Introducing the Sprudge Design Awards
It’s no secret we love a good design. Our Coffee Design feature series has been running since 2010, highlighting all the hottest trends and innovations in coffee branding, and we’ve had a design category in the Sprudgie Awards since its inception. But now, we are letting design take center stage with the all new Sprudge Design Awards, a user-submitted celebration of global coffee branding. There are 16 total categories, and submissions are open now!
Roasters’s Spotlight: Wagon Coffee Roasters
For our latest edition of the Roaster’s Spotlight series, we spoke with Tami Canaday of Wagon Coffee Roasters in Denver, Colorado. Along with her husband Ryan, Canaday is a recovery advocate and uses Wagon as a means to prioritize sobriety and addiction recovery.
World Coffee Research’s Coffee Variety Poster
Relationships are complicated, especially those between the 130+ (and counting) known coffee varieties. But to help, World Coffee Research has released a brand new poster showing the geneology and relationship of over 100 of the most popular coffee varieties for both Arabica and Robusta. Meant as a visual companion for their Coffee Varieties Catalog, the WCR’s new poster is completely free to for anyone to print their own at home.
Buildin’ time
It was a big week in Builds with three entries from around the world and some gobsmacking cafes. We start here at home, in Jacksonville, Florida, where Sarah and Michael Bigney took us residence to start Mechanism Coffee (after selling their upstate New York company Crown Street Roasting). Then, half a world away in XLIII Coffee née Factory 43 continues a run of eye-popping cafes with their latest outpost in Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam. Not to be outdone, their neighbors to the southeast in Surabaya, Indonesia at Expat. Roasters have together quite the stunning cafe of their own.
The 2023 Build-Outs of Coffee feature series is proudly presented by Dona. Explore the world of fine Dona products at DrinkDona.com and enjoy free shipping on each order over $50.
It’s festing time
As summer turns to fall, the time to drink coffee, so so much coffee, is upon us. In the nation’s capital, an all-new coffee festival is taking place at the end of the month. The DC Coffee Festival will feature more than 25 local coffee roasters, food, music, and good times for all. Tickets are available now!
What’s poppin’ in NYC
3sixteen, a New York City-based menswear brand, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. And what better way than a pop-up? Lasting through mid-October, Wilson’s is a temporary cafe inside 3sixteen’s Nolita flagship. They’re bringing in a new roaster each week from across the country to serve a signature single origin made just for the festivities.
A buzzy Bizzy look
Minneapolis-based Bizzy Cold Brew is celebrating 10 years in business with a complete brand refresh. They worked with design agency Day Job to come us with a fresh new look that “better represents the product and our brand ethos, including our dedication to quality, transparency, sustainability, and caffeine content.”
New grinders!
What a week to geek! We saw the announcement of not one but two all-new high end grinders. First, La Marzocco made waves with the release of the Pico, their latest grinder, along with the Linea Mini or Linea Micra, meant to complete the home espresso coffee counter. Then, Weber, maker of some of the coolest looking coffee gear on the market, announced the latest version of their Key grinder, the MK2. Its 83mm conical burr are some of the biggest on the market, and there are a host of usability updates from the original.
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…
Amavida Coffee Roasters: Natural Bolvia AIPEP—This limited release offering is from the primary-level producer association AIPEP, located in the Yungas mountains of Bolivia. This premium lot was the product of a substantial quality project involving the construction of new drying tables. The project was fully funded by Cooperative Coffees impact fund, which is used to assist coffee farmers at origin. We found this natural processed coffee to be pleasantly dense, with notes of blueberry, grape and black tea in the cup.
Camber Coffee: Kenya Gachatha Peaberry—Our newest offering is a stunning peaberry selection that will thrill any Kenya coffee lover. Notes of tart red currant, brilliant clementine, and refreshing casaba melon make this a sweet and beautiful cup.
CXFFEEBLACK: OG Guji Mane—Brought to you by an all black supply chain. Grown by black farmers in the town of Uraga in the Guji Zone of Oromia in Ethiopia, exported by Black community leaders Ture Waji, aka the “King Of Guji”and the big homie Mike Mamo of Bmore and Ethiopian acclaim through their collaborative effort, Green Spring Coffee. It was imported through the homies at Equatorial Coffee Consultants and roasted by Renata Henderson and Sydni Barnes, Black women carrying the legacy that Ethiopian women started over 2,000 year ago.
