Black & White Coffee Roasters

Black & White's annual birthday blend draws from six producers across Colombia and Ethiopia, each contributing distinct flavor layers. A co-fermented lychee-peach lot from Diego Bermudez anchors the base, while lots from Néstor Lasso, Paola Trujillo, and Sebastián Ramírez amplify fruit notes; Huver Castillo's floral lot and a washed Ethiopian add balance and brightness. The result is fruit-forward yet clean—lychee, peach, watermelon, and florals hitting at once—engineered to evoke nostalgia for 90s fruit drinks and candy. It's a sense-memory coffee designed to taste like coming home.

Diego Horta grows this Caturra and Castillo blend at 1,700 meters in Santa Maria, Huila, Colombia, on his farm El Rincón. After harvest, cherries are sent to La Palma y El Tucán for 190 hours of anaerobic fermentation in GrainPro bags, followed by mechanical drying and sun-finishing. The cup delivers pronounced red fruit—black cherries and grape-like notes—balanced with boozy sweetness reminiscent of cherry cordial, smooth marzipan body, and citrus-spice layers that conjure spiced orange. It finishes with craft chocolate character. Equation Coffee's partnership with Diego through their Neighbors & Crops program brings together a pioneering anaerobic processor and a grower invested in this method's potential.

Arbegona in Sidama sits among Ethiopia's highest coffee elevations (2150–2300 masl), where slower ripening builds complexity. This coffee blends two lots from the Duwancho washing station: 60% anaerobic honey (36 hours underwater fermentation, mucilage-retained drying) and 40% washed (fermented, rinsed, clean). The cup opens bright and lightly floral, shifts to structured stone fruit and subtle fermented notes, and drinks clean with enough funk to reward different brewing approaches—think peach iced tea meeting raspberry lemonade with wine-like structure.

Edinson Argote's La Quebradita farm sits at 1,850 meters on Colombia's Central Mountain Range in Timaná, Huila—a hub for processing innovation. The blend pairs an advanced natural Chiroso (fermented with proprietary beer wine yeast in stainless steel tanks) with a washed Maragesha (subjected to three rounds of fermentation, including anaerobic and yeast-inoculated stages, then shocked with cold water). The result is a super-sweet, enthusiastically fruity coffee that balances red fruit energy from the Chiroso with florality from the Maragesha, landing on notes of cherry blossom, lime zest, red slushee, and pineapple. This is a summer-ready blend that showcases Argote's commitment to replicable, sensory-forward specialty coffee.

Elida Estate, founded in 1918 and now in its fourth generation under the Lamastus family, sits in Boquete's southernmost coffee region within Baru Volcano National Park at 1,670–1,950 m. The volcanic soil and extended ripening from the region's pronounced wet/dry seasons create ideal conditions for this Geisha lot. After handpicking at peak ripeness, cherries are pulped, undergo short underwater fermentation, thoroughly rinsed, and dried on raised beds. The cup opens with magnolia florals and orchard fruits with an oolong-like finish; as it cools, tropical fruits (mango, lychee), stone fruits (white peach, cherry), and tartaric acidity emerge, maintaining tea-like structure throughout. A vibrant, structured expression of Panama's most celebrated coffee terroir.

From Finca El Paraíso in Piendamó, Cauca at 1,900 meters, this Castillo lot showcases the thermal shock method pioneered by Diego Bermudez and refined by his brother Daniel. The process—ozone cleaning, pulping, fermenting the biomass with specific yeasts to extract tropical aromatics, then pressurizing the coffee seeds with that fermented material while cycling temperatures sharply—slowly opens cellular compounds to absorb the fermented flavors before sealing them in. The result is a fruit-forward but clean cup with lychee gummy bear sweetness, white floral aromatics, black tea body, and supporting notes of pineapple, peach, tart cherry, and kiwi—tropical complexity without boozy ferment funk.

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Jhonatan Gasca's Pacamara grows at 1,750 meters in Bruselas, Huila, Colombia, on his farm Zarza. The coffee undergoes a hybrid process: 48 hours of oxidation in open bags, 150 hours of anaerobic fermentation to intensify fruit flavors, then a thermal shock finish—alternating hot and cold water to quench the cherries and lock in complexity—before two weeks of careful drying. The cup bridges naturally processed and washed coffees, delivering floral cherry blossom and peach iced tea with red fruit undertones of raspberry and craft chocolate, clean and refined rather than funky. This is Gasca's statement lot, a product of years of experimentation and resilience in processing innovation.

From Acevedo, Huila at 1,750 meters, this coffee is the result of a community-focused project by three young producers—Nestor and Adrian Lasso, plus Jhoan Vergara—who buy cherry from multiple local farmers and process everything together at their wet mill, El Diviso. The washed process includes brief aerobic fermentation, thorough rinsing, and raised-bed drying, yielding a clean, balanced profile. Expect sweet citrus, red stone fruit, and milk chocolate in every cup. This is a straightforward, well-executed Colombian that proves specialty coffee can elevate entire farming communities.

