Uganda "Alpha" Commercial Grade Coffee

* Limit 1 lb per customer.

There's a lot we can learn from Project Alpha coffee. While "specialty grade" coffee we sell is prepared to a "zero primary defect" standard, Alpha is called R-400 because it has a minimum of 400 defects in 300 grams of coffee! Alpha is made up of wet-process Uganda arabica beans that are culled out during the processing and milling stages. It is sold only in full bulk containers to large commercial roasters who package and sell as pre-ground, instant or ready-to-drink coffee beverages. That is until now! We're offering small amounts of Alpha R-400 so that others can learn what's on the other side of the specialty coffee coin, offering a more holistic view of coffee's full range of quality. We found it fascinating to consider in visual context, and were surprised to find that it's actually quite interesting to taste too! Keep in mind that just because there's a lot going on in the cup, these aren't necessarily flavors we consider "desirable" in coffee. It's a coffee everyone should experience, but maybe not the one you'd reach for to drink. We have an article and video on how Project Alpha came to be in our Coffee Library.

Roasted to Full City, the coffee smells of savory notes when ground, roasted nuts and grains, murky cocoa, and burnt Tamari. Pouring water on the grinds at first pulls out caramelized sweet accents, though quickly overshadowed by pungent earth notes when breaking the crust, potting soil and something like wet driftwood. The cup shares some features found in Robusta, intensely bitter, with layers of toasted grain and umami notes. However, it's a touch sweeter than Robusta, and has a lot more going on in the cup. There's some molasses up front along with dark caramelized hints, that lead into interesting spice and herbal accents, and a brothy Pho-like flavor starts to take shape. The cup really stretched our mental library of flavor references (especially for coffee!), touching on vegatal notes like artichoke and cooked broccoli, earthy raw cacao pods, whole spices, and a smokey chicory note that brought to mind New Orleans-style coffee. Good or bad, this is a complex tasting experience! For roasting, stick to City+ or darker, and expect oils on the surface after a few days rest no matter the roast level. (Alpha has a lot of lower density coffee, so it makes sense). We also noted a lower crack count, but it was audible in all our roast tests.