Little Waves Coffee

Amor Prohibido is Little Waves' rotating blend of American coffees, crafted to deliver a consistently sweet, chocolate-forward profile. Notes of toffee and candied orange provide balance and complexity to this full-bodied cup. It excels in milk-based beverages, where its candy-sweet character becomes more pronounced. This is a approachable, indulgent blend designed for coffee drinkers who prize sweetness and body over origin complexity.

Andrea Scarpeta Chicue's Tabi microlot comes from Neiva, Huila at 1,400 MASL, where the Condor Huila Project supports women coffee producers with education, resources, and direct market access. The coffee was processed traditionally: selectively handpicked cherries were depulped same-day, fermented for 24–36 hours, washed clean, and slow-dried on raised beds for 10–15 days. Expect a bright, floral cup with white peach, clementine, and lily notes—clean and delicate. This lot placed third at the project's annual auction; Little Waves paid $15/lb green, supporting a producer stewarding her family's legacy while managing her health.

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From Hluhluwe on South Africa's Elephant Coast, this Coffea racemosa grows at just 120m elevation in hot, dry conditions that favor its natural pest and disease resistance. The natural process emphasizes its distinctive flavor profile: lingonberry, cinnamon, toasted pistachio, and eucalyptus notes that set it apart from conventional Arabicas. Racemosa is one of the world's rarest coffees—only 11,000 trees exist commercially—with tiny beans and low yields that make harvest and processing extraordinarily difficult, especially during South Africa's wet summer. The species ripens in just 8–12 weeks and contains only 0.75g caffeine per 100g, making this a genuinely unique, climate-adapted alternative to mainstream coffee.

From Tolima, Colombia, at 1,450 meters, this decaf comes from the Bayter family's El Vergel Estate, where Martha and her sons blend traditional methods with modern fermentation to develop fruity complexity. The caffeine removal uses sugarcane ethyl acetate extraction in circular containers—immersing the beans repeatedly until reaching 0.1% caffeine content, preserving the cup's integrity. Expect stonefruit and molasses with a nutty aftertaste, brewed as a full-bodied filter or espresso. A decade-long flagship proves the Bayters' commitment to quality decaf that doesn't compromise on taste.

Dinkinesh: Duromina hails from Agaro Gera in Jimma's Kata Muduga Cooperative Union, grown at 1,900–2,100 meters on Ethiopia Landraces. Washed processing brings clarity and brightness to this coffee, letting delicate floral aromatics of jasmine shine alongside pronounced fruit—guava, nectarine, and starfruit notes balance the coffee's beautiful acidity. The Kata Muduga Union's investment in new equipment and precision processing elevates quality across their region, making Duromina (meaning "improve their lives") a well-regarded offering that opens with vibrant layered fruit and closes clean.

A carefully balanced blend of 70% Guatemala and 30% Ethiopia—with origins rotating seasonally—that earned Little Waves Coffee recognition as a finalist in Roast Magazine's 2022 Roaster of the Year competition. The blend showcases milk chocolate, apricot, and caramel notes in a clean, medium-bodied cup suited to both espresso and filter brewing. Named after a line from Michael Ondaatje's *The English Patient*, it reflects the roaster's philosophy of presence and attentive engagement with their sourcing partners, making it both a technically sound coffee and a statement of intentional practice.

Edwin Enrique Noreña's Geisha grows at 1,800 MASL on Finca Campo Hermoso in Armenia, Quindío Department. The black honey process combines carbonic maceration with extended lactic fermentation—cherries ferment 72 hours to produce mossto, then pulped coffee ferments another 72 hours with selected lactic yeast cultures before slow parabolic drying. The result is a velvety cup with rose, hibiscus, watermelon, and lychee, built on Noreña's proven mastery of co-fermentation borrowed from wine and beer production. A competition-grade coffee that makes complex fermented flavors unmistakably clear and approachable.

From Finca Campo Hermoso in Quindio Department, Colombia, at 1,600 meters, Edwin Enrique Noreña's Bourbon Sidra undergoes Black Honey processing with carbonic maceration and lactic fermentation—techniques borrowed from wine and beer production to deliver precise, repeatable flavor expression. The cup opens with pineapple and floral aromatics, then unfolds into lavender, peach tea, mango nectar, pineapple, lychee, and yakult (the probiotic milk sweetness a direct result of the lactic fermentation). Noreña, a Q-grader and Cup of Excellence judge, has built his reputation on making specialty coffee flavors unmistakably approachable—this competition-series offering proves why.

Grown at 1,600 MASL in Armenia, Quindio Department by third-generation producer Edwin Enrique Noreña, this Sudan Rume undergoes Black Honey processing with carbonic maceration lactic fermentation and co-fermentation with Enigma hops—techniques borrowed from wine and beer production to achieve repeatable, evocative flavor expression. Expect coconut cream aromatics, piña colada and key lime pie on the nose, followed by kiwi and peach candy notes that deepen as the cup cools, revealing new layers with each sip. Noreña's meticulous fermentation mastery ensures flavors aren't just present but unmistakably detectable, making this competition-caliber coffee equally rewarding for daily drinking.

