, blackberry jam, sweet tea and peach candy
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Total Farm Area: 2 hectares
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Processing: yellow honey processed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: strawberry, mango, balanced and dry
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Finca La Pastora
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,700 to 1,800 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: currant wine, blackberry, caramel and hazelnut
Location at Origin – Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Tana Karo Triple Picked ACEH
Processing – Giling Basah
Plant varietal – Catimor (Ateng) & Gayo 1 (Tim-Tim)
Altitude – 1,650 to 1,650 meters above sea level
Total number of farmers – 700
Total hectares – 800
Cupping Notes – citrus, lemongrass, beet-like acidity
In the northern end of Sumatra, around 700 independent farmers grow coffee alongside their family’s food. Each producer owns from 3 to 10 hectares each, cultivating coffee in the province of Aceh near the town of Takengon. This traceable Indonesian coffee, available as a Grade 1 lot, a Grade 1 Organic, or a Grade 1 Fair Trade-Organic, was sourced through Royal Pacific Indah International. Royal Pacific, one of our exporting partners in Indonesia, began as a group of local coffee traders in Medan, North Sumatra. In just a few years, the company grew into a 20,000 square foot office and warehouse space, where the team now specializes in Sumatran coffees.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Chimaltenango
Name of Farm – Finca El Pacayal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 masl
Plant Varietal – Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Green Apple
Finca El Pacayal is located in San Miguel Pochuta within Chimaltenango. The finca lies upon rich volcanic soil where the coffee is harvested from November to March and then shipped out from December to June. Finca El Pacayal uses substainable “shade-grown” techniques. The trees used to protect its environment and coffee trees include species like: Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga. All of these trees help with sun filtration. This process helps the coffee trees maintain their health. The sun filtration also maintains soil quality which is extremely important for production of coffee.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Mutiara, Gayo, Bener Meriah, Aceh, Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Mutiara Gayo Cooperative
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Certification – Fair Trade Organic
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Jember, Ateng, Bourbon, Bergandaal
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
F Gayo highland is the most well known place in Indonesia for it’s high quality Aribica beans and sustainably managed farms. “Gayo” itself means “nice” and comes from the local tribe which has around 85,000 people living in the mountains where this coffee is grown.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Pengalengan, West Java
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Smallholder Farmers
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Altitude – 1,300 – 1,500 masl
Cupping notes – banana bread, malt, chocolate
The coffee farms in West Java are mostly planted in sustainable forestry operation areas allowed and controlled by the local government. West Java was the first place in Indonesia where the Dutch first planted coffee during the Dutch Colonial conquest.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Ngura, Flores, Bajawa
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Semi-washed
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember
Cupping notes – spices, melon, dark chocolate, woody, red apple
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Sulawesi, Toraja
Name of farm – Smallholder farmers
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Giling Basah (wet hulled)
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember, Typica
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
Toraja is an exotic place located in Southern part of Sulawesi province.Toraja tribe is well known for their unique culture and one of the best in the world. Toraja tribe is also a “genuine tribe” in Indonesia. The coffee farms are planted on the plateau with unique texture of the land.
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Nyeri – Mount Kenya (Northern Kenya)
Grade – AA
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,500 meters – grown on highland slopes
Plant varietal – SL28, SL34, & Riuru 11
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – pomegranate, apricot, plum, cherry, bergamot tea
One of the first coffee farms established in eastern Africa, Nyeri Hill Estate planted its first coffee seedling in 1914. Located two kilometers northwest of the town of Nyeri, along the Nyeri-Ihururu road, this expansive estate stretches along the slopes of the region’s central highlands.
Nyeri Hill includes 1,415 total hectares, 344 of which are devoted to coffee cultivation. Here, 300 total employees harvest three main varietals: SL28, SL34 and Riuru 11. According to World Coffee Research, the SL28 varietal tends to be drought-tolerant and high potential for cup quality. SL28 and SL34 are unique in that they were both selected from single trees in Kenya, but these varieties are also susceptible to common coffee diseases. In contrast, Riuru 11, which makes up over 18 percent of the estate’s total production, is a varietal known for its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. As World Coffee Research explains, this dwarf hybrid varietal “owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production.” While each varietal’s susceptibility to disease may vary, the potential for excellence in cup quality remains constant.
Nyeri Hill is a unique coffee estate with equally distinct offerings. Here, management focuses on cultivating coffees that shine while also prioritizing the community’s long-term sustainability, both from environmental and social perspectives. The organization allocates part of its profits to academic development (with Nyeri High School), professional growth (with Kamwenja Teachers College) and community healthcare (with Mathari Mission Hospital). Along with these social commitments, the leaders at Nyeri Hill focus on reforestation in 250 hectares of the estate, preservation of natural vegetation to encourage biodiversity, and soil retention through solutions like Bermuda Grass cultivation. By approaching their role in the coffee industry holistically, Nyeri Hill Estate strikes a key balance between producing high-quality coffees and providing a high quality of life for their employees and partners.
Worka Sakaro
Origin - Ethiopia
Location – Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed, Natural & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200
Varietal – Indigenous Heirloom Cultivars (Kumie, Siga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: blueberry, lemongrass, melon
Worka Sakaro Washing Sation is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Origin - Ethiopia, HaloFuwaFuwate
Location – Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Grade – II
Processing method – Washed and dried on raised beds (150 beds)
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: floral, blueberry, spice, lemon
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – Peaberry
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – AA
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua – San Rafael
Name of Farm – Finca San Rafael Urias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed – 100% sun dried- no mechanical drying
Certification – Genuine Antigua
Altitude – 1500-1600 meters.
Plant Varietal – Bourbon 90% Caturra & Typica 10%
Shade grown with Gravilea and grown in volcanic loamy-sand
Cupping Notes – Very clean with a tea-like acidity, notes of honey-crisp apple, floral with brown sugar finish
San Rafael Urias is located in the highland valley of Antigua, the most traditional coffee region in the world. The farm was founded in the late 1800¹s by Rafael Valdes Quiroa. Today the farm is administered by the third generation of the Valdes family. It is situated in a very special microclimate. The naturally fertile soil is deep, loose, volcanic and sandy with good drainage. The weather is mild, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 60%, and 35 to 39 inches of precipitation each year. The coffee produced here, on 50% of the farm’s 226 hectares, is strictly hard bean, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, and has been recognized for its excellent cup quality, resulting from the care given during the entire process and the knowledge and experience passed down from its founder. After being handpicked, the fruit is wet-milled traditionally, hand washed with 100% natural water, and sun-dried. The strict quality control, utilizing samples and daily cupping, maintain an even and excellent quality. The farm is surrounded by hills and crossed by the Guacalate River, which also generates hydroelectric energy to power the wet mill. The farm has a small mountain forest with several sources of clean, naturally filtered water that carries nutrients to the plants and is used both for drinking and in the pulping and washing of coffee beans. The farm also produces berries, sweet potatoes, vegetables and basic grains, as well as dairy products.
Origin – Sidamo
Name of Farm – ECX
Grade – 3
Processing method- Natural
Altitude -1,550-2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes – muscadine grapes, funky, berry, winey
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Iglesias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 4,700 to 4900 feet
Plant Varietal – 60% Bourbon with 40% Catuai & Caturra
Cupping Notes – strawberry, Floral, Kiwi, Apple, Creamy Milk Chocolate, Baking Spices Finish
The famous ancient city of Antigua contains over 43 churches, so it is not surprise that this special coffee gets the brand “Iglesias.” Antigua Iglesias comes from the Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja in the state of Sacatepéquez at the slopes of the Volcano Agua. The coffee grows under Gravilea trees in rich volcanic soil. After harvest, the coffee is brought to the famous mill, Concepcion Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios, separated by size, density, and color. The result is a superior coffee with extreme complexities.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina & Anexo Portal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed & Natural
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Bourbon & Marsellesa
Washed Cupping Notes: honeycomb, dried apricot, yellow, apple, grape, lime
Natural Cupping Notes: cange sugar, watermelon, strawberry, fig
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the regions highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing coffee since 1842.
Origin – Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Name of Farm – Ixlama
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 1,524 to 1,830 masl
Plant Varietal – 50% Bourbon and 50% Caturra
Cupping Notes – juicy strawberry, bright, clean, balanced
Ixlama from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, comes from specialty-selected small producers, like Finca El Paternal and Finca Nueva Palmira, from the highlands of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad in the state of Huehuetenango. This shade-grown coffee is harvested and brought to the mill where it is sun dried on a patio and placed in “guardiolas.” It is separated by color via computer and density/size mechanically which results in a superior, clean, bright cup.
Cupping Notes: lemon, honey-nut cheerios. cherry
One of our freshest decaf options, this Kenya has been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, known industry-wide to give green coffees new life through the company’s proprietary process involving Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
As Swiss Water explains, “caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium,” creating clean, complex decaf coffee options in the process.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Burundi
Washing Station – Murago
Region – Muyinga, Butihinda
Altitude – 1,650 -1,750 meters above sea level
Processing – Washed
Drying method – Sun-dried on raised beds
Plant varietal – Bourbon
Cupping notes – mint, apricot, vanilla, botanical
Leading the charge for this coffee is Angèle Ciza, CEO of Kahawa (“coffee” in Swahili) Company, a leader in sustainability and women’s empowerment in Burundi. She believes that good coffee is achieved by using best practices in the nurseries and during picking but by also investing in additional training, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and cost sharing reductions for their producers. For her, investing in those who grow coffee, especially women, is essential to further developing Burundi.
Her company, Kahawa Company, also known as KALICO, operates seven washing stations in northeast Burundi, specifically in the Kirundo and Muyinga provinces. In the Muyinga province, you will find the Murago washing station, one of seven owned by KALICO. The mill draws in coffee from 3,023 producers from Bonero hill, who primarily grow the Bourbon variety. This coffee is selected from a combination of smallholder farmers in Butihina commune, lying between 1650m and 1750m above sea level, and processed at the Murango washing station. It is one of many coffees processed at Murango, and the collection of mills run by KALICO, which have placed several top scoring coffees in past Burundi COE competitions.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoRegion: Santa Rosa de Copán
Producer Group: Beneficio Santa Rosa
Certification: Organic
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level
Processing: Washed
Harvest Season: December to March
Cupping Notes: chocolate, grape, light berry, rose, lemon
The Copán Department of Western Honduras, a historically prominent area for the ancient Mayan civilization, is known for its fine cigars, tobacco, and of course, coffee. Here you can find Beneficio Santa Rosa de Copan, a dry mill and exporter working with small community cooperatives to produce specialty coffee and connect them to international markets.
Beneficio Santa Rosa was founded in 2005 with the intent of helping facilitate the exportation of high-quality coffee from western Honduras. Since then, they have continuously worked with various smallholder farmers, regional producer groups, associations, and cooperatives to promote specialty coffee in the region. For Beneficio Santa Rosa, coffee quality is the focus, and traceability is the method of ensuring it, for each lot is tagged so it can be traced back to its origin.
This organic certified lot of coffee is sourced from several small community cooperatives and processed by Beneficio Santa Rosa. Grown in soils rich with clay minerals, a building block for organic matter, these coffees showcase the rich quality potential present in Honduras. The pleasantly clean final cup is an ode to the hard work put in by the small-holder cooperatives and Beneficio Santa Rosa to bring this coffee to life.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
Region – Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas
Process – Washed & Sun-Dried
Altitude – 1,100 -1,800 meters above sea level
Variety – Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor, Catimor, Costa Rica & Marago
Cupping Notes – vanilla, dark chocolate and cranberry.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1300 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catua
Cupping Notes – cherry, pecan, pineapple, plum, honey
This coffee is produced under out Program Cafe Ecoforestal, an environmentally-friendly system, where farmers establish hardwood trees, fruit trees, banana plants, cover crops and coffee.
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certificate – Fair Trade
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1450 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes – hazelnut, red plum, candied almond
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Ibisi Mountain
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: Apricot, floral, honeyed, cherry fragrance with a delicate body
The Ibisi Mountain Hills washing station is located in the hills of
Southern Rwanda, just a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, which
has been traced as the source of the Nile River. Bernard Uwitije, a
native of the area, had been trading non-washed, ordinary coffee up
until 2015, when he realized the potential for fully washed,
specialty grade coffee. He built his first washing station, Gitega
Hills, which operated successfully in his first year and he decided
to expand the operations by building a second washing station,
Ibisi Mountain. The quality at both stations remain outstanding.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Ruvumbu
Processing method – Fully washed after a dry fermentation period, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,800 masl
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Sweet citrus, round body, pomegranate, fig, clementine, lime finish
The Ruvumbu Washing Station, once cooperative-owned, formerly processed around
100 metric tons of coffee cherries. Now that the station is under the ownership and
management of a private investor, it has produced 250 metric tons of cherries
for the first time this year. Ruvumbu uses a single-disc McKinnon
depulper and raised drying beds. Rwanda Trading Company is
responsible for milling and exporting 100 percent of Ruvumbu’s parchment
and green coffee. Despite the small volume from Ruvumbu, the
station has some of the best quality coffee in Rwanda. Ruvumbu
took 3rd place overall in the 2014 Rwanda Cup of Excellence
Competition and was given a Presidential Award for receiving a
cupping score above 90 points.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed and dried for 32 hours in a guardiolas
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Caturra Peaberry
Harvest Dates: October 2017 to January 2018
Cupping Notes: honey, lemon, with an almond fragrance and overall complexity
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing Type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed with a partial fermentation and dried for 32 hours using guardiolas
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Harvest Dates: November 2017 to February 2018
Cupping Notes: banana, plum, peach, pomegranate, bright and complex
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Mapache
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honeyed, dried on African raised beds for 20 days
Altitude: 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: white grape, honey, blueberry candy, starfruit, with a vibrant acidity and hoppy finish
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Pacamara varietal is selected and picked with a particular level of care, as this varietal requires more time to ripen than others. This specific lot comes from a part of the farm called El Batallón, which can be difficult to access due to its narrow roads. Here, nimble pickup trucks haul small loads of cherries to transfer to a larger truck parked at a nearby soccer field at Finca El Naranjito. Drivers bring the cherries to Beneficio El Recreo, where the entire wet milling process is done manually for this coffee. Mapache uses a manual depulper before carrying the coffee in small batches to African raised beds where they dry for nearly 20 days. The Pacamara varietal, first created in 1958, was derived by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varietals. This particular lot, one of our favorite Salvadoran coffees of the season, balances notes of brown sugar and citrus with a unique hoppy finish.
