Coffee Fest Anaheim kicks off this weekend, and we’re hoping to see all our SoCal friends there! We’ve also got a great way to kick off the festivities: a cupping of our 2023 harvest favorites on Saturday, Aug. 5., from 12 to 2!
InterAmerican Coffee Trader Pablo Lara, along with San Diego QC specialist Jayy Terrell and NKG PACE Partner Shaa’ista Sabir will be at the Created Co. headquarters in Costa Mesa, hosting a cupping and conversation and some fun collaborations! There’ll be snacks from the local, women-owned bakery Rye Goods and an ice-collaboration with Stella Jean’s Ice Cream. Specifically, Stella Jean’s will turn our Mexico NKG Bloom Jaguar, roasted by SoCal’s Iron & Kin, into the most delectable coffee ice cream imaginable!
And to top it off, and show off the wares of our lovely hosts, we’ve created a special gift with Created Co for everyone who joins us!
Around the cupping table, we’re incredibly excited to share and discuss:
Mexico NKG Bloom El Buho
This coffee (translation: “The owl”) comes from NKG Bloom producers — mostly indigenous Tzeltales — in Los Altos, in the northeast highlands of Chiapas.
We’re tasting: Peach, melon and maple, with a bright acidity and juicy body.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Misty Valley
Abdullah Bagersh developed this cup profile more than 20 years ago, and InterAmerican was there from the start, offering guidance on the cup and happily importing the delicious results. This is the classic profile that so many of us look for in natural-processed coffees from Yirgacheffe.
We’re tasting: Blackberry jam, kumquat and sage, with a creamy body.
Papua New Guinea Timuza Organic
InterAmerican sister company New Guinea Highlands developed this coffee from its work with 207 coffee families that together farm 274 acres in the Eastern Highlands. The farm plots are certified Organic and the producers are enthusiastic to improve cup quality — and share their rich cultures and traditions with the larger coffee community.
We’re tasting: Passionfruit, green grape, toffee and blackberry.
Costa Rica Sonora Honey Natural
Hacienda Sonora sits at the foot of the (active) Poas Volcano, in the Central Valley, and is the family farm of Diego Guardia, an NKG colleague at exporter Ceca. Diego has brought all his formal education and career know-how back to his childhood farm, which focuses on shade-tree cover and preserving wild forest, as well as on processing each harvest in a way that optimizes its attributes.
We’re tasting: Blackberry, plum, concord grape and honey.
Guatemala La Voz Atitlán Organic
InterAmerican is the primary purchaser of this coffee and has been for many years. During that time, not only has cup quality continued to develop, but the many women in charge have invested in infrastructure, learned to roast and opened a café (on the shores of Lake Atitlan) with baristas offering competition-level pour-overs.
We’re tasting: Meyer lemon, amaretto and green apple, with a creamy body and malic acidity.
Guatemala Huehuetenango Pioneers
This coffee comes from a beautiful collaboration between the Comal and Asdeflor Cooperatives, Unex and the non-profit Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung. HRNS offers a Pioneers program through which young producers complete an advanced curriculum focused on climate-smart agricultural practices.
We’re tasting: Toffee, baked apple, vanilla and candied fruit, with a smooth body and juicy acidity.
Quick Summary
Planning to join in? Have questions? Want to meet up during Coffee Fest Anaheim? Please rsvp or drop a note to team.sandiego@nkg.coffee!
Date: Saturday, Aug. 5
Time: 12 to 2
Place: Created Co., 2035 Placentia Ave., Suite F, Costa Mesa, CA
We’re excited to see you there! •
