Receiving more than 2,000 bags of new crop Ethiopian coffee at once is a good problem to have!
We’ve been anxiously awaiting the bulk of our Ethiopian coffee to land in Oakland, and our ship finally came in. Two ships to be exact. Our arrivals are typically staggered, but not this year. Other than the sole box of Guji coffee landing in August, we somehow managed to have seven shipping containers of coffee consolidated on two different boats, roughly 2,500 bags!
Unloading seven boxes of coffee at the Annex storage facility takes time, and we’re not the only ones in line. Because of this, our releases will be staggered, giving us some much needed breathing room to perform our standard QC checks. Every coffee arrival gets a thorough assessment in our lab, including a physical inspection of the green coffee, and of course roasting and tasting each lot. We perform these evaluations to look for shifts in quality that might have happened in transit. Issues are extremely rare, and we aren’t expecting any surprises based the journey of these two shipping vessels.
We received 11 arrival samples this week that Tom will evaluate today. Once completed, we will start the “launch” process, fleshing out our coffee reviews and stocking our shelves for orders. This all takes time, especially when everything comes at once. Don’t get me wrong, a deluge of fresh Ethiopian coffee is a good “problem” to have! We’re doing all we can to expedite checks, and get our first 2-3 lots listed next week (see the list below).
Updates from the cupping lab
While Ethiopia arrivals are taking most of our focus this week, we’ve had a lot of other coffee cross our cupping tables the last two months.
We’ve all but wrapped up our buying in Rwanda and Burundi, cupping the pre-shipment samples for most of the coffees we selected. Burundi was a little tough this year, as one of our regular suppliers made organizational shifts that seems to have deprioritized our decade-long relationship. For whatever reason, we weren’t offered the washed coffee from any of the sites we’ve bought from the past 10 years. A big disappointment, to say the least. We don’t put all our eggs in one basket, and still have coffee from other longstanding suppliers on the books. But there will likely be less Burundi next year, and sadly a few familiar names missing from our list.
South American coffee origins have also commanded a lot of our attention, with harvest seasons in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil coming to a close. Tom and I traveled to Colombia in July to visit farms and start planning our coffees for the rest of the year. The trip took us to the southern regions of Cauca, and Huila, visiting farms and labs in Buesaco, Aponte, San Pedro de Cartago, and Pitalito. By the end, it was clear from the quality of the samples and volume of approvals that we were looking at much more than the “one full container” we planned to buy. The quality was just too good to pass up! Approvals included honey process lots from Aponte, variety separations of Wush Wush, Pink Bourbon, Chiroso, Gesha, and, of course, regional blends. Milling is underway in Medellín, and the first of two containers should ship by early October.
In Brazil, we finalized a full container from Agrorigem, who supplied us with many of our single-producer lots last year, and whom we visited August 2024. Once again they came through with a nice range of coffees from small and medium-sized farms in South Minas, and pleasantly broad spectrum of flavors for the origin. We value the versatility of a low-toned, nutty Brazil, but there were some surprises in this bunch that subverted that expectation. We picked up a couple pulp naturals that were on the more refined end of the flavor spectrum, as well as a fruit-forward dry process that was a bit winey, like anaerobic coffee. An added perk is that Agrorigem do a fantastic job expediting their shipments, and this box is set to sail in just a few weeks!
Speaking of Brazil, The recent 50% tariff imposed on all Brazilian imports last month is already having a big impact on coffee exports. To put that number into perspective, a coffee at today’s base market level of $3.60, would see a $1.80 tariff added on top of that cost that we are responsible to pay. That’s more than $75,000 across a full container and doesn’t take into account the cost of shipping or the fact that, for Specialty coffee, there is a price premium on top of commodity market levels.
The cost is significant to all parties involved, even farmers. The exporting countries may not be the ones paying the tariffs, but high levels like Brazil’s have their own financial ramifications at origin. Coffee buyers are already looking to cover their needs in other producing countries with lower tariffs, and suppliers like Brazil are taking a hit. We’ve already had one Brazilian exporter reach out to us about selling us coffee that other buyers have bailed on, which is sad to see, but the reality of our current situation. There’s been push-back on tariff policy, with many lawmakers, and organizations like the ICO seeking to exempt products that can’t be produced in the US, including coffee. But so far the administration hasn’t given any real indication that relief will come anytime soon.
