Coffee Blog

A native of the Guji region in Ethiopia, Tadesse Edema is no stranger to the specialty coffee industry. He set up his first washing station in Uraga over 12 years ago, paving the way for the well-known Layo Teraga Cooperative. Later, the Tome washing station was set up on the other side of the ridge, across the river that separates Hambela from Uraga. Tadesse is a renowned figure in not just the coffee industry but the community as well, contributing to the building of infrastructure such as schools and roads in the region.  Previously in the 2000s, due to restrictions...

Finca Ceylan resides in the San Miguel Pochuta area of Chimaltenango, at an altitude of 1300 metres above sea level. The region is also rich in volcanic soil. Like many producers we work with, Dariush Echeverria is a firm believer of both quality and sustainable farming practices.  Following his philosophical approaches. Dariush invested in wastewater treatment facilities. Coffee residues from the wet mill are used as organic fertilizer in the coffee plantation, creating a self-sufficient system. Wastewater is also filtered through oxidation tanks to avoid contamination to surrounding water sources.  Finca Ceylan contributes to that system by investing in local...

We have been working with the Finca Isnul family as part of our direct-to-origin program since 2014. Owned and operated by the Anzueto family, Finca Isnul is part of Danny Perez’s Family Bonds union of farms. Finca Isnul has been producing some of the most outstanding Pacamara varietals in Guatemala, and that is part of the reason behind why we keep buying from the Perez family time and time again.  Under the guidance of Family Bonds, Leticia and Lorena, the current stewards of the farm, have applied a new hybrid processing technique to their highly-prized Pacamara varietal. They have taken...

In this month's subscription, we are comparing two different coffees with the same varietals but from different origins - Colombia and Guatemala. This is part of the Surprise subscription’s aim - to pair coffees that provide an interesting contrast.  Finca La Falda, Colombia Born in Urrao, Antioquia to coffee producer parents, Jose Arcadio Caro Rueda has long been connected to coffee. Since purchasing his own plot of land to grow coffee, amongst other crops; he and his wife, Marbeluz, and teenage son, Santiago, tend to 9500 trees, consisting of the Caturra varietal (known locally as Caturro Chirozo). The farm in its entirety...