At North Fork, our journey in roasting has led to some dynamic and inspiring relationships with flavors, aromas, coffee bean varietals, and of course, people. We believe in honoring the hard work of farmers who grow our coffee, and the palates of the people who drink it.
We achieve this by sourcing our green (unroasted) beans from importers who pay farmers a fair price for their freshest product. With each variety of bean, we adjust our roast as needed to highlight that bean’s perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, body, and aftertaste. It’s a long process, but a labor of love is always worth the wait.
The varieties of bean we offer may vary with the seasons, but we’ll always have a light roast, two mediums, a dark, and a full-flavored decaf. To represent these roasts on our packaging and other North Fork products, we’ve chosen four river birds (and a river insect) that are indigenous to the the North Fork Payette River. With that, we are proud to introduce the North Fork flock:
Kingfisher Organic Light Roast - If you've spent time on the river, you've probably seen the kingfisher's energetic flight and heard its chatter. With the kingfisher's liveliness it is a good match for our Light Roast - a bright, light-bodied cup of deep complexity, with flavor notes that range into fruit and floral territory.
Dipper Organic Medium Roast - The dipper (or ouzel!), a riverbank dweller and river bottom forager, has the best of both worlds. It may not be flashily clad, but if you watch closely, you'll notice that this stocky little bird performs an impressive splash dance. It represents one of our two medium roasts for this same reason: it's subtle, yet has a substantial repertoire of flavors, and is definitely worth taking the time to get to know.
Great Blue Heron (GBH) Organic Medium Roast – Perhaps the most elegant of the North Fork river-bird flock, the great blue heron exudes a sense of balance with its patient foraging style and laid-back demeanor. If your taste buds fall somewhere in the middle of the coffee spectrum, this is your bird! The heron's medium roast is smooth and round and balances its substantial body with a complex array of flavor notes.
Osprey Organic Dark Roast - The osprey, a fish hawk, is the only bird of prey that takes its sustenance solely from the river. On the wing, it's strong, agile, and acrobatic; hovering far above the water to spot its prey and then folding its wings and diving feet-first for the kill. Like the osprey, our dark roast is fierce in aspect, and not afraid to take a deep plunge. It's bold without being overpowering, smoky without tasting burnt, and formidable from start to finish.
Damselfly Organic Swiss Water Decaf Roasts Damselfly - If you’re an ardent observer of river life, you probably have seen damselflies flitting around on iridescent wings, hunting prey like mosquitoes. While not as conspicuous as some of the North Fork river birds, our damselfly is an adopted member of the flock, and represents our Decaf roast.