Seasonal Espresso Lots / No. 001

Equal parts.

Guatemala × Ethiopia

Our first recorded House Blend: washed Huehuetenango and natural Hambela, Guji. Equal parts, chosen by taste. A study in clear flavour, subtle sweetness and a clean, lingering finish.

Shop House Blend ↗Inside the composition ↓

Equal Parts: sugar-cane gold and deep cranberry in equal areas, joined by pale blush lines suggesting a floral finish. — Edition print 001. Sugar-cane gold, deep cranberry and a pale floral trace: a visual interpretation of our cup notes, not colours assigned to an origin. Equal areas preserve the 50:50 composition.

01 / The composition

50% washed / 50% natural

The cup came first. The symmetry followed.

Equal parts was not the premise. It was where the coffee tasted best to us: 50% Guatemala, 50% Ethiopia. We cannot say exactly why this proportion worked best. The choice was made in the cup, not for the symmetry of the recipe. The print records that finding — two equal fields, held together by a shared rhythm.

Guatemala

50%

Huehuetenango

Washed

Region: Huehuetenango
Municipalities: San Pedro Necta, San Antonio Huista, Union Cantinil, Santa Barbara
Altitude: 1,400–1,800 metres above sea level
Varieties: Red Bourbon ↗Bourbon ↗Caturra ↗Red Bourbon and Bourbon link to the same World Coffee Research Bourbon overview; the supplier’s names are retained here.
Harvest window: January–April

The people behind the lot

Eliceo Emidio Mendóza
Juan Daniel Rodriguez Cano
Osmar Rogelio Herrera Rodriguez
Raminro Sanchez Lopez
Rodolfo Méndez Gabriél

Ethiopia

50%

Hambela · Buku-abel

Natural · Grade 1

Region: Oromia, Guji, Hambela, Buku-abel
Processing station: Birhanu Processing Station
Altitude: 2,200–2,350 metres above sea level
Varieties: Heirloom ↗74110 (PDF) ↗74112 (PDF) ↗74158 (PDF) ↗Heirloom is a broad label, not one precisely identified variety. The three numbered varieties link to the same 2015 research paper (Table 1, page 2), hosted by Sweet Maria’s. These references explain the names; they do not independently verify this lot’s varieties.
Harvest window: November–February
Drying: 18–21 days on raised African drying beds; cherries turned regularly and covered at midday and overnight.

The people behind the lot

Approximately 600 smallholders from the surrounding area, according to the supplier.

02 / From material to composition

The material

Origin, variety and processing are part of the work before a coffee reaches our roastery. Recording them keeps the contribution of each producer visible.

The decision

We were looking for clarity of flavour, quiet sweetness and a finish that stayed clean. The 50:50 blend tasted best to us. That was the reason to keep it; the neatness of the numbers came afterwards.

The record

The coffee will change with future editions. This page and its print remain: a record of this pairing, rather than a recipe silently replaced by the next one.

03 / Reading the cup

House Blend / FIVE TWO. tasting notes

Clean. Clear flavour. Subtle sweetness. A finish worth staying with.

Sugar Cane · Sweet Balance · Cranberry · Floral Finish

Guatemala gives the composition its weight; the Ethiopian natural brings sweetness and aromatic detail. The work is in their balance: a substantial base without losing clarity, sweetness without excess, and a floral finish that leaves the cup clean.

Black

A weighty Guatemalan base carries the sweetness and aromatics of the Ethiopian natural. The finish is clean, expressive and clearly defined.

With milk

Sugar-cane sweetness finds its balance in milk, with cranberry and an aromatic finish. A different expression of the same composition.

04 / An invitation to brew

Two ways to approach the work

Single shot

For balance. Let the sweetness, body and finish meet on equal terms.

Double ristretto

For a stronger expression and more kick.

Provenance & record notes

Guatemala. Lot information supplied by CARAVELA. Producer names are reproduced as supplied. CARAVELA ↗

Ethiopia. Lot information supplied by Utopia Coffee Beans. Producer information is reproduced as supplied. Utopia Coffee Beans ↗

‘Equal Parts’ is the editorial title of this archive entry.