“If it ain't broke don’t fix it.” So true, Buuut what if we can make it tastier and more traceable? For us at Vienna, our High Summit Espresso is a one of our classic espresso profiles, but last year we tabled it due to a lack of strategy and, admittedly, a lack of sales. However, we knew we wanted to offer a lighter roasted espresso option for those looking to change things up. We also wanted to take this opportunity to make the High Summit blend a fully relationship-based blend from the farmer to your cup. We aimed to start with a really solid, chocolatey base for tasting notes and build complimentary flavors on top.
So, for our new iteration of High Summit, we started with 40% Brazil from our direct partners in Brazil, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF). FAF stretches beyond a simple coffee farm. They are an organization that brings regional farmers to their mill, an exporter, and a provider of funding and education to their farming partners. This Brazil base from the farming partner affiliated with FAF, Morro Azul, gives us a place to build from with chocolate and subtle hints of fruit.
Kelly Wiggins and Les Stoneham of VCC and Vitto Bressani of FSJM at the coffee tree nursery at Finca San Jeronimo Miramar in 2024.
From there we are adding in 35% of a lot from our dear friends in Guatemala, Finca San Jeronimo Miramar. This adds to the syrupy body and provides the sweetness we’re looking for in a balanced espresso.
The last part is from our partners at Daye Bensa in Ethiopia. These beans are a Natural Processed (or dry processed) coffee with heirloom Ethiopian varieties, and this is the coffee that packs the red fruit tasting notes. By only adding in 25% of this fruit bomb, we keep the espresso balanced, while allowing it to sparkle around the edges and give those nerds among us something to really be giddy about.
The beautiful thing about this espresso is, if you’re looking for intriguing, new flavors out of an espresso, you’ll find that here. But, if you still just want something balanced that works well with milk AND can just be enjoyed by itself as a daily driver, High Summit can work for you too! For both groups, we can drink this knowing that dear friends of Vienna have harvested and processed it, and we get to be the ones lucky enough to share it with our community here.
The Dukamo Family, owners of Daye Bensa, visited us in Maryville in 2021.