The Tala Blog
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Espresso at Home - from Budget to Bougie
“Making coffee at home is incredible fun. It can be relaxing, ritualistic, convenient, and comforting. Or, like myself, you are simply fascinated and enamored with the brewing process. Whatever the case, I’m here to guide you down the road of buying a new espresso set up.”
La Bastilla: Jinotego, Nicaragua
La Bastilla, located in Jinotega, Nicaragua, is known for its deeply intentional and forward-thinking coffee production, and this coffee is a perfect example of their passion and focus.
Tesfaye Bekele: Guji, Ethiopia
We love this coffee for its flavors that take us back to those 2nd-grade lunchbox fruit cups, especially the peach ones in light syrup, paired with rich, complex Demerara sugar and ripe melon that lingers in the finish. This is undeniably delicious!
San Diego Mill: Tarrazu, Costa Rica
This coffee was noticeably sweet, effervescent, and creamy. "Cherry cola Italian soda" was the experience that immediately came to mind when I first tasted it.
Cordillera de Fuego: Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Cordillera de Fuego is an anaerobic processed coffeed where precision meets innovation. Handpicked at peak ripeness with a brix degree (a measurement of sugar content) near 26, mature cherries undergo meticulous depulping and fermentation in an oxygen-free environment. This unique process enhances the coffee's flavor with a blend of lactic and malic acids, defining its intricate cup profile. Finally, the coffee is sun-dried to perfection.
Finca Cruz Loma: Pichincha, Ecuador
A new and exciting single origin is joining the roster for Tala Coffee Club members: Finca Cruz Loma. This lively, honey-processed coffee dances on your palate with flavors of sangria, apricot, and nougat, offering a unique and delightful tasting experience.
Tariku Kare: Sidama, Ethiopia
Introducing the exquisite coffee from Refisa Washing Station, located in Nensebo woreda, Oromia, Ethiopia. This is one of those coffees that will stick in your memories and that you'll tell stories about later when you think of some of the better coffee experiences you've had.
Finca Angamaza: Loja, Ecuador
Finca Angamaza—a coffee from producer Angel Capa Carrion in Ecuador that’s passionately both grown and processed at a very high elevation, truly making this coffee shine and sparkle with immense sweetness. It’s the kind of coffee that you will think back to later in the day, long after you have your last sip in the cup.
Choose the Perfect Coffee Gift
Are you searching for the ideal holiday gift for a coffee lover in your life but feeling overwhelmed by the extensive range of options? Fear not, for we have crafted a comprehensive guide to help you pick the perfect coffee beans to make your loved ones' winter extra special.
New Release: Nyamasheke, Rwanda
Our newest single origin release comes from the Kanzu washing station in the Nyamasheke district of Rwanda. This is a washed coffee with bourbon varietals. The flavor notes that we picked up on from this specific coffee are blackberry, honey and custard. We are so excited to share this coffee with all of you since it has been quite some time since we’ve featured a Rwandan coffee in our lineup!
A Particular Coffee
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been offering a naturally processed coffee from El Salvador. To be more specific, we’ve been offering a particular variety of coffee, from a particular lot, on a particular farm, from a particular famer, Mr. Johnny Lemus, located in Chalatenango. In case you missed it, everything about this coffee is particular.
Kamwangi AA: Kirinyaga, Kenya
Coffees from Burundi have long been a favorite of the Tala Team for the unique flavors that seldom are seen in coffees from any other African region. Where a lot of other African regions tend to be full of brighter citrus fruits, we love Burundi’s for their deeper, richer fruited tones closest to dried and cooked fruits. This one is exactly that and tasting like sweet dried golden raisin, dried apricot, date, fig, goji berry, that are all wrapped up in a lavender essenced gift basket. Trust us, this is a gift basket you’re going to want to keep receiving.
Nduwayezu Washing Station: Ngozi, Burundi
Coffees from Burundi have long been a favorite of the Tala Team for the unique flavors that seldom are seen in coffees from any other African region. Where a lot of other African regions tend to be full of brighter citrus fruits, we love Burundi’s for their deeper, richer fruited tones closest to dried and cooked fruits. This one is exactly that and tasting like sweet dried golden raisin, dried apricot, date, fig, goji berry, that are all wrapped up in a lavender essenced gift basket. Trust us, this is a gift basket you’re going to want to keep receiving.
Los Ancestros: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
This coffee simply put, tastes like everything we love about the fall season. It’s loaded with brown sugar, caramel, and candied pecan sweetness, soft and ripe pear and apple, as well as warm and cozy cocoa. It pairs perfectly with a hayrides, pumpkin carving, apple picking, and bonfires.
San Diego Mills: Tarrazu, Costa Rica
We love this coffee because it really embodies the transition of the last of the summer turning into fall. Fresh and ripe fruit flavors of raspberry, cherry, passion fruit, and guava on the front end of each sip transition and finish with warm and comforting flavors of praline and milk chocolate. This uniquely sweet coffee is perfect for cool mornings as well as warm afternoons.
Altos De Marfil: Loja, Ecuador
This is the coffee you wait to wake up to in the morning. Altos De marfil is a fantastic balanced and approachable coffee that both a common coffee drinker and a coffee connoisseur will enjoy. This is our first offering from Ecuador and our first offering for Caravella Importers. Expect pleasant notes of fudge with a well-rounded body and a golden raisin tang acidity.
Hambela: Guji, Ethiopia
This coffee from Hambela highlights all the unique complexity of flavor that we love about washed Guji coffees. This one is full of exciting, fresh fruit and floral tones like melon, tangerine, lemon, honeysuckle, and chamomile that truly sparkle in the cup. Some weird and interesting times are upon us, but brew up a cup of this fun coffee because its sure to lighten the mood and put a smile on your face.
La Union: Nariño, Colombia
Contrary to popularly held ideals, modern day, specialty Colombia coffees produce more than just boring, one-liner cups. Advances and implementation of new growing and processing methods have drastically improved their quality and consistency. This offering from La Union showcases this well with big, syrupy cooked strawberry flavors that mingle with familiar sweet tones of chocolate sauce, butterscotch, and caramel. It’s an incredibly balanced and refined “union” of flavors that are sure to please any palette.
Buzira Washing Station: Kayanza, Burundi
The members of the Tala Team collectively are all big fans of coffees from Burundi, and naturally are very excited about having another one hit the shelves and pour over grinders. We love them for their balance and drinkability, while having unique complexity of flavor thats unique compared to other African coffee favorites like Ethiopia and Kenya. This one from Buzira Washing station expresses these qualities perfectly with a syrupy cola sweetness, notes of stone fruit, and a crisp lime acidity finish. This coffee somehow is both simple and extravagant in the same sip. Don’t sleep on this one.
Birambu Micro Washing Station: Kalungu, DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo has emerged on the specialty coffee scene somewhat recently but always seem to lag behind in quality and flavor compared to more established coffee growing areas. Until now, we hadn’t had the privilege of ever drinking any delicious coffees from here, but upon sample roasting, this one looked very promising. And during a recent blind cupping, it clearly stood apart from 19 other coffees because of its big, sugary sweetness. Its coffees like this that show that more big things are to come from the DR Congo. Clear notes of sweetened rooibos tea, juicy melon and honeydew, and caramelized sugar make this one especially sweet, beautiful coffee.
Kiriga Estate AB: Kiambu, Kenya
We’re excited to offer yet another amazing offering from Kenya. This one coming from the Kiriga Estate is the pinnacle of savory and sweet flavors harmoniously signing together. Deep, rich maple and stewed fruit flavors of grapefruit and guava round out this wonderful coffee. We love it and know you will too.