After cupping dozens of varietals from all over the world,  we are pleased to introduce our 2017 limited edition Mono Origine coffee from Rwanda. Grown in Rwanda’s northern province of Gekenke by the Rwanda Hingakawa Women’s Association, the Caffè Umbria team was inspired by both the flavor of the coffee and the hardworking women who produce it. We shared the story  of the growers and the region earlier this month, if you missed it.  Rwandan coffee is known for possessing a balance of bright and creamy notes, floral aromas and a medium acidity. This light roast perfectly embodies those characteristics,...

In honor of Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day (March 8) we’re featuring the producers of our soon-to-be-released Single Origin coffee. Grown in the northern province of Gekenke, the Rwanda Hingawkawa is a premium lot grown by a group of women who have organized themselves as the Hingawkawa Women’s Association. In Kinyarwanda, Hingakawa means “let’s grow coffee”.   The Hingakawa Women's Association is part of the Abakundakawa Cooperative, a fair-trade farmers group whose name translates to “those who love coffee”, and produces some of the finest coffees in Rwanda. Established by 180 members in 2004, it has grown to almost...

    Last fall we introduced our limited edition single origin (mono origine) coffee: the Sumatra Boru Batak from the southern shores of Lake Toba, Indonesia. It's our feature coffee for January, and if you haven't tried it yet, now is the time; our supply of this delightfully complex coffee is nearly gone. What makes mono origine coffee so special? In a word, traceability. Single origin beans generally come from one farm (or co-op) in a particular region. It's flavor is directly influenced by the environmental factors in that region: elevation, soil content, micro-climate, harvest and processing methods. The same coffee can...

  The roots of this collaboration date back to the early days when Caffè Umbria and Georgetown Brewing had addresses on Airport Way in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. Every Friday we would trade a few bags of our blends for growlers of their beers, a win-win by anyone’s standards. Slowly, a plan began to emerge to create a light bodied, crisp, drinkable cream ale infused with cold brewed Gusto Crema Blend. After sampling a number of coffee beers, we realized that most had a heavy body and did not feature the coffee well. We then mapped out a plan to create...