Name of Farm: Mapache Partida #74 Fantastic Four Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo, then sun dried on clay patios
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Red & Orange Bourbon
Cupping Notes: white grape and dried fruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this washed Bourbon lot one of their Fantastic Four Coffees. This specific lot comes from Vía María which is the highest part of the farm. The farm is planted with entirely pure Orange & Red Bourbon plants.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honey
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Bourbon
Cupping Notes: kiwi, brown sugar, honey, tropical, orange blossom
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this Bourbon Honey lot one of their “Fantastic Four Coffees”. It was processed 100% by hand at their milling station. The fresh cherries are first floated using barrels full of clean water, then the pulp is separated using a manual pulper that uses no water at all. The mucilage covered beans are dried on their raised beds for more than 15 days. Partida 112 was picked in the middle of harvest when most of the cherries are perfectly ripe, making selection easier. The cherries come from unique rows of Bourbon planed at 1350 meters above sea level on “El Tamagás” peak, a mountain named from the poisonous snake that inhabits the mountains of Concepción de Ataco.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito I & II and Finca Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Pacas and Bourbon
Cupping Notes: tart, cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Gifted with an ideal climate for growing coffee, Finca El Naranjito and Casa de Zinc sit at an average of 1,300 meters above sea level with a stellar view of the Pacific Ocean. El Imposible National Park, the largest forest reserve in El Salvador, sits just one mile away. As with every coffee we source through Mapache, you can be sure that thoughtful preparation and consistency shine through in the cup.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Kigali
Farm – Inzovu
Processing method – Fully washed
Altitude – 1,400 – 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon & Typica
Cupping Notes – fig, cantaloupe, and orange with a syrupy body
Our Inzovu PB coffee blend comes from 75 washing stations in RTC’s supply chain. 16 of those washing stations are owned by RTC, and the rest are pre-financed and work exclusively with RTC. The coffee is gown in fertile volcanic soil at an altitude of 1400 meters and above. The cherries are selectively handpicked, wet-processed, and sun-dried on raised tables for a period of 15-20 days. After drying, the parchment is delivered to RTC’s dry mill for hulling and grading, whereby the round beans get separated from the normal flat beans. The Inzovu PB brings unique features to the taste of Rwandan coffee, with balanced acidity, mellow body, and a sweet lingering aftertaste
“All decaffeinators utilize the same steps to accomplish the extraction of caffeine from green coffee. The steps include Steaming, Hydration, Extraction and Drying. All of the steps are done in 3 primary pieces of equipment. First is the Pre-treatment tank, second is the Extractor and the last step is done in the Dryer. Each piece of equipment is designed to specifically achieve a desired result. The internal design differentiates the decaffeinated coffee processors.
Our proprietary DFE Decaf Process ® design enhancements provide the platform necessary to achieve coffee decaffeination with considerably less drain on resources. By reducing the amount of resources and energy required to produce our decaffeinated coffee, we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint once again. Our proprietary DFE Process ® has positioned QUSAC as the leader in the decaf industry for the lowest carbon emissions.
By using Green Chemistry, our DFE Decaf Process ® has achieved the incredible results in our flavour profiles. Our team has determined the optimal parameters to target the caffeine with surgical precision and remove it from the green coffee beans. We named this step Target Specific Extraction Technology (TSET). TSET not only extracts the caffeine with surgical precision, it can also be used to extract unwanted mould and fungi such as the one responsible for the production of naturally occurring chemical compounds known as Mycotoxins. The end result is a decaffeinated coffee overflowing with its natural flavours.
Our DFE Decaffeinated coffee is the best tasting decaf with the lowest carbon footprint and presents the consumer with a decaffeinated cup of coffee that is free of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Our decaffeinated coffee is clean, fresh, healthy and eco-friendly. It is the socially responsible choice.” – Qusac Decaf
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Kiambu County
Grade – AB
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant varietal – SL28 & SL34
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – apricot, starfruit, grapefruit-like acidity
Three kilometers south of the town of Kiambu, 105 hectares of land creates Ibonia Estate. Leaders of the property, which lies 1,700 meters above sea level, focus on organic matter management and soil conservation as top priorities in coffee production. Ibonia Estate sees the value of the region’s soil – a deep, reddish-brown composition known as Kikuyu loam – and recognizes its role in developing to the distinctive qualities of their coffee offerings.
Aside from the farm’s soil, Ibonia Estate embraces its local climate, which features cool, wet periods from May to July. This environmental pattern allows the coffee plants to mature slowly and develop complexity in flavor. Each day, 200 community workers gather at Ibonia Estate to harvest, wash, and sort the day’s share of the 180 tons of coffee the property exports each year. Ibonia Estate primarily cultivates SL28 and SL34 varieties, both known for communicating exceptional quality in the cup.
Origin – Ethiopia, Aroresa, Jengelo Tedeta
Location at Origin – Sidamo
Grade – Grade 3
Processing – Natural, Sun-dried on raised beds (130 raised beds)
Altitude – 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping notes – strawberry, citrus, honey, plum
Aroresa (pronounced “A-ro-ress-a”)
Name of Farm: Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,350 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: caramel, mango, grapefruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Much like it’s honeyed counterpart, Mapache’s Pacamara Natural is characterized by its thoughtfulness through the entire harvesting and milling process. The area where this Pacamara cultivar is located is privileged, totally protected from the strong winds and direct sunlight. It is also surrounded by untouched forests that provide the trees with great amounts of natural nutrients and minerals. Mapache’s team of coffee pickers delicately select the ripest cherries to ensure longevity and continual protection. At the processing station, the coffee is floated and then spread over moveable drying beds. The coffee is then monitored constantly for 25 days to ensure even drying. This lot of bronzed-leaved Pacamara is 4 years old and produces a coffee with a particular grapefruit note, lingering aftertaste and some hints of caramel and mango.
Name of Farm: Santa Erlinda
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Sampacho
Cupping Notes: strawberry, spices, pineapple
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Santa Erlinda is a small farm located in the town of Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. Santa Erlinda receives more than 3000 mm of rain a year, making it a very fertile land for growing coffee. The Sampacho cultivar is nestled among cedar trees and surrounded by Copalchi windbreakers.
Santa Erlinda goes back three generations. It is a small but very productive farm that was replanted in 2014 after the coffee rust breakout of 2012 wiped out the entire farm. The property is now taken care of 5 young farmers who work yearlong doing every task needed to produce great coffee. When the harvest is ready, the families that live nearby come to carefully select the cherries that are then processed in Beneficio Recreo.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Farm: Sigri Coffee Estate
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Arusha, Caribbean Blue, Catimor, Maragogype
Altitude: 1,550 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, honey, peach, pecan, melon, starfruit acidity
The Sigri coffee estate is located in the Waghi Valley, a fertile region of the western highlands and Jikawa Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Carpenter Estates, a collection of three farms which span over 3000 hectares of coffee and tea. The 125-acre Sigri estate stands at 1,500 MASL and uses precisely managed shade trees to promote even coffee ripening, improved quality, and diversified wildlife habitat. The estate and those nearby are home to some 90 various species of birds, resulting in being awarded “bird-friendly” status.
The quality of coffee produced is representative of the unique factors that go into its production. The coffees planted at Sigiri Estate are all of Typica origin, originating from seeds of the Jamaica Blue Mountain variety planted here many years ago. Following strict quality control measures, the coffee is wet-processed throughout a three-day fermentation process and then sun-dried for 10 to 14 days. After hulling, the coffees are sorted using both color sorting machines and hand-sorting to ensure consistency and quality. The end result of this rigorous quality control is a uniquely complex coffee truly reminiscent of PNG. The final cup is medium-bodied, layered with tropical fruits and soft lemon acidity that finished with milk chocolate and spice notes.
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Processing type: Washed, Natural, Anaerobic Natural, Lactic Honey
Variety: Caturra, Chiroso & Colombia (single variety available)
Altitude: 1,800 to 2,700 meters above sea level
Located in Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia, La Reserva exemplifies the struggle that is coffee farming, but also a sign of what’s possible with perseverance. The 70-hectare farm is split between two areas, and nearly half this land is within a protected nature preserve and is home to a wide diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Andean Bear. The other half of the land lies on its own and has seen its fair share of challenges, as the previous owners were unable to maintain it due to insufficient profit from low coffee prices.
The land has now been taken over by a pioneering farmer, Juan Felipe, who looked past the abandoned plots and saw the teeming potential for specialty coffee. Noticing the fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,800 m.a.s.l. and 2,700 m.a.sl., Juan took the initiative to breathe new life into this beautiful farm.
In its second year of focused specialty production, the coffees from La Reserva are already showcasing the depth and diversity of its land. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Colombia varieties, the coffee possesses pronounced citrus fruit character, natural sweetness, and a pleasantly creamy body. The utilization of various processing techniques, whether it be washed, honey, or natural, only further accentuates the diversity of flavors possible from the coffee at La Reserva.
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Natural
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – pineapple, stonefruit, red apple, vanilla, lime
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Honey
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – lemon, peach, plum, grapefruit, hibiscus
Producer – Diédericks Gadea
Farm – Los Encuentros – Los Pedernales
Region – Jinotega
Altitude – 1,230 meters above sea level
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – Natural, Sun-dried
Variety – Catuai
Farm Size – 17 Ha total; 9 Ha Coffee
Cupping Notes – berries, champagne, orange, lime
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
LosEncuentros became the first farm producing Ecoforestal coffee in the community
Name of farm: La Yalena
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural, selective picking, sun-dried
Varietal: Caturra
Altitude: 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: lime, citrus, jasmine, raspberry, red tea
Elkin, with his family, wife Fernely and his daughter Dana Yalena who was the inspiration for the name of the farm all together live on this farm. Elkin comes from a coffee producer family. He bought the farm with the money that he had been saving for several years working as a coffee picker on other farms. In the beginning, he only had 500 coffee trees which were insufficient to make living out of it and he decided to move to Medellín, but life in the city was very different and he decided to come back to his farm. This time things were different. Elkin knew that the only way to make it work is to do everything differently. He needed to improve the quality of the cup to get a better price, and he began to produce honey processed coffee.
Elkin realized that picking quality is the key to improve the cup profile. He started paying more to his workers and process coffee differently and more thoroughly. Firstly they remove floaters then depulp and begins drying, carefully raking to ensure even drying process. He is going to learn more techniques to improve the quality of his coffee and he wants to be recognized as a high quality coffee producer.
Farm: Cadefihuila Cooperative
Region: Huila
Variety: Castillo, Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,550 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: chocolate, apricot, green apple, citrus
Located in Nieva, Huila, Cadefihuila was established in 1963 when a group of coffee growers joined forces to develop opportunities for sustainable coffee growing practices and to empower its members by providing access to better methods for drying parchment. Through this, the Cooperative has achieved success by improving their coffee quality, supporting their farmers, and by creating an organization that enables their farmers to reach across borders with a coffee they can be proud to share with us.
Cadefihuila’s smallholder farms spread across Southern Colombia in the Andes Mountain Range. These small acre farms have fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,100 m.a.s.l. and 1,550 m.a.sl. are ideal for growing quality coffee. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Castillo varieties, this coffee possesses a natural sweetness, hints of green apple, citrus, apricot, and pleasantly creamy body.
Farm: Marcala La Paz
Region: Marcala
Variety: Catuai, Lempira, Ihcafe 90
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: orange-like acidity, raisin, and milk chocolate
COMSA is a society of small coffee producers in the Marcala Region in La Paz, Honduras. The group was founded with aims to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions for farmers in the region, focusing on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
COMSA was founded in 2001 and now has 1,573 members focused on innovation, constant learning and training, and commitment to their community. This lot was harvested at peak maturation and then placed in a de-pulper before being left in a fermentation pile. The coffee is then washed and dried on patios and mechanical dryers until the parchment reaches a moisture of 12%.
Origin - Ethiopia, Biloya
Location – Kochere, Gedeo
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed & Natural
Altitude -1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Varietal – Kumie, Diga & Wilsho
Cupping Notes: blueberry pie, pineapple, kiwi, vanilla, watermelon
The Kochere district is one of the woredas (districts) in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gedeo Zone, Kochere is bordered on the east by Gedeb, on the southwest by the Oromia Region, and on the north by Yirgachefe, all well- known coffee-producing regions. Kochere is a diverse woreda which is made up primarily by three ethnic groups, the Gedeo, the Oromo, and the Amhara, in order of population. The coffees produced in this area are consistently some of the most beautiful coffees grown in the world thanks to the unique combination of the local environment, coffee genetics, and processing methods. Numerous variables come together to develop the unique flavors present in this coffee. First, the coffee is grown at noticeably high altitude, around 1,700 meters above sea level. Temperatures stay cool, with average highs around 70 °F and lows around 60 °F. Additionally, the varieties, Kumie, Diga, and Wilsho make up this coffee, which are all local varieties to this area of Ethiopia. This may account for what makes this coffee stand out, as these are not common to any other areas of the world. Lastly, this coffee is processed carefully using typical dry processing methods. To process this natural coffee, the coffee arrives to the Kocherie Beloya (or Biloya) washing station where is first sorted by hand to select the densest cherries. It is then taken to raised beds where the coffee is dried for up to 21 days. After drying, the coffee is milled and ready to be shipped off. Naturally processed Ethiopian coffees are often the coffees that stand out for the profound sweetness and fruit notes, and this one stands up to that.
Name of farm: Fazenda Reunidas Bela Vista
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Honey
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 – 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: dark chocolate, almond butter, brown sugar
Fazenda Bela Vista was founded in 1981 by Paulo Enídio Crabi in the rural mining town of Eloi Menes. In 2015, Bela Vista received UTZ certification ensuring that there are good agricultural practices, sustainability, social responsibility, traceability, conservation of the ecosystem, preservation of wildlife, and fair working conditions.
Bela Vista uses a ‘fertigation’ system that distributes fertilizer with a mixture of water directly at the roots to reduce water and fertilizer waste. This coffee was processed using a semi-washed honey process and has notes of dark chocolate, almond butter, and brown sugar.
