Coffee Feature: Avatar Coffee Roaster - Ethiopia Single Origin

SoCal coffee roaster Avatar Coffees was generous enough to reach out and send me some coffee, so I thought I’d review my unique experience with it. 
I’ll be honest, Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of my favorite shows as a kid (who am I kidding -- it’s still a favorite), so I was partial to the name alone when we first started talking.

For a little background, Avatar was founded two years ago in Montclair, CA but they only started selling about six months ago. They operate with a charitable mission in mind, so you can feel good when you buy their products: For every bag of coffee sold, Avatar gives $1 to Charity on Wheels, a homeless outreach nonprofit. (...)

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The name Avatar comes from the Sanskrit word and Hindu mythology meaning “reincarnation of a god in human form.” Husband and wife founders Pavan and Kelly were visiting Brazil when inspiration struck. The infinite valleys of coffee farms were such a sight, they decided it was time to tap into their entrepreneurial spirits and found their own coffee company.

One of the best parts about Avatar, is that they have no middleman. They work directly with coffee growers and producers, eliminating extra costs and ensuring sustainable business practices. 
Some Avatar coffees are organic and Rainforest Alliance certified, but most of their quality control comes from visiting farms and paying based on coffee quality (typically 2-3x the “C Market” price).

The presentation of the coffee was beautiful, as well. It came wrapped in festive tissue paper and included a small wax-sealed note, handwritten that the coffee was roasted just for me, who it was roasted by and the date it was roasted.

I tasted their only single-origin African coffee available, from Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe), and overall I give it 4/5. 
I had it via pour over and Aeropress, and I definitely prefer the Aeropress, as more flavors revealed themselves. It’s on the darker side of a light roast, so it isn’t quite as fruity as you may expect. Tasting notes are described as “lemon, jasmine and caramel,” by Avatar. I would alter it slightly, as I picked up lemon, honey and strawberry notes.

I’m looking forward to trying more of Avatar’s coffees and I think they have a bright future in the biz. They’re not currently selling anywhere wholesale or retail, so you have to order from their site directly (for now).

Until the next cup, cheers!

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