The Sprudge Report - Halloween & Other Holidays
It's time to start thinking about December coffee already?!
Last call to submit your Halloween fiction
As is our mostly-annual tradition, Sprudge will be publishing original tales of coffee-themed dread the week leading up to Halloween, and we want to read your stories—and publish them. It’s one of our favorite times of the year, when we get to read coffee stories that stretch a bit of creative muscle (and send a chill down our spines). The topic is completely up to you, so long as it is of a coffee bent. Whatever it is about coffee that gives you chills, be it fastastical tales of horror or stories whose frights come from their realness, we want to read it. Submissions are due by Sunday, October 20th.
The Analytics of Autumn
The 2024 Build-Outs of Coffee have come to a close, and as has become our annual post-Builds tradition, we are trend tracking and data diving. It was our biggest ever season of Build-Outs, and so that means there were lots of numbers to crunch. What were the themes? Where is coffee headed in 2025? While some things stayed the same, the needle is moving in a positive direction in a few significant ways.
Coffee in Tauranga
While other Oceanian cities like Melbourne and Sydney and even Auckland may get all the shine for their coffee scenes, Tauranga, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, is not one to be missed. Laid back with a strong surfer vibe, cafes in Tauranga are a mix of exceptional coffee and a coastal beach setting. This week on Sprudge, we tour the many great coffee shops around Tauranga.
Mobile water systems to the rescue
North Carolina is still reeling from the devastation brought on by Hurricane Helene. Western NC was hit particularly hard, with many still without power and running water. To aid cafes trying to reopen, area coffee techs have banded together to provide mobile water systems so that coffee shops can start getting back on their feet. One of these techs is Adam Edwards, co-owner of Re-Automator in Asheville. We spoke with Edwards about the work he and his counterparts are doing in the area and ways that folks can help.
Cropster and Verdane team up
In press release news this week, Cropster, a leading software platform, and Verdane, a European specialist growth investor, have announced a partnership. The partners will build on Cropster’s successful development and long-standing customer relationships, further expand the company’s software offering, accelerate growth and consolidate Cropster’s global market-leading position as the operating system for the coffee industry.
Advent-ure time
Yes I know it is still mid-October, and yes we are still two major holidays away from December. But it is nonetheless time to start planning your December coffee drinking. By which I mean it’s time to pre-order your coffee advent calendar. It’s one of the most fun coffee drinking experiences of the year, a little caffeinated surprise every morning. We’ve rounded up eight of the best coffee advent calendars available in 2024. There’s something in here for everyone. There’s filter, espresso, local coffee, global curation, advents large and small. Whatever your preference, there’s something in here Yule surely love.
Roaster’s Village
We’re highlighting outstanding coffees from some of our favorite roasting partners each week here in the newsletter. This week’s selection of tasty coffees are…
Nigh Swim Coffee—Yukro #8
Tasting Notes: Peach, Mango, Lemon, Floral Honey
All proceeds from sales of Yukro #8 are being donated to help the Hurricane Helen relief efforts in Western NC and Upstate SC. Please join us in supporting our neighbors by purchasing and enjoying this stellar, washed coffee from Agaro, Ethiopia!
Joe Coffee —Rubí Sisters Catuaí
Perched between the Sierra La Esperanza and Santa Bárbara mountains in Las Vegas, Honduras, lies Finca Ruland 2—a specialty coffee farm as beautiful as it is biodiverse, owned and operated by the Rubí-Landaverde family. Notes of Candied Lemon, Almond Paste, Cinnamon.
Pachamama Coffee Farmers—Guatemala
Grown on the volcanic shores of Lago Atitlán, this is an exceptional single origin medium roast coffee from the Manos Campesinas coop in Guatemala.
PERC—Jairo Arcila co-ferment box
It’s fun to see how fermentation with different things affects flavor. As soon as you open the bags, you know you’re in for a treat! The lychee co-ferment explodes with big flavors. It’s a bright, fruity, and super complex cup. The cinnamon offers big Cinnamon Toast Crunch vibes with enough sweetness to put snap, crackle, and pop into a dang coma. This box set is a chance to have a ton of fun. Taste each coffee alone or mix them up and make your own creation.
Klatch Coffee—Original Christmas
Klatch Coffee’s top-rated single origin holiday coffee, “Original Christmas” is back! This customer favorite from Ethiopia offers flavor hints of cranberry, chocolate, and sugar plum – perfect for enjoying with friends and family during the upcoming holiday season. In 2023, Original Christmas garnered customer feedback like: “Sniff and sip slowly. The aroma in particular is compelling…cocoa powder dusted over dark berries.”
Original Christmas, as well as other holiday favorites like Dancing Reindeer and Fireside, are now roasting daily.
Olympia Coffee—Alexander Vargas Pink Bourbon
Alexander Vargas is a Cup of Excellence-winning producer for his Pink Bourbon varietal. He continues to innovate in processing and drying, making his coffees an absolute delight for us to roast. The variety is native to Colombia, specifically Huila, with the name inspired by the cherry ripening with a pinkish hue.
Sightglass Coffee—Autumnal Equinox
Named for the celestial shift from summer to autumn, marked by nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness across all latitudes, our Autumnal Equinox blend is crafted from a 50/50 composition of washed and natural processed coffees from famed Mexican coffee farmer Jose Argüello. Persimmon, Cardamom, Toffee.
Onyx Coffee Lab—Ethiopia Gesha Village Box Set
Ethiopia Gesha Village Oma Natural and Ethiopia Gesha Village Surma Washing
Partners Coffee—Mexico – Hermanos Luna
The García Luna brothers belong to a producer group of mostly younger farmers in the community of San Vicente Yogondoy, Oaxaca. Most of the coffee planted here is a variety called pluma hidalgo (or simply pluma), a local mutation of typica. This lot is comforting and approachable with notes of milk chocolate, orange zest, caramel, baking spice, cashew butter, and dark honey elevated by red apple and white grape.