Kumara Blend
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed – Sun-dried (8 days) 14-16 days of fermentation
Variety: Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,980 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, orange, apple
Catalina Vásquez, a fourth-generation coffee producer, helps manage and market harvests from her family’s three coffee farms in Antioquia.
Through her family’s decades of growing experience and her forward- thinking, entrepreneurial eye, Catalina and her family have invested in other farmers throughout the country to create a modern Colombian coffee brand called Cafelumbus. By sourcing coffee from farmer friends in other regions of Colombia Cafelumbus ensures a constant supply throughout the whole year.
Jaer Palacio Morales, Gloria Ruiz, and their two children, Samuel and Miguel own El Guayabal where they have producing coffee for 10 years. Jaer has always been surrounded by coffee in his life and bought Guayabal after a friend suggested he produce coffee in Antioquia. Since then Jaer and his family have been working to perfect their coffee. El Guayabal is located at 1,980 meters above sea level. Jaer has planted Caturra and Colombia on the farm and has been experimenting with perfecting washed coffees on his small 5-hectare land. He produces around 45 bags annually. This lot was fermented for 14-16 hours and then sun- dried for approximately 8 days.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Sun Dried
Variety: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raisin, melon, PEZ
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Bolivar Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Bolivar Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed
Variety: 50% Caturra, 30% Colombia, 20% Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, stone fruit, orange
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Giraldo Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Giraldo Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Carbonic Maceration 120 hours with CO2
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1,950 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raspberry, vanilla, pineapple
Region: Sierra Nevada
Processing type: Fully washed
Certification: FairTrade Organic
Variety: Caturra, Castillo & Colombia
Altitude: 700 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: red apple, caramel, floral undertones
The Tayronaca Cooperative (Asociación Tayronaca) was founded in 2014 by producers from Colombia’s far Northern coastal area. The farms of these producers are nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, just 26 miles from the Caribbean coast.
With altitudes of 1,700 meters above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is one of the world’s highest coastal ranges.
The Magdalena coffee zone is home to incredible biodiversity and has the ideal environmental conditions to produce specialty coffees. The Asociación Tayronaca has over 200 members from the surrounding communities. Most of these communities are Indigenous Arhuhuaco, Chibchan-speaking people, and descendants of the Tairona culture.
Most families do their own harvesting and processing with a manual pulper at their home. The leftover cherries are used as fertilizer for the coffee trees. The coffee is fermented for 12 to 48 hours and dried on patios.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
CoopeTarrazú is a Costa Rican cooperative made of over 3,500 partners and associates in the province of San José. Bearing in mind the organization’s values of solidarity and sustainability, CoopeTarrazú prioritizes the welfare of its associates, their families, and communities by providing hands-on technical assistance and investing in solutions to combat challenges like coffee rust.
One of the most recognizable coffee-producing regions in Costa Rica, Tarrazú accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total coffee production. Each coffee exported by CoopeTarrazú is cultivated at an elevation of 1,200 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Harvest coincides with the region’s dry season, which lasts from November to March, this contributes not only to coffee uniformity but also the ability to process the coffee by sun-drying.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Honey
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Geisha
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
During harvest time at Finca Nueva Granada, in the municipality of San Marcos, seasonal workers strap wicker baskets to their waists each morning, preparing to pass through the farm’s full groves, making pregnant bellies of deep red coffee cherries.
Nestled between Guatemala’s tallest volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, the
coffee trees at Finca Nueva Granada sit high on mountainous slopes in soil made rich by volcanic ash. After picking, employees use the farm’s spring water source to pulp the cherries, washing and grading the coffees before they are dried on patios. This season, we’re proud to collaborate with Finca Nueva Granada once again, continuing to build our 15-year relationship with Guatemala’s first Rainforest Alliance- certified farm. We’re especially excited to offer a Honey Processed Geisha.
Finca Medina
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed, Black Honey, Yellow Honey, Natural
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon and Marsellesa
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the region’s highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing quality coffee since 1842. Located in the village of San Lorenzo El Cubo, in the region of Ciudad Vieja, Finca Medina includes two estates, one named after the organization itself and the other called Anexo Portal. At both farms, the staff implements some of the most modern processing technology we’ve seen in Latin America, contributing to
each coffee’s consistency and quality. In addition, Finca Medina has been a member of the Antigua Coffee Producers Association since 2000 and has maintained a focus on producing Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees in recent years.
Red Honey Uraga
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Guji, Sidamo
Name of Farm – Uraga
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: cherry, orange
Uraga Washing Station is located in the Guji Zone with over 600 smallholder farmers contributing cherries. These farmers grow their coffee on the mountain slopes of Guji at 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Guji is part of the Oromia region which shares a border with the Gedeo Zone. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then red honey is processed. When the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Natural – Sun-drying 2 days pre-drying, ceramic floor 10 days raised beds 28-45C & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Cupping Notes: raspberry and melon
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants. The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares Typica
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Red Honeyed – Sun Dried for 10 days
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Typica
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares F1 Centroamericano
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Anaerobic Natural & Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: F1 Centroamericano (Sarchimor x Rume Sudan)
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Worka Chelchele Gedeo Yirgacheffe
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Gedeb
Name of Washing Station – Worka Chelchele (Chelchelie)
Grade – Grade 2
Processing – Washed
Altitude – 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: candied lemon, jasmine tea, red fruit, good body
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho) Gedeb Worka Chelchelie Washing Station is located in the Gedeo Zone and is named for the village (kebele) of Chelchelie. The smallholder farmers frown their coffee on steep mountain slopes at approximately 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Cordia, Africana, Acacia, and Ensete trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and over-ripe and under-ripe cherries are handpicked and separated before pulping. Coffees are pulped and allowed to ferment naturally for 36-48 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean running water and sun-dried for approximately 18 days or until the desired moisture content of 11.5% is reached. Dried parchment is then stored in a field warehouse until ready for transport to Addis Ababa.
Shefina, Yirgalem, Sidamo RA OG UTZ
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Yirgalem, Sidamo
Name of Washing Station – Shefina
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Natural
Altitude – 1,900 to 2,300 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars
Cupping Notes: chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberry, delicate body
Sidamo has climatic conditions, including altitude, rainfall, and temperature that create a wonderful environment for quality coffee. Specialty coffees from Sidamo are grown mainly in small villages (kebeles). These kebeles refer to the coffee as “garden coffee” which is grown at low density, only around 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, and is fertilized with organic matter.
Ripe coffees arrive at the Shefina washing station where they are pulped and allowed to ferment. The fermented coffee is washed with running water, soaked, and then dried until the desired moisture of 11.5%. This lot from Shefina washing station is RA, Organic and UTZ certified and has notes of lemongrass, lime, and honey.
Red Honey El Diamante
Origin – Nicaragua
Location at Origin – Jinotega
Name of Farm – El Diamante
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Varietal – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes: orange, vanilla
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Farm: Kuta Kofi Mill
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Bourbon, Arusha
Altitude: 1,600 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, papaya, toffee, dried apricots
The Kuta Papua New Guinea is sourced from smallholder farmers in the Upper Waghi Valley. The region has black volcanic loamy soil and a climate favorable for growing quality coffee. Receiving approximately 1,800-2,000 mm of rainfall per year with a dry season from April to August.
The coffee is processed at the Kuta Kofi mill. Smallholder farmers from Ambra, Kelewa, and Wurup bring cherry to the Kuta mill for purchase. The cherries are sorted and depulped before being fermented in vats for 36 hours. The coffee is washed 3 times and then brought to large sun-drying fields. The coffee is fully sun-dried on tarpaulins for 3 to 4 hours daily for a period of 5 to 10 days depending on weather conditions. The dry parchment is taken to the dry mill and placed in wooden conditioning bins where it is allowed to rest for 2 to 3 weeks prior to hulling. The result is a lovely coffee with chocolate, papaya, and toffee.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Gitega Hills
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: apricot, floral, honey
The Gitega Hills washing station sits within the hills of Southern Rwanda, located a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, a national park known for its incredible biodiversity of endemic species. Here, local farmer Bernard Uwitije focused primarily on producing commodity coffee until 2015, when he realized the potential for processing fully-washed specialty coffees in partnership with Rwanda Trading Company. Rwanda Trading Company was established in 2009 as a vehicle for positive social impact. This group has displayed a consistent commitment to securing economic freedom and security for smallholder farmers by building resilient, transparent supply chains.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Mwito
Processing method – Natural, dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,347 meters above sea level
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: purple grape, jolly ranchers, blueberry, aloe
The Mwito Washing Station sits on the shores of Lake Kivu in West Nyamasheke.
Mwito washing station was constructed in 2008, but for many years there was no stability due to a lack of financing. For all those years, farmers lacked a consistent partner who would support them beyond buying coffee cherries. RTC purchased Mwito in 2017 and operated it for the first time in the 2018 season. One year after, all farmers had been registered to enroll in RTC’s farmer impact programs for extension services and preparation for certification. In 2019 RTC built a kindergarten school for the coffee farmers’ children.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Karonigi
Farm – Gitesi
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,735 to 1,800 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes: honeydew melon, grapefruit
Gitesi Washing Station was built in 2005 and began milling cherries in 2006. 1,830 smallholder coffee farmers in the area supply Gitesi with cherries each year. The station, owned by Gahizi Alex, has a very good relationship with the farmers and gives them a bonus at the end of each season based on performance. RTC worked with Gitesi for the first time in 2011 and provided them with operating capital to assist in production costs. Gitesi supplied RTC with 34,000 kgs of parchment in 2011 and ever since has consistently been able to produce around 2 containers of high-quality green beans.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: F1 La Hacienda Naturally Processed
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 1 hectare
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Sudan, Villa Sarchi and Catimor
Cupping Notes: rum, tangerine, vanilla, grapefruit, sweet tart, strawberry, sparkling lemonade
Finca La Hacienda farm is owned and operated by Coope Tarrazu. For this small farm, the coffee trees are 8 years old and they have been harvesting for 5 years now. We’re offering this lot in 34.5 kilo bags to make this special coffee more accessible.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Natural Processed
Grade: SHB
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 2 hectares
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, blackberry jam, sweet tea and peach candy
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Total Farm Area: 2 hectares
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Processing: yellow honey processed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: strawberry, mango, balanced and dry
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Finca La Pastora
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,700 to 1,800 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: currant wine, blackberry, caramel and hazelnut
Location at Origin – Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Tana Karo Triple Picked ACEH
Processing – Giling Basah
Plant varietal – Catimor (Ateng) & Gayo 1 (Tim-Tim)
Altitude – 1,650 to 1,650 meters above sea level
Total number of farmers – 700
Total hectares – 800
Cupping Notes – citrus, lemongrass, beet-like acidity
In the northern end of Sumatra, around 700 independent farmers grow coffee alongside their family’s food. Each producer owns from 3 to 10 hectares each, cultivating coffee in the province of Aceh near the town of Takengon. This traceable Indonesian coffee, available as a Grade 1 lot, a Grade 1 Organic, or a Grade 1 Fair Trade-Organic, was sourced through Royal Pacific Indah International. Royal Pacific, one of our exporting partners in Indonesia, began as a group of local coffee traders in Medan, North Sumatra. In just a few years, the company grew into a 20,000 square foot office and warehouse space, where the team now specializes in Sumatran coffees.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Chimaltenango
Name of Farm – Finca El Pacayal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 masl
Plant Varietal – Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Green Apple
Finca El Pacayal is located in San Miguel Pochuta within Chimaltenango. The finca lies upon rich volcanic soil where the coffee is harvested from November to March and then shipped out from December to June. Finca El Pacayal uses substainable “shade-grown” techniques. The trees used to protect its environment and coffee trees include species like: Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga. All of these trees help with sun filtration. This process helps the coffee trees maintain their health. The sun filtration also maintains soil quality which is extremely important for production of coffee.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Mutiara, Gayo, Bener Meriah, Aceh, Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Mutiara Gayo Cooperative
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Certification – Fair Trade Organic
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Jember, Ateng, Bourbon, Bergandaal
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
F Gayo highland is the most well known place in Indonesia for it’s high quality Aribica beans and sustainably managed farms. “Gayo” itself means “nice” and comes from the local tribe which has around 85,000 people living in the mountains where this coffee is grown.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Pengalengan, West Java
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Smallholder Farmers
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Altitude – 1,300 – 1,500 masl
Cupping notes – banana bread, malt, chocolate
The coffee farms in West Java are mostly planted in sustainable forestry operation areas allowed and controlled by the local government. West Java was the first place in Indonesia where the Dutch first planted coffee during the Dutch Colonial conquest.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Ngura, Flores, Bajawa
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Semi-washed
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember
Cupping notes – spices, melon, dark chocolate, woody, red apple
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Sulawesi, Toraja
Name of farm – Smallholder farmers
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Giling Basah (wet hulled)
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember, Typica
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
Toraja is an exotic place located in Southern part of Sulawesi province.Toraja tribe is well known for their unique culture and one of the best in the world. Toraja tribe is also a “genuine tribe” in Indonesia. The coffee farms are planted on the plateau with unique texture of the land.
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Nyeri – Mount Kenya (Northern Kenya)
Grade – AA
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,500 meters – grown on highland slopes
Plant varietal – SL28, SL34, & Riuru 11
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – pomegranate, apricot, plum, cherry, bergamot tea
One of the first coffee farms established in eastern Africa, Nyeri Hill Estate planted its first coffee seedling in 1914. Located two kilometers northwest of the town of Nyeri, along the Nyeri-Ihururu road, this expansive estate stretches along the slopes of the region’s central highlands.
Nyeri Hill includes 1,415 total hectares, 344 of which are devoted to coffee cultivation. Here, 300 total employees harvest three main varietals: SL28, SL34 and Riuru 11. According to World Coffee Research, the SL28 varietal tends to be drought-tolerant and high potential for cup quality. SL28 and SL34 are unique in that they were both selected from single trees in Kenya, but these varieties are also susceptible to common coffee diseases. In contrast, Riuru 11, which makes up over 18 percent of the estate’s total production, is a varietal known for its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. As World Coffee Research explains, this dwarf hybrid varietal “owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production.” While each varietal’s susceptibility to disease may vary, the potential for excellence in cup quality remains constant.
