The Beans Behind the Brew

Coffee Stories

Every coffee we roast has a story — the farm, the process, the people, the cup. Here are the deep dives into each origin we source. From 138-year-old mills in Costa Rica to tropical co-ferments in Colombia, these are the beans behind your cup.

Costa Rica · Tarrazú

Jaguar Honey SHB EP 2026: A Mill That Changed Coffee

Beneficio San Diego, established 1888. Honey process, 138 years of craft, 85.25 cupping score. Creamy milk chocolate, tart raspberry, and honey sweetness from 1,200–1,750m smallholder farms.

85.25 score 1,750m elevation Nov–Mar harvest 1888 mill founded

Colombia · Huila

Purple Caturra Tropical Co-Ferment 2026: The Coffee That Ferments Like Wine

Finca Monteblanco, Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia. Tropical natural anaerobic co-ferment with Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, pineapple, cholupa, and passion fruit. 88 cupping score, 340 hours of controlled fermentation, seven fruit notes.

88 score 1,750m elevation Apr–May harvest 340 hrs fermentation

Colombia · Huila

Honey Caturron 2025: The Wild Mutation That Changed Huila

Finca Villa Betulia, Luis Anibal Calderon. A wild mutation of Caturra with leaf rust resistance and high yield. Honey anaerobic co-fermentation with a crafted spice blend. 89.5 cupping score, 100-hour dual-stage fermentation, seven notes from black cherry to lemongrass.

89.5 score 1,550m elevation Mar–Jun harvest 100 hrs fermentation

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Single Origin: Why the Coffee Aisle Will Never Tell You Where Your Beans Come From

How a niche movement built around transparency and terroir exposes everything wrong with grocery store coffee.

2%
specialty market

$5 vs $25
grocery vs single origin

4 questions
transparency test

11 pts
side-by-side comparison

Roasting: Why Your $25 Coffee Tastes Like $3 If It's Burned

The roast is the final translation. Burn it and you erase the farm. Here's why the 90-second window matters more than the origin.

90s
between perfect and burnt

196°C
first crack

3 levels
light, medium, dark

9 traits
comparison table

Cupping Scores Decoded: What 85 vs 88 vs 89.5 Actually Means

The 100-point system, the 10 categories, and what a 1-point difference actually tastes like in the cup.

10
cupping categories

80+
specialty threshold

90+
world-class

3 coffees
score breakdown

How to Brew Single Origin So You Can Actually Taste It

Your drip machine is killing your coffee. Pour over, French press, water, grind — the practical guide to tasting what you paid for.

1:16
golden ratio

93°C
ideal temp

4 vars
ratio, grind, temp, time

8 steps
pour over method

The C-Market: Why Coffee Farmers Don't Know What They'll Get Paid

The futures market sets the price. The farmer just receives the number. How direct trade changes the math.

$1.50
avg C-price/lb

40%
annual price swing

$0.20
Fair Trade premium

$4-12
direct trade/lb

Freshness: The 2-Week Window When Coffee Is Actually Alive

Coffee is perishable. The aromatic compounds peak at day 3 and die by day 30. Most grocery store coffee is already dead.

2-14d
peak flavor

3 killers
O2, H2O, UV

Bloom
freshness test

Coffee Varieties: Why Geisha Costs $60 and Caturra Costs $25

Like wine has Pinot Noir, coffee has Caturra, Geisha, Bourbon. The variety determines yield, flavor, and price.

120+
arabica varieties

$60
Geisha per lb

3-5x
Catimor vs Geisha yield

6 vars
compared