DUNE Coffee Roasters—Zip Zinger
Zip Zinger is our signature blend, developed to enjoy as an espresso or as a brewed coffee. We named this coffee for the iconic skateboard designed by Mark Gonzales, who inspires us to be creative and have fun each day. Currently, Zip Zinger is comprised of 25% Colombia Cauca, 25% Ethiopia Aricha, and 50% Honduras Ojojona.
You’ll always find this coffee in our shops, both as a sweet and fruity filter coffee, or a rich and chocolately espresso for milk-based drinks.
CXFFEEBLACK—Fruit Of Our Labor
A HIGA JUNT -NATURAL RWANDA KILIMBI STATION, 1650-1850 MASL
TASTING NOTES: Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, and Passionfruit
Verve Coffee Roasters—Seabright
From our house to yours, Seabright House Blend is undeniably inviting. Seabright showcases apricot and honeydew flavor notes composed of direct trade coffees from El Salvador and Guatemala. A balanced mouthfeel. And aromatics of toasted hazelnuts. Set yourself up for a winning day with one of our easiest drinking blends.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters—Evergreen
Evergreen is a special seasonal blend featuring coffees from some of our finest producer partnerships with flavors that are sure to call up the ol’ winter spirit.
Equator Coffees—Sumatra Panangan Mata Fair Trade Organic
Only here for a limited-time, this coffee was produced by Ibu Rahmah on her family’s farm located in the Aceh Province of Northern Sumatra. In addition to producing her own coffee, Rahmah is the chairwoman of the Ketiara cooperative, makers of our beloved Queen Ketiara since 2015. This delicious light roast transcends the typical earthy character Sumatra coffees are known for, brewing a smooth and inviting cup with notes of dried cherry, rooibos, and allspice.
Portland Coffee Roasters—St John’s
St John’s is the signature espresso blend at all of our cafes. It’s named for a beautiful bridge in Portland, Oregon, and it may be the most beautiful bridge in the world! Dizzyingly high and radiant, St Johns Bridge is the perfect pairing with our vibrant, well-rounded coffee blend that carries lovely orange flavors across your palate. This blend is great when brewed as drip coffee or espresso.
La Barba Coffee—Colombia | Diego Bermudez Castillo Y-05
This directly sourced Castillo has delicate peach sweetness with intense and complex floral character. Its a coffee that balances sweet flavors and delicate notes beautifully – the result of Diego Bermudez’s meticulous farming and a scientific approach to coffee processing. Notes : Peach, Apple, Lychee
The Barn—INSPIRATION ADVENT CALENDAR 2024
This Advent Calendar contains 24x Single Origin Coffees from producers that decided to change the way they grow and process coffee. It includes: 4 boxes with 50g of Single Origin Coffees, individual cards about each coffee, tasting diary to record your favorite brews, variety of handpicked coffee gifts, and limited edition artwork to hang on your wall.
Phil & Sebatian—Colombia, Finca El Paraiso Bourbon Aji
This is our first coffee of this amazing variety. Bourbon Ají is an Ethiopia Landrace variety that has found its way to the Americas and is now referred to as a bourbon – much like pink bourbon, chiroso and sidra. As to why it’s called “Ají”, some speculate that the colour of the cherries and the slight spicy flavour of the coffee fruit is why the variety is called “Aji”, which means “red chili” in Spanish. The way Jose decided to process this borbon ají is what makes this coffee more special. The coffee was picked, floated and hand selected. Then it was anaerobically fermented in a cold room for a whopping 110 hours in cherry. The coffee was then de-pulped, washed and dried in raised beds.
Madcap Coffee—Harvest Moon
Finca de Dios from Fraijanes, Guatemala forms the base of this fall blend. Grown on the innovative farm of Ellen and Stuart Prentice with the help of their daughter Ashley, Finca de Dios is a consistent Madcap staple. Another familiar component to the blend is Reko, out of Kochere, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, named after Reko mountain and the washing station the coffee is processed at. Reko is well known by its fans for its tea-like qualities and electric acidity. Once combined, the final blend is well rounded with notes of caramelized sugar sweetness and crisp, floral apple. Warm your hands with Harvest Moon in your favorite mug, or as espresso in a milk beverage of your choice.
Mr. Espresso—Mexico Mayan Village — Women’s Lot
Rosalba Cifuentes Tovía came to the San Francisco Bay Area from Chiapas, Mexico, with two small children and without knowing any English. What she did know was coffee. Incredibly, she built a network within Bay Area coffee circles. It has been her passion to use her coffee expertise to uplift the people from her native community of Chiapas. Rosalba has grown Mayan Harvest into a source that represents some of the best in the region. Combined with direct traceability and an exquisite taste that brings to mind notes of cherry, cream, and panela, this is a coffee you’ll feel good about buying and better about drinking.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Atlas Coffee Importers - Outbound Logistics - Edmonds, WA
Cafeneo - Barista - Newark, DE
Ratio - Customer Experience Associate - Portland, OR
New cafes on Sprudge Maps
Here are new cafes discoverable on our global cafe portal Sprudge Maps. Register your cafe for free—thanks to the support of La Marzocco and Pacific Barista Series.
Dose - London, England
Hypergoat Cafe - Alexandria, VA
San Alberto Coffee - Bogota, Colombia
Three Fins Coffee Roasters - West Dennis, MA
Do you have a news tip? Feedback? A funny joke? Send us an e-mail, use the contact form on Sprudge, leave a message at 1-888-55-SPRUDGE, or send us a letter at P.O. Box 3943 Portland, OR 97218.