Hello, Ruby subscribers, and welcome to July! I’m Emily, the Lead Roaster here at Ruby Coffee Roasters, and I’m grateful that I get to write about the lovely coffees we have in store for you this month.
Both July subscription coffees are returning favorites: Ethiopia Chelbessa for Bright and Lively subscribers, and Colombia Los Guacharos for Rich and Sweet subscribers. Roaster’s Choice subscribers will get to enjoy both. This will be Ruby’s seventh year with Los Guacharos and the sixth year with Chelbessa, for good reason.
Los Guacharos has a unique flavor profile that comes through in every lot, with subtle variations over the years and among different harvests. As with any crop, there is a normal amount of variation in the taste experience of a coffee over different harvest cycles, depending on the weather, changing climate patterns, processing methods, and more. The previous lot of Los Guacharos on our menu was especially unique and intense. “Bubblegum” even made its way onto the tasting notes on our bag! This current lot is equally as delicious, but in just a slightly more subdued (but definitely still dynamic) way, with notes of lychee, grape jelly, and limeade up front, with a rich and satisfying toffee finish.
Not only does Los Guacharos taste great, but they are also an association that utilizes many environmentally-conscious techniques and practices including…
- Using alternatives to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides
- Managing a community stock of organic fertilizers including molasses, cow manure, bone ash, and rice husk
- Minimizing waste water and runoff by washing coffee beans only one time during the fermentation process
- Recycling fermentation water by filtering it through channels containing contaminant-absorbing flower roots
Los Guacharos and Chelbessa have more in common than you might think, being from such different parts of the Earth. Like Guacharos, Chelbessa is also made up of multiple producers, and has intentional and honorable focuses: environmental impact, farmer education, and quality coffee. This year, Ruby was able to purchase a higher quantity than in years past, and we’ll be enjoying it both as a single origin offering and as a component in our August blend. But before it makes its debut, you, our subscribers, will get a sneak peek of what’s in store. We taste a dynamic combination of both sugary sweet notes, and bright fruity notes. Think sweet tea and spice cake, with some lemon and stone fruit. I know that I’m looking forward to drinking this refreshing coffee in the hot month of July, and I hope you enjoy it, too!