This coffee is a single-origin Chiroso variety from Finca Santa Marta in Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia. Grown at an altitude of 1850 meters, the cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, depulped, and fermented in tile tanks for three days before being washed and dried for 8-12 days. The cup profile is clean and delicate, featuring vibrant notes of kiwi, melon, and tropical fruits, which evolve into riper flavors of watermelon and papaya as the coffee cools.
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.