It’s not all “doom and gloom”. We still find a lot to be excited about in coffee, and if nothing else, the constant shifts test our flexibility and force us to learn new things. One thing’s for sure, coffee might not always be easy, but it sure has a way of remaining interesting!
Check out our launch schedule and list of coffees in-transit below
Scroll through the Upcoming Coffees lists below for an updated schedule of coffees rolling out in September/October, including quite a few from these first arrivals. In response to requests for more details about when coffees will be available, we’ve added a new column with the projected “Launch Week”. While it’s a good estimate of when things will launch, please keep in mind that we may occasionally push back the schedule due to issues outside our control. Whatever the case, hopefully this guesstimate helps folks plan ahead!
One last thing to note is that you’ll see quite a few Ethiopian coffees in our “Incoming Coffees” list with a status of “ARRIVED”. This means the container is in Oakland, but not yet in our possession. It generally takes a couple of weeks for incoming shipments to be physically moved to the offsite storage facility we use. Once they are transferred, they will be removed from our “Incoming” list. On that note, just because a coffee’s disappeared from the list, doesn’t mean you missed them. It means they are now in our possession and you will see them on a future launch schedule.
Upcoming Coffees September
Below is a list of upcoming green coffees currently on the schedule to be added to our website over the next two months.
| Launch Week | Coffee Name | Bags |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Buku | 50 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Kenya Thika Karatu Peaberry | 12 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | El Salvador Finca San Miguel Bourbon | 14 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Guatemala Chimaltenango Tecpan | 29 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Ethiopia Guji Goro Bedessa | 50 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Sumatra Wet Hulled Ribang Gayo | 30 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Costa Rica Don Mayo La Loma | 35 |
| 9/22 – 9/26 | Guatemala Antigua Pavón Farm | 16 |
Upcoming Coffees October (so far)
| Launch Week | Coffee Name | Bags |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Colombia Pitalito El Mirador Caturra | 12 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Guatemala Xinabajul Aler Villatoro | 20 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Nicaragua Los Alpes Caturra | 5 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Ethiopia Dry Process Suke Quto | 100 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Burundi Kiganda Murambi | 24 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Kenya Kiambu Spike Peaberry | 11 |
| 9/29 – 10/3 | Guatemala Antigua Pavón Farm | 16 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Ethiopia Organic Agaro Geta Bore | 40 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Guatemala Anaerobic Aguacatones | 2 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Kenya Nyeri Gichichi AA | 37 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Yemen Mokha Sanani | 74 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Sumatra Honey Process Kerinci Pendekar | 10 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Guatemala Turbala Finca Alonzo | 15 |
| 10/6 – 10/10 | Rwanda Rulindo Tumba 2 | 33 |
| 10/13 – 10/17 | Costa Rica Dry Process Hacienda Sonora | 50 |
| 10/13 – 10/17 | Sumatra Wet Process Ribang Gayo | 30 |
| 10/13 – 10/17 | Brazil Dry Process Canastra Luis Otavio Lot 2 | 45 |
| 10/13 – 10/17 | El Salvador Miravalles Yellow Bourbon | 12 |
| 10/13 – 10/17 | Guatemala Xinabajul Rosalio Villatoro | 20 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Kenya Nyeri Chinga Peaberry | 8 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Kenya Nyeri Kiaguthu Peaberry | 6 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Costa Rica Honey Chirripo Bambú | 30 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Guatemala Dry Process Finca Rosma | 5 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Sumatra Lintong Sigumpar Village | 30 |
| 10/20 – 10/24 | Kenya Kirinyaga Kamwangi AA | 30 |
| 10/27 – 10/31 | Guatemala FTO Honey Process Chuacús | 30 |
| 10/27 – 10/31 | Nicaragua Dry Process Maracaturra | 20 |
| 10/27 – 10/31 | Kenya Othaya Gatuyaini AB | 11 |
Incoming coffees currently on the water: September onward
Please keep in mind that names may change when we list the coffee on our website. Location status of “TBD” are also a bit of a wild card, as logistical disruptions are out of our control! You also may notice some of the coffees from last month’s list have disappeared. Don’t worry, you probably haven’t missed them. They are now in our possession and should be on our launch schedule soon. Thanks for your patience!