From Acevedo, Huila at 1,670 meters, this Pink Bourbon comes from Three Coffee Farmers, founded by Marlon Bolaños at just 21 years old. The coffee undergoes dual anaerobic fermentation—48 hours in sealed tanks pre-pulp, then 48 hours in mucilage—before 20 days of sun drying. The result is remarkably clean and vibrant with oolong tea character, tea rose aromatics, panela sugar sweetness, and a pronounced pineapple note that lingers. This is thoughtful processing from a young producer already competing at championship level.

Sebastián Ramírez, a master of advanced fermentation at Finca El Placer in Quindío, Colombia (1700–1800 masl), created this decaf by co-fermenting whole cherries with wine yeast, dehydrated strawberries, and fruit glucose for 120 hours, then post-pulp fermenting with CO2 injection for 72 hours before controlled drying. The co-fermented lot was blended with a traditional washed coffee and decaffeinated via ethyl acetate extraction (preserving 95–97% flavor while removing caffeine). The result balances Ramírez's signature funky fruit intensity with approachable smoothness: strawberry jam, chocolate cherries, dulce de leche, and milk chocolate in one sip. This is decaf that tastes as thoughtfully made as the original.

From Huila, Colombia at 1,800 masl, this decaf employs the sugarcane (EA) process, where green coffee is decaffeinated in-country before export. This vertical integration keeps the coffee fresher and eliminates costly cross-border logistics. The sugarcane method preserves flavor complexity better than traditional decaf techniques, yielding caramel and milk chocolate notes with genuine balance. It's a specialty-grade decaf that doesn't compromise on taste—proof that decaffeination and quality aren't mutually exclusive.

The Classic is a year-round blend combining washed coffees from Colombia's Las Nubes (1600–2000 masl) and Ethiopia's Aricha, designed to evoke the comfort and nostalgia of a traditional breakfast coffee. Both lots are washed-processed, contributing brightness and clarity to the cup. Expect caramelized sugars, subtle stone fruits, milk chocolate, and balanced acidity—a rounded, approachable profile that shines with cream and sugar.

The Future is a five-origin Colombian blend built around anaerobic co-fermentation and experimental processing techniques. It combines coffees from Quindío and Huila—including two co-ferments for vanilla sweetness, a natural for red fruit depth, a thermal shock wash for brightness, and an experimental lot for strawberry intensity. The cup delivers immediate cake-like sweetness, vibrant strawberry notes with lemon-zest acidity, and a smooth, creamy body reminiscent of whipped cream. This is a showcase of intentional processing craft designed to evoke summer nostalgia through flavor.

The Natural is B&W's flagship blend, combining naturally processed coffees from China and Ethiopia that shift seasonally. The blend showcases red fruits—raspberries, cherries, and dark berries—layered with chocolate notes and a balanced to vibrant acidity. Natural processing brings the fruit-forward character that makes this an ideal entry point into specialty coffee, while the seasonal variation reflects the roaster's commitment to working with what's available. This medium-dark roast offers approachable complexity without sacrificing the brightness that defines quality natural coffees.

The New School pairs West Arsi washed Ethiopian coffee (80%) with a Colombian co-fermented red fruit lot (20%) to bridge two opposing coffee philosophies: clean, approachable classics and adventurous, funky fermentation experiments. The washed Ethiopian foundation from smallholders in Riripa delivers vibrant, fruit-forward clarity, while Sebastián Ramirez's co-fermented Castillo contributes dynamic complexity. Expect strawberry jam, canned pineapple, and milk chocolate in a cup that's simultaneously balanced and striking, traditional and innovative. This is a seasonal blend designed to prove you can have both refinement and experimentation in the same coffee.

The Original celebrates Ethiopia's foundational role in coffee history, sourcing washed Aricha beans from 1,900–2,200 meters elevation. The washed process highlights the coffee's natural delicacy and brightness. Expect delicate florals, citrus, and honey with balanced, light acidity and a tea-like body—a deliberate lighter roast that lets the coffee's subtle character shine through.

The Traditional is a dark roast from Las Nubes, Colombia, processed via washed method. Black & White's darkest offering balances the deep, approachable flavors dark roast drinkers expect—dark chocolate, cherry, marzipan—with the origin's inherent characteristics. It's crafted for those ready to upgrade from grocery-store dark roasts to specialty-grade coffee, proving that bold roasting and terroir expression needn't be mutually exclusive.

This two-origin blend pairs a natural-processed Ethiopian coffee from Sidama's Bare region with an anaerobic natural from Santa Maria, Huila, Colombia. The roasters crafted it to revive the big, fruity Ethiopian profile that co-owner Jeanne Luther (of Sola Coffee in Raleigh) cherished—a flavor increasingly rare in modern lots. Expect a smooth, chocolatey berry bomb with distinct notes of blueberries, strawberry candy, and milk chocolate. Proceeds support ALS research in honor of Luther's memory and her impact on the local coffee community.