For this comparison set, we are highlighting 3x roasters; Delicate from Chicago, Love Letters from Seattle and Noumenon from Scarsdale, NY.
We have one coffee, a taste of harvest lot that placed #2 which all 3 roasters will roast for us to compare how different roast profiles modulate the flavors of the coffee. This set is exclusive to Airworks!
Here's a word from the roasters about their intentions with roasting this coffee:
Love Letters:
'I roast with the intention of highlighting floral characteristics and delicate acidity. Roasting hot & fast on a drum roaster means there will naturally be a good amount of sweetness and fruit character expressed and tailoring my approach towards florals and aromatics brings a super expressive take on already stellar green coffees.
On a more personal note, I roast with the idea that every coffee that crosses my menu is a distinct expression of the hard work, attention and intention that happens across the entire supply chain. I want to express that hard work as clearly as I can; often this means roasting extremely light and recommending rest times of 40+ days. Coffee, by the time it gets to us, has been nurtured for decades, growing for several months per harvest, and is shipped around the world. Coffee, to me, is like a Love Letter in itself and the way we can understand that love and care is through flavor.
I hope you all enjoy!'
Noumenon:
This 74112 lot produced in Sidama Arbegona by ES Coffee is an exemplary expression of the extravagant florals and rich stone fruits for which white honey Ethiopian coffees have become renowned. My roast approach to this coffee aims at a harmonious structural unity amongst the pronounced white florals and dulcet peach and nectarine tones. In mechanical terms, I roast fast to highlight the delicate qualities of the coffee. My approach means that the beans, when pushed aggressively, will produce cups that are complex and, hopefully, thought-provoking.
Delicate:
Our target roast aims to highlight acidity at the forefront and showcase any other flavors within each bean, from fruit to florals. Each coffee falls into the light side of the roasting spectrum.
Bio:
Produced in Sidama Arbegona at approximately 2,300 meters, this white honey lot from ES Coffee showcases the delicate, refined character of the region. Cherries of variety 74112 were harvested during the December 2025 season and processed with minimal mucilage retention, then dried slowly over roughly 18 days on raised beds to highlight clarity and sweetness. Arbegona's cool climate and elevated terrain encourage slow cherry development, deepening complexity and structure. The cup offers floral aromatics, soft stone fruit, honey-like sweetness, and a silky mouthfeel with balanced acidity. It is a clean, modern interpretation of Ethiopian white honey processing that preserves the vibrant identity of high-altitude Sidama coffees.
