This year our seasonal Holiday Blend is inspired by an intensely fruity coffee from our long-time producing partners at Café Granja La Esperanza. The group owns and operates a small collection of award-winning farms throughout Colombia, including Finca Potosí, where this natural processed coffee comes from. For a long time, in an effort to maintain quality and consistency, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) would refuse natural coffees for export upon inspection because the process causes a discoloration of the green beans. Understanding this discoloration is not a defect and the unique and fruity flavor profiles the processing method can yield, producers such as Café Granja La Esperanza pressured the Federation, who now approve select natural processed lots.

A beautifully floral-toned coffee from Ethiopia adds complexity and brightness to the blend. This washed process lot was produced by the cooperative Biftu Gudina, which is located within the Agaro district in Western Ethiopia. Established only seven years ago and consisting of less than 150 members, Biftu Gudina is young and tiny by Ethiopia standards. Aspiring to produce high quality coffee, but surrounded by larger, better funded cooperatives, Biftu Gudina struggled to create an identity early on. With aid from international NGO Technoserve however, Biftu Gudina’s quality has increased considerably with the construction of a centrally located washing station and drying beds, along with gravel roads for ease of access. Coffee cherry is now processed shortly after harvesting and resulting in better tasting and more consistent coffee.

We finished the blend with a sweet and chocolaty coffee from Guatemala’s Cobán growing region that helps bring the flavors of all the components into balance. This fully-washed coffee was produced by Joerg Sterkel, owner of Finca Rosario de Fátima. Joerg’s family immigrated to the Alta Verapaz region from Germany in the late 19th century and established some of Guatemala’s first coffee plantations, as well as one of the country’s oldest exporting companies. The coffee compliments the blend’s other floral and fruity components perfectly. This complex blend is sure to compliment after dinner desserts and inspire many brisk mornings this holiday season. We will feature this coffee throughout November and December, to keep you going throughout the holidays.