Heirloom Coffee Fresh-Roast Boutique
This is where you can find all of our unique, custom-blended or individually sourced coffees, purchased as green unroasted beans and roasted fresh every week. Everything here is rare and special enough to be in our Boutique. From time to time you can find a special-order coffee here, too, while supplies last. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when we find something new!
Our fresh roast coffees are triple-sorted beans roasted in 10 pound batches. Our roast level is generally what is labeled as Medium or City-to-Full-City Roast, unless otherwise noted.
We are the ONLY coffee producer we know of in the USA who have a two-step process of full vacuum-packing while the beans are still warm from roasting, with a double seal and a one-way vent. Oxygen is the culprit for making coffee age. By removing the oxygen we create a bag that will shortly puff up with natural-outgassing CO2 emitted from the beans after roasting and stay fresh for 3X as long as coffee sealed without vacuum packing immediately after roasting. When you receive a fresh-roasted Heirloom Coffee, you will enjoy aroma preserved from a few hours after roasting... an aroma like no other!
Dalat Paradise Blend
- Heirloom Variety: Bourbon Arabica, Robusta and Excelsa
Click to enlarge
This artful coffee blend has a base of Indochine Estates heirloom Bourbon Arabica beans, a special heirloom species of Arabica that has been pampered on their family estate farms in Dalat for multiple generations. These beans have a delicious buttery caramel taste that is very distinct, and a wonderful 'classic coffee' aroma that fill the kitchen with that scent we love. We then blend in about 25% Dalat Robusta peaberries to give the coffee amazing body and fullness, as well as improving the crema when brewed as espresso. These peaberry beans are the source of much of the chocolate tone you see in Vietnamese coffee. They are gorgeous beans, round and "robust" and full of flavor. We then add 15% Excelsa (known in Vietnam as "Chari"), a distinct species of coffee that stimulates the middle and sides of the palate, giving the blend a full-bodied balance that is unexcelled. Buon Me Thuot region Excelsa is one of the trademark coffees used in traditional Vietnamese blends enjoyed as Café Sua Da.
This traditional blend also brews well in any drip machine, pourover, or French Press, and makes an excellent espresso, with a perfect ratio of brightness, sharp initial impression, full body, and strong taste retention. If intended as espresso, please choose whole bean and grind to your preference.
Key notes: Caramel, butter, milk chocolate, "classic coffee" aroma.
People who like this often enjoy:
- Trung Nguyen Creative Four
- Indochine Estates Dark
- Indochine Estates Brio Sun Blend
Dalat Highlands Robusta Peaberries
- Regional Specialty
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Town in the Central Dalat Highlands region
showing coffee terraces in background
Vietnamese Robusta from the Dalat Highlands is the secret ingredient in Italian espresso. Its lush body, chocolatey taste, and excellent aftertaste are a product of the rich soil in Vietnam, and the fact that they are able to sun-dry the coffee cherries, which develops Robusta's natural sweetness. This peaberry Robusta is almost entirely peaberries, extremely high-quality and hand graded, for the most complex and flavorful brew.
Why Robusta? Scientific tests have shown that people around the world, including the USA, are evenly divided between "front palate" people and "back palate" people. We find that people who respond well to Vietnamese coffees in general tend to be "back palate" people, and Robusta excites primarily the back of the palate. In particular, Vietnamese high-altitude Robusta has developed indigenously to be almost its own subspecies, and the gourmet Robusta from this region is exceptionally delicious, quite unlike the low-altitude versions and Brazilian Robusta.
What's a peaberry? The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee fruit, which is also called a "cherry." Normally, each cherry contains two seeds, which is why coffee beans are rounded on one side and flat on the other (flat from being pressed together). Sometimes, between 5% and 15% of the crop will contain only one seed inside a smaller cherry. The coffee bean within is round, like a pea. These peaberries used to be discarded, until someone realized that the peaberries have a more intense and complex flavor, with a characteristic bite. The Vietnamese Highlands region is particularly intriguing for its peaberries, which feature in most of its famous local coffees.
