The Sprudge Report - Sometimes Reality Is Scarier
Plus new gear and city guides.
The best case for instant coffee
The hard truth about instant coffee is that, it’s fine. Better than fine, but still not to where you would take it over a filter coffee or an espresso. But in dire times, there’s nothing better than an instant coffee. So we came up with a few instances of peril where instant coffee is in fact the best case scenario.
Coffee in Goa
When people talk about Goa, India, they think about picture-perfect beaches framed by coconut palms. Others come here to party with free-flowing booze. It’s perhaps India’s most popular beach destination attracting over 10 million visitors—both domestic and foreign—in a year. But it is also home to an exciting coffee scene. This week on Sprudge, contributor Zinara Rathnayake takes us on a tour of some of the cafes in Goa.
A new eco-friendly coffee cup
We love a good coffee cup, especially when it fits within a larger sustainable ecosystem. That’s what Aromacup offers. Made of bamboo and plant starch, the Aromacup is biodegradable and able to break down in a home compost bin. It’s currently on Kickstarter, where it has met its funding goal, but there are still lots of rewards left for backers.
Do we need an alternative for alternative milks?
Alt milks like oat, almond, soy, etc. were all the rage in specialty coffee a few years back. They have since become mainstream, with many cafes choosing an alt milk at their primary option for espresso drink and removing the upcharge for them. But with popularity comes backlash, and that’s what alt milks are currently experiencing. Some researchers are raising the warning flag about alternative milks, especially ones high in sugar or made with emulsifiers, which have been linked to higher risk of colorectal cancer.
Coffee-themed Halloween costume ideas
You love coffee and you want to show it on Halloween, but you don’t have any ideas. Luckily, your friends at Sprudge have come up with five easy peasy coffee-themed costume ideas sure to impress everyone at the Halloween-themed latte art throwdown. And we’ve even got a bonus idea for James Hoffmann!
Sporty and spro-ty
Espresso machine manufacturer La Marzocco has teamed up with German sports car maker Porsche for an all-new limited-run Linea Micra. Only 911 of the units will be made and they feature two color designs: one in Slate Grey Neo—an homage to the original Porsche color—and another inspired by the 911 Carrera RSR of the Martini Racing design. It’s a very fast looking espresso machine, even when it’s just sitting on your counter.
Press releases
From the press release desk this week, we learned of Klatch Coffee opening three new cafes across Southern California, all inside Sprouts marketplaces. Elsewhere, Ground Control announced they are now shipping units of their award-winning new batch brewer, the Ground Control SM. And finally, Moonrise Bakery, part of the Olympia Coffee family brought news about the hiring of new executive pastry chef Michele Pompei.
The profit gods demand a blood sacrifice
Automation can be a wonderful thing. It has the potential to remove rote tasks from a worker’s plate to allow them to better focus on the core aspects of their job. But the reality of how automation actually gets utilized is much more dire. Once a machine can do most of a job, that job will simply disappear. We’ve seen a few new ways folks are trying to automate the coffee industry, and the ways they try to spin it to the public. And ultimately, it is the workers, the ones who the automation is supposed to be helping, who suffer the brunt.
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…
Dune Coffee—Honduras Benjamin Paz Geisha
Benjamin Paz is a multiple time Cup of Excellence winner, taking first place with his coffees in 2022 and 2024. His farm, La Salsa, is is located on the Santa Bárbara mountain of Honduras. Here, the rainforest and proximity to water create a unique microclimate, where the Geisha variety thrives amidst these high elevations on the farm. Benjamin then processes this coffee using an anaerobic washed process, preserving the floral flavors and silky textures of the Geisha variety grown in the Santa Bárbara terroir. Benjamin’s Geisha reminds us of sweet stonefruit and vibrant citrus, with aromatic floral qualities like jasmine and honeysuckle.
Equator Coffees—Golden Hour Blend
The sun is setting on our Golden Hour campaign Savor this sweet and satisfying blend with notes of Rainier cherry, chocolate-covered raisin, and Brazil nut while it’s still here! Get your orders in by the end of October to enjoy the final roast of this year’s summer seasonal blend.
Klatch Coffee—2024 Klatch Coffee Advent Calendar: “Making Spirits Bright
Don’t miss your chance to experience the magic of the holidays with Klatch Coffee’s Limited Edition 2024 Advent Calendar! Each day reveals a new, expertly roasted coffee, ranging from festive blends to rare single-origin treasures, and finishing off with a special Geisha on the final day. The 2024 edition of Klatch Coffee’s Advent Calendar, “Making Spirits Bright” includes 12, individual 58 gram bags of unique coffees to enjoy, all packed inside a handsome box, suitable for gifting or display at home and office. Pre-order now (while supplies last) for delivery by December 9.
PERC—Colombia Los Nogales Thermal Shock
We were so stocked on the coffees the folks from Los Nogales sent us we had to source two. This thermal shock lot is one of the most exciting and complex coffees we’ve tasted recently. You can expect floral and botanical notes complimented by juicy tropical flavors—think hibiscus, eucalyptus, and grilled pineapple. Los Nogales’ complexity is balanced by a sweetness that makes it a devilishly drinkable cup.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
La Marzocco - Parts Fulfillment Team Member - Seattle, WA
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Green Coffee Handler - Portland, OR
Lucky Goat Coffee - Director of Coffee Manufacturing - Tallahassee, FL
Visions Espresso Service - Field Service Technician - Seattle, WA
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.
Sightseer Coffee Bar - Austin, TX
Klatch Coffee - Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Storm Glass Coffee - Evergreen, CO
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.