Hello Subscribers,
Happy holidays! I’d like to welcome our new subscribers to their first installment of their international coffee subscription. I’ve been putting this program together for over a year, seeking out the best roasters, some famous and some lesser known. I aim to feature their best coffees and interesting pairings to explore different roasting styles, coffee processing, varietals and more. Last month we were introduced to two roasters from Ireland. This month we return back to the heart of Nordic style roasting: Sweden.
Drop Coffee [Stockholm, Sweden]
Drop Coffee is a roaster I’ve tried to emulate in many ways. They opened their shop in 2009 and started roasting their own coffee in 2010 on a 1 kilogram roaster in their shop. They now operate a certified organic roastery with a 25 kg Diedrich. Their Managing Director, Joanna Alm, has won the Swedish Coffee Roasting Championship three times and placed second in the world. I love the clean flavor development and profiles made possible with Diedrich. It allows for lighter roasting with even development through the bean so you can achieve these well balanced coffees that are both sweet and bright.
The first coffee we chose this year was their Julkaffe, a Natural process Java from Honduras. The Mierisch family won the Cup of Excellence award for their natural process of the Gesha varietal from the same farm. This coffees got a good blend of sweet chocolatey flavors with the complexity of papaya and jasmine with a citric finish.
FOUR COFFEE SUBSCRIBERS: Drop suggested pairing the Christmas Coffee with a washed version of the same varietal, Java, produced by the same family, Mierisch, but in Nicaragua. This farm is owned and operated by Elaine Mierisch, who decided to plant strictly Java plants as it is her favorite varietal. The terroir plays a role in the flavor profile of this coffee. It has a lot of chocolate and nuttiness in the fragrance and aroma. There is a delicate apricot acidity that is rounded out with brown sugar notes in the finish.
da Matteo [Göteberg, Sweden]
da Matteo is one of Sweden’s most famous specialty roasters and one we worked with for some time at our shop. We worked so closely, I developed relationships with each of their members of their production team. In 2017, the three members of da Matteo I was most familiar with informed me they were leaving to start their own roastery, Morgon. I assumed this meant the quality would falter at da Matteo and I had not ordered from them in a couple of years. I was sorely mistaken!
The first coffee in the subscription is Buku. Pour customers may be familiar with this coffee from Coffee Collective, as we stock the washed version of this coffee. This natural process is really juicy. Its packed with tropical fruit flavors that are balanced by a sweet vanilla bean finish that also adds to the mouthfeel and depth of this coffee.
FOUR COFFEE SUBSCRIBERS: The last coffee I selected for the subscription to end the year on a bright note is the Kenya Kirinyaga. The AA rating is a size rating of the bean not of the quality but it might as well be for this coffee. da Matteo has always excelled at sourcing African coffees , which is why I’ve decided to highlight two for the subscription. The washed Kenya has really beautiful, fresh red raspberry notes that make your tongue tingle and are balanced by peach and lemon zest in the finish. A really clean, vibrant coffee to take us into hopefully a better, brighter 2021.
In Closing
I want to sincerely thank everyone for subscribing. 2020 has been a very difficult and trying year for all of us. The outpouring (no pun intended) of support from subscribers like you and customers from across the country has meant so much to me and my family as I’m able to continue this journey in coffee and connecting you with amazing, hard to find coffees from the best roasters around the world. I look forward to bringing in more amazing coffees in 2021 and hopefully can prepare them for you in person one day again soon.
Please reach out with questions about the coffees, brewing tips, etc. It is my objective to make sure you enjoy these coffees as much as I do. Happy holidays and happy new year
Best,
Charlie Eisenstat, Owner & Curator
If you're not currently a subscriber, check it out here. If you’re a current subscriber and want to take advantage of our Gift Subscription, you can pause your current subscription or if you sign up for a gift subscription we’ll upgrade your existing 2 bags subscription to 4 bags. If you’re a four bag subscriber and get the Gift Subscription we’ll send you six different coffees from the two roasters.