Nyeri Hill is a unique coffee estate with equally distinct offerings. Here, management focuses on cultivating coffees that shine while also prioritizing the community’s long-term sustainability, both from environmental and social perspectives. The organization allocates part of its profits to academic development (with Nyeri High School), professional growth (with Kamwenja Teachers College) and community healthcare (with Mathari Mission Hospital). Along with these social commitments, the leaders at Nyeri Hill focus on reforestation in 250 hectares of the estate, preservation of natural vegetation to encourage biodiversity, and soil retention through solutions like Bermuda Grass cultivation. By approaching their role in the coffee industry holistically, Nyeri Hill Estate strikes a key balance between producing high-quality coffees and providing a high quality of life for their employees and partners.
Worka Sakaro
Origin - Ethiopia
Location – Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed, Natural & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200
Varietal – Indigenous Heirloom Cultivars (Kumie, Siga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: blueberry, lemongrass, melon
Worka Sakaro Washing Sation is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Origin - Ethiopia, HaloFuwaFuwate
Location – Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Grade – II
Processing method – Washed and dried on raised beds (150 beds)
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: floral, blueberry, spice, lemon
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – Peaberry
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – AA
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua – San Rafael
Name of Farm – Finca San Rafael Urias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed – 100% sun dried- no mechanical drying
Certification – Genuine Antigua
Altitude – 1500-1600 meters.
Plant Varietal – Bourbon 90% Caturra & Typica 10%
Shade grown with Gravilea and grown in volcanic loamy-sand
Cupping Notes – Very clean with a tea-like acidity, notes of honey-crisp apple, floral with brown sugar finish
San Rafael Urias is located in the highland valley of Antigua, the most traditional coffee region in the world. The farm was founded in the late 1800¹s by Rafael Valdes Quiroa. Today the farm is administered by the third generation of the Valdes family. It is situated in a very special microclimate. The naturally fertile soil is deep, loose, volcanic and sandy with good drainage. The weather is mild, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 60%, and 35 to 39 inches of precipitation each year. The coffee produced here, on 50% of the farm’s 226 hectares, is strictly hard bean, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, and has been recognized for its excellent cup quality, resulting from the care given during the entire process and the knowledge and experience passed down from its founder. After being handpicked, the fruit is wet-milled traditionally, hand washed with 100% natural water, and sun-dried. The strict quality control, utilizing samples and daily cupping, maintain an even and excellent quality. The farm is surrounded by hills and crossed by the Guacalate River, which also generates hydroelectric energy to power the wet mill. The farm has a small mountain forest with several sources of clean, naturally filtered water that carries nutrients to the plants and is used both for drinking and in the pulping and washing of coffee beans. The farm also produces berries, sweet potatoes, vegetables and basic grains, as well as dairy products.
Origin – Sidamo
Name of Farm – ECX
Grade – 3
Processing method- Natural
Altitude -1,550-2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes – muscadine grapes, funky, berry, winey
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Iglesias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 4,700 to 4900 feet
Plant Varietal – 60% Bourbon with 40% Catuai & Caturra
Cupping Notes – strawberry, Floral, Kiwi, Apple, Creamy Milk Chocolate, Baking Spices Finish
The famous ancient city of Antigua contains over 43 churches, so it is not surprise that this special coffee gets the brand “Iglesias.” Antigua Iglesias comes from the Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja in the state of Sacatepéquez at the slopes of the Volcano Agua. The coffee grows under Gravilea trees in rich volcanic soil. After harvest, the coffee is brought to the famous mill, Concepcion Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios, separated by size, density, and color. The result is a superior coffee with extreme complexities.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina & Anexo Portal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed & Natural
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Bourbon & Marsellesa
Washed Cupping Notes: honeycomb, dried apricot, yellow, apple, grape, lime
Natural Cupping Notes: cange sugar, watermelon, strawberry, fig
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the regions highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing coffee since 1842.
Origin – Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Name of Farm – Ixlama
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 1,524 to 1,830 masl
Plant Varietal – 50% Bourbon and 50% Caturra
Cupping Notes – juicy strawberry, bright, clean, balanced
Ixlama from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, comes from specialty-selected small producers, like Finca El Paternal and Finca Nueva Palmira, from the highlands of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad in the state of Huehuetenango. This shade-grown coffee is harvested and brought to the mill where it is sun dried on a patio and placed in “guardiolas.” It is separated by color via computer and density/size mechanically which results in a superior, clean, bright cup.
Cupping Notes: lemon, honey-nut cheerios. cherry
One of our freshest decaf options, this Kenya has been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, known industry-wide to give green coffees new life through the company’s proprietary process involving Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
As Swiss Water explains, “caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium,” creating clean, complex decaf coffee options in the process.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Burundi
Washing Station – Murago
Region – Muyinga, Butihinda
Altitude – 1,650 -1,750 meters above sea level
Processing – Washed
Drying method – Sun-dried on raised beds
Plant varietal – Bourbon
Cupping notes – mint, apricot, vanilla, botanical
Leading the charge for this coffee is Angèle Ciza, CEO of Kahawa (“coffee” in Swahili) Company, a leader in sustainability and women’s empowerment in Burundi. She believes that good coffee is achieved by using best practices in the nurseries and during picking but by also investing in additional training, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and cost sharing reductions for their producers. For her, investing in those who grow coffee, especially women, is essential to further developing Burundi.
Her company, Kahawa Company, also known as KALICO, operates seven washing stations in northeast Burundi, specifically in the Kirundo and Muyinga provinces. In the Muyinga province, you will find the Murago washing station, one of seven owned by KALICO. The mill draws in coffee from 3,023 producers from Bonero hill, who primarily grow the Bourbon variety. This coffee is selected from a combination of smallholder farmers in Butihina commune, lying between 1650m and 1750m above sea level, and processed at the Murango washing station. It is one of many coffees processed at Murango, and the collection of mills run by KALICO, which have placed several top scoring coffees in past Burundi COE competitions.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoRegion: Santa Rosa de Copán
Producer Group: Beneficio Santa Rosa
Certification: Organic
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level
Processing: Washed
Harvest Season: December to March
Cupping Notes: chocolate, grape, light berry, rose, lemon
The Copán Department of Western Honduras, a historically prominent area for the ancient Mayan civilization, is known for its fine cigars, tobacco, and of course, coffee. Here you can find Beneficio Santa Rosa de Copan, a dry mill and exporter working with small community cooperatives to produce specialty coffee and connect them to international markets.
Beneficio Santa Rosa was founded in 2005 with the intent of helping facilitate the exportation of high-quality coffee from western Honduras. Since then, they have continuously worked with various smallholder farmers, regional producer groups, associations, and cooperatives to promote specialty coffee in the region. For Beneficio Santa Rosa, coffee quality is the focus, and traceability is the method of ensuring it, for each lot is tagged so it can be traced back to its origin.
This organic certified lot of coffee is sourced from several small community cooperatives and processed by Beneficio Santa Rosa. Grown in soils rich with clay minerals, a building block for organic matter, these coffees showcase the rich quality potential present in Honduras. The pleasantly clean final cup is an ode to the hard work put in by the small-holder cooperatives and Beneficio Santa Rosa to bring this coffee to life.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
Region – Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas
Process – Washed & Sun-Dried
Altitude – 1,100 -1,800 meters above sea level
Variety – Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor, Catimor, Costa Rica & Marago
Cupping Notes – vanilla, dark chocolate and cranberry.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1300 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catua
Cupping Notes – cherry, pecan, pineapple, plum, honey
This coffee is produced under out Program Cafe Ecoforestal, an environmentally-friendly system, where farmers establish hardwood trees, fruit trees, banana plants, cover crops and coffee.
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certificate – Fair Trade
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1450 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes – hazelnut, red plum, candied almond
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Ibisi Mountain
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: Apricot, floral, honeyed, cherry fragrance with a delicate body
The Ibisi Mountain Hills washing station is located in the hills of
Southern Rwanda, just a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, which
has been traced as the source of the Nile River. Bernard Uwitije, a
native of the area, had been trading non-washed, ordinary coffee up
until 2015, when he realized the potential for fully washed,
specialty grade coffee. He built his first washing station, Gitega
Hills, which operated successfully in his first year and he decided
to expand the operations by building a second washing station,
Ibisi Mountain. The quality at both stations remain outstanding.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Ruvumbu
Processing method – Fully washed after a dry fermentation period, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,800 masl
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Sweet citrus, round body, pomegranate, fig, clementine, lime finish
The Ruvumbu Washing Station, once cooperative-owned, formerly processed around
100 metric tons of coffee cherries. Now that the station is under the ownership and
management of a private investor, it has produced 250 metric tons of cherries
for the first time this year. Ruvumbu uses a single-disc McKinnon
depulper and raised drying beds. Rwanda Trading Company is
responsible for milling and exporting 100 percent of Ruvumbu’s parchment
and green coffee. Despite the small volume from Ruvumbu, the
station has some of the best quality coffee in Rwanda. Ruvumbu
took 3rd place overall in the 2014 Rwanda Cup of Excellence
Competition and was given a Presidential Award for receiving a
cupping score above 90 points.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed and dried for 32 hours in a guardiolas
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Caturra Peaberry
Harvest Dates: October 2017 to January 2018
Cupping Notes: honey, lemon, with an almond fragrance and overall complexity
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing Type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed with a partial fermentation and dried for 32 hours using guardiolas
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Harvest Dates: November 2017 to February 2018
Cupping Notes: banana, plum, peach, pomegranate, bright and complex
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Mapache
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honeyed, dried on African raised beds for 20 days
Altitude: 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: white grape, honey, blueberry candy, starfruit, with a vibrant acidity and hoppy finish
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Pacamara varietal is selected and picked with a particular level of care, as this varietal requires more time to ripen than others. This specific lot comes from a part of the farm called El Batallón, which can be difficult to access due to its narrow roads. Here, nimble pickup trucks haul small loads of cherries to transfer to a larger truck parked at a nearby soccer field at Finca El Naranjito. Drivers bring the cherries to Beneficio El Recreo, where the entire wet milling process is done manually for this coffee. Mapache uses a manual depulper before carrying the coffee in small batches to African raised beds where they dry for nearly 20 days. The Pacamara varietal, first created in 1958, was derived by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varietals. This particular lot, one of our favorite Salvadoran coffees of the season, balances notes of brown sugar and citrus with a unique hoppy finish.
Name of Farm: Mapache Partida #74 Fantastic Four Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo, then sun dried on clay patios
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Red & Orange Bourbon
Cupping Notes: white grape and dried fruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this washed Bourbon lot one of their Fantastic Four Coffees. This specific lot comes from Vía María which is the highest part of the farm. The farm is planted with entirely pure Orange & Red Bourbon plants.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honey
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Bourbon
Cupping Notes: kiwi, brown sugar, honey, tropical, orange blossom
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this Bourbon Honey lot one of their “Fantastic Four Coffees”. It was processed 100% by hand at their milling station. The fresh cherries are first floated using barrels full of clean water, then the pulp is separated using a manual pulper that uses no water at all. The mucilage covered beans are dried on their raised beds for more than 15 days. Partida 112 was picked in the middle of harvest when most of the cherries are perfectly ripe, making selection easier. The cherries come from unique rows of Bourbon planed at 1350 meters above sea level on “El Tamagás” peak, a mountain named from the poisonous snake that inhabits the mountains of Concepción de Ataco.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito I & II and Finca Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Pacas and Bourbon
Cupping Notes: tart, cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Gifted with an ideal climate for growing coffee, Finca El Naranjito and Casa de Zinc sit at an average of 1,300 meters above sea level with a stellar view of the Pacific Ocean. El Imposible National Park, the largest forest reserve in El Salvador, sits just one mile away. As with every coffee we source through Mapache, you can be sure that thoughtful preparation and consistency shine through in the cup.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Kigali
Farm – Inzovu
Processing method – Fully washed
Altitude – 1,400 – 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon & Typica
Cupping Notes – fig, cantaloupe, and orange with a syrupy body
Our Inzovu PB coffee blend comes from 75 washing stations in RTC’s supply chain. 16 of those washing stations are owned by RTC, and the rest are pre-financed and work exclusively with RTC. The coffee is gown in fertile volcanic soil at an altitude of 1400 meters and above. The cherries are selectively handpicked, wet-processed, and sun-dried on raised tables for a period of 15-20 days. After drying, the parchment is delivered to RTC’s dry mill for hulling and grading, whereby the round beans get separated from the normal flat beans. The Inzovu PB brings unique features to the taste of Rwandan coffee, with balanced acidity, mellow body, and a sweet lingering aftertaste
“All decaffeinators utilize the same steps to accomplish the extraction of caffeine from green coffee. The steps include Steaming, Hydration, Extraction and Drying. All of the steps are done in 3 primary pieces of equipment. First is the Pre-treatment tank, second is the Extractor and the last step is done in the Dryer. Each piece of equipment is designed to specifically achieve a desired result. The internal design differentiates the decaffeinated coffee processors.
Our proprietary DFE Decaf Process ® design enhancements provide the platform necessary to achieve coffee decaffeination with considerably less drain on resources. By reducing the amount of resources and energy required to produce our decaffeinated coffee, we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint once again. Our proprietary DFE Process ® has positioned QUSAC as the leader in the decaf industry for the lowest carbon emissions.
By using Green Chemistry, our DFE Decaf Process ® has achieved the incredible results in our flavour profiles. Our team has determined the optimal parameters to target the caffeine with surgical precision and remove it from the green coffee beans. We named this step Target Specific Extraction Technology (TSET). TSET not only extracts the caffeine with surgical precision, it can also be used to extract unwanted mould and fungi such as the one responsible for the production of naturally occurring chemical compounds known as Mycotoxins. The end result is a decaffeinated coffee overflowing with its natural flavours.
Our DFE Decaffeinated coffee is the best tasting decaf with the lowest carbon footprint and presents the consumer with a decaffeinated cup of coffee that is free of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Our decaffeinated coffee is clean, fresh, healthy and eco-friendly. It is the socially responsible choice.” – Qusac Decaf
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Kiambu County
Grade – AB
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant varietal – SL28 & SL34
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – apricot, starfruit, grapefruit-like acidity
Three kilometers south of the town of Kiambu, 105 hectares of land creates Ibonia Estate. Leaders of the property, which lies 1,700 meters above sea level, focus on organic matter management and soil conservation as top priorities in coffee production. Ibonia Estate sees the value of the region’s soil – a deep, reddish-brown composition known as Kikuyu loam – and recognizes its role in developing to the distinctive qualities of their coffee offerings.
