Fine Vietnamese Espressos
Vietnamese coffee-roasting style is particularly suited to espresso, because the deep, slow roast brings out maximum flavor while avoiding bitterness. Since the espresso brewing process tends to enhance the inherent bitterness in coffee, it's best for most people's tastes to start with an extremely rich and smooth coffee with minimal bitterness.
Most fans of Italian and Seattle styles of espresso find that Vietnamese espresso is even more satisfying than their previous favorites, because we find that many people who seek out intense, bitter coffee experiences are actually seeking an extremely flavorful coffee. The exceptionally full flavor of Vietnamese espresso is certain to please even the most particular espresso connoisseur.
Indochine D'Annam Espresso
The new D'Annam Espresso from Indochine was commissioned by us for our personal tastes. For over a decade now, award-winning espressos from Italy have relied on a secret ingredient: Highland Robusta from Vietnam (written up in 2009 in the memoires of a famous consultant to the Italian espresso industry).
We asked Indochine Estates to add 20% high-altitude Ronusta into their Indochine Espresso, shown above. Similar in all other respects, the D'Annam Blend features a broader, bolder taste while still retaining the original natural sweetness and buttery mouthfeel of Bourbon Arabica. We have espresso aficionados traveling 50 miles to purchase our trial runs of this espresso, and now we have our first full production run.
We feel that this may be the finest espresso in the world in terms of broad and balanced flavor, natural sweetness, yet bold profile, and exceptional crema.
Sumatra Lintong
- Rare varietal Arabica for a premium espresso
An exciting new addition to our heirloom coffee selection, this Arabica has a fantastic aroma and smooth, low-acid taste that nonetheless has the desirable "edge" that sharpens the palate. When ground fine, it makes a really exceptional espresso, all intense flavor with no trade-offs. (Although, as is generally the case with Arabica, it produces only a thin layer of crema.)
The island of Sumatra has a unique geography, featuring high plateaus with steep drop-offs to the ocean. The combination supports several prized heirloom varieties of coffee, including this Arabica from the Lintong growing region located near Lake Toba. Sumatra Lintong gains much of its unique character from its processing methods, which involve a partial wet-process followed by a three stage drying cycle which "cures" the unroasted bean. Lintong needs to be roasted with care, since the cured bean roasts to a slightly lighter color than other beans and requires a delicate touch; the result is extraordinary.
Liberica and Sumatra Lintong Blend - "Lenberica"
- Our own Paradise Blend
NEW! Unique hand-blended combination of Liberica and Sumatra Lintong, created by Len, our owner, and named for him. It's our new favorite blend, and it creates a perfectly lush espresso with excellent body.
Lintong is Arabica coffee grown in the Lintong region of Sumatra. Just south of lush Lake Tahoe, this region combines moisture, high altitude, sunshine and good winds into a perfect growing environment. The premium quality Arabica is made unique by the traditional "curing" process that takes place during a three-stage drying cycle and results in an extremely smooth and flavorful profile. This coffee requires a delicate touch when roasting, so we have established a relationship with a local roaster for the best combination of skill and freshness.
Together, these two coffees complement each other into an extraordinarily aromatic and well-rounded coffee with much enhanced versatility: it can be brewed in any method including espresso, and is wonderful hot or cold.
Indochine Espresso
The pride of Indochine's estates, this mix of 95% Bourbon Arabica and 5% Excelsa is potently flavorful, rich and strong enough for lattes or iced drinks, and uniquely aromatic. The ancestor of most modern Arabica hybrids, Bourbon Arabica's flavor is rich and smooth without the unpleasant "sourness" of the modern hybrids. Its roast is dark but not burnt, its aroma sweet and its taste lingering and inviting. Provides a surprising thick and flavorful crema for an Arabica espresso.
NEW! Espresso Pods are the hottest new way to enjoy your espresso - one perfectly measured serving of espresso in each pod, no mess and no guesswork. Designed for an ESE Espresso Pod machine, but also can be used as an individual serving packet for other espresso machines - just tear open the pod and pour its contents into the brewer.
These pods were created especially for us and are as fresh as can be, and each pouch of three pods is sealed to retain that freshness. We really hope you will give them a try, so we're offering them at a ridiculous intro price of only 25¢ per pod. Enjoy!
Nacha Thai Espresso Pods - NEW!
NEW ARRIVAL! We're excited to introduce a new coffee style to America: Espresso pods by Nacha, an estate coffee grower located in Thailand. This premium-quality espresso is 100% Arabica, with the brightness of flavor, intensity of aroma, and light, smooth mouthfeel that is the heart's desire of Arabica lovers, plus the slightly spicy taste that distinguishes sun-dried authentic Thai coffee (NO flavorings are added).
These single-serving pods are ideal for use in an ESE pod machine, but what we've discovered is that pods eliminate the guesswork involved in trying to measure your own espresso. The most error-prone process in making espresso is getting the volume of coffee right, and each pod is a perfectly measured single shot's worth of coffee: Simply tear open the pod and pour its contents into your espresso machine's filter. No mess, no trouble, just perfect espresso every time.
The pods are individually-wrapped, which also eliminates the problem of needing to use up a bag after you open it.
Highlands Full City Roast Espresso
The Highlands Full City Roast Espresso is, in our opinion, one of the finest bold espressos in the world. Nicely dark and just a little bitter, it has the bright tones that are often lacking in a bold espresso. This is a classic Italian approach to espresso using heirloom beans, where the bitter and bold characteristic do not overwhelm the rich body of the blend or wipe out the bright highlights. Pleases equally fans of the "short black", espresso lovers who feel the espresso is all "in the crema", and those who like their espresso as a drink "below the crema"... a rare espresso that delivers on all counts.
Highlands Decaffeinated Espresso
Our first decaf ever! This blended espresso is a DeCaf that spares no expense in bean selection and highest grade of water process decaffeination. True natural water process facilities are rare in the world, and Highlands maintains an in-house water process facility devoted entirely to producing this one superior decaf coffee. If you have ever wished for a decaf espresso that cannot be detected as decaf, this is the one. Soundly beats most regular espressos on flavor and satisfaction.
Highlands Logo Cup Set
This sleek, glossy black cup with brown glazed interior is perfectly sized for espresso. The stoneware material holds heat well, and a matching black saucer is included. The Highlands logo is enamelled onto the side of the cup, with gold foil accents. This cup and saucer set will match any decor, feel good in your hand, and look classy on your desk.
Pod Brewer
Buy a convenient pod brewer that also brews hundreds of specialty coffees with its three versatile screens. With milk frother, turbo heat feature.
This pod brewer opens up a world of ESE-standard pod brewing, an open standard that enables you to buy the world's best coffees, not just what a proprietary vendor like Green Mountain or Flavia offers to you.
Super-convenient introductory model ESE Pod Brewer comes with 150 free pods! A selection of our own Indochine Espresso custom-formulated pods (100), Nacha espresso pods (30), Highlands Full City Roast (20) and Highlands water-process Decaf (10). These pods add up to over $50 retail value, yours FREE to help get your pod experience off to a delicious start!
Note: Ships via UPS Ground.
