Staff Picks!

We covered most of the globe and most of the flavor spectrum this week in Staff Picks. From a resplendent decaffeinated Ethiopian Sidamo 4 Natural Guji to a freshly landed Peruvian FTO, there’s something for a diversity of palates.

Taste in coffee is unapologetically subjective. There are some coffees we can all agree upon as being special, and for the Royal Trading Team and The Crown, those are the types of coffee that become Crown Jewels. Then there are coffees we know in our heart of hearts to be just right for someone. Some coffees like this might fly under the Crown Jewel radar, but are still worth mentioning.

Enter the Staff Pick. Many of you with established accounts know your trader very well, and have come to understand that their recommendations come from years of experience. Some others are just finding their kindred tasting souls, and this is our way of showing you what we appreciate in coffee. Remember the Staff Picks section at the video store? Well, video rentals fell out of favor a few years back, but we know a few people who still like to drink coffee… read on for the coffees we find exciting!

 

Jeri Idso: 38790 – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 3 Chelba Natural GrainPro

“This is a perfectly clean, blackberry and strawberry focused natural that is among 3 the best natural Ethiopians of the season.”

 

Caitlin McCarthy-García: 38830 – Ethiopia Sidamo 4 Natural Guji Royal Select Water Decaf

“Cinnamon, light berry fruit, viscous body. Why am I recommending a decaf? Because it’s rare you come across decafs that are this tasty and still retain their origin and processing characteristics. This lot is a natural-processed decaf from the Guji region in Ethiopia, it is decaffeinated via the water processing method and no chemicals are used in this process.”

 

Laurel Wirth: 39768 – Honduras Santa Elena Catracha Madre Selva GrainPro

“Brown sugar, citrus, chocolate, cherry, floral, green apple. A delicious blend from Catracha Coffee.

 

Jen Apodaca: 39778 – Sulawesi Toarco Jaya AA Fully Washed GrainPro

“The squeaky clean and gorgeous jade color of this PT Toarco Jaya AA makes it a show stopper on the cupping table. Incredibly sweet caramels and with a trained hand, you can tease out a sparkling acidity of tangerine, peach rings, and rose petals.”

 

Evan Gilman: 39998 – Peru FTO APROEXPORT

“This Peruvian FTO was simply stunning. Usually, these are steady coffees without too much of a ‘wow’ factor, but the tart acidity of this Peru brought to mind lemon candy, green apple, and mango. Wow indeed!”

 

 

Kevin Morales: 40306 – Colombia Tolima Yellow Caturra Neighbors Project GrainPro

“A few neighboring members of Agprocem noticed that their adjacent farms had Yellow Caturra trees growing throughout and this lot is made up exclusively of that variety, resulting in a crisp cup of cane sugar, rose and stonefruit.”

Sandra Loofbourow: 39893 – Ethiopia Yirgacheffe 1 Organic Desta Gola GrainPro

“A super clean, white floral, black tea astrigency type of Ethiopian, emblematic of the best Yirgacheffes. This might not be everyone’s favorite, but the subtle tropical fruit hidden behind heavier plum notes with overwhelmingly clean florals is just my cup of tea. Er, coffee.”