Ethiopia & Colombia — Refisa Washing Station & Los Patios (Washed & Co-Ferment Blend)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peach • 🍋 Complex Citrus • 🍵 Black Tea • 🍫 Milk Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producers: Refisa Washing Station | Los Patios Wet Mill
• Region: Oromia, Ethiopia & Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Various
• Process: Washed & Co-Ferment
• Roast: Medium
• Blend Components: 85% Refisa — Washed | 15% Gigante Peach Co-Ferment
• Size: 340g (12oz)

INTRO

The New School is Black & White's year-round seasonal blend — a coffee built on a deceptively simple premise: you can have it both ways. Clean, vibrant, and approachable on one side; fruit-forward, innovative, and complex on the other. Rather than choose, Black & White blend them together, letting a washed Ethiopian foundation carry a rotating co-ferment component that shifts with the seasons.

This spring 2026 edition pairs 85% Refisa Washed from Oromia, Ethiopia with 15% Gigante Peach co-ferment from Los Patios in Huila, Colombia — the same peach co-ferment that's already earned a devoted following as a standalone release. The result is something genuinely crowd-pleasing: peach-forward and sweet, brightened by citrus, and grounded by the clean tea-like character of a beautifully executed washed Ethiopian.

THE PRODUCERS

The Refisa Washing Station sits in the Oromia region of Ethiopia and processes coffee from smallholder farmers in the surrounding area. Washed Ethiopian lots from Refisa are prized for their clean, transparent expression of terroir — floral, citric, and structured — making them an ideal backbone for a blend like this, where the base needs to hold its own alongside a bold co-ferment component.

The co-ferment component comes from Los Patios, a wet mill in Huila, Colombia that has become one of Black & White's most trusted partners for experimental processing. Their Gigante Peach lot — produced by fermenting depulped coffee alongside a commercial peach concentrate and a proprietary Los Patios solution — is a signature of the programme, known for its intensely aromatic, clean-fruited character.

THE PROCESS

The New School Peach brings together two distinct processing approaches:

• 🍒 Hand-picking — cherries selected at peak ripeness at both origins
• 💧 Washed — Refisa component — cherries depulped, fermented, and thoroughly washed for a clean, transparent cup
• ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Refisa parchment dried on African raised beds to optimal moisture
• 🧪 Peach co-fermentation — Los Patios component — depulped coffee combined with peach concentrate and a proprietary fermentation solution; left to ferment for two days before drying
• ☀️ Extended drying — Los Patios lot rotated constantly on drying beds for 12–16 days for even moisture reduction
• ✅ Blending — both roasted components combined at an 85/15 ratio to achieve the intended cup profile

The washed Ethiopian provides structure, brightness, and clarity; the peach co-ferment brings intensity, aroma, and sweetness. Neither overwhelms the other.

THE CUP

Immediately aromatic and fruit-forward, The New School Peach opens with a pronounced peach note that's sweet and clean rather than funky — more fresh orchard than ferment. Complex citrus weaves through the cup alongside a classic black tea character from the Ethiopian base, and milk chocolate rounds out the finish with a gentle creaminess. It's approachable enough for everyday drinking and interesting enough to impress.

Flavour Notes

• 🍑 Peach
• 🍋 Complex Citrus
• 🍵 Black Tea
• 🍫 Milk Chocolate