Journal — September 2021

This marks our third feature with Calendar Coffee. There are several other fantastic Irish roasters, but Zarah, Dan, and their growing team are doing everything right, and we just can’t get enough. They are working hard to push the envelope in coffee sustainability, have one of the most unique and charming design aesthetics I’ve ever seen, and they’re kind, down to earth people who consistently roast some of the most surprising, delightful coffees we get to try.

It’s funny. I thought if the pandemic affected Yonder, it would have been with subscriber drop offs in the uncertainty of last year (it didn’t though—and y’all’s support through this time has really meant the world to me). But as you may have heard, international (and let’s face it, domestic as well) shipping infrastructure is totally on the fritz. I’m nervous to feature roasters from Asia, Africa, and Oceania right now, when getting stuff from other parts of the East Coast is taking twice as long as normal. Every other time we worked with Calendar, our coffee arrived within 48 hours. This month though, it spent a week in customs. FedEx had all the paperwork, but US Customs lost it twice, and so it sat in limbo. And this marks the 4th month in a row where that happened. We are shifting things around a bit to work with roasters whose coffee tastes best starting 18-21 days off roast, so that when you get it, it’s still a bright and shining coffee. But I’ve gotta be honest. It’s a bummer! I miss sharing new finds from far away places. We’re still getting each order packed and out the door the same day it arrives at our office, but so much feels out of our control right now. I want to be transparent about the rough parts as well as the great ones, and right now I’m kind of at a loss. If you have any expertise on shipping or customs, I’m all ears.

Anyway, coffees like these are why I started Yonder in the first place. I can’t choose a which I like most, as Nyeri, Huehuetenago, and Hunkute are among my favorite growing regions. But the Calendar team wanted you all to try Benti Nenka, and once you brew it, you’ll know why—expect a sweet, complex cup bursting with notes of papaya, orange and bergamot. It’s zesty and bright, and makes any shipping headaches feel worth the stress. We really hope you love it.