Learn about your coffee
and where it's been
Our Growers and Roasters strive to provide a bean worthy of your attention,
and we try to imbue our drinks with that same dedication.
We believe the more you know about your cup of coffee,
the more enjoyment you’ll find in it.
Organic Bolivia
Region: Pumiri Plush Typica shrubs are grown on the rugged slopes of the Southern Andes Mountains, in a humid, sub-tropic forest dominated by precious Mahogany trees. The majority of the local family farmers cooperate in this project, producing one of the highest quality Bolivian coffees available. This cup is very rich with nutty aroma, notes of lemon peel, cinnamon and carob.
Organic Nicaragua
Region: Matagalpa, Jinotega PROCOCER Cooperative The coffee has a slightly sweet herbal note to the aroma along with a hint of nuttiness along side the cocoa flavor. Acidity is light-medium, increasing the overall sweetness of the cup while the body carries well into the finish.
Organic Uganda AA
Region: Mount Elgon Primary Coop: Bakalasi Grown in the rich, volcanic soils of Mount Elgon, this Uganda AA has a stone fruit-like acidity and deep body. The roast profile brings out the sweet almond and mild chocolate flavors in the coffee as well as the lengthy finish.
Organic Sinatas Decaf
We send coffee from Mexico during the Central American season and coffee from Peru during its subsequent season directly to the Mountain Water Decaffeination plant in Vera Cruz Mexico. Here they use pure, warm water and carbon filtration to gently remove 97.5% of the bean's caffeine. Blended with a base of Sumatra coffee from the same process, the brew is rich, comforting, and very versatile.
Organic Espresso Mantecca
Complex and invigorating, this quintet of globally exclusive, socially rewarding, environmentally encompassed coffees supports the rooted meaning of espresso. Created through years of improvisation, trial, error, and sleepless nights, this espresso is textured in layers of fresh tonal woods, dark chocolates, super-ripe black berries, African rhythms, Indian smoking herbs, Pacific Island sunsets, and Latin colors. If infused via ristretto, the acidity will temporarily sparkle and the fruit identity within it will become syrupy.
Organic Ethiopia Sidamo - unwashed
This traditional, natural processed coffee has a medium, fruity acidity followed by a rush of mixed berry flavors. The body is medium with a hint of earthiness and the floral tones in the nose are complex and lasting.
Organic el Salvador
Region: Usulutan 64 members comprise this coop which was formed following the Peace accords of 1992. They own and operate their own dry processing plant, eco-friendly coffee de-pulpers, and a centralized compost project. The coffee is grown at a lower altitude and produces a succulent cup with soft acidity with mild flavors that touch on green apple and caramel.
Organic Peru
With superb growing conditions and meticulous processing, sorting, and grading, this cooperative produces one of the best hard bean organics Peru has to offer. The cup is very smooth with caramel-like sweetness and good body. At the peak of the season, the acidity which is generally light to medium, takes on a dark plum-like flavor with added sweetness from the start. It's at this point we tend to saturate our palates with this coffee because it's such a complete cup filled with juiciness and character.
Organic Mexico
Region: Chiapas Because of its balance and mildness, tis coffee has become one of the favorites! The acidity is lower and soft with just a hint of lemon verbena nuance. The body is mild and gentle and the finish is pleasant and sweet. It's the perfect french press selection, and a must for those who are transitioning into drinking coffee without adding milk.
Organic Honduras
Region: Ocotepeque This remarkable, 100 member cooperative located near the El Salvador border is a new relationship for Conscious Coffees. The members each maintain medium-sized farms and continue to improve their coffee processing and cup quality standards. The cup has balanced acidity, ripe fruit tones, and caramel sweetness.
Organic Guatemala
Region: Huehuetenango Right from the start this coffee is vibrant with bright, flavorful acidity and dried citrus undertones. The layered fruit up front is complex and invigorating and the cocoa tones throughout seem to pull the fruit notes in many directions, including the finish which preserves just the right amount of fruit and dark chocolate. This coffee brews up wonderfully in all but espresso methods and is intended to be enjoyed without the addition of milk or cream. As the cup cools, notice the elevated fruit notes within the hightened acidity.
Organic Colombia
Region: Cauca Department (State) This strictly high elevation coffee is grown amidst a variety of food crops by the indigenous Nasa people in the mountains of Western Colombia. Exceptional in flavor, this excelso grade coffee is sweet throughout with soft, citrus acidity, cherry reduction flavors, and dark chocolate undertones. The finish is clean and very strong with a bit of the fruit still present. Roasted to a solid medium roast profile, this mellows the acidity, maintains the cherry fruit nuances, and increases the body and finish.
