El Refugio is a single-origin coffee from the Caldas region of Colombia, grown by the Agudelo Uribe family at an altitude of 1750-2050 meters. This Sidra variety coffee is fully washed using an Ecomill system and dried on parabolic beds. It features a complex flavor profile with notes of blueberry and cola, offering a syrupy body. The coffee is grown in volcanic soil within an agroforestry system that protects the plantation and supports local biodiversity.
Birchbach Coffee is a nano-roastery run by Flavio Lissandrello, a trained draftsman turned roaster who's spent the past decade in coffee. He launched the project in 2017 with an Aillio Bullet R1 V2 roasting machine but uses a bigger roaster when orders stack up. The packaging carries his own illustrations, and the coffees themselves tend toward flavor clarity without pushing too far into challenging territory. The goal isn't to impress competition judges (though Flavio competes in coffee championships); it's to offer specialty coffee that also works for people still finding their way into the category. Approachable complexity, if that's a thing.