AUGUST Peru Panama Kenya

South America is on our minds this August, with Peru and Panama leading the light and medium roasts, while the all-versatile Kenya rounding up on the darker roast.

PERU HIGH-GROWTH, SAN MARTIN REGION – LIGHT ROAST
Roasting this bean through our roast spectrum, we have enjoyed it at each cupping. Soft, high-growth beans seem to taste best at a light roast today, but you will see this bean again at a medium roast and maybe a dark roast too. Boasting a soft tart jasmine tea flavor, with a mildly acidic lingering taste, this coffee is a slow cup best for slow mornings. Sometimes in our daily grind we get to drinking coffee too fast and we forget to pause—this roast is one you will want to pause and savor.

PANAMA BOQUETE, BARU VOLCANO – MEDIUM ROAST
Roasting this bean through our roast spectrum, we have enjoyed it at each cupping. Soft, high-growth beans seem to taste best at a light roast today, but you will see this bean again at a medium roast and maybe a dark roast too. Boasting a soft tart jasmine tea flavor, with a mildly acidic lingering taste, this coffee is a slow cup best for slow mornings. Sometimes in our daily grind we get to drinking coffee too fast and we forget to pause—this roast is one you will want to pause and savor.

ADDITION
Cocoa beans are about 3 times the size of coffee beans and will not go through the burr grinder easily. We recommend you crush them by giving them a quick pound with the bottom of your coffee mug before adding them to the grinder. We find that the addition of cocoa beans to your ground, instead of chocolate syrup, will add a nice subtle flavor of cocoa chocolate to your coffee. The cocoa beans included this month are very dark chocolate and not very sweet. They can be eaten on their own like a nut with shell and all, so you can add the entire bean to the grinding process.

KENYA NYERI HIRIGA AA – DARK ROAST
Our first month out, we showcased Kenya at a medium roast. At that time we discussed roasting Kenya at a light, medium and dark roast and calling it a straight month of Kenya coffee. Like the Peru, this coffee tasted great at each roast along our roast spectrum. At the dark roast, Kenya has a sharp, winey taste with a pronounced fruity undertone as it steps away from the medium roast flavors of toasted nuts and sweet caramel. Before the year ends, look for Kenya in a light roast, which will be a contrast to this month’s roast which produced a heartier cup of coffee.

OUR RECOMMENDATION ON BLENDING
In addition to each month’s three unique beans from around the world, we also recommend a blend of the dark, medium and light roasts. We call this month’s Blend 123—with 1 part Kenya, 2 parts Panama and 3 parts Peru. With a predominant ratio of the Peru, the sweet floral flavor of Jasmin tea leads the charge followed by notes of caramel and woody wines. The goal of our blends is to create a cup of coffee that stands on its own before adding cream or sugar.

Try all the roasts individually to appreciate each distinct flavor. Next, give our Blend 123 recommendation a try—in addition to adding the cocoa beans to the Panama. Finally, venture out with your own blend according to your taste preferences. Keep in mind that the lighter roast has more caffeine, while the darker roast has a fuller body. To make the blend, use a tablespoon to measure out the coffee by parts and place into a burr grinder, then give it a quick shake. Alternately, you can mix them after each bean has been grind individually.

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