Legacy in a Cup: Bluebird Coffee's Yearly Limited Release Specialty Coffee

As a certifiable techie, my input stream has recently been justifiably clogged with advances and announcements around Artificial Intelligence, all the cool stuff it can do, and perhaps all the potential jobs it could now replace. 

But as someone who enjoys reading and writing in varied genres and mediums, competing for my attention is all the concern and call for keeping the art of writing human. 

I suppose that this is not the place for me to get into my thoughts and feelings on this topic (btw. I don't think the hype around A.I. matches the reality for now, and I believe that there are some mundane tasks that I would love to handover to A.I. to do for me). 

I mention it only because in all this confusion, you can be assured that this article is not created by Chat GPT because it is about a product and idea that is post-2021.

Four years ago, I bought a bag of coffee that was more than double the price I usually pay. But I was really getting into coffee and fell in love with the concept, the description of the coffee, and the event it was celebrating. 

Upon the birth of his first child, Dario, the owner of Bluebird Coffee Roastery, launched a special nano lot in collaboration with Volcan Azul in Costa Rica. He called it the Liliana Project (after his daughter) and has released a special coffee every year since then around her birthday.

This year is different but essentially the same. It is different only in that the project has changed its name to Project Next Gen due to both Dario having a son (Luca) and Alejo (the owner of Volcan Azul) having a daughter (Ella). What remains the same is an annual event where a very special coffee is released.

When I say special coffee, I fear that I may not be giving this coffee the credit it deserves, which is what this is about at the end of the day, despite the sentimentality. Of course, I could talk about the fact that this is an anaerobic natural geisha grown in Costa Rica at an altitude of 1600 -1700 m above sea level. But that would mean little to most of us.

So what makes this coffee special to justify the price premium?

I assure you that this coffee will taste like no other coffee you have had before. It is very sweet and tastes almost un-coffee-like. The flavour notes in this year's release are:

Blackberry, Purple Candy Floss, Grape Soda, and Lavender Florals.

I will admit to not being good enough (either as a barista or a taster) to pick up all those individual flavour notes. Still, I taste the sweetness, clarity, and unique flavour profiles. Though I may not be able to distinguish all the flavours.

This coffee is a very limited release, and if you do get a bag, my advice is to carefully pick who you get to enjoy the bag with you. Good coffee tastes bitter, smokey, and strong to some people, akin to boiling it in a tin cup over an open fire. This experience will be lost on them, as will some of your very rare and expensive coffee beans.

In the 4 years I have been buying this release, none have tasted the same. But it has become something I look forward to. An annual yardstick with which to gauge my ever-evolving coffee brewing ability. The exclusivity and rarity also add to this feeling of excitement. This could all be very psychosomatic, but if the result is me getting excited and enjoying a great cup of coffee, who cares.

Project Next Gen is a very limited run, and chances are, unfortunately, high that it may be all sold out by now. Still, it is definitely something worth keeping on your radar. If it is sold out, then there is another Volcan Azul release that is not as expensive but sounds just as fantastic that you can check out (flavour notes of pineapple, peach, and strawberry). To check, visit the Bluebird Coffee online store here Bluebird Coffee Roastery.

This coffee has made me think up a new question for a Turing Test. Have you ever enjoyed coffee so much that you made a second cup immediately after that? If the answer is no, you are probably conversing with an A.I. or someone who still has more of life to enjoy!

Taking a leaf from Dario and Alejo, all the pictures for this article were taken by my daughter Sulaym 🙂.