# Caffè Aurora — Spring 2024 Bulletin ☕

*From the counter to your inbox. Trieste, March 2024.*

Buongiorno, Aurora family. The mornings are getting lighter, the harbour wind has
lost its bite, and Lina always said spring is when a roastery gets to show off. So
here is what we are pouring this season, what it costs, and one or two things we
are still arguing about in the back room.

## This spring's lineup

| Coffee | Roast | 250 g bag |
| ------ | ----- | --------- |
| **Aurora Midnight** | our flagship dark roast, deep and near-black | €13.50 |
| **Harbour Blonde** | light roast, bright and citrusy | €12.00 |
| **Piazza Espresso** | medium-dark house espresso blend | €12.50 |
| **Dolce Decaf** | medium roast, water-process decaf | €13.00 |
| **Rift Valley** (seasonal single origin) | light-medium, washed Kenyan | €15.50 |

Subscribers take 10% off any bag and never pay for the Tuesday tasting flight. As
always, every bag carries the farm, the elevation, and the harvest window printed
on the back.

## Roast in focus: Rift Valley

Our spring guest is a washed Kenyan from a smallholder co-op up near the
escarpment, and it is a bright, grown-up cup. We take it to a light-medium roast —
dropped just after first crack, before the oils show — to keep the blackcurrant
snap and that dry, wine-like acidity Kenyans are loved for. Brewed as a pour-over
it tastes of blackcurrant and tomato leaf; pulled short as an espresso it turns to
grapefruit and brown sugar. We are smitten. It is on the bar until the summer menu
lands.

## One thing worth knowing (the Aurora nerd corner)

People ask why we roast in tiny batches and nag everyone to drink the bag within a
few weeks. Here is the honest reason, and it is a piece of coffee science we love:

**Coffee starts losing its caffeine the moment it leaves the roaster.** Those
fresh-roasted beans are at their absolute peak — the most flavour *and* the most
kick — the day they tumble out of the drum, and every week they then sit on a
shelf the caffeine quietly fades along with the aroma. A month-old bag simply does
not wake you up the way a fresh one does. That is why we date every bag, and why
we would rather sell you a small bag often than a big bag once. For us freshness
is not only about taste; it is about the whole lift.

## Still in the lab

Two things we have not settled, and would love your patience on:

- **The Midnight rest.** We are still testing whether letting Aurora Midnight rest
  a full **60 hours** after roasting, instead of our usual overnight, pulls a
  sweeter, less smoky espresso. The early shots are promising, but we are not ready
  to commit the whole batch.
- **A natural for summer.** We are still deciding whether a wild, fruit-bomb
  *natural*-process Ethiopian is too loud for the Aurora house style, or exactly
  the jolt the summer menu needs. Write back and tell us if you would drink it.

That is the news from the harbour. Come stand at the bar, do the Ritual, and let
us know what you think.

— Lina's people, at Caffè Aurora
