July Add-Ons

$17.50

Coffee

Base Coat Vinka A/B Set (2×60g) Terraform La Esmeralda Set (1 of each) April Esmeralda Geisha (60g) April Esmeralda Geisha (30g) Terraform Highborn (100g) Terraform Highborn (60g) Terraform Faysel Abdosh (100g) Terraform Faysel Abdosh (60g)

This month, we're having two roasters as add-on-only: Terraform and Base Coat. The other roasters will also have a main feature.

Terraform (Shanghai): La Esmeralda Special Set — 4 Geishas

We had Terraform in January and the Gato Grande Lot 10 add-on we featured is still my favorite washed geisha I've ever had. Usually Bryan and I restrain ourselves and do not order any extra bags aside from what we feature plus add-ons but with Terraform, we just couldn't. And truth be told, every single bag we ordered was fantastic.

This add-on consists of four Hacienda La Esmeralda Geishas in one set, a single 16g dose of each lot in its original packaging from Terraform.

Coronado 3FB (Cold-Fermented Washed): Lemon, Green tea, Bergamot, Blueberry

Lino 4ANB (Anaerobic Natural): Grapes, Champagne, Pineapple, Passion fruit

Noria 3ANB (Anaerobic Natural): Muscat grapes, strawberry, White wine, Berries

Mario 3BANC (Low-Temp Anaerobic Natural): Grape juice, Dried mango, Chocolate, Muscat grapes

April (Copenhagen): La Esmeralda Washed Geisha (Lino)

Two Esmeralda add-ons in the same drop? Yes please! Bryan was so excited when he saw this release he almost placed a personal order just to make sure he got some. It's no secret we love April's roasting style and if you had the El Socorro add-on back in December, you'll know it shines with geishas. This will be particularly fun to compare with the Terraform lots.

Lino 7FC (Washed): Jasmine, Peach, Passion Fruit

60g in our packaging - $45
30g in our packaging - $24

Base Coat: Vinka Lab Sidra Mosto A/B Set

Our first-ever collab with Aidan aka Base Coat. It's been a joy watching Base Coat take off, and this one feels extra special since Aidan's been part of the TBA community for so long.

Base Coat's main feature is coming later this year. We've got one picked, and there's a good story behind it — but it's still at origin, so you'll need a little patience. Good things come to those who wait...

A Tale of Two Sidras

We found Vinka through Armando at Blank Space, a roaster whose sourcing consistently impresses us. He'd roasted and recommended a lactic natural Sidra that stopped us in our tracks — so we shared it with the community, and Aidan was one of many who grabbed a bag.

Turns out he loved it enough to take it further. We later learned he roasts under Base Coat, and rather than just praising the coffee, he went and sourced his own Vinka lots — roasting them with education in mind.

The result is a comparison set built for tasting: same variety, different processing. Two takes on the same Sidra, side by side, so you can taste exactly what processing does to a cup.

This is aligned to one of TBA's mission — discovering through tasting, comparing the variables that shape a coffee firsthand.

One lot was fermented with Mosto (crushed coffee-cherry juice); the other was fermented without.

Mosto: Grape, Raspberry Sorbet, Cider, Rooibos
72hr: Orgeat, Panela, Whipped Cream, Buttery

2×60g with Base Coat's original labels

Terraform (Shanghai): Ethiopian Selection

It feels like it's been the year of SL9s and Ethiopians so far. And somehow there's magic in the air when Ethiopian coffees get roasted in Shanghai (looking at you, Big Sur!). While Big Sur is definitely in the ultra-light category (which makes it incredible to some and harder to brew to others), Terraform sits in our personal sweet spot: very light but not difficult to brew. We picked one washed and one anaerobic natural out of their offering to share with you.

Highborn Heirloom

Grown in Guji at 2,400+ masl by Oboleyan Coffee
72h Anaerobic Natural
Strawberry Jam, Blueberries, Kiwi

100g original bag - $19.50
60g in our packaging - $13

Ethiopia Faysel Abdosh Heirloom

Also grown in Guji at 2,400+ mass by Faysel Abdosh
Washed
Jasmine, Green Grapes, White Apricot, Green Tea

100g original bag - $15
60g in our packaging - $10

About Add-Ons

Our add-ons are offerings that are harder to come by in the US and that are coffees that we would usually add on ourselves when placing our monthly orders. Add-ons will come with the same brew card and recipe as everything else.