Hopper's Pond: From Stage to Cafe

As we continue to draw inspiration for our signature menu from a large scope, events like the United States Barista Championship present us with so much creative opportunity. With the USBC wrapping up last month, our community is digesting this year’s competitors, their routines, and their coffee selections. This year, our Quality Control Specialist, Reily Pond, competed with a Java variety from Juliana Guevara out of Huila, Colombia. With Hopper's Pond, our newest signature drink release launched July 14, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to capture the flavor profile of our competition coffee selection this season.

The Java variety, cultivated from an Ethiopian Landrace known for its high yield potential, thrives at particularly high elevations in starkly cool nights. This contrast develops a richly sweet and juicy variety which is rising in popularity in recent years. After establishing a partnership with Juliana Guevara and her husband Wbeimar Lasso in 2024 with the purchase of this Java variety, we were introduced to what a powerhouse of a production duo these two are. Ensuring organic practices and attention to detail in every step during the processing of their green coffee, these two allow for an exceptionally clear expression of the terroir this variety can highlight. This year, and throughout competition preparation, we tasted a lot of crisp kiwi, sweet lychee, and bright citrus, all with smooth florals throughout the experience. Because of this syrupy, rich, and clear expression, Reily felt comfortable bringing this coffee to the competition stage to represent this producer and our roast.

When designing her signature drink for competition, Reily wanted to focus on the tropical flavors and floral aroma she experienced. To bring this to the stage, Reily crafted an all-in-one experience of kiwi puree, tangerine, lychee, and dragonfruit juices. All of these ingredients were then clarified using whole milk (more Information about milk clarification) to gain a creamy texture and clarity in the final drink. Espresso was then added to this, and all was charged with nitrogen for the final fluffy texture. When the drink was served on stage, there was a moment of a full vessel, but then the liquid transformed into tightly formed bubbles which, when popped, emitted a sweetly floral aroma to complement the following punch of tangy orange flavor. This created a clear beginning, middle, and end to the drink she served on stage, and allowed her to represent the flavor experience she found in the espresso itself. After the

initial floral experience, you got more of the smooth dragonfruit and lychee flavor, leaving the impact of kiwi sweetness prominent at the end.

Since this drink so clearly represents Juliana Guevara's Java variety and the terroir it expresses, we wanted to capture the same essence in the drink we are serving in the cafes. Due to the temporary nature of the drink experience on the competition stage, we aimed to lengthen the life span of the beverage by separating the components. The base follows the same clarification process with the kiwi puree, tangerine juice, and espresso, providing a crisp and fruity base for a sweet lychee and dragonfruit foam. Together these components express the same complex and bright nature of Reily's selected coffee that she did on stage, but the drink itself lasts for long enough to sit and savor the experience in the cafe setting, truly bringing us full circle from the competition stage to the cafe. Crafting a competition level beverage for cafe consumption allows our guests to get a clear view of what is inspiring the industry at large, and lets them in on the fun we find in it.

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