Larrea Blend Craft Instant Coffee

Farmlevel Story

This year’s Larrea Blend is the amalgamation of three different coffees: two washed components from El Salvador and Genji Challa in Ethiopia and a natural component from the Guji Highlands of Ethiopia. The three meld beautifully, creating a vibrant cup that shines hot and iced.

The Latin component comes from the Metapán region of El Salvador, where 67 small producers deliver their coffees for washing at Alejandro Valiente’s mill. This impressive mill has upgraded drying beds that blend in with the natural landscape and uses sustainable practices wherever possible, including leveraging solar power and experimenting with energy-efficient processing techniques. 

Genji Challa, one of our favorite Ethiopian washing stations, represents the harvests of about 400 smallholder farmers who deliver freshly picked coffee from as high as 2,200 meters above sea level. Genji Challa produces remarkably clean and nuanced coffees without taxing Western Ethiopia’s limited resources by using eco-friendly practices. While many mills immediately expose coffee to direct sunlight to dry, Genji Challa dries their coffees first on shaded beds for a more gradual temperature change, strengthening and intensifying the flavors. 

The natural component comes from the Guji Highlands region of Ethiopia, set between the major coffee-producing regions of Yirgacheffe and Sidamo. Ample rainfall, steep mountainous terrain, and high elevation create unique coffee profiles in this area. This specific lot comes from a farm nestled in a rainforest amongst organic coffee farms, reaching an elevation of 2300 meters, and has a complex yet balanced profile that blends beautifully with the two washed components.