Edwin Enrique Noreña's Smoothie is a co-ferment blend from Finca Campo Hermoso in Armenia, Quindio Department, Colombia, grown at 1,600 meters elevation. Two separate fermentations—one with purple passion fruit, one with banano (a small, sweet banana)—are married together using wine-inspired techniques to emphasize layered sweetness and clarity. The cup delivers pluot, purple passion fruit, Concord grape, açaí, banana Smarties candy, cinnamon, and honeyed notes with vibrant acidity that sharpens as it cools. Noreña's reputation for fermentation mastery and repeatability makes this a coffee where the labeled flavors come through unmistakably true.

A curated box set of three coffees from Edwin Enrique Noreña's Finca Campo Hermoso in Quindío Department, Colombia, grown at 1,600–1,800 MASL. Each lot undergoes black honey processing with carbonic maceration and lactic fermentation, a technique that defines Noreña's style. The trio highlights three distinct varieties—Geisha, Sudan Rume, and Bourbon Sidra—each expressing its own character while maintaining sweetness, aromatics, complexity, and delicate nectarous body. These are competition-selected coffees that reward careful brewing; pour over at 1:14 ratio or espresso at 1:2.1.

From the Ngoma Sector of Nyaruguru District in Rwanda's Southern Province, this Red Bourbon grows at 1,700–2,000 meters elevation and is produced by the Ikizere Women collective—115 widowed women and single mothers organized by Baho Coffee founder Emmanuel Rusatira. Washed processing highlights bright acidity and floral complexity. The cup delivers peach, clover honey, pineapple cookie, and clove—a sophisticated profile that rewards light-medium roasting. Beyond the cup, this lot represents genuine equity: farmers receive 50% above national farmgate prices and annual health insurance, while the women sorted and depulped cherry together to build community and lasting friendships.

From Hacienda La Esmeralda's Cañas Verde farm in Chiriquí, Panama, at 1,700+ meters elevation—the iconic estate that introduced Geisha to the world in 2004. Washed and fermented for 96 hours in a cool room before 8 days of raised-bed drying, this processing preserves the variety's signature elegance. Expect coffee blossoms, jasmine, lemon tea, honey, peach, and golden apple—a bright, floral profile with soft citric complexity. This is a microlot from HLE's Especial Series (outside their auction releases), roasted fresh on Fridays only.

Jaguar is a carefully proportioned blend: 50% natural-processed Mexico provides juicy body with caramel, toffee, and chocolate notes; 30% washed Colombia and 20% washed Ethiopia add brightness and complexity. The natural component delivers a lush mouthfeel with cinnamon spice and fruity vibrancy, while the washed coffees contribute acidity and clarity. Roasted to taste like the sun, this is a versatile blend that shines across brewing methods—espresso, pour over, or batch brew.

From the Waghi Valley in Jiwaka Province, Papua New Guinea, this peaberry lot grows at 1,530–1,830 MASL on volcanic soils enriched by the Wara Tuman River. Fully washed at the Kindeng wet mill, it develops a clean, fruit-forward profile: caramel, green apple, pear, cinnamon, and honey. Pour-overs at 1:16.6 ratio unlock brightness and acidity; espresso at 1:2–1:2.1 balances tartness against sugar-browning depth. Beyond the cup, sourcing through Benchmark Coffee Traders supports direct investment in producer communities, including menstrual health programs and vision care initiatives across PNG's highlands.

María Deya Camacho's Pink Bourbon from Finca El Divino Niño in Acevedo, Huila, sits at 1,400 masl and represents her commitment to quality—she placed second in Colombia's Cup of Excellence in 2011. The meticulous honey process begins with a 48-hour anaerobic pre-fermentation in sealed bags, followed by careful depulping that retains partial mucilage, another 48-hour sealed fermentation, a light rinse, and 12–13 days of controlled drying. The result is a bright, complex cup with green apple, blood orange, and raspberry candy notes. This was the #1 ranked lot at the Condor Huila Graduation Auction, where Little Waves paid $20 per pound green directly to the producer—a direct investment in a woman-led operation pushing boundaries in Colombian specialty coffee.

Marigu Estate sits at 2,200 MASL in Kiambaa, Kiambu County, Kenya's Central Region, on a 120-acre Rainforest Alliance–certified farm that grows both coffee and tea. The washed process emphasizes Kenya's signature profile: ripe cherries are hand-sorted, fermented, washed, then soaked for 18–24 hours in fresh water to build clarity and structure, followed by slow two-week drying on raised African beds. Expect black currant, blueberry jam, pomegranate, and lemon frosting—a vibrant, zingy cup with exceptional clarity rare in AB-grade lots. This coffee was selected at the 2025 EXPO through Utake Coffee's Mbula Musau, a quality-control leader supporting small Kenyan farmholders outside typical multinational export channels.