Organic Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - washed
Region: Yirgacheffe Unlike the un-washed Sidamo varieties from Ethiopia, these beans are washed - meaning, they are hand picked, pulped, promptly fermented, rinsed ("washed"), and then sun-dried. The cup starts with a rounded Meyer lemon-like acidity and moves into a bergamot (Earl Grey) flavor. Sweet, medium body and fruit flavors come together into a buttery finish with floral undertones. This coffee is one of our favorites!
Organic Ethiopia Sidamo - washed
This extremely high elevation-grown coffee is refreshing with a semi-bright acidity which carries a trailing flavor of freshly squeezed lemonade. As the cup cools, peach and lemon myrtle notes hover in the nose. The acidity is a bit brighter than the washed Yirgacheffe and the body is slightly lighter. Compared to the unwashed Sidamo, this is more lively with fresh citrus flavors while the unwashed resembles dried fruits and berries. Although this coffee is the perfect choice for French Press, using the "24 hour cold brew" process produces an exotic elixir of unfathomable goodness.
Organic Sumatra
Region: Aceh This Typica coffee, one of the older traditional varieties, is processed in a method somewhere between washed and unwashed, which contributes greatly to the coffee’s unique character. Similar to the best, matured Cabernet Sauvignon, this renowned Indonesian bean has a body that floods the palate. The cup is bold and can be syrupy and Earthy with peppercorn-like aromas and semi-sweet musty flavors throughout. This is a classic for home drip brewers as well as a supreme base for espresso blends. This is one of our darker roasted varieties which holds up well with the addition of milk, maintaining its foundation and flavor.
Bolivia
Bolivian coffee is just starting to make a name for itself in the world of Specialty coffees. Coffee production in Bolivia is concentrated in the rural areas of the Yungas, where approximately 95% of cultivation occurs. Bolivia has all the ingredients to be a high-quality coffee producer, such as altitude, fertile soil, and a consistent rainy season. However, the rugged terrain and lack of infrastructure and technology make post-harvest quality control a challenging task. Bolivia is currently working to transform its coffee industry, developing infrastructure such as processing mills where they previously did not exist, and looking to the growing specialty coffee market for better prices.
Colombia
From the time of Spanish colonialism (1500s-1800s) to the current war on drugs, the history of Colombia has violent and oppressive. Colombian governments have had to contend with terrorist activities of left-wing guerrillas, the rise of paramilitary self-defense forces in the 1990s, and powerful drug cartels. In recent years, the timeless struggle of several indigenous communities - including that of our producer partner Fondo Paez - has resurfaced and called international attention to the rampant injustices carried out against the populations of Amerindians (many of whom are found in coffee-producing regions). Colombia is second the largest exporter of washed arabicas, thanks in part to its year-round production. The majority of this production is by smallholders (with an average farm size of 1.4 hectares) with parcels located on steep hillsides of altitudes between 1.300 and 1.800 meters.
El Salvador
Coffee production in El Salvador has fueled the Salvadoran economy and shaped its history for more than a century. Coffee was first cultivated in El Salvador for domestic use early in the 19th century. The Salvadoran coffee industry developed largely without the benefit of external technical and financial help. El Salvador nonetheless became one of the most efficient coffee producers in the world. The coffee industry has served as a catalyst for the development of infrastructure (roads and railroads) and as a mechanism for the integration of indigenous communities into the national economy. Coffee production in El Salvador reached a peak in the late 1970's, but with the political and economic turmoil resulting from a civil war in the 1980s, the coffee industry has been struggling to recover
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and yet the fourth poorest country in the world. Coffee farmers live a very traditional lifestyle, farming fewer than 5 acres and living in stick houses. Electricity, running water and indoor plumbing are rare in rural areas. Coffee production in Ethiopia is critical to the Ethiopian economy with about 25% of the population depending directly or indirectly on coffee for its livelihood. Ethiopia is the world's seventh largest producer of coffee, and Africa's top producer.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a beautiful country - home to many rich cultures, thousands of years of history, and an abundance of bio-diversity. Guatemala was Central America's top producer of coffee until for most of the 20th Century and is a major producer of high quality, washed arabicas. Poverty is still a major problem for more than half of the population; almost 25% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Indigenous peoples, who constitute 50% of the population – one of the highest rates in Latin America - suffer from strong racial, social, economic and cultural discrimination. Seven indigenous people out of ten are poor and live on the margins of the society. An estimated 67% of indigenous children (with the indigenous representing the majority of the population) suffer from chronic malnutrition. Some 270,000 hectares are planted with coffee and account for about 24% of all exports. Yet smallholder coffee farmers produce only 30 percent of the total volume. Over half its coffee is exported to the US.
