ESPRESSO IN BLOOM: ETHIOPIA + GUATEMALA

Tastes like

Grilled Peach

Apricot

Dark Chocolate

Bright fruit. Dark chocolate. Nothing missing.

You get grilled peach and apricot up front, vivid and ripe, with dark chocolate pulling everything together into a round, expressive shot.

Guatemala

50%

Region

Huehuetenango

Program

Quetzal

Altitude

1400–2200 MASL

Process

Washed

Variety

Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, Pache

Ethiopia

50%

Region

Guji

Farm

Gerba Washing Station

Altitude

1800–2100 MASL

Process

Natural

Variety

Heirloom Ethiopian

The coffee

In Bloom is a seasonal espresso blend that changes as the best coffees available change with it. This edition pairs a washed Guatemalan from the high-altitude farms of Huehuetenango with a natural Ethiopian from the forested highlands of Guji. The Guatemala brings structure and depth. The Ethiopia brings the fruit. Together they make something more than either one alone.

Origin

Guatemala and Ethiopia are two of the world's most distinct coffee-growing countries, and in this blend, the reason the cup works. Guatemala's Huehuetenango region sits in the western highlands bordering Mexico, where altitude, climate, and traditional varieties combine to produce some of the best coffees in Latin America. High-grown and hard-bean, these coffees bring crisp acidity and full body that layers cleanly with almost anything. Ethiopia's Guji zone, in the forested highlands of the south, grows some of the most expressive naturals in the world. Fruit-forward, complex, and hard to replicate anywhere else.

The blend

The Guatemala in this blend comes through the Quetzal program, which was built on a straightforward idea: buy more, pay more, reward quality. Named after Guatemala's national bird, Quetzal grew out of conversations with producers who wanted more consistent access to reliable buyers. It draws from over 3500 smallholder farmers across Huehuetenango, giving each producer a stake in a program that offers price stability, direct feedback on quality, and a guaranteed market for a larger portion of their harvest. The Gerba Washing Station in Ethiopia's Bule Hora district processes cherry from around 600 smallholder farmers in nearby villages. Established in 2019, it sorts cherries for ripeness, dries them on raised beds for around 18 days, and rests the dry cherry for four weeks before hulling.

Process

Two countries, two processes, one cup. The Guatemala is washed: ripe cherries depulped and fermented for 12 to 48 hours before being washed clean and dried on patios or raised beds. The Ethiopia is natural: whole cherries sorted, rinsed, and dried on raised beds for around 18 days with the fruit intact through the entire process. The contrast between the two is part of what makes the cup interesting.

Brew it your way

Built for espresso, and worth the care it takes to dial in. Pull at a 1:2 ratio in 28 to 32 seconds for a shot that opens with grilled fruit and closes with chocolate. On filter, a 1:16 ratio keeps the peach and apricot intact while the structure of the Guatemala holds the cup together.