In 2019, Hilary Clark and husband Tamas Christmas, co-owners of Dragonfly Coffee Roasters (based in Boulder, Colorado), would take home the prestigious title of “2019 Roaster of the Year” by “Roast” magazine.
In addition, being listed in “Forbes” list of “12 Best Coffee Roasters in the United States”.
The couple began their business in 2011 and prided itself on sourcing many coffee directly from farmers and producer organizations as possible.
While a small roasting company, believing in paying the top dollar for some of the world’s highest quality or unique green coffees.
In 2017, their roasted coffee from Yemen earned the top spot on CoffeeReview’s “Top 30 Coffees in 2017” and consistently producing high rated coffee since then.
Christman was a chemical engineer with a computer science background said in an interview, “Exposure to exceptional coffee leads to a higher level of consumer appreciation”.
And with his background as a chemical engineer, Christman said, “Coffee undergoes a chemical reaction while being roasted. The way you drive that reaction will affect aromas and taste. You have to understand the bean, which may have different levels of water content”.
The couple provide their customers an experience of the trade partnerships he has with coffee growers and also educating those who want to know about the different cultivars, responsible ways of growing and harvesting to be able to produce high quality coffee beans.
In fact, Dragonfly Coffee Roasters has a roastery tasting room, so coffee lovers can experience rare and unique offerings.
For today’s coffee review, I am trying their Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee, coffee which originates from Ethiopia, Africa and goes through a natural process. The beans are roasted medium.
The coffee is Dragonfly Coffee Roasters first ever, fully farm direct/direct-trade Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. The coffee received a 94 rating on CoffeeReview.com.
Located in the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region, it’s over 6100 feet above sea level.
History says that a goat herder named Kaldi noticed that his flock were full of energy after munching on coffee beans and then he gave it a try and noticed the effects from it.
In Sidama, Yirgacheffe (southern Ethiopia) is where the beans are grown and thanks to the high elevation and healthy soil, the region receives a tropical climae which is ideal for the coffee beans.
The beans go through a natural/dry-process in which the beans were dried inside the fruit.
According to Dragonfly Coffee Roasters:
We are over joyed to announce the arrival of our first ever, fully direct-trade coffee from Ethiopia! This coffee represents the culmination of years of work and is a massive milestone for Dragonfly and an exciting turning point in Ethiopian coffee. We have known Ashenafi Argaw founder of Ardent Coffee since the year we founded in 2011, and have always been deeply inspired by his work in Ethiopia. Creating sensory profiles in Ethiopian coffees that were unlike anything we had ever encountered. Nearly a decade later we are honored and thrilled to share these absolute coffee gems with you
The first thing you will notice while drinking the coffee is how sweet and complex the coffee is. The taste of citrus is noticeable.
Dragonfly Coffee Roasters say: Mixed berry jam and Orange Zest / Meyer Lemon interlace with Bergamot, Butter Cream, and Spice leading to a long, sugary and deeply resonant mouthfeel and finish.
I noticed the mixed berry jam notes with a chocolaty taste with a smooth, syrupy finish. It’s quite delicious and quite complex. I like it a lot! Dare I say “I loved it!”. Granted, I’m hesitating to say it’s the company’s best because I have yet to try their award winning Panama Geisha from the Elida Estate (which also goes for $175 for an 8 oz. bag), while the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is $22.00 for 12 oz.
But overall, I feel this is wonderful coffee from one of the world’s best coffee roasters based in the United States. The Dragonfly Coffee Roasters Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is highly recommended!
