In honor of National Coffee Day and to celebrate coffee farmers, Driftaway Coffee is excited to announce a new limited edition Luis Alberto Balladarez Box Set. This set emphasizes coffee’s unique tastes based on its origin and how it’s processed. The flavor that shines through in the coffee cup is testament to the hard work involved to produce excellent coffees by farmers, coffee importers and the roasters.
Sourced via The Coffee Quest and roasted by Driftaway Coffee at their facility in Brooklyn, the Luis Alberto Balladarez box set is a collection of 3 fantastic coffees produced by award-winning coffee farmer Luis Alberto. Each coffee has been processed in a different way leading to a spectrum of taste that is impossible to replicate elsewhere. This is Driftaway’s third year working with Luis Alberto and every year his coffees are amongst the most fun and delicious ones that they roast.
The Luis Alberto Balladarez x Driftaway Coffee box set features 3 closely-related coffees that are processed in different ways – washed, honey and natural processing. Each method brings out unique characteristics from very similar coffee cherries, with increased complexity and different tasting notes. Driftaway is hosting Virtual Tastings for customers to taste this box set with their educator James McCarthy.
“National Coffee Day is historically a celebration of coffee farmers, and we’re so excited to celebrate with Luis Alberto’s coffees this year,” says Anu Menon, co-founder and chief of product at Driftaway Coffee. “Coffee consumers always see the roasters name and only a small mention of the coffee farmers, and we want to shift the balance to be more equal. This box set allows us to take a small step towards that goal by focusing on Luis Alberto’s work,” says Menon.
“I have had the unique opportunity to taste the flavors of the honey and natural processed coffees from Luis Alberto side-by-side in 2020 and 2021. This year, I felt like the time was right for us to share the experience of tasting all the different processing methods with our customers by creating this box set,” says Ian Terry, green buyer and roaster at Driftaway Coffee. “The progression of taste from washed to honey then to the natural is exciting – it reveals the complexity and acidity that develops based on processing. Of course, without Luis Alberto’s meticulous attention to detail, this would not be possible at all. We’re so honored to work with him.”
Available starting Sept 23rd and in very limited quantities, the box set is available with cupping supplies including tasting glasses and a Umeshiso little dipper cupping spoon ($75) and one with coffees only ($60) (free shipping).