Aside from the farm’s soil, Ibonia Estate embraces its local climate, which features cool, wet periods from May to July. This environmental pattern allows the coffee plants to mature slowly and develop complexity in flavor. Each day, 200 community workers gather at Ibonia Estate to harvest, wash, and sort the day’s share of the 180 tons of coffee the property exports each year. Ibonia Estate primarily cultivates SL28 and SL34 varieties, both known for communicating exceptional quality in the cup.
Origin – Ethiopia, Aroresa, Jengelo Tedeta
Location at Origin – Sidamo
Grade – Grade 3
Processing – Natural, Sun-dried on raised beds (130 raised beds)
Altitude – 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping notes – strawberry, citrus, honey, plum
Aroresa (pronounced “A-ro-ress-a”)
Name of Farm: Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,350 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: caramel, mango, grapefruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Much like it’s honeyed counterpart, Mapache’s Pacamara Natural is characterized by its thoughtfulness through the entire harvesting and milling process. The area where this Pacamara cultivar is located is privileged, totally protected from the strong winds and direct sunlight. It is also surrounded by untouched forests that provide the trees with great amounts of natural nutrients and minerals. Mapache’s team of coffee pickers delicately select the ripest cherries to ensure longevity and continual protection. At the processing station, the coffee is floated and then spread over moveable drying beds. The coffee is then monitored constantly for 25 days to ensure even drying. This lot of bronzed-leaved Pacamara is 4 years old and produces a coffee with a particular grapefruit note, lingering aftertaste and some hints of caramel and mango.
Name of Farm: Santa Erlinda
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Sampacho
Cupping Notes: strawberry, spices, pineapple
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Santa Erlinda is a small farm located in the town of Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. Santa Erlinda receives more than 3000 mm of rain a year, making it a very fertile land for growing coffee. The Sampacho cultivar is nestled among cedar trees and surrounded by Copalchi windbreakers.
Santa Erlinda goes back three generations. It is a small but very productive farm that was replanted in 2014 after the coffee rust breakout of 2012 wiped out the entire farm. The property is now taken care of 5 young farmers who work yearlong doing every task needed to produce great coffee. When the harvest is ready, the families that live nearby come to carefully select the cherries that are then processed in Beneficio Recreo.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Farm: Sigri Coffee Estate
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Arusha, Caribbean Blue, Catimor, Maragogype
Altitude: 1,550 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, honey, peach, pecan, melon, starfruit acidity
The Sigri coffee estate is located in the Waghi Valley, a fertile region of the western highlands and Jikawa Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Carpenter Estates, a collection of three farms which span over 3000 hectares of coffee and tea. The 125-acre Sigri estate stands at 1,500 MASL and uses precisely managed shade trees to promote even coffee ripening, improved quality, and diversified wildlife habitat. The estate and those nearby are home to some 90 various species of birds, resulting in being awarded “bird-friendly” status.
The quality of coffee produced is representative of the unique factors that go into its production. The coffees planted at Sigiri Estate are all of Typica origin, originating from seeds of the Jamaica Blue Mountain variety planted here many years ago. Following strict quality control measures, the coffee is wet-processed throughout a three-day fermentation process and then sun-dried for 10 to 14 days. After hulling, the coffees are sorted using both color sorting machines and hand-sorting to ensure consistency and quality. The end result of this rigorous quality control is a uniquely complex coffee truly reminiscent of PNG. The final cup is medium-bodied, layered with tropical fruits and soft lemon acidity that finished with milk chocolate and spice notes.
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Processing type: Washed, Natural, Anaerobic Natural, Lactic Honey
Variety: Caturra, Chiroso & Colombia (single variety available)
Altitude: 1,800 to 2,700 meters above sea level
Located in Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia, La Reserva exemplifies the struggle that is coffee farming, but also a sign of what’s possible with perseverance. The 70-hectare farm is split between two areas, and nearly half this land is within a protected nature preserve and is home to a wide diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Andean Bear. The other half of the land lies on its own and has seen its fair share of challenges, as the previous owners were unable to maintain it due to insufficient profit from low coffee prices.
The land has now been taken over by a pioneering farmer, Juan Felipe, who looked past the abandoned plots and saw the teeming potential for specialty coffee. Noticing the fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,800 m.a.s.l. and 2,700 m.a.sl., Juan took the initiative to breathe new life into this beautiful farm.
In its second year of focused specialty production, the coffees from La Reserva are already showcasing the depth and diversity of its land. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Colombia varieties, the coffee possesses pronounced citrus fruit character, natural sweetness, and a pleasantly creamy body. The utilization of various processing techniques, whether it be washed, honey, or natural, only further accentuates the diversity of flavors possible from the coffee at La Reserva.
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Natural
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – pineapple, stonefruit, red apple, vanilla, lime
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Honey
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – lemon, peach, plum, grapefruit, hibiscus
Producer – Diédericks Gadea
Farm – Los Encuentros – Los Pedernales
Region – Jinotega
Altitude – 1,230 meters above sea level
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – Natural, Sun-dried
Variety – Catuai
Farm Size – 17 Ha total; 9 Ha Coffee
Cupping Notes – berries, champagne, orange, lime
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
LosEncuentros became the first farm producing Ecoforestal coffee in the community
Name of farm: La Yalena
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural, selective picking, sun-dried
Varietal: Caturra
Altitude: 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: lime, citrus, jasmine, raspberry, red tea
Elkin, with his family, wife Fernely and his daughter Dana Yalena who was the inspiration for the name of the farm all together live on this farm. Elkin comes from a coffee producer family. He bought the farm with the money that he had been saving for several years working as a coffee picker on other farms. In the beginning, he only had 500 coffee trees which were insufficient to make living out of it and he decided to move to Medellín, but life in the city was very different and he decided to come back to his farm. This time things were different. Elkin knew that the only way to make it work is to do everything differently. He needed to improve the quality of the cup to get a better price, and he began to produce honey processed coffee.
Elkin realized that picking quality is the key to improve the cup profile. He started paying more to his workers and process coffee differently and more thoroughly. Firstly they remove floaters then depulp and begins drying, carefully raking to ensure even drying process. He is going to learn more techniques to improve the quality of his coffee and he wants to be recognized as a high quality coffee producer.
Farm: Cadefihuila Cooperative
Region: Huila
Variety: Castillo, Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,550 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: chocolate, apricot, green apple, citrus
Located in Nieva, Huila, Cadefihuila was established in 1963 when a group of coffee growers joined forces to develop opportunities for sustainable coffee growing practices and to empower its members by providing access to better methods for drying parchment. Through this, the Cooperative has achieved success by improving their coffee quality, supporting their farmers, and by creating an organization that enables their farmers to reach across borders with a coffee they can be proud to share with us.
Cadefihuila’s smallholder farms spread across Southern Colombia in the Andes Mountain Range. These small acre farms have fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,100 m.a.s.l. and 1,550 m.a.sl. are ideal for growing quality coffee. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Castillo varieties, this coffee possesses a natural sweetness, hints of green apple, citrus, apricot, and pleasantly creamy body.
Farm: Marcala La Paz
Region: Marcala
Variety: Catuai, Lempira, Ihcafe 90
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: orange-like acidity, raisin, and milk chocolate
COMSA is a society of small coffee producers in the Marcala Region in La Paz, Honduras. The group was founded with aims to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions for farmers in the region, focusing on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
COMSA was founded in 2001 and now has 1,573 members focused on innovation, constant learning and training, and commitment to their community. This lot was harvested at peak maturation and then placed in a de-pulper before being left in a fermentation pile. The coffee is then washed and dried on patios and mechanical dryers until the parchment reaches a moisture of 12%.
Origin - Ethiopia, Biloya
Location – Kochere, Gedeo
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed & Natural
Altitude -1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Varietal – Kumie, Diga & Wilsho
Cupping Notes: blueberry pie, pineapple, kiwi, vanilla, watermelon
The Kochere district is one of the woredas (districts) in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Gedeo Zone, Kochere is bordered on the east by Gedeb, on the southwest by the Oromia Region, and on the north by Yirgachefe, all well- known coffee-producing regions. Kochere is a diverse woreda which is made up primarily by three ethnic groups, the Gedeo, the Oromo, and the Amhara, in order of population. The coffees produced in this area are consistently some of the most beautiful coffees grown in the world thanks to the unique combination of the local environment, coffee genetics, and processing methods. Numerous variables come together to develop the unique flavors present in this coffee. First, the coffee is grown at noticeably high altitude, around 1,700 meters above sea level. Temperatures stay cool, with average highs around 70 °F and lows around 60 °F. Additionally, the varieties, Kumie, Diga, and Wilsho make up this coffee, which are all local varieties to this area of Ethiopia. This may account for what makes this coffee stand out, as these are not common to any other areas of the world. Lastly, this coffee is processed carefully using typical dry processing methods. To process this natural coffee, the coffee arrives to the Kocherie Beloya (or Biloya) washing station where is first sorted by hand to select the densest cherries. It is then taken to raised beds where the coffee is dried for up to 21 days. After drying, the coffee is milled and ready to be shipped off. Naturally processed Ethiopian coffees are often the coffees that stand out for the profound sweetness and fruit notes, and this one stands up to that.
Name of farm: Fazenda Reunidas Bela Vista
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Honey
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Catuai, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 – 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: dark chocolate, almond butter, brown sugar
Fazenda Bela Vista was founded in 1981 by Paulo Enídio Crabi in the rural mining town of Eloi Menes. In 2015, Bela Vista received UTZ certification ensuring that there are good agricultural practices, sustainability, social responsibility, traceability, conservation of the ecosystem, preservation of wildlife, and fair working conditions.
Bela Vista uses a ‘fertigation’ system that distributes fertilizer with a mixture of water directly at the roots to reduce water and fertilizer waste. This coffee was processed using a semi-washed honey process and has notes of dark chocolate, almond butter, and brown sugar.
Kumara Blend
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed – Sun-dried (8 days) 14-16 days of fermentation
Variety: Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,980 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, orange, apple
Catalina Vásquez, a fourth-generation coffee producer, helps manage and market harvests from her family’s three coffee farms in Antioquia.
Through her family’s decades of growing experience and her forward- thinking, entrepreneurial eye, Catalina and her family have invested in other farmers throughout the country to create a modern Colombian coffee brand called Cafelumbus. By sourcing coffee from farmer friends in other regions of Colombia Cafelumbus ensures a constant supply throughout the whole year.
Jaer Palacio Morales, Gloria Ruiz, and their two children, Samuel and Miguel own El Guayabal where they have producing coffee for 10 years. Jaer has always been surrounded by coffee in his life and bought Guayabal after a friend suggested he produce coffee in Antioquia. Since then Jaer and his family have been working to perfect their coffee. El Guayabal is located at 1,980 meters above sea level. Jaer has planted Caturra and Colombia on the farm and has been experimenting with perfecting washed coffees on his small 5-hectare land. He produces around 45 bags annually. This lot was fermented for 14-16 hours and then sun- dried for approximately 8 days.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Sun Dried
Variety: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raisin, melon, PEZ
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Bolivar Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Bolivar Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Fully washed
Variety: 50% Caturra, 30% Colombia, 20% Castillo
Altitude: 1,700 to 2,100 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, stone fruit, orange
Cafeulmbus was started in Ciudad Bolivar, a town well known for its high-quality coffee. Their strong relationships with neighbors in Antioquia making it easier to maintain excellent quality blends. The Giraldo Blend is 100% hand-picked by farmers and pickers from all over Colombia and neighboring countries twice daily. The main harvest is from October through December with a fly crop between April and June.
The producers of Giraldo Blend produce some of the finest coffees and value sustainable development, conservation of ecosystems, clean water, economic growth, infrastructure, green energy, and close relationships with their roasting partners.
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural – Carbonic Maceration 120 hours with CO2
Variety: Caturra
Altitude: 1,950 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: raspberry, vanilla, pineapple
Region: Sierra Nevada
Processing type: Fully washed
Certification: FairTrade Organic
Variety: Caturra, Castillo & Colombia
Altitude: 700 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: red apple, caramel, floral undertones
The Tayronaca Cooperative (Asociación Tayronaca) was founded in 2014 by producers from Colombia’s far Northern coastal area. The farms of these producers are nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, just 26 miles from the Caribbean coast.
With altitudes of 1,700 meters above sea level just 42 km from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra Nevada is one of the world’s highest coastal ranges.
The Magdalena coffee zone is home to incredible biodiversity and has the ideal environmental conditions to produce specialty coffees. The Asociación Tayronaca has over 200 members from the surrounding communities. Most of these communities are Indigenous Arhuhuaco, Chibchan-speaking people, and descendants of the Tairona culture.
Most families do their own harvesting and processing with a manual pulper at their home. The leftover cherries are used as fertilizer for the coffee trees. The coffee is fermented for 12 to 48 hours and dried on patios.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
CoopeTarrazú is a Costa Rican cooperative made of over 3,500 partners and associates in the province of San José. Bearing in mind the organization’s values of solidarity and sustainability, CoopeTarrazú prioritizes the welfare of its associates, their families, and communities by providing hands-on technical assistance and investing in solutions to combat challenges like coffee rust.
One of the most recognizable coffee-producing regions in Costa Rica, Tarrazú accounts for 25 percent of the country’s total coffee production. Each coffee exported by CoopeTarrazú is cultivated at an elevation of 1,200 to 1,900 meters above sea level. Harvest coincides with the region’s dry season, which lasts from November to March, this contributes not only to coffee uniformity but also the ability to process the coffee by sun-drying.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Laurina (Bourbon Pointu)
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Honey
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Geisha
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
During harvest time at Finca Nueva Granada, in the municipality of San Marcos, seasonal workers strap wicker baskets to their waists each morning, preparing to pass through the farm’s full groves, making pregnant bellies of deep red coffee cherries.
Nestled between Guatemala’s tallest volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, the
coffee trees at Finca Nueva Granada sit high on mountainous slopes in soil made rich by volcanic ash. After picking, employees use the farm’s spring water source to pulp the cherries, washing and grading the coffees before they are dried on patios. This season, we’re proud to collaborate with Finca Nueva Granada once again, continuing to build our 15-year relationship with Guatemala’s first Rainforest Alliance- certified farm. We’re especially excited to offer a Honey Processed Geisha.