African Incoming Coffees
| Lot ID | Bags | ETA Month |
| Ethiopia Guji Goro Bedessa | 120 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Kayon Mountain Taaroo | 100 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Buku | 110 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Suke Quto | 100 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Guji Goro Bedessa | 100 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Honey Process Guji Goro | 10 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Uraga | 100 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Organic Agaro Geta Bore | 40 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Organic Gera Nano Challa | 80 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Organic Agaro Kenisa | 40 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Organic Dry Process Birbirsa | 60 | ARRIVED |
| Ethiopia Uraga Siko | 90 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Gogogu | 90 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Bensa Kokose | 35 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Buno Dambi Uddo | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Hambela Goro | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Uraga Barkume | 115 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Honey Process Barkume | 45 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Tuku | 100 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry ProcessDogo Sodu | 120 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Gerba Hechere | 100 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe Banko Gotiti | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Guji Goro Badesa | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Yirga Cheffe Halo Beriti | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Uraga Yabitu Koba | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Duromina Aba Bulgu | 80 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Uraga Gogogu | 120 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Uraga Raro Boda | 100 | ETA SEP |
| Ethiopia Dry Process Chelbesa Danche | 100 | ETA SEP |
| Rwanda Rulindo Tumba 319 | 45 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Rulindo Tumba 531 | 10 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Coproca | 30 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Rusizi Gaseke | 50 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Nyungwe | 50 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Rusizi Mushaka | 50 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Gitwe | 50 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Milles Collines Peaberry | 35 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Gatare | 55 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Milles Collines Peaberry | 50 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Milles Collines | 40 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Dry Process Karongi Gitesi | 35 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Rulindo Tumba | 30 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Kivu Kageyo | 30 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Gitwe | 25 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Nyamasheke Mutovu | 20 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Honey Process Gatare | 20 | OCT SHIP |
| Rwanda Dry Process Tumba | 15 | OCT SHIP |
Central America Incoming Coffees
| Lot ID | Bags | ETA Month |
| Costa Rica Lourdes Sumava Milenio Variety | 15 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Roberto Figueroa Pacas | 12 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Carlos Damian Pacas | 7 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Alejandro Guzman Pacas | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Lourdes Figueroa Pacas | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Wil Armijo Pacas | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Anibal Baca Pacas | 9 | ETA OCT |
| Honduras Maria Isabel Fernandez Parainema | 10 | ETA OCT |
South America Incoming Coffees
| Lot ID | Bags | ETA Month |
| Peru El Diamante, San Jose De Lourdes – Caturra | 47 | ETA OCT |
| Peru La Palma – Caturra, Catuai | 39 | ETA OCT |
| Peru Las Pirias, Chirinos – Caturra, Pache, Typica | 36 | ETA OCT |
| Peru Jaen, Cajamarca Lot 2 – Pache, bourbon | 34 | ETA OCT |
| Peru San Pablo, Huabal – Caturra, Catuai | 32 | ETA OCT |
| Peru Jaen, Cajamarca – Catuai, Catimor | 30 | ETA OCT |
| Peru Roger Chilcon – Caturra, Pache | 20 | ETA OCT |
| Peru El Paraiso, Huabal – bourbon, caturra | 15 | ETA OCT |
