Initial Public Offerings

Ok friends,

With much fanfare I announced the Bold Brew house blend this week: The Elephants Danced.

After a week of mixing, matching, and getting user feedback, we've expanded the initial offering to 3 blends and 3 single origins. The Elephants Dance was good, but I've found some different twists that I'm equally excited about.

I'm also excited to offer the Yirga single origin which is a personal favorite as well as single origin from Rwanda that comes via Land of a 1000 Hills cafe here in Roswell. 1000 Hills has developed a direct trade relationship with Rwandan farmers, paying a living wage equivalent for their coffee beans. This type of relationship and investment is an end-state objective for our efforts here and is a value to many of you as well.

We've already had the debate about blending versus single origin, but to recap, you blend to create a unique cup / flavor combinations that you can not get through a single origin. And yes, it can dilute single origin rawness and complexity if you're not thoughtful. But no, it does not mean you're catering to a weaker drinker or sacrificing the purity of your morning ritual. In fact, if done well, it can lead to a more complex, more satisfying cup.

The Blends

The Elephants Danced
This blend breaks all the rules. It combines coffee from more than 5 origins -- 2 Ethiopians, Kenyan, 2 Rwandans, & Brazilian Cerrado, a no-no in any serious coffee roaster's book. But hey, leave it to a rookie to stretch the ropes. This is a medium to full body blend that is gritty yet delicate. The aroma is dominated by the African flavors, coming close to my favorite Chinese tea, "hua cha" (flower tea), but yet by the time it hits the back of your throat, it has transformed into a dark, sweet, acidic earthiness that is not for the faint of heart. It is edgy and a bit unrefined -- eliciting both praise & regret, but hey, no one ever said that an Elephant Dancing would be elegant -- simply magical. It is a Bold Brew.

Bossa Nova (On the Blue Nile)
Bossa Nova grew from an attempt to simplify The Elephants Danced. The end result was a stunning combination of two very different origins -- Ethiopian YirgaCheffe and Brazilian Cerrado. This a medium bodied blend that harmonizes two complex beans, bringing the high-strung YirgaCheffe's bright, citrus zest to the front of the mouth and allowing the nuttiness they both share to segue to a smooth dark chocolate finish delivered by the balanced Brazilian. The signature of this blend is how the flavor profiles remain surprisingly separate and distinct from start to finish.

Blend X -- to be named...(taking suggestions)
BlendX follows the pattern of the world's oldest blend -- the Moka / Java. Much like the Bossa Nova, it weaves the Yirga's bright, citrus-spiced acidity into the Indonesian origins balanced, earthy-chocolate sweetness. However, the astounding difference is that the Bossa Nova features a dramatic shift in flavor from the front of the mouth to the back, while BlendX is creamy smooth all the way through featuring the taste of a molasses, dark chocolate wrapped citrus berry that is underpinned by hints of spice & a well-rounded earthiness. This mild to medium bodied blend is less aggressive than the Bossa Nova purely because no one flavor proves entirely pervasive, rather they weave together from start to finish.

The Single Origins

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
As you can tell, the Yirga is the foundation of all my blends. I absolutely love this intensely flavorful coffee -- it is incredibly bright with floral, fruit tones that range from lemon zest to orange spice. A mild roast leads to a lighter cup that when poured over ice borders on a refreshing cup of iced tea. It can have slight tones of nutty dark chocolate -- a common profile, but it is very slight and takes a deep back seat to the bright sunrise of East Africa.

Rwandan Bufcafe
This coffee comes directly from a village that has been part of the Rwandan post-genocide reconstruction. An incredible story and a large investment from a cafe right here in north Atlanta - Land of a Thousand Hills who have developed this direct trade relationship. The coffee has a more balanced profile than the Yirga, with fruity overtones, but grounded by a earthy, nuttiness, more akin to your Indonesian Sulawesi or Sumatra. It is a more medium bodied coffee that is worth the great story it represents. The price of this green bean provides a living wage to the farmers.

Rwandan Bukonyan
As with the Bufcafe, the Bukonyan is also harvested through the relationship with 1000 Hills & the investment to generate a living wage for the farmer. The Bukonyan moves even more towards the Indonesian end of the spectrum, retaining a touch of East Africa brightness but bringing a more full bodied cup of rich earthy goodness.