The Sprudge Report - Welp
Good grief
You’re a good collab, Charlie Brown
Arkansas’s Onyx Coffee Lab is at it again. The undisputed champions of the coffee collab is back with another gobsmacking collection. Just in time for the holidays, Onyx has teamed up with Charles Schulz’s iconic comic, The Peanuts, for an entire line of cross-branded merch and apparel. Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Woodstock, they all get their shine on in a way only Onyx could pull off. It’s a nostalgic balm for the soul.
Coffee in Izmir
We’ve visited quite a few cities in Turkey, thanks to the intrepid work of Istanbul-based contributor Michael Butterworth. But one place we’ve yet to take a coffee tour is Izmir. The Aegean city has produced the last four Turkish Barista Champions, so it stands to reason that the coffee in Turkey’s third largest city is top notch. That’s why we are once again leaning on Michael Butterworth to take us on a tours of the cafes that are part of the quality-focused coffee scene in Izmir.
Cornell University & World Coffee Research team up
The future of coffee production is in jeopardy and heavily reliant upon innovation to survive. With the impact of climate change looming large, farmers will require new, more resilient coffee varieties and more efficient processes in order to maximize yield. To these ends, Cornell and World Coffee Research have come together for the Coffee Improvement Program, a five-year initiative seeking to “improving the resilience and productivity of coffee smallholder growers worldwide.”
The Sync is go
Last year, La Marzocco and Mahlkönig announced a new collaboration, the Sync System. Using cloud-based connectivity via the La Marzocco Pro app, the Sync System allows enabled La Marzocco espresso machines and Mahlkönig grinders to communicate and make grind adjustments in real-time. And now, the Sync System has been rolled out in America and Australia. Find out more here.
This looks like a job for Sprudge Jobs
Are you looking for coffee industry jobs? Look no further than Sprudge Jobs, the coffee industry’s leading jobs resource page. Launched in 2014, Sprudge Jobs has been the coffee industry’s #1 jobs hiring board for more than a decade, and features regularly updated jobs posts from leading coffee companies across every sector of the coffee industry. Learn more about our jobs board and how to post a job for your coffee company. And read on in this very newsletter to see all the new coffee jobs posted this week.
Inside Rwanda’s groundbreaking Coffee Quality Project
Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, thanks in no small part to coffee. Even so, many producers live at or below the poverty line. Now a major new initiative is helping to change things: the Ikawa Nziza Cyane (INC) or “Best Quality Coffee” Project, whose goal is unlocking the coffee potential in Rwanda to make the country a better coffee producer and consumer. As part of Sprudge’s Special Projects Desk, journalist Daniel Muraga takes us inside the INC to learn more about how they are seeking to improve the lives of Rwandan coffee producers.
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…
Equator Coffees—Holiday Blend
Crafted to bring people together, our Holiday Blend embodies the sense of community that the season inspires—capturing that festive spirit in every cup. This certified organic, medium-light roast blend features a core component coffee from Suke Quto, a farm nestled in the Guji Highlands of Ethiopia. We’re proud to support the Suke Quto School Project by donating 5% of sales from this coffee to help purchase desks and improve local schools. Enjoy festive flavors of chestnut, candied citrus, and fig cookie, complemented by a buttery richness. Available throughout November and December, our Holiday Blend will keep you fueled and inspired well into the New Year.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters —Guatemala Bella Vista
Bella Vista is both a meticulously planted coffee farm and an expansive processing facility that has been the center of the Zelaya family operation for over 100 years. This exquisite coffee features notes of candied citrus and milk chocolate with a soft, honeyed finish.
Partners Coffee—Honduras – San Francisco Natural Bourbon
Roger Domínguez produces some our favorite natural process coffees, like this red bourbon from Finca San Francisco. This coffee is all punchy and jammy red fruits—think strawberry and raspberry compote or rhubarb pie—supported by subtle notes of chocolate and brown sugar. A delicious filter coffee.
Madcap Coffee—Luis Reinoso
We first met Luis Reinoso in 2010 and have been buying his coffee ever since. Luis produces coffee in a collaborative effort with his wife, Yenni, whose name you may recognize from a previous label from the Reinoso farm. The Reinosos had the first coffee Madcap ever purchased from Colombia. Luis and Yenni operate on a small, secluded eleven-hectare farm on the outskirts of Herrera, Tolima. In this balanced cup, expect notes of hibiscus, pomegranate, and lime zest.
Klatch Coffee—El Salvador Las Mercedes Pacamara Honey
Roastmaster Mike Perry has returned to Lucia Ortiz of the Finca Las Mercedes farm in El Salvador repeatedly over the past few years. They’ve crafted this exclusive just for Klatch Coffee, and it’s here to make your taste buds dance! With every sip, you’ll experience a sweet, aromatic journey with flavors of jicama, plum, and strawberry. As part of Klatch Coffee’s direct trade partnership with this producer, 25 cents of every pound of this coffee sold goes to support sports programs and medical clinics in the Las Mercedes community.
Dune Coffee—Honduras Benjamin Paz Gesha
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 Gesha 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 Gesha variety grown in the Santa Bárbara terroir. Benjamin’s Gesha reminds us of sweet stonefruit and vibrant citrus, with aromatic floral qualities like jasmine and honeysuckle.
PERC—Nicaragua Maritza & Francisco Javier
This coffee blew us away. An intoxicating aroma danced out of the cup, drawing our lips to the rim like a dang tractor beam. The flavors remind us of black cherry syrup, blackberry jam, Cantaloupe, Cherry Lifesaver, Red Licorice, and brown sugar. This coffee is a beautiful juxtaposition. It’s complex, juicy, sweet, silky smooth, and a comforting treat.
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
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.
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.
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
Cropster - Team Lead, Sales North America & Latin America - Remote USA
Cropster - Team Lead, Sales Europe (f/m/d) - Remote Europe
Stumptown Coffee Roasters - Cafe Senior Lead - New York, NY
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.
Blue Sparrow Coffee - Denver, 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.