Out of all the specialty coffee & tea cupped over the past few months, our traders rounded up their favorites. From organic and washed process coffee to tea blends and more! Check out their picks for the best coffee & teas of Q2 2024.

COFFEE

Washed Process Coffee from Africa

This lot is from Muraho Trading Company’s Cyesha Washing Station. Muraho Trading is run by two brothers, Gaudam and Karthick Anbalagan. In fact, they own and operate seven mills across Rwanda, including Cyesha, their newest acquisition as of 2021. Coffee milled at Cyesha is grown at a high altitude in volcanic soil, dried in exceptionally great conditions, and then milled and sorted with great attention to detail. Lastly, Muraho ensures that all their mills are held to the highest standards to do these high-quality coffees justice.

Since Cyesha pays so much attention to detail when selecting cherries and sorting, the results in the cup speak for themselves. This is an exceptionally clean cup with lots of stone fruit and citrus, carried by a delicate body that doesn’t overpower the fruity top notes in the coffee.

Shop Evan’s Pick: RNY # 55041 Rwanda A Cyesha Washing Station Fully Washed

Tanzania has held a special place in my heart since my travels there in 2018! Diving into this offering, the Mondul Estate resides in northern Tanzania near Mt. Meru at approximately 1700+masl. They produce various screen sizes, including AA, AB, and PB (for the specialty market). That being said, we focus on the AA (the larger bean) and PB at Royal New York. Year in and year out, they have yet to disappoint!

These lots perform best when promoted as fully washed process coffees with the inherent characteristics of a high-end East African offering with notes of sweet and citrusy red fruit and a nice, tannin-like finish. If you want the profile of a unique East African coffee but prefer a subtle complexity more than the sometimes overly complex Kenyan, give this offering a try!

Shop Joe’s Pick: RNY # 54762 Tanzania AA Northern Mondul Estate

Washed Process Coffee from Central America

La Rosa stems from 4 farms located in the Naranjo district of Costa Rica, a region with 29 coffee-growing areas. Costa Rican coffees are known for having a delicate aroma, mild body, and appealing taste. Correspondingly, this desirable profile can be chalked up to ideal growing conditions, i.e. soil, altitude, rainfall, and temperature.

You’ll find this coffee to have a great balance of sweetness and acidity. Furthermore, a soft and underlying pear-like fruit tone adds a juicy characteristic to this coffee. The immense sugary sweetness is perfectly balanced with the citrusy, tangerine-like acidity, making for an easy drinking profile.

Shop TJ’s Pick: RNY # 54622 Costa Rica SHB Naranjo La Rosa E/P

La Santa has been owned and operated by the Gallardo family since the 1960s. Originally run by his father, Jose Manuel Gallardo is the current owner. While Jose’s son manages the 225-hectare farm, his daughter manages the administrative side of the family business. When it comes to their coffee, La Santa ensures that all cherries picked for production are 100% ripe. Moreover, they separate their cherries by hand to guarantee the highest quality and intensity of flavor. Once picked and sorted, the cherries are washed and patio dried.

This coffee’s simplistic cupping profile shines with a silky chocolate tone that I love! I think this offering is the perfect candidate to offer as a flash chill or on cold brew.

Shop Mike’s Pick: RNY # 56227 Panama SHB Santa Clara Finca La Santa

Washed Process Coffee from South America

With political instability, formidable altitude, and challenging infrastructure, Bolivia is a bit of a coffee underdog. Even so, we’re excited about the future of Bolivian coffee, especially because we’re in year two of our newest relationship with producer partner, APROCAFE!

This coffee comes from a small group of 35 quality-focused producers who consistently deliver sweet and complex washed process coffee. Sweet from beginning to end, this offering presents complementary notes of honey, caramel, and fleshy stone fruit. Plus, if certifications are key to your business, this offering is certified Organic and Fair Trade.

Shop Andrew’s Pick: RNY # 56185 Organic Bolivian Fair Trade – APROCAFE

This offering comes from Santa Maria, a town located in the northern part of Huila, not too far from the departmental capital of Neiva. If you didn’t know, Huila is one of Colombia’s southernmost coffee-producing departments. In fact, it actually accounts for about 18% of Colombia’s total coffee production! In the cup, this washed process coffee exhibits bright, sweet flavors of orange and grape, integrating with notes of brown sugar.

Shop Mike’s Pick: RNY # 55578 Colombia Huila Santa Maria – Excelso EP

This Colombian Huila comes from the Asociación Regional la Cascada de Bordones. In 2003, local farmers started the association and named it after the Bordones Waterfall, a beautiful landmark in Huila. The word “Huila” means “luminous mountain” in the Páez indigenous language, further emphasizing how stunning the area is.

We all know that coffee from Huila tastes exceptional. With a combination of snowy mountains adding minerals the soil and the nearby Magdalena River providing a tropical air, Huila’s climate is great for growing coffee! In this offering, vibrant notes of peach, red apple, and orange are complemented by a refreshing acidity that seamlessly balances the full-bodied richness this coffee has to offer.

Shop Trading Assistant Stephany’s Pick: RNY # 56193 Organic Colombia Huila Pitalito

TEA

Pure Teas & Herbs

Sourced from Egypt, our Organic Spearmint is as close to the profile of fresh mint as possible. It’s great to drink as is or when blended with peppermint. Try this sweet and well-structured herb in a cocktail, mocktail, or any other specialty beverage offering!

Shop Andrew’s Pick: Organic Spearmint

This Chinese tea-based offering is scented with fresh jasmine blossoms in a process that involves layering the tea with the flower. Then, the aroma of the blossoms is infused into the green tea leaves. After the leaves are steeped, we’re left with a pleasant, herbal profile.

All in all, Jasmine Green is super refreshing. With the warm weather approaching, this is the perfect mid-afternoon tea to clear the mind!

Shop TJ’s Pick: Jasmine Green

Undoubtedly, this Nepalese black tea we have right now is stellar. As this is our first Nepalese option since 2020, we are excited to have this on our offerings list! In the cup I get a mixed bag of notes, ranging from dried apricot and caramel to rich floral, honey, and baked apple. If you love our Golden Yunnan and are looking to add a distinct terroir to your menu, you will love this option!

Shop Mike’s Pick: Organic Nepalese Black

Tea Blends

In short, this cup of tea is perfect for summertime weather! White tea makes an excellent base for the juicy peach notes, and you can serve this blend hot or iced. Truthfully, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this refreshing brew! I find White Peach to be the perfect fruity blend when I want something milder and less intense than a hibiscus-based tea.

Shop Caitlin’s Pick: White Peach

Our Tropical Green is a clean blend of Chinese Sencha, orange, pineapple, and mango. During our tea cuppings, this blend really stood out to me. With a fruity, juicy, yet citrusy profile, this green tea-based blend is perfect for summer!

Shop Trading Assistant Stephany’s Pick: Tropical Green

This oolong blend is full of dried fruit and herbs that create a great balance between sweet and savory. While the Mao Xie Oolong and rosemary bring floral and savory components to the blend, the Lemon Myrtle and dried apples bring a candy-like sweetness to balance the cup.

Shop Evan’s Pick: Rosemary Bramble

In this offering, mango and marigold mix over a bed of Sri Lankan black tea. As a result, notes of malt and honey from the Ceylon complement the tropical flavors of the mango and marigold. This fruity cup is the perfect beverage to enjoy on a hot day!

Shop Mike’s Pick: Mango Black