Coffee
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Pay-as-you-go Subscription
From: $19.00 / week and a $19.00 depositNot sure which coffee to pick? Let us pick for you and we’ll cover the cost of shipping. Join our Roaster’s Choice Pay-as-you-go Coffee Subscription and receive a beautiful selection of our coffees as often and as ample as needed. The subscription will rotate among all our coffees. Most will be our single origin selections from around the world. If you have taste preferences, just include them in the “notes” section of the checkout page and we can adjust your coffee subscription to your desired profile.
For example, you can specify options in the notes like:
“Single origin only”
“This is a gift, don’t send until June 18”
“I like blends”
“Penrose only”
“I like it bright.”
“I usually add milk to my coffee.”The “sign-up fee” is a deposit on your last bag of coffee. If you cancel your subscription, we’ll send you a final bag of coffee without charging your card. Therefore, you’re only committing to two bags of coffee. Tell us to stop or change frequency anytime through the “my account” page.
Price includes shipping when you select “BPC Flat Rate” at checkout.
Looking to gift a subscription or prepay for the whole thing? Try out our prepaid subscriptions.
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Worka – Legese Lemiso
$21.00 – $42.00Worka – Legese Lemiso marks the annual return of single origin coffees from Ethiopia. Moplaco, our partner in Ethiopia, secured this coffee from the Legese Lemiso washing station in the West Arsi Zone. It exhibits the clean, bright, and juicy tones that define the best Ethiopian coffees.
LEGESE LEMISO
Small-holder farmers who own or rent small plots of land in the countryside grow most Ethiopian coffee. There, they pick coffee cherries from some of the most genetically diverse coffee trees on the planet. Ethiopia is home of Coffea Arabica. Therefore, Ethiopia distinguishes itself, in part, by the unique varieties available. In addition, many improved hybrid varieties (also unique to Ethiopia) have been bred from these natural (aka “landrace”) varieties.
Once farmers have picked coffee, they must sell cherry to a station or cooperative. After that, it will be further processed and prepared for export. Legese Lemiso is a privately owned washing station in the Worka kabele (village) of Nensebo, West Arsi. The West Arsi Zone occupies an area to the south of the capital of Addis Ababa. It is just north of the famed Sidama and Guji zones. The centralized processing of coffee yields consistently good results in Ethiopia, but this approach limits traceability to individual farms. As a result, the name of the washing station, broad region, or cooperative identifies most single origin coffee from Ethiopia. For example, we call this coffee Worka – Legese Lemiso. So, we use the name of the kabele (village), Worka, in combination with the name of the washing station.
MOPLACO
Heleanna Georgalis made a challenging, yet brave decision to take over her father’s exporting company, Moplaco, after his sudden passing. After returning to Ethiopia to run Moplaco in 2008, Heleanna dove into the world of coffee. She managed to keep Moplaco in business and improve upon a great model. Moplaco reestablished their reputation around their ability to source and then sort and export consistently amazing Ethiopian coffees. In more recent years, Moplaco built their own washing stations and invested in a farm. Moplaco’s dedication to their full time staff and female leadership sets them way apart from other companies in Ethiopia. As a result, we identify Moplaco as a potential long-term partner in Ethiopia. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Moplaco. In late 2019 or early 2020, we plan to teach barista skills classes to Ethiopian women. Moplaco hosts these courses at their coffee bar in Addis Ababa.
THE COLLABORATIVE COFFEE SOURCE
Our relationship with The Collaborative Coffee Source began a little over two years ago. Early in that relationship, we were up front with their team. Initially, we let them know we desired more substantive relationships in Ethiopia. Their response was simple and direct. “Come to Ethiopia with us.” So, in January 2018 we went. We visited Moplaco, who we’d sourced coffee from through CCS. We also traveled to Gedeo and Guji to meet new parters at Guji Highlands PLC and Snap Exporters. The trip fulfilled our goal of better understanding the Ethiopian coffee economy. In addition, we also gained insight into how we could position ourselves to be better partners in the future.
TEAM TASTE NOTES
lemon, orange, honey, caramel, lime, jasmine, apricot, creamy
ROAST RATINGS
Roastratings.com recently awarded Worka – Legese Lemiso 5-stars.