| Peru Rioja Family – Caturra | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Aponte Laureano Martinez | 7 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Aponte Javier Janamejoy | 12 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Aponte Sonia Janamejoy | 11 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Aponte Jorge Janamejoy | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Vereda San Francisco | 11 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Vereda El Paramo | 17 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Honey Process Aponte | 41 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Inzá Agua Blanca | 20 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Inzá Veredas Vecinas | 24 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia China Alta Jose Buitrago | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Buesaco Rio Juanambú | 11 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Buesaco Alianza Granjeros | 22 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia San Antonio EA Decaf | 58 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Edward Sandoval Chiroso | 20 | ETA OCT |
| Colombia Leonardo Henao Gesha | 10 | ETA OCT |
| Brazil Dry Process Santa Maria do Vintém | 15 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Dry Process Donésio Silvério | 14 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Pulp Natural Andréia Moreira | 50 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Pulp Natural Patrícia Carvalho | 30 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Yellow Pulp Natural Carlos & Dani | 50 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Pulp Natural Condado São José | 50 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Dry Process Doña Maria Dorotéia | 50 | ETA NOV |
| Brazil Dry Process Felipe Goncalvez | 61 | ETA NOV |
Indonesia & SE Asia
| Lot ID | Bags | ETA Month |
| Aged Sumatra | 30 | ETA OCT-NOV |
| Aged Wet Hulled Sumatra | 30 | ETA OCT-NOV |
| Java Sunda Stamplat | 40 | ETA NOV |
| Java Sunda Mekarsari | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Java Wet Hulled Gunung Tilu | 25 | ETA NOV |
| Java Wet Hulled Stamplat | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Java Sunda Rancabali | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Java Honey Process Gambung | 30 | ETA NOV |
| Java Dry Process Gambung | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Honey Process Turelelo | 10 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Wolo Wio | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Bajawa Eko Heto | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Dry Process Turelelo | 5 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Wet Hulled Turelelo | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Sulawesi Wet Hulled Toraja Pango Pango | 30 | ETA NOV |
| Flores Dry Process Manggarai Colol Robusta | 40 | ETA NOV |
| Timor Leste Dry Process Laklo | 20 | ETA NOV |
| Timor Leste Small Producer Lot | 60 | ETA NOV |
33 Responses
When I see a new Outlook has been posted, I feel like Christmas has arrived. Excited that the Ethiopians are about to flood the shelves but sad to hear about the Burundi washed lots. That said the best natural I have roasted this year was a Burundi natural. Very underrated (which is fine by me).
Hey Todd, Agreed. Burundi and Rwanda naturals were out of sight this year! We have some nice ones on the way too. I plan to post an updated “Incoming” list in October.
Best,
Dan
How did Buno Dambi Uddo cup this year? I always look forward to that release – any idea when that is scheduled?
Really nice! Hoping to have that one up by late November, but no promises as we have quite a few other Ethiopia’s to list. The good news is, they’re all quite nice!
-Dan
Great to hear! I thought that one usually drops late summer but I know shipping has been challenging this year, to say the least. But you are right – the Ethiopians have been excellent so far with some solid cupping scores.
Greetings, will there be an offering of Guatemala La Parcela Melanie this year? I’ve been ordering regularly since 2004 and for me this has been one of the very top coffees, among many others, in all this time.
Hey Bill, sadly none this year. The Antigua harvest was condensed, and very small last year. Melanie really didn’t have any volume to offer us. We should have that coffee again next Spring. Alternatively, La Folie is a really nice Antigua and milled by the same family. Or Pavón farm that goes up in the next two weeks.
Hope that helps!
Dan
Concerned Guatemala Huehuetenango Boqueroncito is not found on this most recent outlook. Am I out of luck this year? Thank you
Hey Dan, thanks for the question. We have 20 bags from that farm that will likely go up Nov/Dec. We also have a lot under the producers name, “Aler Villatoro”, that will likely go up first. I should also mention his brother’s coffee goes up this Wednesday, “Aler Villatoro”. All of their farms are in the same general area, and they mill most of it at the mill they’ve built together called Punta del Cerro near their homes. If you like Boqueroncito, it’s definitely one to check out!
-D
Been refreshing the latest releases page every day for a few weeks now, is there a mailing list or anything that might notify someone when a new release was posted? Really looking to get some of the new Ethiopian beans that are coming up.
Hey Aaron, I’m planning to update the list middle of next week. I think we’ll mention that in the newsletter, but I made a note to shoot a reply here once posted.
