What's in the Box: El Triunfo and Shoondhisa

Colombia coffee cherries

We’re in the home stretch of 2020! When it comes to our coffee offerings, December is considered a transitional month—soon, we’ll get in our lots from Burundi and Peru, a micro lot from Ecuador, and then Uganda. In terms of Ethiopian coffees, we saved the best for last with Shoondhisa. We hope you enjoy these special coffees this holiday season!

First up, we have El Triunfo from Colombia’s summer/fall 2020 harvest. That’s right—it’s back again so soon, thanks to Audon Solano being able to harvest two times a year. In terms of processing this coffee goes through a two step fermentation. First, it’s fermented in cherry for 24 hours, then de-pulped and fermented for an additional 36 hours. This two-step fermentation process gives some extra complexity to the cup!

Audon’s hard work and creativity really shines through in El Triunfo. This harvest in particular is impressive, with its crisp acidity and clear notes of strawberry and tangerine balanced out by pecan like richness. It’s a rotating staple on our menu because it’s consistently one of the best micro-lots we taste!

Ture Waji

Next, if you weren’t able to try Shoondhisa last year, now is your chance! This clean, lush coffee has flavor notes of a fruity treat, like blackberry, berry frozen yogurt, and key lime pie. It’s grown in the backyards of 72 smallholder farms in Shakiso, Guji—a micro region that’s home to newer growth coffee trees (around 6-7 years old) that are grown in the forest. Typically, farmers only have a few acres for farming coffee, fruits, and vegetables, and forage in the forest for coffee. It’s literally coming from their backyard to ours!

Shoondhisa’s immaculate processing really makes it sparkle. The mill is privately owned by Ture Waji, who grew up in the area and offers extensive experience and a strong connection to the community. After the recent coffee trade liberalization in Ethiopia, Ture ventured off on his own and started exporting his first coffee in 2018. Since then, he’s only increased his commitment to the community—working alongside the farmers, offering training and loans, building a school for the children, and improving roads and the surrounding infrastructure. Ture is doing fantastic work, and we are proud to purchase a small portion of his community’s coffee!