our coffees
This crowd pleasing coffee from Guatemala is named for the country’s national tree, the Ceiba. In early Mayan and Mesoamerican cultures, the Ceiba symbolized the connection between land and sky. The Ceiba lot from Huehuetenango is a community coffee, investing in sustainable sourcing to benefit a large group of producers. The cup profile boasts a rich floral and berry aroma and is full of chocolate, lemon, and raspberry, with a creamy body thanks to the specific Huehuetenango terroir.
The sourcing partner for Ceiba, Unitrade Coffee, maintains a close connection with producers and is active in improving regional coffee infrastructure. After the leaf rust epidemic several years ago, Huehuetenango is still recovering and Unitrade’s support of producers has been crucial to keeping family farms in operation. Coffee from the mountain communities around Huehuetenango is specifically selected for its fruity profile.
Huehuetenango is located in the rocky Western highlands of Guatemala bordering Mexico. Thanks to the elevation and varied microclimates of this mountainous region, coffee from Huehuetenango is well known worldwide for its bright and crisp acidity.
Huehuetenango lies in the Los Cuchumatanes mountain range, the highest point of which is known as “La Torre,” which reaches almost 3800 meters above sea level. Of the three non-volcanic coffee growing regions of Guatemala, Huehuetenango is the highest and driest under cultivation. Thanks to the dry, hot winds that blow into the mountains from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain, the region is protected from frost, allowing coffee in Huehuetenango to be cultivated up to 2000 meters. The cool, crisp winds from the Cuchumatanes help moderate the temperature, which ranges from 20 to 24 degrees Celsius.
This lot of coffee underwent Natural processing at the Deri Kidame washing station. The station is named for the Deri Kidame kebele, or town, where it is located in the Wamena district of Ethiopia’s Guji zone. The area has fertile red brown soil and Cordia Africana and Acacia Ensete ventricosum trees for shade, benefiting the coffee plants grown by the many smallholder farmers who contribute cherries to the washing station.
Coffee cherries are sorted to remove less dense fruit prior to processing. The cherries are then moved to raised beds where they are dried for approximately 18 days.
Guji is a zone in the Oromia Region of southern Ethiopia. More small washing stations are being built in Guji to respond to the demand for improvements in processing to fully capture the range of attributes found in Ethiopian coffee. The Zone’s principal fresh water source is the Ganale Dorya river, which also acts as the boundary line with the neighboring Bale zone to the east.
We’ve roasted this bean so its bright juicy notes of milk chocolate and strawberry shine through regardless of brewing method. We love it as a filter coffee, but with patience and a few minutes would also enjoy it as an espresso any day!
José Domingos produces coffee at Fazenda Jatobá in the Alta Mogiana region of Brazil. He began his career as a coffee producer in 2010 after acquiring part of a farm, and he quickly discovered a passion for the trade. José saw the potential in his crops right away and began studies and experimentation to achieve the highest possible quality.
Throughout the years he’s tested several variations on post-harvest processing, including wild fermentation, induced fermentation, and a number of different drying techniques. Through his experiments, José has found himself increasingly curious about the seemingly endless possibilities of producing different aromas and flavors in his coffee, and his research continues through to this day.
Fazenda Jatobá sits 980 meters above sea level on a plateau between two valleys. 19 hectares of the farm are planted with several varieties, including Catucai, Topazio, Mundo Novo, Yellow Bourbon, Gesha, and Paraiso. The area surrounding the farm is paradise for local flora and fauna, with springs and waterfalls helping to support the local creatures in their natural habitat. Operations at the farm prioritize environmental stewardship along with quality, using microbiological means to control pests and disease in the crop rather than potentially harmful chemicals.
This particular lot is a natural process that we roast for espresso, but it can be enjoyed using all brewing methods. The coffee has lots of chocolate goodness, with a big body and low acidity. Super smooth, rich and balanced for a perfect morning cup.
A decaf bean that actually tastes good!
Dating back to the 1970s, the Fazenda Primavera farm is located in the municipality of Angelândia, Minas Gerais. The region sits at the transition between biomes, with land and vegetation characteristic of both the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado.
Environmental sustainability has always been integral to the farm’s operations, incorporating production techniques to minimize environmental damage. A power plant on the farm recycles water used in de-pulping to produce energy for the farm, and coffee pulp is composted for use as natural fertilizer.
Primavera’s agility in responding to new agricultural research and technology and to new trends in consumer preference is one of the main reasons we love this farm. For example, microlots are dried on raised beds, coffee is intercropped with shade trees on specially selected plots of the property, Honey processing eliminates the use of water, and coffee is evaluated constantly to find the best cup profiles. Primavera continues to keep an eye to the future, striving to lead the way for Brazilian specialty coffee.
This lot from Fazenda Primavera has been decaffeinated by Swiss Water, leaving it caffeine free but still full of chocolatey rich goodness. We love it for espresso, though it can easily be used in any brewing process. Its notes of honey, citrus, and cacao make it actually delicious, we promise!
This isn’t a regular Dark Roast, it’s a cool Dark Roast.
Our ode to dark roast is a little bit smoky, a lot a bit tasty, and has all the integrity and flavour you’ve come to expect from a Good Grief coffee. A blend of seasonal beans, the Dark Roast will satisfy drinkers without leaving the bitterness of a traditional French Roast behind. It’s perfectly balanced notes of molasses, baking spice, and caramel make it suitable for both filter coffee and espresso, and everything in between. Although roasted a bit darker than our standard coffee, the nuance of the beans still shines through giving the drinker a delicious mouthful of caffeinated goodness, sip after sip.
