subscription coffee, march 2025

Blue Bottle is a specialty coffee company that takes great taste seriously.

Founded in Oakland, California, over two decades ago, Blue Bottle Coffee has grown into a global brand with cafés across the U.S. and throughout Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. They roast to order at their roasteries worldwide, carefully cupping each batch to ensure quality after every single roast. Their coffee is highly traceable, often sourced from a select group of producers they’ve worked with for an average of five years or more. Committed to quality, they pay a premium for their coffee—always at least Fair Trade prices, but often much higher.

At the heart of everything they do is a dedication to sharing coffee exactly as they see it—from seed to cup.

First Espresso

Origin: Ethiopia, Kenya and Brazil
Producer: Fazenda Selva Café , METAD and Handege Factory
Elevation: 400 – 2300 masl
Process: Natural, Washed, and Anaerobic
Variety: R15, Ethiopian Landrace, SL-28, SL-34, Batian and Ruiru 11
Tasting Notes: Dark Chocolate, Toasted Walnut and Black Cherry
Description: This lustrous and enduring blend draws inspiration from the dawn of the espresso age — when the novel drink’s brooding alchemy of coffee, water, and pressure fueled cultural revolutions from London to San Francisco. Blue Bottle honors the heritage of this legendary brew with a recipe rooted in the often-maligned Robusta variety (50% of this blend). Its bold, fruity profile and massive body are at once nostalgic and distinctly modern.

Brewing Recipe
Dose: 20g
Time: 28-38 seconds
Yield: 22g
Temperature: 200 F
Pressure: 9 bars

Hayes Valley Espresso

Origin: Colombia and Guatemala
Producer: Smallholders in Bilbao, Tolima; and the La Voz Co-operative in San Pedro la Laguna
Elevation: 1400-1900 masl
Process: Washed
Variety: Caturra, Castillo, Colombia, Bourbon and Typica
Tasting Notes: Baking Chocolate, Orange Zest and Brown Sugar
Description: Named after the San Francisco neighborhood that housed the first brick-and-mortar location of Blue Bottle Coffee, Hayes Valley is an incredibly versatile espresso, served globally in their cafes. Each luxurious shot has whispers of orange and chocolate-laden bass notes, with a full mouthfeel and voluptuous crema.

Brewing Recipe
Dose: 20g
Time: 28-38 seconds
Yield: 22g
Temperature: 200 F
Pressure: 9 bars

“For those of us raised with the idea that coffee is a dark powder that comes in a can,
it’s easy to forget that coffee actually comes from a fruit that grows on trees.”

James Freeman
Founder, Blue Bottle Coffee