Eye of the Tiger is our seasonally evolving espresso blend. We work with in-season coffees to develop a blend that shows off the flavors of the component coffees in unique ways.
Our latest addition features washed coffees from Ethiopia and Honduras and a natural-process coffee from Costa Rica.
Juicy and subtly floral with flavors of Persian lime and cranberry jam and a sweet vanilla wafer finish.
Roast Level
LightMed LtMedMed DarkDark
Origin Story
Michael Omran (Ethiopia)
Multiple Producers (Honduras)
Altos del Abejonal (Costa Rica)
Presenting the latest edition of our seasonally evolving espresso blend, Eye of the Tiger. This iteration is built around a coffee produced at Abana Estate, a 300-hectare farm favorably located in the scenic highlands of Ethiopia’s Limu growing region. Established in 2009 by the Omran family, most of the farm sits above 2,000 meters, creating favorable conditions for producing specialty coffee. Realizing this, the Omran family decided to shift their focus from producing large volumes of coffee, to producing high quality coffee instead. This fully washed lot has a unique blend of spicey notes reminiscent of caraway, coupled with flavors of stone fruit and sweet citrus that showcase all the attributes we love about fully washed coffees from Ethiopia.
We then added a coffee produced by smallholder farmers located in the Comayagua region of Central Honduras. Comayagua is one of the oldest and most productive coffee growing regions in the relatively small country that surprisingly trails only Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia in annual Arabica production. This coffee’s delicate and sweet flavor profile helps to bring the flavors of the blend’s other components into balance.
We finished the blend with a coffee processed at the Altos del Abejonal micromill located in Costa Rica’s renowned Tarrazú growing region. This Catuaí variety lot was processed using the natural (or dry) method, where the coffee fruit is allowed to dry whole, resulting in smooth, intensely fruity flavors. Altos del Abejonal owner, Mauricio Vindas, single-handedly processes all of the farm’s coffee and has perfected the often-finicky natural processing method. This coffee’s meticulous processing has resulted in a sweet, complex, and fruit-forward flavor profile that adds complexity and body to the espresso blend.
Altitude
3,600 - 7,200 feet
Variety
Various
Processing
Washed, Natural
Why We Love This Coffee
For those unfamiliar with the Eye of the Tiger concept, we do not attempt to maintain a fixed flavor profile for this blend, as we do with our year-round espresso blends. Instead, we work with in-season coffees to develop a blend that shows off the flavors of the component coffees in ways. Eye of the Tiger is the espresso served at our Oakland and Proof Lab café locations.
This version’s component coffees culminate in an espresso that can be enjoyed on its own as well as in milk-based drinks. We will roast this version of Eye of the Tiger only as long as the blend components last.
While there are many variables that contribute to dialing in espresso, here are the parameters that have been yielding the best results in our lab:
1:2.3 coffee to water ratio in 24 seconds.
Sustainably Sourced
Good Coffee, Better Planet
We treasure our relationships in the global coffee community and invest in projects at origin to support our partners in their commitment to environmental sustainability and social welfare. We also invest in reducing our day-to-day impact, through initiatives like energy-efficient Loring Smart Roasters to reduce carbon emissions per batch by 80%.
As a certified B Corporation, we are a leader in sustainable practices that impact people and the planet. This third-party certification requires us to demonstrate transparency and accountability throughout our supply chain and quantify the impact our business creates for our employees, the community, and the environment. We are proud to be part of this community working together toward one unifying goal: using business as a force for good.
Sustainably Sourced
