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Through Counter Culture Coffee’s direct collaboration with dedicated farmers practicing the traditions of artisan coffee production, DEAN & DELUCA is proud to offer some of the world’s most exquisite, handcrafted coffees. Counter Culture searches the world to find these coffee artisans and spends an unprecedented amount of time working side by side with them to develop quality on the ground level. The results are spectacular: the most intensely delicious and authentic coffee experiences imaginable. |
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High-quality coffee “beans” are the seeds of the cherry-like fruit of Coffea Arabica, an evergreen bush indigenous to the cool, forested mountains of Ethiopia. Through centuries of trade, colonization, and migration; coffee cultivation has spread throughout the world to growing regions in other parts of Africa and Arabia, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Coffee cherries form from white, jasmine-scented flowers and mature from green to crimson along branches adorned with typically oblong leaves. When the cherries reach full ripeness, they are carefully handpicked, processed, and dried in preparation for export. |
| A fixed amount of green, or unroasted coffee, is referred to as a lot. Our quality-driven partners at Counter Culture obsess over these lots, which can range in size from a single burlap bag to enough to fill multiple shipping containers. A lot can be the product of a single farm or a blend of various producers' coffees from a particular country or region. A single farm or co-op may produce a number of lots that may vary in characteristics and qualities. Counter Culture works directly with producer partners to identify and separate the smallest, highest-quality lots they can find: small, singular lots that may represent the produce of a single tiny farm, field, or day of picking. The extraordinary freshness and quality of DEAN & DELUCA’s seasonal selection of Single-Origin coffees and Signature Blends reflect this unique focus on preserving and celebrating the special characteristics of each individual lot. Some small lots are so incredibly special that it would be tragic to mix them with other lots of even the highest quality. These lots, called Microlots, are available from time to time as extremely limited offerings. |
Our coffees are hand roasted, every day, by the artisans of Counter Culture Coffee to bring out the singular qualities of each bean. Counter Culture’s roasting philosophy is centered on the simple principle of quality stewardship from seed to cup.
We share the philosophy that the spectacular coffees cultivated by our skilled partners at origin deserve the utmost respect while under our care. Each Single-Origin coffee is lovingly roasted in a separate, small batch to bring out each bean's unique aromatics and flavors. We think you will taste the difference artisanship makes.
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Great coffee experiences begin with skilled work on the farm and the stewardship of quality through careful processing, roasting, and brewing. Coffee is one of the unique artisanal food products that requires a degree of skilled preparation just before serving. It’s not difficult by any means to brew a great cup of coffee at home, but we think a few key fundamentals are important to master. Working with fresh-roasted coffee is akin to cooking with fresh produce; start with the great ingredients, use basic techniques to showcase naturally delicious flavor, and take care to do it well. Follow that path and you will produce something astonishingly delicious.
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