African Espresso Blend

Body: Medium-full, silky

Acidity: Medium-high (wine-like, the good kind)

Tasting Notes: Dark berries 🫐 | Stone fruit 🍑 | Dark chocolate 🍫 | Honey 🍯

Bright and complex. Dark berries hit first—blueberry, blackberry, that jammy sweetness. Stone fruit comes through mid-palate (think plum). Dark chocolate and honey ground everything so it doesn't taste like fruit juice pretending to be coffee. The acidity is high but wine-like—smooth, not sharp. The body is silky enough to feel luxurious without being heavy.

🔴🔴🔴🔴⚪ High

Espresso extraction concentrates caffeine. A double shot = 120-150mg. Effective and elegant. The kind of caffeine that makes you functional without making your hands shake.

Regions: Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe/Sidamo), Uganda (high-elevation arabica)
Altitude: 1,400-2,000 meters
Process: Washed (Ethiopia), Natural (Uganda)
Roast Level: Medium-Dark (City+ to Full City, 425-435°F)
Blend Type: Post-roast blend

African coffee has a reputation for being bright, fruity, and complex. This blend leans hard into that.

Ethiopian beans bring signature blueberry brightness and floral notes. The Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions are famous for naturally occurring fruit esters that create those wild berry flavors. It's not added flavoring—it's literally in the bean's genetics.

Ugandan coffee adds chocolate body and earthy depth that grounds everything. Uganda grows excellent high-elevation arabica (yes, arabica, not just robusta) that provides the weight and richness espresso needs without killing the Ethiopian character.

The roast level sits in the sweet spot: dark enough to work as espresso (you need body and sweetness), light enough to preserve the fruit and florals that make African coffee interesting. Roasted separately (post-roast blend) so each origin gets its ideal development.

Select your brew method, and we'll grind it right:

☕️ FINE → Espresso
☕️☕️ MEDIUM → Drip, Pour Over, K-Cup/Pods
☕️☕️☕️ COARSE → French Press
☕️☕️☕️☕️ WHOLE BEAN → Fresh Grind at Home

(Can't decide? Whole bean keeps it freshest. Grind right before you brew.)

Espresso
Dose: 18-20g
Ratio: 1:2 to 1:2.5 (can go slightly longer)
Time: 25-30 seconds
Water Temp: 200-203°F
Pro Tip: The acidity here means you can push extractions slightly shorter for more punch, or go longer for sweetness. Temperature control matters—too hot and it goes sour.

Pour Over (V60, Chemex)
Ratio: 1:15 (15g coffee : 225g water)
Water Temp: 200-205°F
Time: 3-3.5 minutes
Pro Tip: This really showcases the complexity. Long bloom (45 seconds) brings out the fruit without over-extracting bitterness.

Drip/Auto Drip
Ratio: 1:16 (standard)
Water Temp: 195-205°F
Pro Tip: Even in a basic drip machine, the berry notes come through. Just use good water.

Why is African coffee so fruity? African coffees (especially Ethiopian) have naturally occurring fruit esters—chemical compounds that create berry, citrus, and stone fruit flavors. This is genetic. Coffee originated in Ethiopia, so the genetic diversity there is insane. You get flavor profiles that literally don't exist anywhere else. It's not processing (though that matters too). It's in the plant's DNA.

What's the deal with blending Ethiopia and Uganda? Ethiopian coffee alone can be too bright for espresso—high acidity, low body, delicate fruit that disappears under pressure. Ugandan high-elevation arabica brings chocolate, body, and earthiness that balances Ethiopian intensity without killing it. Together they create something that works as espresso (body + sweetness) without losing the African character (fruit + florals).

Post-roast blending explained: Ethiopian beans get roasted to city+ (425°F) to preserve fruit and florals. Ugandan beans go to full city (435°F) to develop chocolate and body. Then they're blended. This allows each origin to hit its ideal roast level instead of compromising both. More labor-intensive than roasting everything together, but you get better expression of each component.