- Country:
- Ethiopia
- Region:
- Nensebo, West Arsi
- Altitude:
- 1900 – 2100 MASL
- Process:
- Washed
- Varietal:
- Heirloom
- Harvest:
- Nov. 2018 - Jan. 2019
- Sourcing Partners:
- Moplaco (exporter), CCS (importer)
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Finca Esperanza
$19.00 – $38.00Our collaboration with the Vizcaino Family at Finca Esperanza in Guatemala continues to yield awesome results. This washed lot of Catuai starts off the 2019 harvests. During the 24-hour soaking stage, added CIMA yeast controls the microbial consumption of coffee fruit. This step originated during our 2016 yeast trials at Esperanza.
ESPERANZA + BLUEPRINT COFFEE
Writing about Finca Esperanza can feel repetitive as Blueprint enters into our fourth year buying coffee from the Vizcaino’s. Considering we frequently purchase multiple lots each year, their story is familiar to a lot of our customers. However, it’s a good moment to reflect upon the fruits of our partnership. Ana and her crew at Esperanza have been fearless and energetic in confronting the challenges of organic farming.
What we have experienced is a wonderful friendship and partnership maturing out of our work together. Nonetheless, there have been struggles and successes. The goal of Blueprint’s approach is that we work to help build a stronger partnership out of the struggles. Therefore, the love and mutual respect we have for each other is what we’d consider our greatest outcome.
We’re impressed with the continued focus on organic coffee by Ana and her crew. This focus continues despite pressure from Coffee Leaf Rust, unpredictable and extreme weather conditions, and opinionated coffee roasters.
Blueprint Coffee has supported their organic farming efforts through soil health and compost training. As Esperanza sought to control their processing, we helped them through the construction of their new mill, “Beneficio Don Chilo.” We also supported the design and training of their new solar drying house. Finally, this harvest is the first full harvest without learning how to manage the new mill and solar drying house. With this perspective, enjoy the new fruits of our now budding collaboration.
Team taste notes: graham, orange, brown spice, brown sugar, molasses, maple, nougat
- Country:
- Guatemala
- Region:
- Cerro Pecul, Suchitepéquez
- Altitude:
- 1300 – 1400 MASL
- Process:
- 24hr CIMA Yeast Maceration, fully washed
- Varieties:
- Catuai
- Harvest:
- Nov. 2018 – Feb. 2019
- Sourcing Partners:
- Finca Esperanza (farm), Two Birds Coffee (importer)
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Husen Adem
$19.00 – $38.00Husen Adem grows coffee in Sawana, Ethiopia. Recently, he inherited six hectares of land from his father. Now, he grows coffee there to support his young family. The Sawana Kabele is part of the larger Odo Shakiso, Guji region. His coffee expresses the fruity and funky notes that have made natural process coffees from Guji famous. The unique and intriguing notes come from a variety of factors: coffee cherry quality, processing quality, and intentional sourcing. This popular style of coffee encouraged collaborative sourcing in Ethiopia over the past two years.
Mike Marquard of Blueprint met Ture Waji in January of 2018. At the time, Ture’s aunt and uncle employed him as a representative of their coffee stations in Guji – Guji Highlands PLC and Mormora PLC. From this first meeting, Blueprint sourced Allona last year.
Since that harvest, Ture started his own company, Dambi Uddo Agro Industry PLC in the Dambi Uddo area of Guji. There, he buys fresh-picked cherry from local farmers, like Husen Adem. First, they buy only the best cherries. Then, they thinly spread them on top of raised beds to dry. As a result, risk of molding and rotting during the drying process is reduced. Additionally, it allows the sweet fruit flavors to be more present in the cup.
Currently, the station only employs the natural process for drying coffee from Husen Adem and other farmers in Shakiso, Ethiopia.
Gold and Tantalum make up Guji’s primary export. Coffee, however, is the major cash crop. Unfortunately, the two industries compete for land. The mining trade demands deforestation in Guji. So, the progressive stations in Guji, like Dambi Udo, Guji Highlands, and Mormora, promote reforestation with native trees.
Team taste notes: cherry, grapefruit, campari, orange, lemon, malt, molasses, berry
- Country:
- Ethiopia
- Region:
- Odo Shakiso, Guji
- Process:
- Natural
- Altitude:
- 2000 – 2173 MASL
- Varieties:
- 74110
- Harvest:
- October – December 2018
- Sourcing Partners:
- Dambi Uddo AI PLC (station), Atlantic Specialty (importer)
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Cordillera Isabelia
$17.00 – $34.00Around 20 coffee farmers contribute to this coffee, which grows on the slopes of the Cordillera Isabelia mountain range in Nicaragua. The combination of their efforts creates a sweet & creamy cup of coffee. Then, after cooling slightly, subtle tones of brown sugar, cocoa, and apple present themselves. This Nicaraguan coffee easily pleases a wide audience of coffee lovers with its comforting flavors. Cordillera Isabelia transitions the drinker into flavors matching the cooling weather.
