u/mooch255

Roaster: Big Step Coffee

Bean Name: La Joya

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Guatemala, Huehuetenango

Roast Date: 03/12/2026

Process: Washed

Brew Method: Espresso

I sure love a good Guatemalan coffee, and the Huehuetenango region produces coffee that is equally as fun to pronounce as it is to drink. Kyle at Big Step Coffee does a great job of roasting lightly to bring out the best qualities of a coffee while keeping them approachable. The La Joya roast is one that can be considered a daily driver from his rotation. Out of the bag, I was getting milk chocolate, florals, and a mild blackberry aroma. Shot one on espresso (1:2.5 ratio in 25s) had a lighter body that seemed to want a finer grind for better extraction. The second shot (1:2.2 in 22s) surprised me with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity with fruity notes shining alongside a mellow chocolate layer. When paired with milk for a cappuccino, the flavor stayed intact and made this one an absolute winner for an easy drinking everyday roast. I love finding a coffee that is roasted lightly like this that can still be balanced and easy to drink in many forms.

As a heads up, Kyle's last roast of La Joya is expected for early June so grab a bag soon if you want to give it a try. He said that he might be getting another shipment in later in the year but that all depends on how the importer is able to source from the producer. Well worth a try (along with his washed and natural Pink Bourbon's) and helps to support small, online-based micro roasters in San Diego.

Roaster: Cafe Suavecito

Bean Name: Guatemala Acatenango

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Guatemala

Roast Date: 03/31/2026

Process: Honey

Brew Method: Espresso

Cafe Suavecito is a micro-roaster that operates on an Aillio Bullet in South Bay, San Diego. They focus primarily on light to medium-light roast profiles and source from a variety of different origins. Their goal is to make specialty coffee more accessible to those just getting started. It is great to see more roasters popping up in the South Bay as this is currently an underrepresented area for the San Diego roasting community.

I was excited to get my hands on their Guatemala Acatenango roast which appears to be roasted at a medium to medium-light level. In the bag, I was getting notes of pecan, toasted almond, and cacao on the nose. Once ground, I found it shifted a bit to lime, mango, and pecan. On espresso, I went for a 1:2 dose which was recommended by the owner Daniel. All of my shots yielded a beautiful, dark color with excellent tiger striping. There was a slight acidity with some citrus notes that was followed by a balance of nuttiness to round it all off. This one was simple, yet so smooth. I could see this being a daily driver on espresso without a doubt. Check out their site and order a bag or two!

The team behind FRINJ Coffee is kind enough to answer some questions about their work in Southern California. I was stoked to speak with their team at World of Coffee and learn more about how they are pioneering California-grown coffees. The first coffee tree was planted in 2002 and now has production spanning from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Ask them anything about California-grown coffee, Geisha, farming, processing, and what makes this origin so unique. This is an exciting opportunity to learn more about a company that is pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee.

Drop your questions below in the comments!

I had the opportunity to attend a coffee class recently at San Diego Coffee Training Institute and wanted to share my experience. SDCTI is a newer organization that is part of the Talitha Coffee brand and shares a building with the Talitha location off of Morena Blvd. They offer a variety of classes ranging from barista skills, filter and/or espresso methods, latte art, or cupping & sensory essentials. There is a modestly sized room sitting right behind the cafe that has a multitude of espresso machines, grinders, pour over equipment, and tables to properly learn everything around coffee.

Matthew was our instructor who offered a wide knowledge base from his time working in the coffee industry for many years. We started with a standard SCA cupping procedure with two different Talitha roasts. This was my first cupping experience so I was unaware of what went into the process. We spent about 30 minutes evaluating and discussing the fragrance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and more. It was fun to sit in silence and let the senses do the talking as we tasted two very different roast profiles. One thing I learned from this process was that it is not always necessary to pick apart very specific flavor notes. Rather, it is perfectly acceptable to use the "2nd layer" from the SCA flavor wheel when finding the notes in a coffee. I tend to get frustrated when I try a new coffee and can't taste the "mango" or "black tea" notes so it was nice to hear that this is something that comes with MANY years of cupping experience.

We then moved into a brief lesson on pour over methods and technique. Matt wanted to use the ceramic Kalita Wave dripper due to its ability to produce a nice, sweet cup while being rather forgiving for beginners to pour over. We worked on pouring height and technique using a 1:16 ratio with a two pour approach. It was nice to get hands-on advice on how to get the best extraction possible from a pour over method. Finally, we were able to learn some tips and tricks around milk steaming. I enjoyed using some of the higher end espresso machines to get a feel for how powerful a commercial machine can be.

If you are curious to either learn the basics around specialty coffee or level up your game as someone with experience, SDCTI likely has a course that will be of interest to you. They have some fantastic instructors and are willing to listen to your questions and help you get the most out of your experience. Check em out!