People who like this often enjoy:
- Trung Nguyen Creative One
- Indochine Dark
- Highlands Traditional Blend
Vietnamese Dalat Bourbon Arabica
- Heirloom Variety
Town in the Central Dalat Highlands region
showing coffee terraces in background
100% pure fresh-roasted Indochine Estates heirloom Bourbon Arabica beans, shipped to us as green coffee beans, then roasted fresh by a local roaster, and finally vacuum-packed while still optimally fresh in foil one-way-vent bags. Indochine Estates is one of our favorite suppliers to work with because not only do they grow a delicious heirloom variety of Arabica on their multi-generation family farms, they are also deeply involved in their local community and sustainable growing pratices.
Bourbon Arabica beans are characterized by a roundness and mellowness of flavor that modern arabicas often lack, coupled with a balanced acidity and smooth mouthfeel. The trees these beans grow on were preserved on Indochine's estate farms when everyone else was re-planting their farms with modern hybrids, and we're very glad that they were!
People who like this often enjoy:
- Trung Nguyen Creative Four
- Indochine Estates Dark
- Indochine Estates Brio Sun Blend
Vietnamese Excelsa
- Exotic new variety
Excelsa is one of the four remaining genetically distinct commercial species of coffee and accounts for about 7% of world coffee production. It is used in Vietnam as a blending coffee, being added to other varieties of coffee to add complexity and depth. It's a vital ingredient in Trung Nguyen's blended coffees, including the famous Gourmet Blend, Buon Me Thuot Special, and Creative Four.
Our Excelsa was grown on coffee farms in the Dalat Highlands area of Vietnam. They have been processed by the traditional sun-drying method made possible by Vietnam's reliably long, hot summer. This all-dry process is sometimes called a "honey" process.
Excelsa has a distinctive tart, fruity, dark, mysterious taste. In blends, it enhances the middle and back palate and lingering finish of the coffee, giving the cup more substance and power. Brewed on its own, it is a compelling and unique coffee experience, like a good Scotch.
Organic Shade-Grown Philippines
Robusta
- by Bantai, makers of Bantai Kopi Luwak
(Click bag to enlarge)
The Mountain Province
where the park is located
Grown at high altitude under the shade of old-growth jungle, this Robusta will shatter all expectations with its depth and complexity. Growing Robusta this way is almost unheard-of, but the result is extraordinary. Low acidity and no bitterness make it easy to drink, too. Bantai is a coffee company that employs indigenous peoples to harvest the beans from wild trees growing in the national forest preserves of the Philippines, and supports local conservation efforts. This is the same ultra-premium Robusta that the Philippines civets turn into Bantai's kopi luwak. Key notes: Chocolate, vanilla, spice; surprising depth and richness.
100% Liberica Coffee
Click images to enlarge
Authentic 100% Liberica coffee! Liberica's almond-shaped beans have an exceptional aroma, almost floral and fruity, while its flavor is full and slightly smokey. Support the recovery of this endangered species, recover a lost piece of coffee heritage, and get the purest form of the unique Liberica coffee experience.
Click here to learn more about Liberica.
Liberica Barako Blend
New! This carefully blended combination of three exotic coffee varieties is designed specifically to enhance all the best features of Liberica, while making it more accessible and appealing to a wider variety of American palates. "Barako" is the name of the Liberica varietal grown in the Philippins, and can also refer to the tough mountain men who gather wild-growing Liberica coffee.
The dramatic, room-filling aroma of Liberica is balanced by the full body of one of our favorite "mixing" coffees, Vietnamese Excelsa, and the addition of Philippines Robusta rounds out the taste. The result is greater than the sum of its parts. The actual ratio is 25% Excelsa, 15% Philippines Robusta, and 60% Liberica.
Liberica is a rare variety of coffee, the rarest species in production, and very distinctive. So distinctive, in fact, that some people find it an acquired taste. That's why we recommend that you try a blend first. This is our first blend designed specifically to showcase Liberica's best features. Try it today for free!
Liberica beans
Excelsa beans
Gayo Arabica beans
Liberica and Sumatra Lintong Blend - "Lenberica"
- Our own Paradise Blend
Unique hand-blended combination of Liberica and Sumatra Lintong, created by Len, our owner, and named for him. It's a customer favorite!
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.
Sumatra Lintong
- Rare varietal
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Traditional Batak house in the Lintong coffee region
overlooking Lake Toba
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.