At Blueprint, we source little Nicaraguan coffee. Of course, this speaks not to our views on the potential of the country. Instead, our Central American sourcing focuses more closely on relationships in Guatemala and El Salvador. However, a small gap in our relationship coffee offerings opened and this lot from Cordillera Isabelia in Nicaragua earned its spot by way of a few round of cupping.
RECENT HISTORY OF COFFEE FARMING IN NICARAGUA
Every coffee growing country has a long and distinct history. This history frequently has a character in the coffee. Strange, right? But, it makes sense when applied to any agricultural commodity. Weather, financial crises, and government interventions all affect the success of a coffee based economy. In 1998, a combination of a 30-year low in coffee prices and Hurricane Mitch lead to catastrophic economic conditions for Nicaraguan coffee farmers. In the following year, Nicaragua lost 50% of its export earnings to loss from the hurricane. According to research, an estimated 500-3000 farmers succumbed to foreclosure. Nicaraguan farmers lost the ability to reinvest into the following harvest. Additionally, this caused future losses in yield and quality. No government intervention existed to assist affected farmers.
During this period, Fair Trade certification was being established. It became the needed safety net for many struggling coffee farmers. In short, Fair Trade certification helped stabilize and restore Nicaragua’s coffee sector.
The impact of the coffee crisis has had long lasting effects in Nicaragua requiring well-intentioned leaders in the coffee industry to assist in their recovery. One of these actors is importer Caravela. They established their PECA program in Nicaragua to help the farmers continue to improve and sustain themselves. Two decades later, farmers still need support and good partners to make coffee farming economically sustainable.
TEAM TASTE NOTES
brown sugar, creamy, cocoa, apple, caramel, nougat, mixed nuts, grapefruit
- Country:
- Nicaragua
- Region:
- Jinotega
- Altitude:
- 1300 – 1500 MASL
- Process:
- Washed
- Varieties:
- Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
- Harvest:
- January – March 2019
- Sourcing Partner:
- Caravela (importer)
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Single Origin Sampler
$42.00 – $460.00Can’t decide which coffee to try? Why not try all of our single origin coffees. Our single origin sampler features three of our single origin coffees. It’s a great way to experience the variety of flavors available from different origins or reward the coffee lover in your life.
Prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months and save.
Each box includes:
• (3) bags of single origin coffee, weighing 8oz. each.
• (1) screen-printed box
• (3) cut sheets that include information about each of the coffees
Price includes shipping. Whole bean coffee only. If you’d like to start a sampler box subscription, but would rather pay month-to-month, visit our single origin sampler subscription page.
- Country:
- Varies - 3 bags per box
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Tektōn v.17
$16.50 – $33.00TEKTŌN
The seasonal and transparent coffee blend, Tektōn, chases a difficult goal – highlighting complexity while being approachable. Tektōn satisfies the novice or experienced coffee lover. Regular coffee changes throughout the year maintain balance and seasonality.
We commit ourselves to exhibiting the qualities of one of the most flavorful beverages in the world. To do so, we create and construct balanced, intoxicating, and special flavor experiences. Our single origin offerings are delicious and complete by themselves, but blending creates something new and unique. French wine and cocktails, like the Sazerac, guide us. By adding a small amount of five ingredients (sugar, bitters, lemon, absinthe, ice), a serving of whiskey becomes a new experience. This is a different, yet delicious, taste experience than that offered by any neat pour.
Tektōn, a seasonal coffee blend, compliments our single origin offerings. It matches the integrity of those offerings by remaining a seasonal coffee with a transparent supply chain. We embrace the future insight and taste experiences Tektōn will provide.
Version 17 blends two sweet coffees that are quite different from one another. Cordillera Isabelia from Nicaragua contributes sweet, nutty, brown sugar notes. Then, Worka – Legese Lemiso from Ethiopia brings the fruity and floral sweetness. Together, the coffees combine to create an experience not too different than fruity baked goods.