Roaster: Memli Coffee

Bean Name: Honduras Las Calaveras

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Honduras

Roast Date: 04/06/2026

Process: Washed

Brew Method: Espresso, Pour Over

My second bag from the legendary Memli Coffee out of San Marcos. Mehmet is not only a 3 time US Cup Taster's Champion, but he also happens to be one of the most meticulous roasters in the county of San Diego. I was able to snag a few bags during his recent 30% off sale and I am sure glad I did (see previous link for 20% off if interested). This bag is a Honduran washed coffee that references sweet and chocolatey tasting notes. In the bag, I was getting the milk chocolate and baking spice aromas right out front. This carried through to the ground coffee which was more intense and had even more spice notes. This was one of the stranger beans I have dialed in if we are speaking from a "normal" metrics standpoint. Here were my first 4 espresso shot metrics, all using a 10s pre-infusion and 18g dose with around a 42g output on my 078s grinder:

1: 20s with 2.5 grind setting

2: 21s with 2.0 grind setting

3: 23s with 1.5 grind setting

4: 23s with 1.2 grind setting

What is wild is that every one of these shots turned out fantastic, some of the best home espresso I have ever tasted to be honest. Even with the grind setting going finer each time, the shots seemed to continue to pull very quickly but the taste stayed consistently good. This was the finest grind setting I have ever used on my 078s as well. I would say this roast has the best balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice that I have ever tasted at home. I will continue to test finer grinds to see how the body changes, but all of the above shots had a fairly nice body and did not feel under extracted at all. There was silky sweeet milk chocolates that help into the cup with some lighter "holiday" spices on the back end. I tried one cup as a pour over using Mehmet's recommended 12g dose with 4 pours and while very different from the espresso (obviously), it held onto some complex flavor notes that was very satisfying. I am newer to pour over so it is difficult for me to compare this to other roasts, but I know that his beans are often best on pour over and want to keep experimenting in that space.

If you enjoy lighter roasted coffee and have not had the opportunity to try out some of Memli's beans, I would highly recommend doing so.

Roaster: Beaurista Coffee

Bean Name: Black Unicorn

Single Origin / Blend: Blend

Origin: Peru/Colombia

Roast Date: 03/11/2026

Process: Washed

Brew Method: Espresso

Beaurista Coffee was started by PGA Tour Pro Beau Hossler out of a fascination and obsession with specialty coffee. Beau credits his global golf travel and time spent in top cafés around the world as what sparked his passion for coffee. He also has a trailer style coffee cart located at the Del Mar Golf Center which is open daily. While Beau does not have a roasting background, he is heavily involved in every other aspect of the business.

I was able to get my hands on one of his more espresso-forward blends, the Black Unicorn. First off, I appreciate when a roaster makes sure to note their roast date for obvious reasons. It is also cool to see roasters go above and beyond here, and this is apparent with their packaging which lists the roast date on the bottom of the outer package in a unique way (see image). This one is listed as a medium roast but I would classify it closer to a medium dark by my personal standards. The whole beans have an aroma of toasted almond and cherry while the ground beans have more dark cherry and caramel. Pulled at a 1:2 ratio, the espresso shot was gooey and had a pleasant bitterness to pair with the cherry and cinnamon flavors. There was also a small citrus aftertaste which I enjoyed. I enjoyed this best paired with steamed milk as a cappuccino as it had very comforting flavors. I would likely buy this one again if I wanted something on the darker side for espresso.

Roaster: Provecho Coffee

Bean Name: Colombia Banana Co-Ferment

Single Origin / Blend: Single Origin

Origin: Colombia, Armenia, Quindio

Roast Date: 04/06/2026

Process: Honey

Brew Method: Espresso

Everyone knows Provecho at this point. The little blue beanie guy. It’s forever stuck into my brain. Genius branding that is backed up by some incredible roasting and even better people. I had the opportunity to meet the team at World of Coffee when they were pouring in the roaster village. Keep in mind that these events are absolutely packed with people and roaster village is the most hectic spot. Even so, Gerardo and Juan took the time to have a real conversation amidst the craziness of their booth. I walked away with one of the most unique macchiatos of my life, the Banana Co-Ferment. This was the first coffee I’ve tried that used banana in the fermentation process. This one tasted real, unlike many co-ferments on the market that have an artificial taste. It was like drinking banana bread in a cup but without any added sugars.

Dialing in this bean at home as espresso was easy peasy. I used a pre-infusion and pulled the shot with 19g in, 42g out around 28s per the recommendation of Gerardo at WOC. Nice and sweet, but with a little acidity that works well to drink straight up or mixed with milk. In a cappuccino, the milk makes this one shine. It’s just enough banana to not be overwhelming but still enough to feel like you are drinking something unique. It makes sense as to why their booth at the roaster village was popping off the entire conference. This one is a no brainer if you happen to come across a bag. Provecho knows what they’re doing.

This is a bit of a different take on a roast review. I had the opportunity to get my hands on two Pink Bourbon roasts from Big Step Coffee. One bag is a washed process from Eulises Guzman while the other is a natural process from Arley Vargas, both grown in Huila, Colombia. I figured I would do a side by side comparison in order to better understand differences in processing methods and how it affects tasting notes. This was quite the treat because it was the very first time I had tried any Pink Bourbon at all. I decided to brew these two varieties back to back using the Oxo Rapid Brewer. Here is what I found:

Washed:

The aroma of the whole beans was mellow, toasty, nutty, with some mild fruit smells. Once ground, I was getting much more apple and toasted nuts. In the cup, black tea was super prominent with no fermented tastes. It was rather smooth and with a lighter mouthfeel. There wasn’t as much of a lingering aftertaste.

Natural:

This one was a funky punch to the face with complex smells out of the bag. Once ground, there were boozy, fermented fruits on the nose. It had a rather intoxicating taste. Almost funky ripe banana which was complex and interesting. This one lingered on the tongue and drew me back in for more.

Both are unique and fun. Go for the natural if you want a bold punch of fruity notes that sticks around after the sip. On the other hand, the washed provide a cleaner, easier going taste that highlights one or two notes rather than a ton at once. This was a fun experiment and really helped me understand how much a natural process can affect the final aroma and cup flavors. I would highly recommend you to try this if you are curious to learn more about coffee processes.