Finca Medina
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed, Black Honey, Yellow Honey, Natural
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon and Marsellesa
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego, and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the region’s highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing quality coffee since 1842. Located in the village of San Lorenzo El Cubo, in the region of Ciudad Vieja, Finca Medina includes two estates, one named after the organization itself and the other called Anexo Portal. At both farms, the staff implements some of the most modern processing technology we’ve seen in Latin America, contributing to
each coffee’s consistency and quality. In addition, Finca Medina has been a member of the Antigua Coffee Producers Association since 2000 and has maintained a focus on producing Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees in recent years.
Red Honey Uraga
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Guji, Sidamo
Name of Farm – Uraga
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: cherry, orange
Uraga Washing Station is located in the Guji Zone with over 600 smallholder farmers contributing cherries. These farmers grow their coffee on the mountain slopes of Guji at 1,650 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Guji is part of the Oromia region which shares a border with the Gedeo Zone. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then red honey is processed. When the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Natural – Sun-drying 2 days pre-drying, ceramic floor 10 days raised beds 28-45C & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Cupping Notes: raspberry and melon
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants. The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares Typica
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Red Honeyed – Sun Dried for 10 days
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Typica
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Aquiares F1 Centroamericano
Region: Turrialba
Processing Type: Anaerobic Natural & Natural
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: F1 Centroamericano (Sarchimor x Rume Sudan)
Cupping Notes: plum, cranberry, chocolate, orange blossom
As the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80 percent of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20 percent to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with the property’s RA certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.
The farm and the community at Aquiares are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to thrive. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both their community and the coffee.
Worka Chelchele Gedeo Yirgacheffe
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Gedeb
Name of Washing Station – Worka Chelchele (Chelchelie)
Grade – Grade 2
Processing – Washed
Altitude – 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: candied lemon, jasmine tea, red fruit, good body
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars (Kumie, Diga, Wilsho) Gedeb Worka Chelchelie Washing Station is located in the Gedeo Zone and is named for the village (kebele) of Chelchelie. The smallholder farmers frown their coffee on steep mountain slopes at approximately 1,940-1,970 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Cordia, Africana, Acacia, and Ensete trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and over-ripe and under-ripe cherries are handpicked and separated before pulping. Coffees are pulped and allowed to ferment naturally for 36-48 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean running water and sun-dried for approximately 18 days or until the desired moisture content of 11.5% is reached. Dried parchment is then stored in a field warehouse until ready for transport to Addis Ababa.
Shefina, Yirgalem, Sidamo RA OG UTZ
Origin – Ethiopia
Location at Origin – Yirgalem, Sidamo
Name of Washing Station – Shefina
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Natural
Altitude – 1,900 to 2,300 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Indigenous Heriloom Cultivars
Cupping Notes: chocolate-covered strawberries, blueberry, delicate body
Sidamo has climatic conditions, including altitude, rainfall, and temperature that create a wonderful environment for quality coffee. Specialty coffees from Sidamo are grown mainly in small villages (kebeles). These kebeles refer to the coffee as “garden coffee” which is grown at low density, only around 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, and is fertilized with organic matter.
Ripe coffees arrive at the Shefina washing station where they are pulped and allowed to ferment. The fermented coffee is washed with running water, soaked, and then dried until the desired moisture of 11.5%. This lot from Shefina washing station is RA, Organic and UTZ certified and has notes of lemongrass, lime, and honey.
Red Honey El Diamante
Origin – Nicaragua
Location at Origin – Jinotega
Name of Farm – El Diamante
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Processing – Red Honey
Altitude – 1,200 to 1,400 meters above sea level
Varietal – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes: orange, vanilla
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Farm: Kuta Kofi Mill
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Bourbon, Arusha
Altitude: 1,600 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: chocolate, papaya, toffee, dried apricots
The Kuta Papua New Guinea is sourced from smallholder farmers in the Upper Waghi Valley. The region has black volcanic loamy soil and a climate favorable for growing quality coffee. Receiving approximately 1,800-2,000 mm of rainfall per year with a dry season from April to August.
The coffee is processed at the Kuta Kofi mill. Smallholder farmers from Ambra, Kelewa, and Wurup bring cherry to the Kuta mill for purchase. The cherries are sorted and depulped before being fermented in vats for 36 hours. The coffee is washed 3 times and then brought to large sun-drying fields. The coffee is fully sun-dried on tarpaulins for 3 to 4 hours daily for a period of 5 to 10 days depending on weather conditions. The dry parchment is taken to the dry mill and placed in wooden conditioning bins where it is allowed to rest for 2 to 3 weeks prior to hulling. The result is a lovely coffee with chocolate, papaya, and toffee.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Gitega Hills
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: apricot, floral, honey
The Gitega Hills washing station sits within the hills of Southern Rwanda, located a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, a national park known for its incredible biodiversity of endemic species. Here, local farmer Bernard Uwitije focused primarily on producing commodity coffee until 2015, when he realized the potential for processing fully-washed specialty coffees in partnership with Rwanda Trading Company. Rwanda Trading Company was established in 2009 as a vehicle for positive social impact. This group has displayed a consistent commitment to securing economic freedom and security for smallholder farmers by building resilient, transparent supply chains.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Mwito
Processing method – Natural, dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,347 meters above sea level
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: purple grape, jolly ranchers, blueberry, aloe
The Mwito Washing Station sits on the shores of Lake Kivu in West Nyamasheke.
Mwito washing station was constructed in 2008, but for many years there was no stability due to a lack of financing. For all those years, farmers lacked a consistent partner who would support them beyond buying coffee cherries. RTC purchased Mwito in 2017 and operated it for the first time in the 2018 season. One year after, all farmers had been registered to enroll in RTC’s farmer impact programs for extension services and preparation for certification. In 2019 RTC built a kindergarten school for the coffee farmers’ children.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Karonigi
Farm – Gitesi
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 11 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,735 to 1,800 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes: honeydew melon, grapefruit
Gitesi Washing Station was built in 2005 and began milling cherries in 2006. 1,830 smallholder coffee farmers in the area supply Gitesi with cherries each year. The station, owned by Gahizi Alex, has a very good relationship with the farmers and gives them a bonus at the end of each season based on performance. RTC worked with Gitesi for the first time in 2011 and provided them with operating capital to assist in production costs. Gitesi supplied RTC with 34,000 kgs of parchment in 2011 and ever since has consistently been able to produce around 2 containers of high-quality green beans.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: F1 La Hacienda Naturally Processed
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 1 hectare
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Sudan, Villa Sarchi and Catimor
Cupping Notes: rum, tangerine, vanilla, grapefruit, sweet tart, strawberry, sparkling lemonade
Finca La Hacienda farm is owned and operated by Coope Tarrazu. For this small farm, the coffee trees are 8 years old and they have been harvesting for 5 years now. We’re offering this lot in 34.5 kilo bags to make this special coffee more accessible.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Natural Processed
Grade: SHB
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Total Farm Size: 2 hectares
Processing: Natural
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, blackberry jam, sweet tea and peach candy
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Tirra Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Total Farm Area: 2 hectares
Altitude: 1,400 to 1,500 masl
Processing: yellow honey processed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: strawberry, mango, balanced and dry
Region: Tarrazú
Name: Finca La Pastora
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: Coopetarrazú
Altitude: 1,700 to 1,800 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: currant wine, blackberry, caramel and hazelnut
Location at Origin – Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Coffee: Sumatra Mandheling Tana Karo Triple Picked ACEH
Processing – Giling Basah
Plant varietal – Catimor (Ateng) & Gayo 1 (Tim-Tim)
Altitude – 1,650 to 1,650 meters above sea level
Total number of farmers – 700
Total hectares – 800
Cupping Notes – citrus, lemongrass, beet-like acidity
In the northern end of Sumatra, around 700 independent farmers grow coffee alongside their family’s food. Each producer owns from 3 to 10 hectares each, cultivating coffee in the province of Aceh near the town of Takengon. This traceable Indonesian coffee, available as a Grade 1 lot, a Grade 1 Organic, or a Grade 1 Fair Trade-Organic, was sourced through Royal Pacific Indah International. Royal Pacific, one of our exporting partners in Indonesia, began as a group of local coffee traders in Medan, North Sumatra. In just a few years, the company grew into a 20,000 square foot office and warehouse space, where the team now specializes in Sumatran coffees.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – San Marcos
Name of Farm – Finca Nueva Granada
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,800 meters
Plant Varietal – Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Berry, green apple, jasmine, and sweet lemon with a velvety chocolate finish.
Finca Nueva Granada, named after the last Arab Fortress in Europe, was one of the first farms to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification. Located between two of Guatemala’s looming volcanoes, Tajumulco and Tacana, Finca Nueva Granada has become a perfect example of how a farm can become more than a source of delicious coffee. The farm has on site schooling and implements impressive sustainable practices for coffee processing. Finca Nueva Granada uses its own clear spring water for pulping and implements “shade-grown” techniques to protect the environment in which it relies so heavily upon.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Chimaltenango
Name of Farm – Finca El Pacayal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Altitude – 1,600 masl
Plant Varietal – Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Green Apple
Finca El Pacayal is located in San Miguel Pochuta within Chimaltenango. The finca lies upon rich volcanic soil where the coffee is harvested from November to March and then shipped out from December to June. Finca El Pacayal uses substainable “shade-grown” techniques. The trees used to protect its environment and coffee trees include species like: Chalum, Gravilea, and Inga. All of these trees help with sun filtration. This process helps the coffee trees maintain their health. The sun filtration also maintains soil quality which is extremely important for production of coffee.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Mutiara, Gayo, Bener Meriah, Aceh, Sumatra
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Mutiara Gayo Cooperative
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Certification – Fair Trade Organic
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Jember, Ateng, Bourbon, Bergandaal
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
F Gayo highland is the most well known place in Indonesia for it’s high quality Aribica beans and sustainably managed farms. “Gayo” itself means “nice” and comes from the local tribe which has around 85,000 people living in the mountains where this coffee is grown.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Pengalengan, West Java
Grade: Grade 1
Name of Farm – Smallholder Farmers
Processing – Giling Basah (Wet Hulled)
Altitude – 1,300 – 1,500 masl
Cupping notes – banana bread, malt, chocolate
The coffee farms in West Java are mostly planted in sustainable forestry operation areas allowed and controlled by the local government. West Java was the first place in Indonesia where the Dutch first planted coffee during the Dutch Colonial conquest.
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Ngura, Flores, Bajawa
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Semi-washed
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember
Cupping notes – spices, melon, dark chocolate, woody, red apple
Origin – Indonesia
Location at Origin – Sulawesi, Toraja
Name of farm – Smallholder farmers
Grade – Grade 1
Processing – Giling Basah (wet hulled)
Altitude – 1,200 – 1,300 masl
Plant varietal – Linie S, Jember, Typica
Cupping notes – beets, light strawberry, chocolate
Toraja is an exotic place located in Southern part of Sulawesi province.Toraja tribe is well known for their unique culture and one of the best in the world. Toraja tribe is also a “genuine tribe” in Indonesia. The coffee farms are planted on the plateau with unique texture of the land.
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Nyeri – Mount Kenya (Northern Kenya)
Grade – AA
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,500 meters – grown on highland slopes
Plant varietal – SL28, SL34, & Riuru 11
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – pomegranate, apricot, plum, cherry, bergamot tea
One of the first coffee farms established in eastern Africa, Nyeri Hill Estate planted its first coffee seedling in 1914. Located two kilometers northwest of the town of Nyeri, along the Nyeri-Ihururu road, this expansive estate stretches along the slopes of the region’s central highlands.
Nyeri Hill includes 1,415 total hectares, 344 of which are devoted to coffee cultivation. Here, 300 total employees harvest three main varietals: SL28, SL34 and Riuru 11. According to World Coffee Research, the SL28 varietal tends to be drought-tolerant and high potential for cup quality. SL28 and SL34 are unique in that they were both selected from single trees in Kenya, but these varieties are also susceptible to common coffee diseases. In contrast, Riuru 11, which makes up over 18 percent of the estate’s total production, is a varietal known for its resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. As World Coffee Research explains, this dwarf hybrid varietal “owes its existence to a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968 that lead to the loss of 50% of Kenya’s production.” While each varietal’s susceptibility to disease may vary, the potential for excellence in cup quality remains constant.
Nyeri Hill is a unique coffee estate with equally distinct offerings. Here, management focuses on cultivating coffees that shine while also prioritizing the community’s long-term sustainability, both from environmental and social perspectives. The organization allocates part of its profits to academic development (with Nyeri High School), professional growth (with Kamwenja Teachers College) and community healthcare (with Mathari Mission Hospital). Along with these social commitments, the leaders at Nyeri Hill focus on reforestation in 250 hectares of the estate, preservation of natural vegetation to encourage biodiversity, and soil retention through solutions like Bermuda Grass cultivation. By approaching their role in the coffee industry holistically, Nyeri Hill Estate strikes a key balance between producing high-quality coffees and providing a high quality of life for their employees and partners.
Worka Sakaro
Origin - Ethiopia
Location – Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone
Grade – I
Processing method – Washed, Natural & Anaerobic Natural
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200
Varietal – Indigenous Heirloom Cultivars (Kumie, Siga, Wilsho)
Cupping Notes: blueberry, lemongrass, melon
Worka Sakaro Washing Sation is located in the Gedio Zone. The washing station works with over 400 smallholder farmers in the region. These farmers grow their coffee on the steep mountain slopes at approximately 2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The coffee is grown in the shade of Birbira, Corsica Africana, and Ensete Ventricosum trees. The coffee is picked when the cherries are ripe and then dried on raised beds for 18 to 21 days. Once the coffee is dried it is then milled to remove the husks and stored in a local warehouse before being transported for final processing before shipment.
