New Guinea is the second largest island on Earth second only to Greenland. Papua makes up the eastern territory of the island, while Irian Jaya (a part of Indonesia) claims the rest. Papua New Guinea boasts a very diverse topography and culture. More than 850 languages are currently recognized in the country—12 percent of the world’s tongues. A majority of the Papuans live in the rural areas of the country; only 18 percent of its population reside in cities. Rugby is the sport of choice.

Papua New Guinea coffee is rich in cultivars. Coffee-growing in the country began in 1926 with the introduction of Jamaican Blue Mountain by early plantation holders. On September 16, 1975, Papua New Guinea gained its independence. Throughout the decade, the country worked to improve its infrastructure as well as relationships with foreign contacts; soon the island started to stand out as an origin for fine green coffee.

Coffee is now Papua New Guinea’s second largest export (after palm oil). Small holders (those who farm less than 1,500 trees) produce roughly 95 percent of crops. These coffee crops are some of the highest-grown in the world. Often, precious beans are flown from mountaintop airfields.

The Kimel Estate was established in 1974 by an Australian, and named for the picturesque river that it borders. Today, the indigenous Opias Tribe owns and manages the land, employing more than 400 workers. These workers reside on the estate, where their children receive schooling and medical care is provided.

The beans are wet-processed and a provide a vibrant, bright, and full-bodied cup. The strong and broad profile acts as a blend within a single origin. The beans lend themselves to a medium roast, resting 24 hours after roasting for full flavor development. The nose is tempted with this coffee’s chocolately aroma, but it is the taste that makes this one of our grandest coffee offerings.

Sure, it’s late in the summer, but it’s as hot as ever. Temperatures in Cincinnati have hovered in the mid-nineties for weeks, and this oppressive humidity just won’t let up. While this is a bummer for some folks (others of us love this time of year), the good news is that iced coffee season remains in full swing.

Every May and June we receive a lot of calls from our customers asking for advice about the best way to make iced coffee. There are lots of methods, but we prefer the Toddy Cold Brew System for a few reasons. It’s inexpensive, super easy, and makes really great cold brew. It’s how we make iced coffee for ourselves and many of our customers swear by it.

We carry an inventory of small Toddies for our customers, or you can snag a brand new Toddy from a variety of outlets for $30 to $45 (check eBay for a steal, too) or a commercial Toddy for about $85 or $90 dollars. The small Toddy will yield 48 fluid ounces of concentrate and a commercial system will yield 2.5 gallons.

We always recommend our Brazil Serra Negra for iced coffee, as it produces a flavor that is sweet and chocolate-y, with an edge that stands up nicely to cream or milk.

The Toddy method is simple. First, you fill a brewing container with 1 lb. of course-ground coffee. Slowly, you pour five cups of room-temperature water over the grounds, followed by four more cups a few minutes later. After soaking the grounds for eight to ten hours, you remove the small rubber stopper (see picture above) from the bottom of the brewing container, allowing the rich cold brew concentrate to flow into the decanter through a super-fine filter.

Once chilled, the concentrate can be used to make iced coffee, using a ratio of 1-to-1. (Note: we have found through our customers’ experience and our own experimentation, that 1-to-1 is ideal. However, the Toddy instruction manual suggests a 3-to-1 ratio. Spend some time trying this yourself, until you settle upon the right balance for taste and profit.)

It’s that easy. If you have questions about cold brew, or iced coffee in general, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We love talking shop and we love talking about your shop even more.

When we sat down last Summer to discuss our 30th anniversary and just how we wanted to celebrate it, we unanimously agreed that it was the right time to freshen up our branding efforts and breathe new life into our web presence.

The truth is, back in 1986, those things were pretty far down the list of priorities (to be fair, Instagram was more than 20 years away from even being conceived). When Andy and Joe opened Seven Hills Coffee, their sole focus was providing incomparable coffee to a thirsty audience. In fact, the sign that hung outside that first Bond Hill Warehouse was made with stencils and a permanent marker!

After the first few years of selling coffee mainly to established businesses and restaurants, our focus shifted to helping our customers open successful coffee shops–a brand new and exciting trend back then. Our logo evolved slightly over the decades, always incorporating our now-recognizable blue, green, and yellow and, of course, the seven hills of Cincinnati, the city we’re glad to call home.

Now, as we celebrate 30–a milestone we’re so proud of–it’s important to us that our brand identity reflects the dynamic, vibrant, and modern company that we are. Online, we want to be more accessible to our customers, as well as to their customers, who increasingly want to know where their coffee comes from. Our new site will fill in those gaps from farm to (coffee) table. It will be a place to learn about our new offerings and industry trends. But, most importantly, it will be one more powerful way for us to interact with the people who matter most–you!

So take a look around, check us out on Instagram, and stop back often for news and updates. Whether you’ve been our friends for decades or this site is your introduction, thank you for being a part of our journey! Here’s to 30 more years of great coffee!