This coffee is produced by the Burbano brothers at their farm, El Quebradon, located in San Agustin, Colombia, at an altitude of 1950 meters. This specific lot consists of the Gesha variety. The cherries undergo an overnight fermentation in a wooden hopper, followed by depulping and a 72-hour wet fermentation. After rinsing, the beans are dried on raised beds for 21-29 days. The cup profile is floral and elegant, featuring notes of lemon chamomile tea, elderflower, peach, and honey, with a viscous body.
Rebecca Grossman and Lucas Smith founded Ilse in 2019, starting with a thousand dollars and a rented roaster in Stamford before building out their own facility in a converted mechanic's garage in North Canaan. The approach is quality-driven: light roasts, single-producer microlots, and a commitment to buying entire harvests from the same farms year after year, some relationships now stretch back to the beginning. Pricing is transparent; each bag lists what the producer was paid, the FOB price, and Ilse's cost. Sourcing focuses on Central and South America and East Africa, with Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, and Ethiopia appearing regularly.