Origin - Ethiopia, HaloFuwaFuwate
Location – Gedeb, Yirgacheffe
Grade – II
Processing method – Washed and dried on raised beds (150 beds)
Altitude -2,000 to 2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: floral, blueberry, spice, lemon
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – Peaberry
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
Origin – Tanzania
Location at Origin – Mount Kilimanjaro
Name of Farm – Kilimanjaro Estate
Grade – AA
Processing method – Fully Washed
Altitude – 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level
Varietal – K9, N39 & Batian
Cupping Notes – cinnamon, light milk chocolate, stone fruits
Grown on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, this estate has the ideal growing conditions for exceptional coffees. With volcanic soil, indigenous shade trees and glacier-fed rivers Mount Kilimanjaro Plantation thrives.
Mount Kilimanjaro focuses on the health of their coffees and their community. MKE ensures that they can offer medical care, insurance, retirement plans for long-term employees, HIV training and testing, scholarships for local schools, and large investments in community projects. Mount Kilimanjaro strives to harmonize coffee quality, people, and the environment. As a large coffee estate in Tanzania, Kilimanjaro Plantation is aware of its environmental responsibility and has set standards that meet the requirements of UTZ certification. MKE is continuously and conscientiously reviewing these standards.
This washed coffee is grown at 2,000 – 2,500 meters above sea level and is made up of KP, N39 and Batian varietals.
These coffees have had a long journey from Tanzania and are ready for their new green bean home! Let us know if you’d like more information about these spectacular coffees or if you’re interested in seeing samples.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua – San Rafael
Name of Farm – Finca San Rafael Urias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed – 100% sun dried- no mechanical drying
Certification – Genuine Antigua
Altitude – 1500-1600 meters.
Plant Varietal – Bourbon 90% Caturra & Typica 10%
Shade grown with Gravilea and grown in volcanic loamy-sand
Cupping Notes – Very clean with a tea-like acidity, notes of honey-crisp apple, floral with brown sugar finish
San Rafael Urias is located in the highland valley of Antigua, the most traditional coffee region in the world. The farm was founded in the late 1800¹s by Rafael Valdes Quiroa. Today the farm is administered by the third generation of the Valdes family. It is situated in a very special microclimate. The naturally fertile soil is deep, loose, volcanic and sandy with good drainage. The weather is mild, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, relative humidity of 60%, and 35 to 39 inches of precipitation each year. The coffee produced here, on 50% of the farm’s 226 hectares, is strictly hard bean, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, and has been recognized for its excellent cup quality, resulting from the care given during the entire process and the knowledge and experience passed down from its founder. After being handpicked, the fruit is wet-milled traditionally, hand washed with 100% natural water, and sun-dried. The strict quality control, utilizing samples and daily cupping, maintain an even and excellent quality. The farm is surrounded by hills and crossed by the Guacalate River, which also generates hydroelectric energy to power the wet mill. The farm has a small mountain forest with several sources of clean, naturally filtered water that carries nutrients to the plants and is used both for drinking and in the pulping and washing of coffee beans. The farm also produces berries, sweet potatoes, vegetables and basic grains, as well as dairy products.
Origin – Sidamo
Name of Farm – ECX
Grade – 3
Processing method- Natural
Altitude -1,550-2,200 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes – muscadine grapes, funky, berry, winey
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Iglesias
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 4,700 to 4900 feet
Plant Varietal – 60% Bourbon with 40% Catuai & Caturra
Cupping Notes – strawberry, Floral, Kiwi, Apple, Creamy Milk Chocolate, Baking Spices Finish
The famous ancient city of Antigua contains over 43 churches, so it is not surprise that this special coffee gets the brand “Iglesias.” Antigua Iglesias comes from the Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja in the state of Sacatepéquez at the slopes of the Volcano Agua. The coffee grows under Gravilea trees in rich volcanic soil. After harvest, the coffee is brought to the famous mill, Concepcion Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios, separated by size, density, and color. The result is a superior coffee with extreme complexities.
Origin – Guatemala
Location at Origin – Antigua
Name of Farm – Finca Medina & Anexo Portal
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Washed & Natural
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal – Bourbon & Marsellesa
Washed Cupping Notes: honeycomb, dried apricot, yellow, apple, grape, lime
Natural Cupping Notes: cange sugar, watermelon, strawberry, fig
For over 20 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Finca Medina in Antigua, Guatemala. Nestled among three volcanoes, Acatenango, Fuego and Agua, the city of Antigua was once the capital of the Spanish Empire in Central America, but it’s now known for stunning colonial architecture and the nearby farms that produce some of the regions highest-quality coffee.
Antigua’s climate, high altitude, fertile volcanic soils, and a distinct agricultural tradition make this city an ideal location for producers like Finca Medina, a company that has been producing coffee since 1842.
Origin – Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Name of Farm – Ixlama
Grade – Strictly Hard Bean
Processing – Fully Washed
Altitude – 1,524 to 1,830 masl
Plant Varietal – 50% Bourbon and 50% Caturra
Cupping Notes – juicy strawberry, bright, clean, balanced
Ixlama from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, comes from specialty-selected small producers, like Finca El Paternal and Finca Nueva Palmira, from the highlands of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad in the state of Huehuetenango. This shade-grown coffee is harvested and brought to the mill where it is sun dried on a patio and placed in “guardiolas.” It is separated by color via computer and density/size mechanically which results in a superior, clean, bright cup.
Cupping Notes: lemon, honey-nut cheerios. cherry
One of our freshest decaf options, this Kenya has been decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process, known industry-wide to give green coffees new life through the company’s proprietary process involving Green Coffee Extract (GCE).
As Swiss Water explains, “caffeine ventures out on its own, away from the coffee beans into the GCE until the ratio of soluble compounds in the GCE to the compounds in the coffee reach the point of equilibrium,” creating clean, complex decaf coffee options in the process.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoOrigin – Burundi
Washing Station – Murago
Region – Muyinga, Butihinda
Altitude – 1,650 -1,750 meters above sea level
Processing – Washed
Drying method – Sun-dried on raised beds
Plant varietal – Bourbon
Cupping notes – mint, apricot, vanilla, botanical
Leading the charge for this coffee is Angèle Ciza, CEO of Kahawa (“coffee” in Swahili) Company, a leader in sustainability and women’s empowerment in Burundi. She believes that good coffee is achieved by using best practices in the nurseries and during picking but by also investing in additional training, environmental protection, social infrastructure, and cost sharing reductions for their producers. For her, investing in those who grow coffee, especially women, is essential to further developing Burundi.
Her company, Kahawa Company, also known as KALICO, operates seven washing stations in northeast Burundi, specifically in the Kirundo and Muyinga provinces. In the Muyinga province, you will find the Murago washing station, one of seven owned by KALICO. The mill draws in coffee from 3,023 producers from Bonero hill, who primarily grow the Bourbon variety. This coffee is selected from a combination of smallholder farmers in Butihina commune, lying between 1650m and 1750m above sea level, and processed at the Murango washing station. It is one of many coffees processed at Murango, and the collection of mills run by KALICO, which have placed several top scoring coffees in past Burundi COE competitions.
+ Out of stock
+ more infoRegion: Santa Rosa de Copán
Producer Group: Beneficio Santa Rosa
Certification: Organic
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,600 meters above sea level
Processing: Washed
Harvest Season: December to March
Cupping Notes: chocolate, grape, light berry, rose, lemon
The Copán Department of Western Honduras, a historically prominent area for the ancient Mayan civilization, is known for its fine cigars, tobacco, and of course, coffee. Here you can find Beneficio Santa Rosa de Copan, a dry mill and exporter working with small community cooperatives to produce specialty coffee and connect them to international markets.
Beneficio Santa Rosa was founded in 2005 with the intent of helping facilitate the exportation of high-quality coffee from western Honduras. Since then, they have continuously worked with various smallholder farmers, regional producer groups, associations, and cooperatives to promote specialty coffee in the region. For Beneficio Santa Rosa, coffee quality is the focus, and traceability is the method of ensuring it, for each lot is tagged so it can be traced back to its origin.
This organic certified lot of coffee is sourced from several small community cooperatives and processed by Beneficio Santa Rosa. Grown in soils rich with clay minerals, a building block for organic matter, these coffees showcase the rich quality potential present in Honduras. The pleasantly clean final cup is an ode to the hard work put in by the small-holder cooperatives and Beneficio Santa Rosa to bring this coffee to life.
Region: Tarrazú
Name: La Cuesta, a community coffee from 20 producers
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean
Dry Mill: CoopeTarrazú
Altitude: 1,500 to 1,700 masl
Processing: Washed
Plant Varietal: Caturra and Catuaí
Cupping Notes: pineapple, caramel, bright acidity
Region – Angel Albino Corzo, Chiapas
Process – Washed & Sun-Dried
Altitude – 1,100 -1,800 meters above sea level
Variety – Bourbon, Caturra, Sarchimor, Catimor, Costa Rica & Marago
Cupping Notes – vanilla, dark chocolate and cranberry.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certification – Rainforest Alliance
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1300 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catua
Cupping Notes – cherry, pecan, pineapple, plum, honey
This coffee is produced under out Program Cafe Ecoforestal, an environmentally-friendly system, where farmers establish hardwood trees, fruit trees, banana plants, cover crops and coffee.
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Producer – Asociacion Aldea Global Jinotega
Region – Jinotega
Certificate – Fair Trade
Harvest – December to March
Altitude – 1100 – 1450 masl
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – shade grown, hand picked, sundried
Variety – Caturra & Catuai
Cupping Notes – hazelnut, red plum, candied almond
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
Available with Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade Certifications these coffees help to improve both the health and the livelihoods of the many families that produce them.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Southern Nyamagabe
Farm – Ibisi Mountain
Processing method – Fully washed after a wet fermentation process, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1700 meters
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes: Apricot, floral, honeyed, cherry fragrance with a delicate body
The Ibisi Mountain Hills washing station is located in the hills of
Southern Rwanda, just a short drive from the Nyungwe Forest, which
has been traced as the source of the Nile River. Bernard Uwitije, a
native of the area, had been trading non-washed, ordinary coffee up
until 2015, when he realized the potential for fully washed,
specialty grade coffee. He built his first washing station, Gitega
Hills, which operated successfully in his first year and he decided
to expand the operations by building a second washing station,
Ibisi Mountain. The quality at both stations remain outstanding.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – West Nyamasheke
Farm – Ruvumbu
Processing method – Fully washed after a dry fermentation period, then dried on raised beds for 10 to 14 days
Altitude – 1,800 masl
Varietal – Red Bourbon
Cupping Notes – Sweet citrus, round body, pomegranate, fig, clementine, lime finish
The Ruvumbu Washing Station, once cooperative-owned, formerly processed around
100 metric tons of coffee cherries. Now that the station is under the ownership and
management of a private investor, it has produced 250 metric tons of cherries
for the first time this year. Ruvumbu uses a single-disc McKinnon
depulper and raised drying beds. Rwanda Trading Company is
responsible for milling and exporting 100 percent of Ruvumbu’s parchment
and green coffee. Despite the small volume from Ruvumbu, the
station has some of the best quality coffee in Rwanda. Ruvumbu
took 3rd place overall in the 2014 Rwanda Cup of Excellence
Competition and was given a Presidential Award for receiving a
cupping score above 90 points.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed and dried for 32 hours in a guardiolas
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Caturra Peaberry
Harvest Dates: October 2017 to January 2018
Cupping Notes: honey, lemon, with an almond fragrance and overall complexity
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Aquiares
Region: Aquiares, Cartago, Costa Rica
Processing Type: Depulped with a Penagos DCV 306, mechanically washed with a partial fermentation and dried for 32 hours using guardiolas
Altitude: 1,070 to 1,175 masl
Plant Varietal: Marsellesa and Red Obota (both Timor Hybrid + Villa Sarchi)
Harvest Dates: November 2017 to February 2018
Cupping Notes: banana, plum, peach, pomegranate, bright and complex
Aquiares mainly grows the Caturra variety of coffee. That said, the challenges posed by climate change and pests require constant experimentation with new varieties. To do this, the farm has developed a Varietal Garden were more than 30 promising varieties are being tested for cup quality, pest resistance and productivity.
While large by Costa Rican standards, the farm still takes care to give individual attention to each of its trees. Aquiares takes the time to prune each plant independently, instead of pruning by row or lot. Aquiares’ brand is defined by such a sustainable agricultural approach that both ensures quality and promotes environmental responsibility.
Name of Farm: Mapache
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honeyed, dried on African raised beds for 20 days
Altitude: 1,350 masl
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: white grape, honey, blueberry candy, starfruit, with a vibrant acidity and hoppy finish
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Pacamara varietal is selected and picked with a particular level of care, as this varietal requires more time to ripen than others. This specific lot comes from a part of the farm called El Batallón, which can be difficult to access due to its narrow roads. Here, nimble pickup trucks haul small loads of cherries to transfer to a larger truck parked at a nearby soccer field at Finca El Naranjito. Drivers bring the cherries to Beneficio El Recreo, where the entire wet milling process is done manually for this coffee. Mapache uses a manual depulper before carrying the coffee in small batches to African raised beds where they dry for nearly 20 days. The Pacamara varietal, first created in 1958, was derived by crossing the Pacas and Maragogipe varietals. This particular lot, one of our favorite Salvadoran coffees of the season, balances notes of brown sugar and citrus with a unique hoppy finish.
Name of Farm: Mapache Partida #74 Fantastic Four Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo, then sun dried on clay patios
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Red & Orange Bourbon
Cupping Notes: white grape and dried fruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this washed Bourbon lot one of their Fantastic Four Coffees. This specific lot comes from Vía María which is the highest part of the farm. The farm is planted with entirely pure Orange & Red Bourbon plants.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Honey
Altitude: 1,400 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Bourbon
Cupping Notes: kiwi, brown sugar, honey, tropical, orange blossom
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache calls this Bourbon Honey lot one of their “Fantastic Four Coffees”. It was processed 100% by hand at their milling station. The fresh cherries are first floated using barrels full of clean water, then the pulp is separated using a manual pulper that uses no water at all. The mucilage covered beans are dried on their raised beds for more than 15 days. Partida 112 was picked in the middle of harvest when most of the cherries are perfectly ripe, making selection easier. The cherries come from unique rows of Bourbon planed at 1350 meters above sea level on “El Tamagás” peak, a mountain named from the poisonous snake that inhabits the mountains of Concepción de Ataco.