Honduras
In 2011, Honduras became Central America's top producer of coffee and ranks 7th among largest producers, closely behind Peru and Guatemala . Until the mid-20th century, the economy was dominated by foreign-owned banana companies that wielded outsized influence in politics and controlled wide swaths of land. Still a major exporter of the fruit, coffee now represents an important export commodity in Honduras, employing over one million laborers in the industry, representing 22% of employment in rural Honduras.
Mexico
The coffee production in Mexico is the world's 8th largest and is mainly concentrated to the South central to Southern regions of the country. The coffee is mainly arabica, which grows particularly well in the coastal region of Soconusco, Chiapas, near the border of Guatemala. In general you can expect a light-bodied coffee, mild but with delicate flavors. Mexico is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffees, and because of the US's close proximity, we receive the bulk of fine Mexican coffees in this market.
Nicaragua
Since coffee came to Nicaragua in the mid 1800s, it has played a significant role in Nicaragua’s economy and environment. Coffee has been an engine for Nicaragua’s national economic development process. It is among the nation’s primary sources of foreign exchange and provides the economic backbone for thousands of rural communities. More than 40,000 coffee farm families cultivate the bean often in a way that preserves Nicaragua’s precious forests and threatened biodiversity. Ninety five percent of Nicaragua’s coffee cultivation is considered “shade grown”. An estimated 95% of Nicaragua’s coffee farmers are micro and small-scale producers. The family is the primary source of labor on these farms.
Peru
Peru is also one of the largest producers of coffee in the world, with over 216 million kilograms exported in 2006. Additionally, Peru is noted for being one of the major producers of organic and fair trade coffee beans in world. These exports make Peru the ninth largest producer of coffee in the world. Most coffee is then processed through cooperatives, and distributed through several intermediaries before being sold for export. Coffee growing in Peru is not limited to a particular region, but is common from the north to the south of the country, including the Machu Pichu region.
Sumatra
Sumatra is the largest producer of Indonesian coffee. Small-holders grow Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) in the highlands, while Robusta (Coffea canephora) is found in the lowlands. Arabica coffee from the regions of Gayo, Lintong and Sidikilang is typically processed using the Giling Basah (wet hulling) technique, which gives it a heavy body and low acidity.
Uganda
After European colonization, years of military dictatorship, and debilitating inflation, Uganda is now considered one of the more peaceful and stable countries in the continent. Located on and around Mount Elgon, a large volcanic mountain that spans several kilometers along the border of Uganda and Kenya, the farmers of Gumutindo produce high quality arabica coffee at altitudes that stretch beyond 2,000 meters above sea level.
OUR COFFEE IS:
Use only fresh beans, roasted within ten days or less. Beans should not look oily! ...that means the flavor is leaving the bean, ooh my!
Why start with a stale product, right?
Conscious Coffees is a craft micro-roastery in Boulder, Colorado who supplies all of our coffee and espresso beans. They are dedicated to working with coffee farming communities in a true partnership that respects the Earth and its people.
A grinder is the most important tool to brewing coffee at home!
You need to have a home burr grinder. This will ensure a consistent grind size. Using a whirly bird grinder does not provide a consistent grind.
Grinding your beans just before coffee preparation is essential to achieving a great cup of coffee.
Don't buy pre ground beans!
A quality burr grinder will give an even grind with consistent partical size. Cheap blade grinders, will give you mixed size particles, both large and small.
This will create some over extraction, some under extraction, and for sure sludge on the bottom of your cup...eew!
Turn your blade grinder into a spice grinder and purchase a Bodum burr grinder. You'll notice the difference immediately!
Don't overlook the importance of your water! It is 98% of the beverage!
HOT water is super important for full flavor extraction. Because of our altitude, water boils at a lower temperature, 200 degrees here in Boulder. Therefore - remember to PREHEAT YOUR FRENCH PRESS and add your boiling water in increments, ensuring a more constant HOT temperature. If your water does not remain at a constant 200 degree temperature in your french press, essential oils will not be fully extracted resulting in weak, sour tasting coffee.
Try to use filtered or bottled water. This will alleviate impurities and ill-tasting elements in the water which will affect the flavor of your coffee.