THE FRUIT FORWARD EXPERIENCE

• Origin: Tarrazú Region, Costa Rica

• Mill: San Diego Mill (Est. 1888)

• Process: Natural (Dry Process)

• Altitude: 1200-1750m

• Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

• Harvest: November - March

• Grade: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), European Preparation (EP)

Flavor Profile: Strawberry, Plum, and Sangria. It has a wild, bold, fruit-forward with the distinctive characteristics that natural processing delivers - expect bright fruit notes and complex sweetness.

This exceptional coffee represents Costa Rica's innovation in natural processing. The San Diego Mill, Costa Rica's most modern facility established in 1888, meticulously sorts only the ripest red cherries for this micro-lot. Dried with fruit intact and turned regularly for even drying, this coffee showcases why Costa Rican producers receive nearly 80% of FOB value - a testament to their quality commitment.

Why I Selected This: The San Diego Mill's century+ of innovation combined with their sustainable community partnerships creates a coffee that's both ethically sourced and exceptionally processed. This wild, fruit-forward profile represents the pinnacle of Costa Rican natural coffee.

THE HIGH-ALTITUDE GUJI NATURAL

• Origin: Hambela Wamena, Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

• Producer: Dimtu Tora Wet Mill, Azeb Tadesse

• Process: Natural

• Altitude: 1900–2300m (6,234–7,546 ft)

• Varieties: Dega, Kurame, 74110

• Harvest: February–April

• Certification: Organic

Flavor Profile: Blueberry, tropical fruit, and vanilla—a vibrant, aromatic cup with layers of fruit-forward sweetness and the complexity that makes high-altitude Ethiopian naturals so distinctive.

From coffee's birthplace comes an exceptional organic Grade 1 natural from Ethiopia's renowned Guji Zone. Grown by smallholder farmers around the Dimtu Tora kebele at elevations reaching 2,300 meters, this coffee benefits from the region's rich volcanic soils and ideal highland climate. The cherries are naturally processed at the Dimtu Tora Wet Mill, allowing the coffee fruit to dry around the seed and helping develop the intensely aromatic, fruit-driven character for which Guji naturals are prized. The surrounding farms integrate shade trees such as Enset, Albizia, Acacia, Militia, and Polyscias, supporting both agroforestry and biodiversity.

Why I Selected This: The blueberry character immediately grabbed me. It's vivid and unmistakably Ethiopian, but what makes this coffee especially fun is what surrounds it: tropical fruit sweetness and a soft vanilla character that give the cup depth without losing its bright, fruit-forward personality. At up to 2,300 meters above sea level, this is exactly the kind of high-altitude Guji natural I love—aromatic, distinctive, and unlike the everyday coffee most people are accustomed to drinking.

THE KENYAN INTENSITY ICON

• Origin: Bungoma County, Mt. Elgon slopes, Kenya

• Producer: Menu Farmers' Cooperative Society

• Process: Washed (Traditional Kenyan Method)

• Altitude: 1800-1900m

• Varieties: SL 34, SL 28, Ruiru 11, Batian

• Harvest: October - December

• Grade: Peaberry (PB)

Flavor Profile:  Cacao Nibs, Pineapple, and Brown Sugar. It has bold, fruit-forward flavors with complex acidity - the signature intensity that defines Kenyan coffee. Enhanced by peaberry characteristics: denser, rounder beans with concentrated sugars and nutrients.

Kenyan peaberry represents coffee perfection: single beans that develop alone in the cherry, concentrating all sugars and nutrients typically shared between twin beans. Grown on Mt. Elgon's volcanic slopes, these legendary SL-28 and SL-34 varieties undergo Kenya's meticulous washed processing - overnight fermentation, density separation, and careful sun-drying on raised tables until reaching ideal 10-12% moisture content.

Why I Selected This: The tropical pineapple notes in this peaberry completely won me over - they're vibrant and unexpected in the best way. Kenya's legendary SL-28 and SL-34 varieties, developed in the 1930s for exceptional cup quality, combined with the rare peaberry selection creates something truly special. The cooperative's sustainable farming model is the perfect foundation for this pinnacle of Kenyan coffee craftsmanship.