Guardians of the Earth

The Lost City
The Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo believe that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia is the beating heart of the world: what happens there happens everywhere. They are the Elder Brothers.
In a region spined by the Sierra Nevada – “snowy mountains” – and spanning tropical to icy climates, these tribes practice traditional meditations, rituals, and disciplines their distant ancestors promised would maintain an equilibrium echoing from their immediate vicinity throughout the world. When species in these mountains become extinct, so do important species elsewhere, says their history. When ice caps melt and rivers dry up, they also melt and dry up in widespread areas of the world.
As their Tayrona (Tairona) forebears did, they live off the land and strive to remain spiritually connected with it. The high mountains provide everything: food, water, and medicinal herbs, including the coca leaf. Each morning, the women of the community collect the sacred coca leaves. Each afternoon, the men toast them by tossing them in a bag that also contains a hot stone. The people chew toasted coca throughout the day, both for energy and to establish and maintain a connection with their surroundings.

Wiwa woman
The tribes are communitarian. They live an intact pre-Columbian high civilization that has served their people from the times before the Conquistadores. Mamas, spiritual leaders, study for years – often 14 years – before taking on the care of their communities. As children grow, adults teach them how to live in and by way of the transmitted bounty of their habitat.
We certainly are Younger Brothers to any of these tribes. Our way is to cultivate coffee in the highlands; to harvest, wash, dry, and mill it; to roast, grind, and drink its infusion. As the external world has seeped into the areas in which the Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo live, the tribes have chosen to coexist while keeping vigil and seeking harmony with the beating heart, and for the sake of, the world.
Snowy Mountain Coffee
The April Coffee of the Month is a smallhold offering of certified organic coffee grown in the Sierra Nevada region of Colombia. We were impressed with the quality of the beans and Nicole decided to invest in a large supply, to be introduced today and offered as Holler Roast’s Colombia bean for several months. The brew is very rich and balanced, developing a delightful succession of flavors: chocolate, of course; hazelnut; caramel; and peach, without excess acidity or overpowering body.
Elder Brothers
/by LaniGuardians of the Earth
The Lost City
The Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo believe that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia is the beating heart of the world: what happens there happens everywhere. They are the Elder Brothers.
In a region spined by the Sierra Nevada – “snowy mountains” – and spanning tropical to icy climates, these tribes practice traditional meditations, rituals, and disciplines their distant ancestors promised would maintain an equilibrium echoing from their immediate vicinity throughout the world. When species in these mountains become extinct, so do important species elsewhere, says their history. When ice caps melt and rivers dry up, they also melt and dry up in widespread areas of the world.
As their Tayrona (Tairona) forebears did, they live off the land and strive to remain spiritually connected with it. The high mountains provide everything: food, water, and medicinal herbs, including the coca leaf. Each morning, the women of the community collect the sacred coca leaves. Each afternoon, the men toast them by tossing them in a bag that also contains a hot stone. The people chew toasted coca throughout the day, both for energy and to establish and maintain a connection with their surroundings.
Wiwa woman
The tribes are communitarian. They live an intact pre-Columbian high civilization that has served their people from the times before the Conquistadores. Mamas, spiritual leaders, study for years – often 14 years – before taking on the care of their communities. As children grow, adults teach them how to live in and by way of the transmitted bounty of their habitat.
We certainly are Younger Brothers to any of these tribes. Our way is to cultivate coffee in the highlands; to harvest, wash, dry, and mill it; to roast, grind, and drink its infusion. As the external world has seeped into the areas in which the Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco, and Kankuamo live, the tribes have chosen to coexist while keeping vigil and seeking harmony with the beating heart, and for the sake of, the world.
Snowy Mountain Coffee
The April Coffee of the Month is a smallhold offering of certified organic coffee grown in the Sierra Nevada region of Colombia. We were impressed with the quality of the beans and Nicole decided to invest in a large supply, to be introduced today and offered as Holler Roast’s Colombia bean for several months. The brew is very rich and balanced, developing a delightful succession of flavors: chocolate, of course; hazelnut; caramel; and peach, without excess acidity or overpowering body.
Creative Family; Fine Creations
/by LaniPatrick Roehrman makes outstanding – and very sharp – knives. He also drinks quantities of coffee, preferring java from Indonesia but perfectly willing to drink strong, quality brew.
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Cooling It
/by LaniSweet Vanilla Cooled
For centuries people first had to roast their morning drink – in a pan over open flame – before grinding and brewing. Read more
Underdog to Champion
/by LaniWhile neighbors Nicaragua and Guatemala have long occupied peaks of success in the coffee industry, Honduras has only recently earned recognition for the quality of its coffee.
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Christmas Customs from Colombia
/by LaniWhat would you put in a letter to Niño Jesús?
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Speak Their Names
/by LaniIn November of each year, Holler Roast features an organic single-source dark Brazil coffee bean, Darkhorse 25, in honor and often in memory of military veterans.
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Will Not Give Up
/by LaniOne dynamo can turn defeat into success – in her community, and in the economy of her entire country.
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Coffee on the Move
/by LaniAnyone ready for autumn? Colored leaves, crisp mornings and evenings, and the anticipation of end-of-summer crops…
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Considering Cold Brew
/by LaniThis month, Holler Roast Coffee spotlights a year-round coffee you may have dismissed as difficult or confusing. Take a look at Cold Brew Blend. It’s really worth a gander, and it’s the August Coffee of the Month. Read more
All in Good Taste
/by LaniSuperior Coffee from Nicaragua
Coffee is Nicaragua’s primary export, and nearly all their coffee is exported. The industry provides 200,000 jobs and is the main source of income to at least 40,000 farming families. Read more