Praline, caramel and buttery notes co-star in the latest small-batch brew available from City Bakery and Dynamite Roasting Co., and this is one buzz you won’t regret in the morning. Certified organic single-origin coffee from Honduras’ Finca La Esmeralda farm — expertly grown, carefully selected and recently transported — has made its way to Asheville, and resident coffee experts at both companies are brimming with excitement for the specialty bean.
GLOBALLY SOURCED, LOCALLY ROASTED
“Dynamite Roasting has been purchasing special microlots from Cristian Dubon and Finca La Esmeralda for several years,” says Dynamite co-owner Andy Gibbon. “We have visited his farm and gotten to know him and his family on our Honduran sourcing trips and are continually impressed by his innovative spirit, warm personality and the quality of his coffee.”
For City Bakery, the coffee’s newest retailer, the product couldn’t be more perfect. “It’s a short supply chain, and that is usually a good thing,” says general manager Brian Dennehy. “This one has a different flavor profile than the other coffees we carry…We could not pass it up!”
SOURCING SEMANTICS
“Most coffees, even from a single country or co-op, are blends of beans from many different farms,” says Gibbon. “Though this practice is efficient and often necessary, the top-quality coffees are lost among the wide-ranging qualities of many different producers.”
Coffee experts across the globe fervently debate the legitimacy and definition of single-source coffees, with only the strictest sourcing and preparation criteria satisfying coffee purists. According to Gibbon, attributes stemming from climate and geography can make their way into country- or regional-specific beans, but sourcing from one lot facilitates even more nuance.
“This microlot was a careful preparation of only 450 pounds from one very small farm. It is the very best coffee grown at Finca La Esmeralda last year,” he explains. “It allows you to experience Cristian’s special growing and processing techniques that make his coffee different from any other.”
“What makes this coffee special is that it was not only grown entirely by one person, it was a special selection of the best of his harvest,” says Gibbon, already admitting his eagerness to source from the Finca La Esmeralda next spring. For now, City Bakery and Dynamite will supply the specialty java throughout the remainder of 2014, with a 16-ounce fix costing just under $2 at City Bakery.
City Bakery’s Asheville locations are at 60 Biltmore Ave. and 88 Charlotte Street, with an additional outlet in Waynesville. Visit citybakery.net for more information.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.