Equator Coffees: Guatemala El Injerto Ethiopia Landrace Natural—We feel very fortunate to be roasting this delicious Ethiopia Landrace Natural—another rare coffee from our friends at El Injerto in Guatemala. This natural-processed single origin is fruity, spicy, and complex with flavors of black plum, ruby port, and star anise.
Intelligentsia Coffee: Summer Solstice Blend—Each year Intelligentsia takes a fresh approach to their seasonal blends, curating flavors that will best evoke the spirit of the season. This year features a deliciously juicy, sweet blend of coffees from Ethiopia, Colombia, and Peru. Sip and indulge in alluring notes of blueberry, honey, and lime. Perfect for a sun-drenched Summer morning.
Joe Coffee: Colombia La Familia Guarnizo—This coffee comes to us through a strong relationship between Joe Coffee and the El Paraiso growers’ association in Huila, Colombia. This bright and light-bodied selection was grown by a special group of El Paraiso’s member farmers: the Guarnizo family. Featuring notes of stone fruit and almonds with a medium acidity, this coffee is a customer favorite.
Monogram Coffee: Warmth Filter Blend—Featuring familiar notes of chocolate and nougat, our new Warmth Filter Blend is perfect for making delicious filter coffee everyday! The flavour is approachable, the profile is consistent and the price is affordable. Enjoy a seasonally rotating blend of our freshest harvest coffees from Central and South America that’s rich in flavor and low in acidity.
Night Swim Coffee: Nano Genji #8—Nano Genji is the sibling mill to the famed Nano Challa mill, featured on our menu last year. This lot, #8, from Nano Genji is delicate, nuanced, expressive, and absolutely delicious. It’s reminding us of floral white tea and bergamot with a deep and lasting, caramel like sweetness.
Olympia Coffee Roasters: Jose Hernan Salazar Aji Ethiopian Landrace—This unique coffee was produced by José Hernán Salazar, from the town of Pitalito in southern Colombia. This lot is what José calls the “Ají” varietal, which is the Spanish word for chili pepper. José named it after noticing the spicy smell of its cherries. These delicate chili pepper-like qualities are also subtly present in the cup, giving this coffee a truly one-of-a-kind flavor—berry, caramel, and floral.
Onyx Coffee Lab: Panama Creativa Giovana Boutet Anaerobic—This anaerobic natural processed by our friends at Creativa Coffee District checks all the boxes we love about anaerobic processing. Layered, complex, and immensely sweet, this Catuai reminds us of ripe mangos and chocolate truffle, with the complexity and tactile of a cabernet. According to our very own production roasting assistant, this micro-lot has “just the right amount of funk.” We agree, Kenneth. We agree.
Partners Coffee: Honduras – Las Flores—Finca Las Flores is one of three farms Roger Domínguez inherited from his father, 3.5 hectares ideally located at 1,500 meters within the celebrated coffee growing community of Marcala. The farm is mostly planted with catuaí under the shade of guachipilín, banana, orange, and pepeto trees. In a sweet and nuanced cup we taste concord grapes, spiced apple cider, orange zest, and gingerbread.
PERC Coffee: Ethiopia Reko—Guess who’s back? It’s the dadgum fantabulous Ethiopia Reko, and we’re super stoked. This year’s crop is clean and bright, with soft floral notes that linger like the dang Cranberries. Your tongue will take a shvitz in flavors that remind us of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and white grape. This is an instant classic, y’all – get some!
Stumptown Coffee: Ethiopia Suke Quto —To producer Tesfaye Bekele, Suke Quto is always a conservation effort first and a coffee business second. What started as an idea to grow and process environmentally friendly coffees to help sustain his local community has grown to inspire fellow producers and support outlying communities in the region. This year’s Suke Quto lot is exceptionally crisp, with notes of sweet honey and refreshing lemon-lime.
Verve Coffee: Costa Rica Sumava Lactico Natural—Sweet Magnolia florals greet the nose at the first sip, complemented by the soft touch of White Peach. Concord Grape is woven throughout with a similar profile to natural wine, finishing the cup with a sparkling mouthfeel. Francisco Mena’s coffee has been sprinkled throughout our menu year after year, and he is someone that we are proud to partner with. His coffees have exceptionally clean profiles and are consistently high quality.
New job listings from Sprudge Jobs
Baratza - Support Specialist, Specialty Coffee - Seattle, WA
Rancilio Group - Digital Marketing Specialist - Woodridge, IL
Perc Coffee - Baristas - Atlanta, GA
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.
Mural City Coffee Company - Dothan, AL
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