Mauricio Shattah's Maragogype from Finca La Negrita in Tolima, Colombia (1,900–2,100 MASL) undergoes an 18-hour nuruk anaerobic fermentation—using a traditional Korean grain starter—followed by nitrogen flushing to eliminate excess CO₂ and prevent harsh sourness. The cherries ferment in climate-controlled darkness at 17°C, then dry for 6–8 weeks under infrared-only light. The result is a vivid, layered cup with maraschino cherry, grape gummy bears, kiwi, pineapple turnover cake, and rum notes—remarkably clear and balanced despite its experimental processing. This competition-series lot showcases how precise fermentation control and a large-bean variety unlock aromatic complexity and sweetness without the typical funkiness of aggressive anaerobes.

This blend draws inspiration from the historic Mokha Java coffee pairing, combining 50% Colombia with 50% Ethiopia—though component origins shift seasonally to maintain freshness and authenticity to the original concept. The roaster hasn't specified processing details, but the result is a full, creamy-bodied coffee with notes of peaches and cream, lemon meringue, and white chocolate. It's versatile enough for black coffee or milk-based brewing, making it a reliable everyday blend.

From the Condor Huila Project—a women-led initiative in Colombia's Huila region—this washed coffee grows at 1,500–1,900 meters elevation. The washed process brings clarity to the cup: layered notes of milk chocolate, citrus, and melon frame the primary profile of plum, blackberry, and praline with angel food cake sweetness. Little Waves selected this as both a comforting daily drinker and blend foundation, sourced directly from smallholder women producers to support visibility and market access in an industry traditionally dominated by men.

Positive Pressure is a rotating three-origin blend (40% Papua New Guinea, 30% Colombia, 30% Ethiopia) that shifts seasonally to capture the best each region offers. The blend is built for a full, creamy body with distinct flavor layers: Nutella-like richness, Madagascar vanilla sweetness, and bright cherry undertones. Versatile across espresso and filter methods, this is a well-rounded daily drinker that prioritizes balance and approachability without sacrificing character.

Royal 7 is Little Waves Coffee's inaugural dark roast, a blend of American coffees developed to highlight dark chocolate, molasses, and nutty characteristics with a full mouthfeel. Named in honor of the seven young activists who led the first sit-in at Durham's Royal Ice Cream Parlor in 1960, this coffee connects to a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Each bag supports Feed Durham, a mutual aid collective nourishing the local Black community through grassroots food programs. It's a coffee that delivers classic dark roast comfort while funding meaningful community work.

St. Al's pairs equal parts Peruvian and Colombian coffees to build a full-bodied, low-acid profile ideal for cold brewing. The blend's chocolate-forward character and rich mouthfeel shine when steeped slowly—Little Waves recommends a Toddy Brewer to unlock its depth. This is whole bean coffee designed for at-home cold brewing, not a ready-made concentrate. Note that component origins rotate seasonally, so flavor nuances may shift.

José Julián Giraldo's Río Dulce Geisha grows at 2,050 MASL on Finca Las Marias in Pijao, Quindío, on Colombia's Eastern Andes. The washed process is unusually controlled: hand-picked ripe cherry ferments in a refrigerated room, then pulps and rests again before a multi-tier drying protocol that moves the coffee from sun-exposed beds to shade, followed by hermetically sealed fermentation and final slow drying to 10.5% moisture. The result is delicate and bright—candied lemon, papaya, dried mango, white florals, and tea-like clarity. This is the culmination of José's decade-long Geisha selection work and his studied approach to pH, temperature, and cherry ripeness, making it a standout expression of varietal and process precision.

Ternura is a seasonal Colombian blend designed to evoke comfort and nostalgia. The composition shifts with the harvest, but always centers on Colombian coffee's natural sweetness. Notes of strawberry jam, waffle cone, and chocolate cake create a full-bodied, syrupy cup that shines with milk. This is coffee built for indulgence—perfect for espresso or filter brewing.

Tierra de Mi Padre celebrates two women's producer groups in El Malinal, Cofradia de Chocolon, Nayarit, Mexico, grown at 900 meters elevation. The natural process brings out vibrant pear, raspberry, and green grape alongside hazelnut—bright and complex. A multi-varietal blend (Typica, Sarchimor, Mundo Novo, Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Costa Rica) that rewards clarity in pourovers or acidity-forward espresso pulls. This lot represents the direct impact of roaster-producer relationships: the second group organized specifically after seeing the first women's lot succeed in specialty markets.

From La Yerba in Nayarit, Mexico—a region with deep personal significance to Little Waves' owner—this naturally processed coffee grows at 1,025 meters and is produced by the women of Grupo Terruño Nayarita. The natural process brings vibrant fruit forward: green apple and strawberry streusel on the nose, red grape and macadamia in the finish. A multi-varietal blend (Sarchimor, Bourbon, Catuai, Mundo Novo, Caturra, Typica) that brews clean and sweet as a pourover, or punchy with acidity as espresso. Seven years of direct relationship and 100% traceability make this a coffee rooted in community and ancestral connection.