Some of the emotions I’ve been trying to explore this past year involve finding the balance between happiness and joy, and sadness and grief. I grew up believing that, for the most part, there can only be room for either the light or the dark. But if we’re talking about real physical space, imagine someone quickly pulling the curtains to a large window when the sun is glaringly bright and you’re still half asleep after a long night of tossing and turning. There is a time and place for that rise-and-shine energy–but this is not it. Sometimes, it’s better to have the curtains pulled half-way and receive a gentle nudge to the shoulder to tell you that it’s time to get up. Groggy at first, if not frustrated that you didn’t get enough sleep, you feel okay in about 10 minutes–maybe 30–to roll out of bed and get yourself ready to go out for breakfast with friends on an obnoxiously pleasant, sunny day. You’ll feel much more human after some food and caffeine.
Young trees in Aurelio’s farm. Photo from Royal Coffee
When we released the Burundi Natural Ngozi Bavyeyi back in October, we wanted to tone it down a bit and have something that had more subtle fruit flavors but still juicy and tea-like. Now that we’ve finished roasting the last few pounds of that coffee, we’re pulling the curtains halfway and giving you something slightly more punchy and complex. This coffee is produced by Aurelio Alba Ríos and his seven brothers in Timanco, San Agustín in Huila, Colombia. They pick ripe cherries and immediately ferment them for approximately 12 hours before leaving them out to dry on raised beds for 8-15 days. Their coffee is exported by InConexus, who works directly with growers in seven of Colombia’s departments. InConexus manages local purchasing hubs throughout those departments, where they buy parchment or dried naturals directly from growers. The coffees go through a rigorous quality assessment process, and pricing is tied to cup score. Once assessed, the coffees delivered are blended under micro-brands, such as Bonanza.
All of the work that went into creating Bonanza amounted to producing a dessert-like coffee: think strawberries covered in bittersweet chocolate that has an almost chewy texture similar to taffy. If you brew it on the lighter side, you’ll highlight its fruity qualities and maybe even pick up notes akin to hibiscus; and if you brew it on the heavier side, you’ll get much more chocolate and maybe a hint of booziness. We may have pulled back the curtains half way, but you get to decide if you want to pull them all the way, or shut out the light again. What sounds good to you today?
