I have a very clear memory in my head of how I first came across Chris Baca, one of the three founders of Californian coffee roasters Cat & Cloud. The year is 2017 and I’m in Los Angeles visiting some friends who lived in a gorgeous loft in Downtown Los Angeles. Just a short hop from their house, was a Verve Coffee shop, one of the west coast’s biggest specialty coffee roasters at the time and a place I frequented many times during this trip. Read my review.
At the time, Chris Baca was working at Verve, creating, among other things, super helpful videos on YouTube, which have since been deleted sadly. That’s how Chris first made his way into the coffee consciousness of many home baristas and budding coffee aficionados, especially those outside the US. A few years later, I got word that Chris had left Verve to set up his own brand together with Jared Truby and Charles Jack, a company called Cat & Cloud.
Right off the bat, Cat & Cloud was not just any other coffee roastery trying to make waves on the California coastline. It was a full experience that comes with its own podcast, four cafés and a very enthousiastic team that goes the extra mile to leave customers with a smile on their faces.
Cat & Cloud have been on our radar for a long time but it wasn’t until we launched the Global coffee roasters box that we saw a real opportunity to link up. Now, they are making their long-awaited debut alongside Sample Coffee from Sydney. Order your box.
During our cupping session for this edition, we assessed two coffees from Cat & Cloud but ultimately settled for a super delicious and clean washed Guatemalan coffee from Byron Benavente. Guatemala is a country that produces outstanding washed coffees that often truly reflect their terroir. As a small nation with big volcanos, it is well suited to produce specialty coffees of the highest grades and this particular lot comes from a small group of smallholder farmers whose relationship manager is Byron Benavente.
Byron is a vital link between the producers and roasters like Cat & Cloud. He keeps everyone in the chain up to date on any developments, provides farmers with necessary knowledge and training to produce better and more delicious coffees, and offers technical assistance wherever possible. This commitment to quality has led to this outstanding coffee that offers notes of Cara Cara orange, almond brittle and papaya.
Receive this coffee along with a lovely washed Peruvian coffee from Sample Coffee as part of our upcoming September 2023 Global coffee roasters box. Order a one-off box now or buy individual bags. Ships on 20.09.2023.