TEAM TASTE NOTES (v17)
brown sugar, nutty, molasses, lemon, lime, blueberry
- Country 62%:
- Nicaragua
- Producer 62%:
- Small-holder farmers
- Region 62%:
- Jinotego
- Process 62%:
- Washed
- Sourcing Partner 62%:
- Caravela (importer)
- Country 38%:
- Ethiopia
- Producer 38%:
- Legese Lemiso Wet Mill
- Region 38%:
- Nensebo, West Arsi
- Process 38%:
- Washed
- Sourcing Partner 38%:
- Moplaco (exporter)
- Sourcing Partner 38%:
- CCS (cooperative)
- Varieties:
- Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Heirloom
- Harvest:
- Nov 2018 – March 2019
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Penrose V.23
$15.50 – $31.00PENROSE
Penrose, named after the triangle, is our seasonal espresso blend. We feel the perfect espresso is an impossible goal, but we still strive to create it. Penrose is our ever-updated offering in the quest for the perfect espresso. While the seasonal components will vary throughout the year, it is always (nearly) perfect for your hopper.
Penrose seasonal espresso blend aims to:
- be a reliable and consistent offering
- be delicious with milk and without milk
- maintain seasonality and farm-to-cup traceability
- maintain a stable price point so it can be the main espresso on our bar and the bars of many of our wholesale partners
- be easy to dial-in on an espresso grinder
Penrose also does well in the brewer – look for notes of lasting sweetness and heavy body, with a subdued acidity.
SOURCING NOTES (v23)
Sometimes our sourcing plans do align ever so perfectly. For v23, we combine our work in Guatemala with Los Volcanes and the beginning of our work in Ethiopia with Dambi Uddo AI. For three years now, we’ve purchased washed coffee from San Carlos, the neighboring farm to the wet mill operated by Los Volcanes. This coffee testifies to the consistency and quality of the Antigua region, intentional growing, and fantastic processing.
Dambi Uddo AI marks its first complete harvest with the 2018-2019 season. Active partner Ture Waji hosted us in Guji, Ethiopia in January of 2018. His focus on natural processing, the growers in Guji, and the environment were obvious. At that time, he represented his aunt and uncle’s stations at Mormora and Allona. So, when he established his own station in Guji this year, we partnered with Atlantic Specialty to bring part of his first natural crop to St. Louis. Husen Adem grows coffee near Ture’s collection station on six hectares of land. As a result of the partnership with Ture, we connected to our first single-farm Ethiopian coffee. This just goes to show that maintaining relationships and some patience can pay off.
TEAM TASTE NOTES (v23)
chocolate, blueberry, earthy, heavy-bodied, brown sugar
- Producer 78%:
- San Carlos Estate
- Country 78%:
- Guatemala
- Region 78%:
- Antigua
- Process 78%:
- Washed
- Sourcing Partner 78%:
- Los Volcanes (mill & exporter)
- Sourcing Partner 78%:
- Royal Coffee N.Y. (importer)
- Producer 22%:
- Husen Adem
- Country 22%:
- Ethiopia
- Region 22%:
- Odo Shakiso, Guji
- Process 22%:
- Natural
- Sourcing Partners 22%:
- Dambi Uddo AI PLC (station)
- Sourcing Partners 22%:
- Atlantic Specialty (importer)
- Varieties:
- Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, 74110
- Harvest:
- October 2018 – February 2019
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Decaf Cajamarca E.A.
$16.50 – $33.00Consistent sourcing, focused innovation, and excellent decaffeination combine to bring sweetness, spice, and a little something nice to this cup of Peruvian Coffee. Coffees from Peru’s northern region of Peru often feature smooth sweetness, and this coffee delivers those regional qualities in loads.
We first offered Decaf Cajamarca, Peru from Lima Coffee in 2018. Before that, we also offered a similar caffeinated lot in late 2017/early 2018. Now, we again offer the decaffeinated version. This time around, Café Imports sent the coffee to the decaffeination facility in Cauca, Colombia that employs Ethyl Acetate decaffeination. The solvent is derived from locally grown sugarcane and proves to be our preferred method of decaffeination.
CAFÉ IMPORTS + PERU
Café Imports, our importing partner, has foreseen the potential of Peru – specifically the northern region of Cajamarca. Peiro Cristani, Café Imports Senior Green Buyer, and Rony Lavan of Lima Coffee Exporting have been working with farmers to improve quality protocols and establish a micro-lot program in Cajamarca. With this investment and support, they acheived some dramatic quality improvements. Specifically, dominating the first Cup of Excellence (COE) in Peru with coffees from Cajamarca.
Around 400 smallholder farms in Cajamarca, Peru contribute to this decaf coffee. They benefit from the investment and development provided by Café Imports and Lima Coffee. A significant change in the process is incentivizing the delivery of cherry to a mill. Usually, farmers in Peru dry their coffee at the farm. Encouraging the farmers to deliver cherry allows the mill to manage the drying and sorting of the harvest. As a result, the overall quality improves. This coffee testifies to the innovation and collaboration that is a result of Café Imports’ work in Cajamarca.
