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Last year we loved being at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) so much that we’re back for a second helping. Wild horses couldn’t stop us from being involved in 2013 and we have MICE covered with international guests, cocktail parties, and beautiful coffees.

You may have heard us talk about Bob-O-Link or FAF (Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza) quite a bit lately. That’s because we have a great relationship with these guys and their coffees play a major role in some of our blends and also feature on our retail lists. Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza is a coffee plantation run by the Barretto [...]

Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Recently, two colleagues and I embarked on a pilgrimage to the Chemex factory, in small-town Pittsfield, Massachusetts. What we discovered there was truly a spiritual experience – a hidden treasure, in a field, not yet discovered by the neo-hipster-geek alliance and throngs of pressure-alleviated brewers from around the globe. The small and hospitable [...]

I have always been fascinated by Brazil. Its history, its culture (described as one of the only truly multi-cultural nations in the world), its music and dance. I dated a Capoeira instructor when I was younger, and although I never got the hang of all the flips and cartwheels, I fell in love with the [...]

We’re very excited to be able to announce that the long awaited The Origin blend is ready to taste. After some extensive blend and roast development, this premium blend is tasting great and we’d love to share it with you. We will be running The Origin Blend through our machines at Douglas St in Auckland and [...]

In September I departed on my first trip to a Cup of Excellence competition as a member of the international judging jury. I had not been to Colombia for previous competitions and was looking forward to sampling the coffee. This year’s competition was held in the Colombian city of Popayan, the capital of the Department [...]

We are proud to announce the arrival of the first of our Cup of Excellence (COE) coffees for this year- La Tacita of Guatemala – now available online on our Rare & Interesting menu.

One of my first coffee memories was Steve Martin making a cup of “java” in the early 80s film “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (check it, YouTube). This must still be one of the premiere coffee scenes in all of cinema and I’m sure played some part in my thinking from an early age that [...]

We’re very chuffed to have again secured a limited amount of the famed Esmeralda Special Geisha. For the 2nd year in a row we are able to bring what some would say is ‘the best coffee in the world’, to New Zealand.