From the Nariño region of Colombia to the Cerrado Mineiro region of southern Brazil, and across the world to the prized growing region of Ngozi in Burundi, this blend contains three spectacular coffees that are great as single origins and when combined together at a dark roast, create flavors that are exceptionally dynamic, warm and balanced.

Tablón de Gomez, Colombia
The first component is from the Nariño region of Colombia, and makes up 50% of the blend, acting as to balance out the flavors of the three coffees. It was grown by several smallholder farmers (including Carlos Estrella, pictured right) in the Nariño region of southern Colombia, on the border with Ecuador. Our importer partner Caravela collected coffees from farmers in the communities of Tablón de Gómez and Buesaco to build this lot, where some of the most unique microlots in Nariño are grown. Through their farmer education program PECA, Caravela’s educators hold ongoing workshops on coffee agromomy, with the goal of helping farmers raise coffee quality & increase productivity.

Marcelo Assis, Brazil
The second component is a coffee from Cerrado Mineiro in Brazil, and makes up 20% of the blend. The farm is known as Bioma Cafe, a partnership between Marcelo Nogueira Assis and Flavio Marcio Silva dating back to 2001. Flavio came from managing the family businesses, and Marcelo was a recent graduate in the technical school of agriculture. By 2010 the two were ready to found their first coffee farm, dedicated 100% to specialty production, in Campos Altos region, Minas Gerais.

The time between was spent evaluating each piece of land that they would later buy – a scientific search for the perfect terroir. A 1200m high plateau in Cerrado Mineiro was eventually selected, 229 hectares divided into six zones. Olhos D’agua is the central plot, where the processing happens.

Nyankurazo, Burundi
The coffee from Ngozi, Burundi makes up the remaining 30% of this blend, and was grown and harvested by several farmers within the Nyankurazo community in northern Burundi, on the border with Rwanda. It was processed at the Nkanda washing station, which is run by Pierre Nzeyimana and his three sons. Pierre started the washing station after working for more than 10 years in other washing stations in Burundi, and now just over 1,200 farmers from the commune of Tangara contribute to Nkanda.

In Burundi, the traditional method of processing coffee after harvest is different from other neighboring countries. Coffee is typically allowed to rest for up to 36 hours in two sessions known as double-fermentation: 12 - 18 hours dry followed by 12 - 18 hours wet. This additional rest before drying adds to this coffee's fruit flavors and sparkling acidity. It is then dried on raised tables for 15 to 20 days.