Intelligentsia Coffee Silver Lake

This year marks 30 years since Marysabel Caballero and Moises Herrera began their journey together in coffee, building on a legacy defined by perseverance and an unwavering commitment to quality. To celebrate this milestone, we are bringing back La Tortuga, a name first introduced in 2004 for coffee from Marysabel’s father, Don Fabio, as a nod to the classic story of the tortoise and the hare. At the time, Honduras was still emerging on the specialty coffee stage, steadily building recognition alongside its Central American neighbors.

In the southern foothills of towering Mount Kenya lies Kirinyaga County, where smallholder growers who form the New Ngariama Cooperative Society deliver their cherries to the Kamwangi Factory washing station. The region's high elevation and volcanic soils are well suited for growing highly regarded local varieties like SL-28 and SL-34. Members meticulously pick their ripe cherries and deliver each day's harvest to the washing station, where cherries are carefully classified, with only the best making it into the final lot. A double fermentation and thorough rinse in fresh water from the Nyamindi River yield a complex, sparkling clean cup that lets the terroir shine. The profile is further refined at the dry mill, where the coffee is sorted to AB standards, one of Kenya's most premium quality grades.

Daniel Canales made history in 2004 as the first grower to win a Cup of Excellence competition with an organically grown coffee. We purchased some of that winning lot and have continued working with the Canales family ever since. Today, the Canales family's commitment to thoughtful farming and exceptional quality continues through Daniel's three sons, Milton, Norman, and Donal, who represent the third generation at the family's farm in Pueblo Nuevo, Estelí, where they have transformed former pastureland into a diverse coffee ecosystem. This year's washed Pacamara lot was produced by Norman Canales, whose careful stewardship carries forward a legacy six decades in the making. A variety known for its remarkably large beans and distinctive flavor, the Pacamara has become one of our favorite coffees from the Canales family.

This lot was grown by members of the Alaka Farmers Association and processed by our longtime partners, METAD, at their Hambela washing station in the West Guji Zone of Oromia. Led by the Adinew family, METAD consistently produces some of our favorite coffees from Ethiopia. Farmers delivered their daily harvest of ripe coffee cherries to the station, where they were meticulously sorted and dried on raised beds with the fruit fully intact. METAD’s expertise and attention to detail are especially evident in natural coffees like this one, where careful processing allows the heirloom varieties and terroir to shine, preserving the distinctive expression that makes Ethiopian coffee unlike any other.

Turkey, muenster cheese, romaine, tomato, & yellow.

Look for nectarine, citrus, golden raisin. A perennial favorite of our coffee team and one of the unsung heroes of our single-origin menu.

This release marks a new chapter in our long partnership with the Ruiz family of Banexport. Following the success of Finca Juan Martín, they established Santa Bárbara in nearby Timbío, Cauca, to further their work cultivating rare and emerging coffee varieties. Among the farm's earliest plantings were Pink Bourbon trees, and this washed lot represents their second harvest. Named for the salmon-pink color of its cherries, the variety was first identified in Colombia as a natural mutation of Bourbon, but more recent genetic testing has revealed close ties to Ethiopian landrace varieties. While its exact lineage remains something of a mystery, there's little doubt that Pink Bourbon is one of the most talked-about varieties in modern Colombian coffee.

In the northernmost reaches of the Peruvian Andes lies the small coffee community of Alto Ihuamaca, where high elevation, sun-soaked days, and cool nights create ideal conditions for growing exceptional coffee. It is here that Dionisio Pintado carries on a family tradition of coffee farming. His farm, Agua Cristalina, is named for a nearby spring whose crystal clear waters reflect the natural beauty of the region. After selectively picking cherries from Bourbon and Caturra trees, the Pintado family carefully segments and processes lots in small batches, preserving the unique character of their farm’s terroir. This lot stood out as perfectly suited for pulling fruity espressos with soft, balanced acidity.

Sapsucker is a seasonal blend named for the bird whose pursuit of sugary-sweet tree sap reflects our own approach to crafting this coffee. This year's blend unites distinct lots from Colombia, Burundi, and Kenya into a lively espresso defined above all else by its sweetness. The result is vibrant yet balanced, layered with notes of bright tropical fruit, ripe stone fruit, and zesty citrus.