Colombia's Huila region produces some of the country's finest coffee. Located in the southwestern part of Colombia with the Central and Eastern Ranges of the Andes running through it, the region features very high growing altitudes with mineral-rich soils created by mountain rivers. Smallholder farmers produce a bodied, balanced coffee with good strength, sweetness, and notes of caramelized sugar, walnut, and mild dried fruits like papaya.
Cal Verga founded Duck Rabbit Coffee in 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing the name from the famous optical illusion used by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein to illustrate how perception shapes experience. All roasting runs through an early 1980s Probat G 12, and Verga sources his green coffee through Coffee Shrub, focusing on rare, ethically sourced beans from small farms in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Sumatra. The approach leans light, aiming to highlight nuanced flavors and terroir rather than roast character. A grab and go cafe on Lorain Avenue operates Thursday through Sunday alongside the roastery on Lakeside Avenue, and a subscription service keeps regulars stocked with a rotating selection.
