Prodigal Coffee

Boulder Blend is a rotating blend crafted from Prodigal Coffee's headline single-origins, combining washed coffees with natural and honey-processed lots to achieve ripe, fruity character alongside clean, juicy qualities. The roaster intentionally shifts components week to week based on what's available, ensuring consistent flavor profile—always fruity, bright, and balanced—rather than a fixed recipe. This is an everyday coffee designed for filter brewing, reliable enough to reach for daily without sacrifice of complexity or distinction.

Chelbesa One comes from Gedeb, Ethiopia's high-altitude coffee region, where approximately 1,000 farmers on 2–3 hectare plots deliver cherry to the Chelbesa washing station, managed by SNAP Specialty Coffee. The coffee is washed using a meticulous method: floated to remove defects, pulped, dry fermented for two to three days, then washed and dried over 7–10 days with frequent rotation. The tasting profile leads with apricot, grape, and black tea, with secondary notes of mandarin orange, pomegranate, pineapple, and lemon depending on the tasting. This is a standout washed Ethiopian that delivers genuine complexity and origin expression.

Chelbesa One comes from Gedeb, Ethiopia, where approximately 1,000 small-plot farmers deliver cherry to the Chelbesa washing station, managed by SNAP Specialty Coffee. The washed process involves floating to remove defects, pulping, a two- to three-day dry fermentation, washing, and 7–10 days of drying with frequent rotation. The cup opens with apricot, grape, and black tea, with secondary notes of mandarin orange, pomegranate, pineapple, and lemon depending on the tasting. Roasted slightly darker than the filter version, it pulls excellent straight shots and Americanos.

Las Acacias is a 2-hectare farm in Santa Bárbara, Honduras, planted with Pacas, SL-28, and Geisha varieties. The winning lot underwent a single 72-hour anaerobic fermentation in a custom cold room, followed by depulping, washing, and 18 days of solar drying with hand-sorting. Clean and bright, it delivers mango and cotton candy sweetness with a citrusy finish—a testament to producer Evin Joel Reyes' rapid rise from vegetable farming to Cup of Excellence champion.

Gitare AB hails from Kiambu, Kenya, where Gitare Coffee Factory partners with 1000 farmers through Kimaratia Farmer's Co-Op. The washed process uses water from Theta River, with cherries pulped, overnight-rested, and dried on tables after traditional Kenyan soaking. Expect ripe peach, cranberry, and red wine notes backed by the signature Kenyan body and complexity that defines the region.

Goro hails from the Guji region of Ethiopia, sourced from Habtamu Fekadu Aga's Goro washing station. The lot was processed with precision: pulped to leave roughly 10% mucilage on the seed, fermented for 24 hours, hand-washed, and shade-dried with regular stirring and defect sorting. The cup delivers classic Ethiopian character—florals, bright citrus, stone fruit, and a whisper of anise spice—in a balanced, approachable profile designed for all-day drinking without palate fatigue.

Prodigal's iced coffee is an ever-rotating blend built from coffees currently on their menu. Right now it's anchored by a new-crop Burundi offering. Roasted to an omni profile—lighter than their espresso, darker than their filter roast—it's engineered specifically for cold brew or iced service, where the roast level balances sweetness and body. The frequent rotation means each batch brings different tasting notes, but consistency in roast approach ensures reliability for iced preparation.

Juan Pablo Zapata grows this Chiroso variety on his 20-hectare farm in Urrao, Colombia at 2,100 meters elevation, where banana shade trees help the coffee thrive. The coffee uses the "Cochadas" method—cherries harvested daily are added to a continuous fermentation pile, creating varying fermentation lengths (barely-fermented to 4–5 days) that build complexity. After fermentation, it's washed and dried in a marquesina for 10–15 days. The result is a coffee with distinct peach and raspberry character, raisin depth, and a tropical fruit finish—a standout first offering from this new producer relationship.

Kivanga Estate is a 75-hectare single-origin operation in Emba, Kenya, sitting at 1,750 meters elevation—unusual in that Kenya typically trades in large co-op lots. Managed by Morris Njagi, the estate operates its own washing station and processes its own coffee. Cherries were hand-picked at peak ripeness, sorted, floated, and pulped before aerobic fermentation in open tanks, followed by washing and 14–21 days of drying on raised beds. The cup delivers super-ripe blackberry and cranberry with that signature Kenyan brightness and body, distinguished further by a clean SL-28 & SL-34 varietal split. This is a limited lot built on terroir and meticulous processing—a standout for the season.

Prodigal's signature Milk Blend anchors on a clean, soft Colombian caturra caturra and rotates a secondary component to add complexity and interest. The blend is specifically optimized for espresso milk drinks—cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites—where the caturra's gentle body and sweetness anchor the cup while the variable second origin adds brightness or depth. The rotating secondary keeps this blend fresh and dynamic for regulars; check the roast date and tasting notes for what's currently in the mix.

Patricio Navarro's Lempira, Honduras coffee placed 2nd in the COE Traditional category, secured through direct sourcing via Angel Arturo Paz. Hand-harvested cherries underwent an extended semi-washed process: three-day fermentation in sealed bags, pulping, three more days of bag fermentation, four thorough washes, and 18 days of drying on raised beds. Despite the wet-mill intensity, the cup emerges immaculately clean with ripe apricot, green grape, and melon. This is a coffee worth grabbing before the July COE auction, backed by verifiable competition results and precise processing craft.

Santa Helena is a family farm in Huila, Colombia, cultivating chiroso and other single-origin varieties across 11 hectares. The washed process—48-hour fermentation after depulping, followed by 20–25 days of parabolic drier drying—delivers a super clean cup with red plum, orange, and raisin character balanced by unexpected depth. This is a new-to-Prodigal origin developed in partnership with InConexus, reflecting the farm's commitment to improved practices. A gem worth trying.