EVOLUTION OF SPECIALTY IN PERU
Peruvian coffee is evolving. When reflecting on the source of this quality-evolution a few words come to mind: awareness, innovation and collaboration. Quality improvements like picking, sorting and better milling protocol never stick if farmers do not embrace them. Moreover, without the support of dedicated collaborators, finding buyers to support improvements may be impossible. It might be surprising to some, but most farmers aren’t aware of the growing and evolving specialty coffee market around the world. Loosely defined, specialty coffee is any coffee that scores 84+ points using an SCA cupping form by a certified Q-grader.
Awareness of this market is just the beginning, usually requiring a collaborator to connect to the market. This collaborator helps establish the improvements that garner better quality and higher prices. Innovation must be connected to investment to occur. This can be human investment, like consultation and training, or a financial investment in materials to establish the project. Additionally, pre-financing to support better practices, like ripe picking, is essential.
TEAM TASTE NOTES
brown sugar, chocolate, nut, spices
- Country:
- Peru
- Region:
- Cajamarca
- Altitude:
- 1650 – 1800 MASL
- Process:
- Washed, EA Decaf
- Varieties:
- Caturra, Typica, Catimor
- Harvest:
- June – September 2018
- Sourcing Partner:
- Café Imports (importer)
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Single Origin Sampler Subscription
$40.00 / month and a $40.00 depositOur single origin sampler features three of our single origin coffees. It’s a great way to experience the variety of flavors available from different origins or reward the coffee lover in your life. The subscription will include three single origin coffees currently available in our lineup at that time. We will do our best to keep as much variety in the box as possible – our single origin coffees typically last 2-3 months and we currently only carry three at a time.
This box includes:
• (3) bags of single origin coffee, weighing 8oz. each.
• (1) screen-printed box
• (3) cut sheets that include information about each of the coffees
**Price includes shipping. Whole bean coffee only. Sign-up fee is a prepayment for the last sampler of your subscription.
If you’d like to prepay for 3, 6, or 12 months of a subscription, visit our page for our normal sampler and select the appropriate length from the drop-down menu.
- Country:
- Varies - 3 bags per box
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Prepaid Subscription
$65.00 – $490.00Give or receive the gift of great coffee with our Roaster’s Choice Prepaid Coffee Subscription. Each month, the recipient will receive a bag of a Blueprint Coffee. If you have taste preferences, just drop us an email, and we can adjust your subscription to your desired profile. Price includes shipping.
Would you prefer a subscription that is billed with each shipment? No problem, just use pay-as-you-go subscription.
(To include a gift note, or to delay the start of your subscription, just add a comment in the “notes” field of the checkout page)
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Nariño Select
$15.00 – $30.00Geography has contributed to the regional personality and the taste characteristics of the coffee grown in Nariño. The steep mountains and deep canyons of the Andes mountain range move through this region. The section that moves through Nariño is know for its beauty and extremes. The steep, craggy mountains and canyons provided both a natural barrier for the Incan Empire from invaders from the north and also influenced the distinct flavor of coffee grown in this region.
Nariño is located in southwest of Colombia along the border with Ecuador. In the south of Colombia, the Andes are know as the Nudo de Los Pastos. The mountains have provided seclusion to Nariño that has allowed the cultures of the region to maintain their heritage and customs, such as the old language, Quiche, and a unique wood crafting style.
The geography of this region also contributes to the unique coffee taste of Nariño. To begin with, Nariño is near the equator, which provides predictable and intense sunlight. The mountains of Nariño are also very high and steep. This altitude would prevent some growing regions from producing coffee due to freezing, but Nariño is able to prevent freezing due to the thermal transitions that occur in the evenings. During the day the sun is able to reach deep into the mountains due to the latitude. The craggy mountains and canyons absorb the sun’s heat throughout the day. In the evening, the heat, stored up in valley below, rises to prevent freezing. This unique dynamic, high altitudes, and a temperature range that supports slow and even development encourages higher sugar content development and sweet acidity.
Team taste notes: orange cream, juicy body, dark chocolate, nutty, brown sugar, caramel, baking spice
- Country:
- Colombia
- Region:
- Nariño
- Altitude:
- 1200 – 2100 MASL
- Process:
- Washed
- Varieties:
- Colombia, Castillo, Tabi
- Harvest:
- December 2018 – January 2019
- Sourcing Partner:
- Café Imports (importer)
