Crimson's Top 5 Coffees of 2023
2023 has been full of adventure. From bean to brew, these top five coffees are destined to elevate your coffee experience to a whole new level. So grab your favorite mug, settle into your coziest spot and let's dive into Crimson’s top five favorite coffees of 2023!
- Experimental Natural
Starting off at number one is our Experimental Natural. In July 2022, we visited our friends at NARSA to see how the year's harvest was coming along. We brought microbe starters with us to inoculate coffee during fermentation. The grand idea was to measure the quality of several methods with as little investment as possible. We had the help of the entire team to float fresh cherries and load up large stainless-steel vats with the washed cherries, clean water and the microbial starters. The coffee fermented for roughly two days inside the vats, then was transported to ––and dried on––drying beds built by Don Julio at roughly 1200 masl. The drying process took approximately 20-24 days for the entire lot. In this coffee we find tons of deep dark fruit complexity with notes of orange ice cream and dried citrus fruits.
- Kossa Kebena
Our second pick is an award winning classic: Kossa Kebena. Kossa is located in Western Ethiopia’s Limmu Kossa District in the highlands of the Kebena Forest. This 1,000 hectare farm was established in 2009 through a land grant from Ethiopia’s investment agency to safeguard some of the last remaining dense forest in the country. Kossa has tasting notes of bright fruit and sweet berry with a syrupy body finish.
- Red Fruit Pink Bourbon
Next up is our Red Fruit Pink Bourbon. This coffee was produced by our friend Felipe Arcila. Felipe is one of the founders of Cofinet, an exporting partner we've been working with in Colombia since our inception in 2019. Beyond operating Cofinet, Felipe is also a coffee producer and owns coffee producing farms with his brother, Carlos, one of which is Jardines del Eden. After harvesting only the ripest Pink Bourbon cherries, the lot was depulped and exposed to a dry anaerobic fermentation of 72 hours inside plastic tanks where fresh red fruits such as strawberry and raspberry and wine yeast were added. Following these unique fermentations, this coffee was dried for 12 days in raised beds. This coffee has tasting notes of herbs, persimmon and strawberry.
- Waka Warmi
Next, we have Waka Warmi. This vibrant coffee was produced by our friend Don Julio Arevalo Tello and Cooperu. Waka Warmi was released from their farms in the Villa Rica area of the Central Highlands of Peru. Biodiversity and diversity of varieties are the cornerstone of regenerative agriculture, and the example is being set with Don Julio’s farms. A blend of coffee made up of Gesha, Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, you can expect an amazing amount of nuance and flavor, with florals, fruits, chocolates and confections all found within the same cup. Waka Warmi is native for “powerful woman” which signifies the love for all the women in coffee culture inside this region and the idea that the coffee industry and experience would not be possible without women.
- Colombia Aponte Anaerobic Honey
Last, but certainly not least, we have Colombia Aponte Anaerobic Honey. Produced by indigenous growers from Aponte, Narino who are members of La Cooperativa de Cafes Especiales de Narino. Producers contributing to this project grow coffee above 1700 masl and their farms range in size between 0.5-1.5 hectares.
In Aponte, producers have mastered the art of Honey processing as they have been producing Honeys for three consecutive years now. Growers’ production is very small and relative humidity is low. This helps the process as not much space is required and coffees dry much faster as compared to other coffee producing regions. This unique climate gives long maturation and excellent growing conditions for the coffee trees and adds to the fully ripe sweet taste. This coffee has decadent tasting notes of melon blossom, honeycrisp apple and agave.
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There you have it, coffee aficionados––Crimson's top 5 coffees of the year! Whether you prefer vibrant floral notes or silky and smooth finish, Crimson has crafted a lineup that caters to every coffee lover's palate. So, go ahead, treat yourself to a cup of perfection, and let Crimson elevate your coffee experience to new heights!