Q: Which roast is right for me?
A: Either one is great for drip coffee makers or espresso machines. It's purely personal preference. Full City Roast is a classic, medium-bodied style that brings out the special character given our coffee by the tropical climate and volcanic soil of northwest Nicaragua. The flavor is smooth and rich from start to finish.

French Roast is a darker roast. The style is more full-bodied, and the flavor is a bit stronger. The beans are roasted to the second crack.  Unlike lesser quality french roasts, there is no bitter aftertaste with 43 Families Coffee.

Q: How does hand selection guarantee quality?
A: Although tedious, hand selection (seen on our label) is necessary to make sure that no foreign matter (twigs, leaves etc) or poor quality beans (diseased or malformed) end up in the final product. Only the human eye and human dexterity are able to make these differentiations. Hand selection is a hallmark of a true premium coffee.

Q: Why is being grown in the shade and being patio sun dried important?
A: One of the key determinants of premium quality coffee is moisture content, and it has to be maintained at just the right levels to produce maximum flavor. 43 Families Coffee comes from a single plantation where it is grown under tree-canopy shade at 1,000 meters elevation in volcanic soil. By growing it in the shade and drying it in the sun, not rushing the fermentation process which enriches flavor, 43 Families Coffee is able to deliver rich and full flavor in every cup.

By the way, the coffee is certified organic by OCIA (Organic Crop Improvement Association International, www.ocia.org). The farm is El Porvenir Finca located north-east of Leon, Nicaragua. All steps, from growing seedlings to dry processing the export-grade green beans, take place on this farm and are handled by the cooperative farmers. They are a single co-op which "owns" the growing and processing from start to finish.

Q: Do you have a decaf variety?
A: Not at this time.