100% Kona Coffee from Carta Coffee Merchants is both dynamic and delicious, the first offerings from the dynamic Bay Area winemaker-turned-coffee farmer Scott Burr. Scott thrives on trying innovative and challenging techniques, a trait instilled from his wine making days, especially if it means offering something truly special to his customers.

A third generation California farmer, winemaker and enologist, he left a lengthy career for Kona, Hawaii to buy and rehabilitate an overgrown 6-acre coffee farm with the goal of making the highest quality, single origin, hand harvested 100% Kona Coffee possible.

His Peaberry: ($27 for 6 oz/ $48 for 12 oz) is a very special occurrence in coffee production. Typically, a coffee cherry bears a flat-sided pair of beans. But in about 3-5% of cherries, those beans are meld together to form a single rounded bean called a peaberry or “caracol”, “perla”, and “perle”. The coffee produced from peaberries is often a bit richer, more complex and fuller-bodied in flavor.

Carta is quite unique to be able to include Kona Peaberry among its first offerings. A blend of natural, traditional from Nolyssa and small partner farms. Peaberry tends to be vibrant, bright and sweet – complex notes of citrus blossoms, roasted almonds, caramel and honey.

The Latitude line showcases the same beans processed in two different styles, an approach that reflects Scott’s winemaking past and fascination for comparative tasting. He is also dedicated to offering customers an opportunity to learn and have fun doing so. This first series focuses on drying techniques. These two unique expressions are available individually or in a Side-By-Side Sampler featuring a 6 oz bag of each Latitude process ($47).

Latitude Natural Process ($25 for 6 oz/$46 for 12 oz) is produced using full-cherry drying, one of the oldest methods of coffee production. Coffee cherries are picked and then directly dried under the sun or on raised screens as full cherries. Once the cherry is dried, it turns into a dark brown pod that is hard to the touch; the green seed is then taken out, leaving the other layers behind. This style produces sweet, smooth, and nutty complex flavors. Latitude Traditional Process ($22 for 6 oz/$43 for 12 oz). This expression is processed in the “wet” method, which is the mechanical extraction of the bean from the cherry and washing to remove any impurities or remnants. Founder Scott is calling this “Traditional Process” because this tends to be the more traditionally used drying methods in the Kona region.

A believer in conserving both water and flavor, Scott is using a process that uses the minimum amount of water needed to remove and cleanse the beans, without stripping desired flavors. This method tends to produce coffee with clean, bright, with distinct citrus notes. At this time, Carta coffee is available online only at http://www.cartacoffee.com.