True premium Lintong coffee is very difficult to secure right now. We have bought a supply of green, unroasted beans and formed a partnership with a local coffeehouse roaster, allowing us to roast the coffee as needed and allowing us to offer Lintong without fear of market fluctuations interrupting our supply. 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.
People who like this often enjoy:
- Trung Nguyen Creative Five
- Indochine Estates coffees
- Highlands Moka Blend
Sumatra Gayo Arabica
This extraordinary export from the Aceh region is a quintessential example of Gayo coffee. The wet-hulled, sun-dried process creates an earthy, complex flavor profile that is unlike any other coffee. The Gayo is sharper and brighter than our Lintong and makes an excellent espresso base. Whereas Lintong has a warm, compelling aroma, the Gayo is bold and assertive, with none of the muddiness that tends to characterize Mandheling. This is an excellent choice if you love the Sumatra profile and want to try a very clean sun-dried, wet-hulled coffee.
Pacific Blend: Sumatra Gayo Arabica, Phillipines Robusta and Vietnamese Excelsa
A lush and tremendously flavorful blend, this well-rounded combination touches the whole palate to please a wide variety of coffee lovers.
60% Gayo Arabica, 20% Philippines Robusta, and 20% Vietnamese Excelsa.
Espresso lovers: You can also brew the Pacific Blend as an espresso for excellent crema and full body.
Myanmar Blend Arabica Typica/Bourbon
- Exclusive new import
Myanmar is a neighboring nation to Laos and Thailand, all part of the Southeast Asian peninsula where Vietnam is also located. It is a troubled nation, working to re-emerge into the global world. Coffee from Myanmar is still nearly impossible to import, but thanks to our contacts, we have secured a small supply of fairly traded coffee beans.
This batch of coffee is a blend of Bourbon and Typica varieties of Arabica. It has an exceptionally low-acid and smooth taste, with the delicious caramel-and-chocolate overtones that we have come to expect from the Southeast Asian peninsula. Myanmar was spared from the influx of coffee monoculture in the 80's, and retains its old trees and heirloom plantations.
The coffee company we are working with is investing heavily in improved infrastructure and training in selected coffee growing regions, enabling their growers to command a premium price for premium quality coffee. Your purchase of our Myanmar coffee not only gets you a delicious coffee, but also directly supports the proud, hardworking mountain people who grow it.
Award-Winning Paradise Blend: South American Decaf
Flowering Arabica Tree in Brazil
This water-process decaf coffee is a blend of Brazilian and Columbian Arabicas produced to extremely high standards. In the July, 2010 issue of coffeereview.com, the World's leading coffee buying guide, this coffee was ranked as the best decaf coffee in North America; it was the only one with a score of 90 points. It's a medium-dark roast with great flavor, quite bold, with rich mouthfeel.
This is what the reviewers had to say: "Blind Assessment: Roundly balanced and deep. Flowers, orangey fruit and molasses in the aroma. In the cup soft, integrated acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, with the continuing orange-toned fruit and molasses adding a distinct chocolate complication. The chocolate and molasses carry into a richly sweet finish haunted, as the cup cools, by a faint wisp of flavor-flattening wood."
These beans are decaffeinated by the chemical-free, water process, the preferred decaffeinating method. Traditional decaffeinated coffee uses Methylene Chloride (MC) to remove the caffeine; however, the water process (in this case by the trademarked, patented Swiss-Water® process) removes caffeine from coffee beans without the use of solvents or chemicals.
Southeast Asian coffee creaters don't really understand why decaf is so important to Western coffee drinkers. The closest of our usual coffees to decaf is Passiona, which is about 1/3 of normal caffeine. So, when our new partner, Mystic Coffee Roasters, offered to source us some of their fine Swiss Water process decaf, we jumped on the opportunity. Since then, it's been very popular at all our taste-tests.
People who like this often enjoy:
- Trung Nguyen Passiona
Indochine Gold
- exclusive blend
Commissioned exclusively for us by Indochine Estates, the Gold Blend is a fabulous mix of high-altitude, shade-grown Robusta Peaberry, Dalat Bourbon Arabica, and rare Excelsa beans. It's designed to be an accessible and rich-tasting coffee, a crowd-pleaser for our own customers. Because this is a product prepared especially for us, we can offer it at a very reasonable price.
Indochine D'Annam Espresso
- exclusive blend
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 Robusta into their Indochine Espresso. 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.
