BIG TREE

About the Coffee

Big Tree Estate is a family farm, and this lot features SL28 and Batian varietals — two cultivars with roots in Kenya's breeding programs. SL28 was developed in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories and is known for performing well at high elevations. Batian came later, released by the Coffee Research Institute of Kenya in 2010 as a disease-resistant variety. Growing both together on a single estate gives this coffee an interesting genetic range to work with.

The coffee is processed using anaerobic natural, which means the whole cherries are sealed in an oxygen-free environment before being dried with the fruit still on. Removing oxygen slows fermentation and allows CO2 to build up inside the tank, which changes how the sugars and organic acids develop in the bean. The result is a more controlled, intense fermentation compared to a standard natural dry process. Traffic has roasted this to a superlight level, keeping the profile as open as possible.

About Traffic

Traffic Coffee was founded by Greg Lancot and Jessie Lewin in Montréal. The two approached roasting from a creative background and wanted to build something that treated coffee as more than a caffeine delivery system. Their packaging reflects that — each bag gets its own illustration and colour scheme, from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to laser-eyed dinosaurs.

On the sourcing side, Traffic keeps roast batches small to stay closer to the farmers they buy from. Their approach to green coffee swings between letting a varietal speak for itself and leaning into experimental processing like co-ferments and anaerobics — whatever best serves the coffee they're working with.

"Traffic's breadth of coffee is remarkable - from dark roasts reminiscent of your grandmother's kitchen, to wild co-ferments with tasting notes we admittedly have to look up. The packaging and the coffee inside is meant to captivate you, and I hope you feel the same when you try this coffee."

- Dean, Director of Coffee