ANO NOVO 2010 Blend (Winter 2010)
Ano Novo means New Year in Portuguese and is an appropriate play on words given that the roaster that we’ve chosen to team with for this release is Novo Coffee from Denver, Colorado. The ANO NOVO 2010 Blend mixes the best seasonal coffees of South America and Africa to provide a sophisticated, bright, and balanced flavor profile good for drip, press, or espresso brewing.
Specific coffees found in our blend include:
Amaro Gayo Sun-Dried: Amaro, Ethiopia – Full body with a grassy overtone and nuances of strawberry, apple, chocolate and unripe banana.
San Rafael: Concordia, Colombia – This coffee has a strong acidity (tangerine nuances) followed by smooth finishing woody nuances. Very bright. The coffee comes from the San Rafael estate of the Concordia municipality in the Department of Antioquia in Colombia. Maher has personally visited a number of coffee farms in this region of Colombia.
Kenya Gatina: Nyeri, Kenya – A woody well balanced coffee with blueberry undertones that compliment the brighter elements of the previously mentioned coffees. This coffee is quite different than the Ndaironi region releases that were on the market in mid-2009 and is far too berriful as a single-origin.
Ojo de Agua: Volcan, Panama – Very balanced mild citrus nuance with very silky finish. Mixture of peanut and chocolatey nuances in the aftertaste. At first appears uninteresting next to the sun-dried but in the end wins out on its “drinkability” and balanced finish. Novo has shared some additional details on the Ojo de Agua coffee from the Finca Hartmann in Panama. “Some of the hardest-working and most environmentally committed coffee producers in the world, the three generations currently represented at Finca Hartmann all have a hand in daily operations. Much of the land is primary forest and rests contiguous with the enormous Parque Nacional La Amistad, Central America’s largest national park. Despite uncountable offers to cut the forest for large monetary gain over decades, the Hartmann’s remain committed to a future of coffee in balance with nature. The Hartmann’s have a cupping lab on site and are leaders in coffee production for quality. Their expertise has been enjoyed beyond their own farm as they act as consultants for many Panamanian and other Latin American coffee producers.”
Kris/Maher Blend (Summer 2009)
The first Kris/Maher Blend was debuted in June 2009. It was a limited edition exclusively crafted to celebrate the graduation commencement of UCSD IR/PS (since changed to GPS) class of 2009. Below is the information about the blend, taken from from the package label.
The Kris/Maher Blend was made from our hearts, to fulfill our passion, and not (yet) for money. If you are interested in our future blends, feel free to leave us a message and your contact info.
- Kris/Maher Blend
This limited-edition blend commemorated the graduation of IR/PS Class of 2009. It was carefully selected by Krislert Samphantharak and Matthew Maher, two coffee geeks of the IR/PS family. We proudly present high quality, fair-trade, certified organic beans from Guatemala and Ethiopia. The beans were exclusively roasted for us by our local Bird Rock Coffee Roasters of La Jolla.
Great coffee is our tireless pursuit. Throughout 2008 – 2009, we enjoyed sharing our evolving knowledge and experience about coffee. The fruits of our journey are presented in our exclusive Kris/Maher blend. Cheers!
Guatemala (80%): Imported by Elan Organic Coffees of San Diego, the Guatemala beans were originally from Maya Ixill co-op in Quiche. The coffee is lighter bodied but still very crisp and clean. In the cup, this coffee has a nutty-zesty aroma with a strong milk chocolate finish.
Ethiopia (20%): The Ethiopia coffee was from a co-op in Sidamo through specialty coffee importer Sustainable Harvest. In the cup, it has vanilla and cinnamon aroma.
Testimonials
“Your limited edition was surprisingly good. You should attempt a blind taste test putting your freshly ground blend up against Illy. I think the results would show that you can sip with the best of them. Thank you for good mornings that your coffee gave. I’m looking forward to more.”
– Brent Wakefield; San Diego, CA
“A bold-yet-inviting blend from two genuine connoisseurs, I was most impressed by the smoothness of the body and the rich, chocolatey finish. Confident that the beans are sourced responsibly from both the farmers and their environment, I look forward to Kris + Maher’s next offering!”
– Luke Hennig; St. Paul, MN
“I loved the blend. I am generally a cream/sugar coffee gal, but this is one that I can drink black. So it says a lot for how much I enjoyed the coffee.”
– Shannon Pallone; Los Angeles, CA
Cafe Hound 