Curated/Reviewed by Matthew A. McIntosh
Public Historian
Brewminate
Overview
This week I review and impart information about Ruby Colorful Coffees based in Wisconsin. I tried two of their blends and couldn’t have been more pleased.
They are based in the small town of Nelsonville. Literally the definition of “small town” with a population of 200 – yes, two HUNDRED. They are situated on an acre of land.
Sourcing the Coffee
The company really goes the extra distance with involved excursions to the point of origin of the beans they use from producers in places such as Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. From their site:
Our approach to sourcing is based on some key principles: quality, sustainability, transparency, passion, collaboration, long term relationships. We work together with coffee producers, exporters, and importer partners to achieve responsible sourcing with an eye to the future.
We believe a successful, sustainable supply chain relies on a personal connection to the coffees and an understanding of the specific and unique challenges coffee producers face. These factors are always growing and changing.
The Roast
A bean is only as good as the roast, and the experience of those doing it. They reference their method as focusing on “harmony”, bringing together the best beans with the best degree of roasting for each blend they make. They say:
We roast our coffees to a classic medium degree in a way that is intended to balance the unique and distinct flavors of each offering with the dynamic, sweet flavors developed during the roasting process. Our goal is to create roasts that make for easy, consistently tasty results for our customers.
Our brightest coffees will generally be from Africa, while our most syrupy and rich will be from Latin America or specifically our Creamery blend.
‘Colorful’ for the Environment
Again, they say it best:
Each of our coffees is carefully and specifically chosen to represent a glimpse of microclimate, micro-region, and a vignette into a moment in time.
We like our coffees with a little flair and we are proud to celebrate the broad range of beautiful, colorful flavor coffee can have. We focusing on celebrating the unique, exciting qualities of each offering.
Our coffees change seasonally based on the harvest cycle of the countries we work in.
Verdict
This coffee, while not my “go-to” in the pantry, has found a permanent home there. They offer a number of blends in addition to their seasonal grinds.
I prefer the Colombia Los Guarachos and Ethiopia Benti Nenka. The Colombian blend has a sweetness to it, which they ascribe to a single fermentation leaving residual pulp and the use of less water. Flower roots are used in the washing to enhance the sweetness.
The Ethiopia blend also has a sweet, flowery taste. Like my beloved Yirgacheffe, this bean is grown at very high elevations and the result is a strength I prefer.
I highly recommend giving this a try to something different to add to your coffee repertoire. The coffee is pleasing and well-priced. They offer whole bean, ground drip/pour over/immersion, ground for espresso, and ground for cold brew options to make the work on your end as small as possible. You just get the bean (or the grind) and do your thing!