Carta Coffee celebrates 2nd harvest with new light roast
One year after launching its first coffee offering, Carta Coffee Merchants expands its assortment with the release of Meridian, its lightest roast to date; a new signature Side-by-Side (SBS) Tasting Sampler featuring different roasting styles and a coffee subscription service.
Former California winemaker Scott Burr founded Kona, Hawaii-based Carta Coffee Merchants with the intention of bringing farm direct, sustainably produced, 100% Kona coffee (pure Kona beans without the addition of beans from outside the region) to more consumers across the US. Burr has championed establishing standards to ensure that coffee from Kona is just that: 100 percent Kona coffee. Currently, coffee beans stating “Kona” are legally allowed to contain as little as 10 percent beans from the region, the remainder coming from virtually anywhere else in the world.
Burr aims to appeal to even more palates and really showcase the range and quality of 100 percent Kona beans by offering lighter roasts to contrast the darker, more robust roasts which he launched with in his first year. Carta’s latest release, Meridian, leads with bright acidity with notes of citrus flowers balanced by an earthy hazelnut and chocolate finish, leaving a slightly smoky, sweet, creamy texture on the palate. 6-oz (USD $24) and 12-oz (USD $45).
Roast contrast is the theme of Carta’s latest signature Side-by-Side (SBS) Tasting Sampler, featuring the company’s Latitude Natural expression (using whole cherry drying) in both a light and dark roast, allowing customers to experience firsthand how different roasts bring out different notes and flavor profiles. Each Side-by-Side Tasting Sampler contains two 6-oz bags of coffee (USD $47). Carta’s new coffee subscription allows the purchaser to set the amount of coffee and desired frequency, from once a month to once every three months.
Inspired by Kona’s history, Burr is seeking to revitalize Kona’s reputation by experimenting and presenting customers with new approaches to coffee production, including offering side-by-side tastings of different processing styles (including whole cherry drying), special roastings, coffee aging and harvesting selections from specific growth plots. He also wants to share Kona’s story: the unique climate that makes Hawaii the only state in the US suited to grow coffee, the beautiful and challenging topography that makes harvesting by hand the only option; and the superior coffee that can be produced if the best farming practices are used.