Thanks!
-Dan
Dan,
Are there any Ethiopian decaf lots in the works? My stock is getting low and my girlfriend is getting nervous. She can only drink decaf and she loves yours.
-Chris
Hi there, not at the moment. We have a few Latin American decafs on the way, but nothing from Africa at the moment, though that could change. I think the Africa Boda Boda decaf might be a suitable replacment (Burundi/Rwanda), though doesn’t quite have the fruit of some of the Ethiopia’s we’ve had. While not African coffee, the Colombia Samaria EA decaf is an excellent decaf, and one that’s hard to peg as such.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Thanks for the suggestions. I did add a pound of the East Africa Nya-Nye to my last order for her to try. It’s on the way.
Glad to hear! Hope you like it.
-Dan
Just curious – I’ve noticed that Sidama coffee offerings have been somewhat nonexistent the past couple seasons. Has the quality dropped or have the Guji and Jimma lots been that much better? Not complaining because I’m becoming a big Guji fanboy.
I definitely saw some quality issues with the Sidama coffees we were getting from Bensa area, especially the wet-process coffees. The prices went a bit crazy there, and quality just was not measuring up to the coffees from Guji Sidama area (Guji is technically part of Sidama).
Thanks for clarifying – the Ethiopia coffee map makes a lot more sense to me now! It’s too bad quality has slipped in the surrounding Sidama regions.
Thank you so much for this. I thought I had already asked, but don’t see it anymore. Do you have an updated ETA on Peru lots?
Hey Cameron, we are hoping to have something by December but no solid ETA at the moment. Hoping sooner than later!
-Dan
Any Yemeni beans coming in the foreseeable future? Specifically Al Qafr Hawari?
Hi Fran, unfortunately we’ve already sold through Hawari. The good news is, we do still have three Yemeni lots on the site, including Matari, which we felt cupped in line with Hawari. In addition to what’s listed on the site, we have one final lot of Haimi that should go up next month. We’re hoping to pick up Hawari again this year, and expect to see new offers early 2026.
Best,
Dan
One thing I always do when I receive an order of green coffee is I smell the beans, especially those fruity Ethiopian naturals. Well, I just received my order of Polar Expresso and holy smokes do these beans smell incredible!! I cannot wait to roast my first batch.
How can I request my Yemen Mokha Sanani 1 lb order be filled from the current batch?
Hi Erica, any Sanani purchased would be from our May arrival. Here is a link to the review if you’d like to know more about this coffee.
Thanks!
Dan
Hi Dan,
According to the above, 10/6 – 10/10 Yemen Mokha Sanani 74 was scheduled. I don’t see any for sale today, Jan 7… did the October shipment arrive? is it possible to purchase some?
Hi Erica! We did launch Sanani the week of 10/7, but unfortunately it’s already sold out. I do see we have a small amount to be relaunched on Sweet Maria’s in the coming weeks, but don’t have a date for that yet as we’re currently catching up from after our holiday closures. I’ve made a note to send an email when that is available to the one posted here. We will have another Yemen later this month too, Haimi. Just FYI.
Hope that helps!
-Dan
Thanks!
Hi Dan, I’ve been watching the new offerings closely for the last 5 days, hoping to see the Sanani. Is there any way I can just go ahead and pay for 10 lbs? I do have some additional items in my cart…
I guess I should also ask, is this end of this lot of good quality?
Thanks,
Erica
Hi Erica, we are still playing a bit of post-holiday catch up, and hope to work through these in the next couple of weeks. We also have to wait for the coffee to be available on the site again to place your order. I’ll be sure to reach out to the email here once it’s up! Yemeni coffee holds up remarkably well. I see you ordered it in November, I would not anticipate any shift in quality since that time.
Thanks for your patience!
-Dan
Hi Erica, it’s not Sanani, but I want to give you a heads up that we relaunched 300# of Yemen Sharqui Haraz. Hoping to get to Sanani next week. Will keep you posted.
Thank You!
Hi Dan, Thanks for the Haraz alert. It is maybe even better than Sanani (for me). My Haraz order just shipped!
Erica