modcup November Subscription Box
Modcup offers a monthly subscription service to cater to the tastes of the self-proclaimed coffee geeks, burgeoning cuppers, and carafe-chuggers of the world.
Orders have been shipped out and should have landed at your doorstep very soon, if they haven’t already. As always, we’re excited to bring you new seasonal coffees we’ve meticulously sourced, cupped, and roasted. This month brings a healthy variety of natural and washed processed coffees from both Africa and Central/South America. Everyone gets the chance to to sample beans from both sides of the Meridian, regardless of the box you chose. Read on below to get a glimpse on the offerings waiting to be brewed in the comfort of your home.
Tagging along with your chosen blend, Economy Box subscribers are being treated with a coffee that seems to fly off of shelves and out of pots at all modcup locations: a naturally processed Ethiopian Yirgacheffe by Welde Hirbe. This coffee comes through hard with the blueberry and peach notes characteristic of an Ethiopian, further accentuated by the natural process that adds body and sweetness from the fruit flesh of the berry. Eschewing the general funkiness present in Ethiopian coffees in favor of subtler floral notes, the bean by Welde Hirbe is a fruit bomb that brings a bit more to the table. This is a favorite among the modcup crew and we hope it becomes one of yours as well.
A washed Ethiopian flanked by two Central/South American coffees ship out with the Explorer subscription this month.
A real workhorse in the roasting room here at modcup, this washed bean comes from renowned Colombian coffee growing group (and our friends) Cafe La Granja. Finca Potosi is the farm where the family at La Granja started their coffee journey, with brothers Luis and Rigoberto Herrera running operations and management. While every coffee has a story, the beans from Finca Potosi had things a bit harder considering the farm suffered from a massive fire a decade ago that nearly wiped out all crops. Luckily, not all was lost and we have an exceptional coffee to enjoy as a result of all the hard work of our farmer friends down at Finca Potosi. Classic and balanced in flavor profile yet still able to stand out on its own amongst our more exotic offerings, the Potosi expresses the wonderful pairing of milk chocolate and orange citrus. This coffee will be entering and exiting your mug with the same speed because of how easy drinking and chuggable it remains.
If you like to start your day with a classic tasting cup of coffee but want something sweeter later in the day, the naturally processed Costa Rican Tarrazu will be the perfect bag of beans to reach for. The Tarrazu does not shy away from putting the sugars and fermented qualities up front. This is a coffee that asks to be slurped rather than sipped, and displays all manner of jammy red berry notes. The first sip tasted and drank like a melted cherry popsicle with incredible candy sweetness and thick, smooth body. It was pretty lucky this coffee shipped out in November because it echoes all the delightful experiences of having a heaping spoon of cranberry sauce and brings all the warm, cozy feelings with it.
Coming from the central city of Kaffa in the Bonga region of Ethiopia, this coffee produced by the Keffa people is a washed affair that holds a ton of florality and depth. The florality is followed by a succulent juiciness that reminds us a lot of apricot marmalade and peach jam, which gives you some of the best qualities of Ethiopian coffee in the same cup, convenient! The “Lot 120” designation refers to the fact that the growers of the Chena district grow their crop in the small, garden-like areas near their homes and harvest cherries that naturally grow around the areas they live. The pleasantly jammy and fruitiness you’ll be treated with is a result of these smaller lots and the endless amounts of hard work by the people who carefully tend to them.
Eagle-eyed fans of modcup’s will recognize the Gedeb region, as we have previously roasted green coffee from this area in Ethiopia to remarkable results. Prized for its heirloom coffee varietals, excellent growing conditions, and even more exceptional work by the farmers, the natural we’re shipping in the Connoisseur box is deep and rich in body with loads of dark red berry sweetness. The acidity isn’t quite as pronounced as it would be in a washed variety, but still present and plays well with the roundness of the mouthfeel as well as the depth of natural sweetness. If washed Ethiopians are the Chardonnays and Pinot Grigios of the coffee world, their natural cousins drink more like a Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon. They’ll drink like some of the finests wines, except nobody will bat an eye if you have a few cups first thing in the morning. The natural Ethiopian from the Gedeb region brings you one of the sweetest ways to start the day.
Joining its natural Ethiopian cousin in the November box is a washed variant from the Hambela estate. The Hambela Coffee Estate has a history as interesting as the coffee itself. Post World War II, the Ethiopian Emperor of the time awarded Muluemebet Emiru, the first African female pilot, land in the Guji and Sidama zones of the country which have since become the aforementioned estate. A cleaner, brighter affair compared to the Gedeb, the coffee from Hambela expresses vibrant notes of lemon with an interesting evolution that gives way to a cakey, dessert-like rich sweetness. A cup of this reminds us of lemony cakes in aroma and palate, but with a lighter body to contrast with the indulgent flavors present. If the deep, full sweetness of the natural Gedeb (also available in this box) echoed the drinking experience of a jammy red wine, the washed Hambela is the bright and crisp white wine by contrast. While many would say mixing red and white wines is ill advised, knocking back a cup of these natural and washed Ethiopian coffees in succession will only result in a lively dance of flavors and a welcome caffeine kick in the pants.
Keeping in line with the wealth of fantastic natural coffees we’re running this season, this Panamanian grown coffee provides potentially the most Autumn-appropriate flavor profile yet. Bursting with warming flavors of dark chocolate, ripe figs, toasted nuts in both aroma and taste, this coffee evolves into a delightfully sweet yet mildly spicy clove and black pepper finish. As the coffee cools down, deep notes of sweet cherry dominate the palate and fades slowly into a floral, sweet tea-like cup. Don’t brew this one if you’re in a hurry; like the finest brandies and whiskies, this coffee demands to be sipped and savoured slowly to truly appreciate all the depth and nuance of a bean from the famed Hacienda La Esmeralda.
—
With the modcup monthly subscription, you’ll have exclusive early access to new coffees that find their way to the roastery, giving you the chance to experience the world through coffee.