Zingerman's Coffee Company

Guatemala El Regalito

Finca El Regalito (“the little gift”) is on the west side of the village of Hoja Blanca in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, with Mexico almost visible across the valley to the northwest.

El Regalito is led by Arturo Villatoro and his son Vielmann, who manages the day to day running of the farm. Their lots are on a sheer ridgeline where Chalum, Mandarin, and Capulin trees shade the classic Bourbon and Caturra coffee varieties.

We found this coffee to be layered and approachable, with familiar flavors like cocoa and brown sugar plus a hint of crisp fruit that reminded us of pear.

Ethiopia Guji

Ethiopia is one of the most distinctive and fascinating coffee growing regions of the world. Industry veteran Kenneth Davids has called it “A feast for aficionados.”

There is a stunning amount of flavor variety found in coffees from Ethiopia. Various combinations of plant genetics, micro-climate, and processing methods produce cup profiles that range from citrusy, floral, bright, and elegant, to rustic, spicy, and deeply fruity.

This coffee from the Guji area is a fully washed lot from the Birbirsa Cooperative.

We found it to be an overall wonderfully balanced cup. Notes of blueberry and milk chocolate hit us first, and the coffee finishes with a subtle, sweet citrus brightness.

Costa Rica Hacienda Miramonte Natural

We are excited to introduce a single-estate, natural process coffee from Costa Rica’s Hacienda Miramonte. Most beans from Costa Rica are processed using a “washed” method that uses water to remove the coffee fruit from the bean inside. Our lot is naturally processed coffee, meaning the beans were dried out with the fruit still attached. These coffees are known for having amazing sweetness and a rich, velvety body. We found this coffee to be wonderfully balanced and caramelly with honey-like sweetness.

Reserved exclusively for Zingerman’s Coffee Company, our lot is the result of many years of collaboration between Zingerman’s Coffee Company and the farm. Managing Partner Steve Mangigian works closely with the folks at the farm to bring this coffee to market and oversees processing, milling, and final sorting.

Hacienda Miramonte was started in 1917 by the matriarch of the Gurdian family, Lucila Duval de Morales, and is now operated by her great-grandson Ricardo. Generation after generation, the Gurdians have reaffirmed their commitment to growing quality coffee while serving as stewards of the environment and their local community. This is the fifth season we have worked with the Gurdians and we are proud to be their partners.

Costa Rica Hacienda Miramonte Honey

We are excited to introduce a single-estate honey process coffee from Costa Rica’s Hacienda Miramonte. Reserved exclusively for Zingerman’s Coffee Company, this lot is the result of many years of collaboration between Zingerman’s Coffee Company and the farm. Managing Partner Steve Mangigian works closely with the folks at the farm to bring this coffee to market and oversees processing, milling, and final sorting.

This lot is a pulped-natural or miel (“honey”) processed coffee — meaning that after harvest, some sticky fruit (often called mucilage) is left on the bean while it dries. Honey-process coffees are known for having beautiful complexity and good natural sweetness. We think this year’s harvest has a nice caramelly character with a soft citrus brightness that makes every sip dance on your tongue.

Tree Town Blend

This time of year in Ann Arbor, the leaves of the trees change to show beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. We were inspired to create a coffee blend that sparkles with complexity and an ever-changing panorama of flavor. This coffee is a blend of beans from Brazil, Guatemala, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi, thoughtfully combined to bring out Fall flavors.

Cold Brew Blend

Our Cold Brew Blend includes carefully sourced coffees from our friends at the Daterra Estate in Brazil as well as coffee from the Apo and Angra coffee cooperative in Papua New Guinea. We believe these are some of the finest coffees the world has to offer! Both coffees stand on their own as outstanding single origin coffees, and make for terrific hot brewed coffee. We use these beans for our cold brew because of the body, finish, and flavor they bring to the final product. Cold brewing produces an exceptionally sweet brew with a rich body and virtually no acidity.

Honduras Pablo Paz

Over ten years ago a group of us traveled to Honduras to learn about coffee production around La Union, a town of around 10,000 in the western part of the country. There we met Pablo Paz, a producer from a family that has grown quality coffee for decades, long before many of us in the specialty coffee world were paying a premium for high quality beans or waxing poetic about distinctive micro-lots.

We were connected with Pablo and his community through Aldea Development, a non-profit organization co-founded by University of Michigan grads. Aldea started working in La Union in 2009 with a focus on microfinace. Today, their community development efforts extend to agricultural support and training, market access, and other projects. They have full-time staff living and working year-round in Honduras to support the work.

Coffee plays an important role in Pablo’s life on multiple levels. It is his livelihood and also a source of pride–a means of connecting to his village and to his history. We are honored to have a role in bringing Pablo’s coffee to our little part of the world and, we hope, showcasing it at its very best!

Steve Mangigian, our managing partner and roastmaster, noted: “What I love about this coffee and the overall relationship is that Pablo has been committed to producing better quality with every crop. We have a saying at Zingerman’s, ‘You Really Can Taste the Difference’, and when our partners along the supply chain are aligned toward quality, the integrity of that promise remains fulfilled.”

Papua New Guinea Apo & Angra Cooperatives

About 85% of coffee from Papua New Guinea is grown by smallholder farmers whose plots are scattered over demanding and sometimes treacherous terrain. Most smallholders grow around 1,700 trees, but some grow as few as 20 along with a number of other crops. Sourcing a substantial volume of coffee from these smallholders in remote areas can be difficult.

That’s why we were thrilled to find this selection from the Apo and Angra Cooperatives. Last year, this coffee was imported as a blend from three cooperatives. This year, volume from the cooperatives increased, and it could be imported as a blend of two. As the individual cooperatives grow, more separations can be made — further bringing into focus the distinctive characteristics each has to offer.

French Roast

French Roast refers to a dark roasting style that is surprisingly difficult to do well. We currently use a Guatemalan bean from the farm Finca Santa Anita. This bean serves delicious as a French Roast, as it keeps its regional characteristics while still being able to take a lot of heat. This coffee has a slight, pleasant acidity and notes of sweet, dark cocoa.

Roadhouse Joe

In preparation for the opening of Zingerman’s Roadhouse in 2003, months of collaboration and tasting resulted in the creation of this signature coffee blend. It’s been a hit ever since. Designed to complement food, it emphasizes body and balance over sharpness and acidity. It finishes with a very slight nuttiness and is by far our most popular blend.

Technically, it’s a mix of Papua New Guinea, Costa Rican, Indian, and Brazilian Peaberry, each added for their contribution in body, balance and nuttiness. Less technically—but more importantly—it’s a sensible, smooth, crowd-pleasing coffee that’s guaranteed to satisfy anyone.