Name of Farm: Mapache Finca El Naranjito I & II and Finca Casa de Zinc
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Washed and depulped at Beneficio El Recreo
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Pacas and Bourbon
Cupping Notes: tart, cinnamon spice and caramel sweetness
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Gifted with an ideal climate for growing coffee, Finca El Naranjito and Casa de Zinc sit at an average of 1,300 meters above sea level with a stellar view of the Pacific Ocean. El Imposible National Park, the largest forest reserve in El Salvador, sits just one mile away. As with every coffee we source through Mapache, you can be sure that thoughtful preparation and consistency shine through in the cup.
Origin - Rwanda
Location – Kigali
Farm – Inzovu
Processing method – Fully washed
Altitude – 1,400 – 1,900 meters above sea level
Varietal – Bourbon & Typica
Cupping Notes – fig, cantaloupe, and orange with a syrupy body
Our Inzovu PB coffee blend comes from 75 washing stations in RTC’s supply chain. 16 of those washing stations are owned by RTC, and the rest are pre-financed and work exclusively with RTC. The coffee is gown in fertile volcanic soil at an altitude of 1400 meters and above. The cherries are selectively handpicked, wet-processed, and sun-dried on raised tables for a period of 15-20 days. After drying, the parchment is delivered to RTC’s dry mill for hulling and grading, whereby the round beans get separated from the normal flat beans. The Inzovu PB brings unique features to the taste of Rwandan coffee, with balanced acidity, mellow body, and a sweet lingering aftertaste
“All decaffeinators utilize the same steps to accomplish the extraction of caffeine from green coffee. The steps include Steaming, Hydration, Extraction and Drying. All of the steps are done in 3 primary pieces of equipment. First is the Pre-treatment tank, second is the Extractor and the last step is done in the Dryer. Each piece of equipment is designed to specifically achieve a desired result. The internal design differentiates the decaffeinated coffee processors.
Our proprietary DFE Decaf Process ® design enhancements provide the platform necessary to achieve coffee decaffeination with considerably less drain on resources. By reducing the amount of resources and energy required to produce our decaffeinated coffee, we have drastically reduced our carbon footprint once again. Our proprietary DFE Process ® has positioned QUSAC as the leader in the decaf industry for the lowest carbon emissions.
By using Green Chemistry, our DFE Decaf Process ® has achieved the incredible results in our flavour profiles. Our team has determined the optimal parameters to target the caffeine with surgical precision and remove it from the green coffee beans. We named this step Target Specific Extraction Technology (TSET). TSET not only extracts the caffeine with surgical precision, it can also be used to extract unwanted mould and fungi such as the one responsible for the production of naturally occurring chemical compounds known as Mycotoxins. The end result is a decaffeinated coffee overflowing with its natural flavours.
Our DFE Decaffeinated coffee is the best tasting decaf with the lowest carbon footprint and presents the consumer with a decaffeinated cup of coffee that is free of pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers. Our decaffeinated coffee is clean, fresh, healthy and eco-friendly. It is the socially responsible choice.” – Qusac Decaf
Origin – Kenya
Location at Origin – Kiambu County
Grade – AB
Processing – Fully washed coffee, dried on elevated African drying tables
Altitude – 1,700 meters above sea level
Plant varietal – SL28 & SL34
Soil Type – Volcanic red soils
Shaded – Coffee shaded under Gravillea, Macadamia and Eucalyptus trees
Cupping notes – apricot, starfruit, grapefruit-like acidity
Three kilometers south of the town of Kiambu, 105 hectares of land creates Ibonia Estate. Leaders of the property, which lies 1,700 meters above sea level, focus on organic matter management and soil conservation as top priorities in coffee production. Ibonia Estate sees the value of the region’s soil – a deep, reddish-brown composition known as Kikuyu loam – and recognizes its role in developing to the distinctive qualities of their coffee offerings.
Aside from the farm’s soil, Ibonia Estate embraces its local climate, which features cool, wet periods from May to July. This environmental pattern allows the coffee plants to mature slowly and develop complexity in flavor. Each day, 200 community workers gather at Ibonia Estate to harvest, wash, and sort the day’s share of the 180 tons of coffee the property exports each year. Ibonia Estate primarily cultivates SL28 and SL34 varieties, both known for communicating exceptional quality in the cup.
Origin – Ethiopia, Aroresa, Jengelo Tedeta
Location at Origin – Sidamo
Grade – Grade 3
Processing – Natural, Sun-dried on raised beds (130 raised beds)
Altitude – 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping notes – strawberry, citrus, honey, plum
Aroresa (pronounced “A-ro-ress-a”)
Name of Farm: Finca El Naranjito
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,350 meters above sea level
Plant Varietal: Pacamara, a cross of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals
Cupping Notes: caramel, mango, grapefruit
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Much like it’s honeyed counterpart, Mapache’s Pacamara Natural is characterized by its thoughtfulness through the entire harvesting and milling process. The area where this Pacamara cultivar is located is privileged, totally protected from the strong winds and direct sunlight. It is also surrounded by untouched forests that provide the trees with great amounts of natural nutrients and minerals. Mapache’s team of coffee pickers delicately select the ripest cherries to ensure longevity and continual protection. At the processing station, the coffee is floated and then spread over moveable drying beds. The coffee is then monitored constantly for 25 days to ensure even drying. This lot of bronzed-leaved Pacamara is 4 years old and produces a coffee with a particular grapefruit note, lingering aftertaste and some hints of caramel and mango.
Name of Farm: Santa Erlinda
Region: Ahuachapán a Ataco, El Salvador
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 masl on average
Plant Varietal: Sampacho
Cupping Notes: strawberry, spices, pineapple
Mapache Coffee is a fifth-generation company of coffee producers, owned and managed by Jan-Carlo and Sofia Handtke in the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range of El Salvador. Mapache Coffee employs over 125 locals year-round, but during harvest season, their staff swells to 600 people who work together to build coffee nurseries, replant at Mapache’s six farm properties, and process the perfectly ripe cherries that come from them.
Mapache maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the coffee forests, ensuring that every farm has a canopy protecting the coffee plants and soil. Their modern wet mill uses limited amounts of water during the washing process, then recycles and reuses that water in the same process. All the remaining pulp from the wet milling process is incorporated back into the farms as compost, returning key nutrients to the soil.
Mapache’s Strictly High Grown coffees come from the two Finca El Naranjito properties and Finca Casa de Zinc, three of the company’s six estates. These neighboring farms are located in Concepción de Ataco in the municipality of Ahuachapán. Bourbon and Pacas varieties make up the majority of the crops here, with these three properties accounting for 60 percent of Mapache’s total coffee growing area.
Santa Erlinda is a small farm located in the town of Salcoatitán, Sonsonate. Santa Erlinda receives more than 3000 mm of rain a year, making it a very fertile land for growing coffee. The Sampacho cultivar is nestled among cedar trees and surrounded by Copalchi windbreakers.
Santa Erlinda goes back three generations. It is a small but very productive farm that was replanted in 2014 after the coffee rust breakout of 2012 wiped out the entire farm. The property is now taken care of 5 young farmers who work yearlong doing every task needed to produce great coffee. When the harvest is ready, the families that live nearby come to carefully select the cherries that are then processed in Beneficio Recreo.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatu
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Name of farm: Fazenda Do Salto
Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Processing type: Natural
Altitude: 1,080 to 1,140 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: buttery, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar finish
Dr. Fabio Araujo Reis, owner at Fazenda do Salto, works with his two sons to run their family farm and allow it to thrive. Andre and Juca work with 35 year-round employees, many of whom grew up near the farm, choosing to return to Fazenda do Salto after finishing school. Here, coffee is harvested mechanically, dried on 8 rotational machines and 8 static layer dryers, which maintain constant airflow with a combination of cold and warm air. Initially, the coffee dries in static boxes for 12 hours during pre-fermentation. Cold air is utilized to dry the cherries for 4 days before switching to warm air for 3 additional days until moisture content reaches 15 percent. For the final drying phase, the coffee is exposed to intermittent warm and cold air every 12 hours until it reaches 11 percent moisture.
Farm: Sigri Coffee Estate
Region: Waghi Valley, Jiawaka Province
Processing type: Washed
Variety: Typica, Arusha, Caribbean Blue, Catimor, Maragogype
Altitude: 1,550 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: green apple, honey, peach, pecan, melon, starfruit acidity
The Sigri coffee estate is located in the Waghi Valley, a fertile region of the western highlands and Jikawa Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a part of the Carpenter Estates, a collection of three farms which span over 3000 hectares of coffee and tea. The 125-acre Sigri estate stands at 1,500 MASL and uses precisely managed shade trees to promote even coffee ripening, improved quality, and diversified wildlife habitat. The estate and those nearby are home to some 90 various species of birds, resulting in being awarded “bird-friendly” status.
The quality of coffee produced is representative of the unique factors that go into its production. The coffees planted at Sigiri Estate are all of Typica origin, originating from seeds of the Jamaica Blue Mountain variety planted here many years ago. Following strict quality control measures, the coffee is wet-processed throughout a three-day fermentation process and then sun-dried for 10 to 14 days. After hulling, the coffees are sorted using both color sorting machines and hand-sorting to ensure consistency and quality. The end result of this rigorous quality control is a uniquely complex coffee truly reminiscent of PNG. The final cup is medium-bodied, layered with tropical fruits and soft lemon acidity that finished with milk chocolate and spice notes.
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia
Processing type: Washed, Natural, Anaerobic Natural, Lactic Honey
Variety: Caturra, Chiroso & Colombia (single variety available)
Altitude: 1,800 to 2,700 meters above sea level
Located in Ciudad Bolivar, Antioquia, La Reserva exemplifies the struggle that is coffee farming, but also a sign of what’s possible with perseverance. The 70-hectare farm is split between two areas, and nearly half this land is within a protected nature preserve and is home to a wide diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Andean Bear. The other half of the land lies on its own and has seen its fair share of challenges, as the previous owners were unable to maintain it due to insufficient profit from low coffee prices.
The land has now been taken over by a pioneering farmer, Juan Felipe, who looked past the abandoned plots and saw the teeming potential for specialty coffee. Noticing the fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,800 m.a.s.l. and 2,700 m.a.sl., Juan took the initiative to breathe new life into this beautiful farm.
In its second year of focused specialty production, the coffees from La Reserva are already showcasing the depth and diversity of its land. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Colombia varieties, the coffee possesses pronounced citrus fruit character, natural sweetness, and a pleasantly creamy body. The utilization of various processing techniques, whether it be washed, honey, or natural, only further accentuates the diversity of flavors possible from the coffee at La Reserva.
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Natural
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – pineapple, stonefruit, red apple, vanilla, lime
Region – Unión Juárez, Chiapas
Process – Honey
Altitude – 1,500 meters above sea level
Variety – Caturra, Mondo Novo & Catuai
Cupping Notes – lemon, peach, plum, grapefruit, hibiscus
Producer – Diédericks Gadea
Farm – Los Encuentros – Los Pedernales
Region – Jinotega
Altitude – 1,230 meters above sea level
Grade – Strictly High Grown
Process – Natural, Sun-dried
Variety – Catuai
Farm Size – 17 Ha total; 9 Ha Coffee
Cupping Notes – berries, champagne, orange, lime
Founded in 1992, Aldea Global began with just 22 small producers. Since then, they’ve integrated their business model with the surrounding municipalities, creating a financially and environmentally sustainable agricultural practice that benefits all parties involved.
Aldea focuses on the development of direct relationships in order to maintain traceability and quality. Balzac Brothers is proud to work with them year after year.
LosEncuentros became the first farm producing Ecoforestal coffee in the community
Name of farm: La Yalena
Region: Antioquia
Processing type: Natural, selective picking, sun-dried
Varietal: Caturra
Altitude: 1,600 to 1,780 meters above sea level
Cupping Notes: lime, citrus, jasmine, raspberry, red tea
Elkin, with his family, wife Fernely and his daughter Dana Yalena who was the inspiration for the name of the farm all together live on this farm. Elkin comes from a coffee producer family. He bought the farm with the money that he had been saving for several years working as a coffee picker on other farms. In the beginning, he only had 500 coffee trees which were insufficient to make living out of it and he decided to move to Medellín, but life in the city was very different and he decided to come back to his farm. This time things were different. Elkin knew that the only way to make it work is to do everything differently. He needed to improve the quality of the cup to get a better price, and he began to produce honey processed coffee.
Elkin realized that picking quality is the key to improve the cup profile. He started paying more to his workers and process coffee differently and more thoroughly. Firstly they remove floaters then depulp and begins drying, carefully raking to ensure even drying process. He is going to learn more techniques to improve the quality of his coffee and he wants to be recognized as a high quality coffee producer.
Farm: Cadefihuila Cooperative
Region: Huila
Variety: Castillo, Caturra & Colombia
Altitude: 1,100 to 1,550 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: chocolate, apricot, green apple, citrus
Located in Nieva, Huila, Cadefihuila was established in 1963 when a group of coffee growers joined forces to develop opportunities for sustainable coffee growing practices and to empower its members by providing access to better methods for drying parchment. Through this, the Cooperative has achieved success by improving their coffee quality, supporting their farmers, and by creating an organization that enables their farmers to reach across borders with a coffee they can be proud to share with us.
Cadefihuila’s smallholder farms spread across Southern Colombia in the Andes Mountain Range. These small acre farms have fertile lands and high altitudes, between 1,100 m.a.s.l. and 1,550 m.a.sl. are ideal for growing quality coffee. Consisting primarily of Caturra and Castillo varieties, this coffee possesses a natural sweetness, hints of green apple, citrus, apricot, and pleasantly creamy body.
Farm: Marcala La Paz
Region: Marcala
Variety: Catuai, Lempira, Ihcafe 90
Altitude: 1,200 to 1,700 meters above sea level
Processing: Fully washed
Notes: orange-like acidity, raisin, and milk chocolate
COMSA is a society of small coffee producers in the Marcala Region in La Paz, Honduras. The group was founded with aims to improve economic, social, and environmental conditions for farmers in the region, focusing on reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.
COMSA was founded in 2001 and now has 1,573 members focused on innovation, constant learning and training, and commitment to their community. This lot was harvested at peak maturation and then placed in a de-pulper before being left in a fermentation pile. The coffee is then washed and dried on patios and mechanical dryers until the parchment reaches a moisture of 12%.