Cartel Roasting Co.

Cartel Roasting Co. has roasted in Tempe, Arizona since 2008. Six coffees are active, three single origins and three blends, an even split. The three singles come from Ethiopia, Kenya and Vietnam, one lot apiece, which puts two East African coffees and one Southeast Asian coffee on the shelf and leaves the Americas off the single origin list entirely.

Nothing on the list is dark. Four of the six are roasted light, one is medium-light and one is medium, so the roast scale here ends well before the dark end, blends included. Two of the three single origins are washed and the third runs anaerobic fermentation.

There is no decaf. Not one of the six active coffees is decaffeinated, which settles the question early for a household where somebody drinks decaf after four in the afternoon. Bags are twelve ounces and run $20 to $28, with a median of $21.50, so most of the list clusters near the bottom of that band and one lot sits well above it.

Single Origins

Blends

Roast Profile & Flavor Range

Light roasting is the house position. Four of six active coffees sit at the lightest level on the scale, with one medium-light and one medium filling out the rest, and no bag on the list has been carried into medium-dark or dark territory. Acidity averages medium while body averages a little under it, which is a lighter mouthfeel than the roast numbers alone would suggest. Two of the three single origins are washed and the third is fermented. The origin list is Ethiopia, Kenya and Vietnam, one lot each. Twelve ounce bags run $20 to $28, and with the median at $21.50 the bulk of the catalog sits close to twenty dollars. Blends are half of what is active.

What Cartel Roasting Co. Coffees Tend to Taste Like

Citrus is the loudest thread, and it is specific citrus rather than general brightness. Kumquat, meyer lemon, mandarin orange and lime zest all appear by name, which is four different ways of saying the acidity here has peel and oil in it rather than plain sourness. Agave is the only note that repeats, showing up twice, and it points at a thin, clean sweetness rather than a syrupy one. Nuts and cocoa hold the other end. Almond appears on its own and again as almond biscotti, with butterscotch and dark chocolate nearby, so even the lightest roasts give a drinker who wants ballast somewhere to land. Dried cranberry is the one fruit note that is not citrus.

Why Buy Cartel Roasting Co.

• Roasting in Tempe since 2008: The roastery has run from the same Arizona city for well over a decade.

• Four of six roasted light: One medium-light and one medium fill out the rest. Nothing reaches dark.

• Africa and Asia on one shelf: The three single origins are Ethiopia, Kenya and Vietnam, one lot apiece.

• Most of the list near $20: Twelve ounce bags run $20 to $28 with a median of $21.50. The high end is a single outlier on an otherwise flat shelf.

Is Cartel Roasting Co. Right for You?

Order here if light roasting and citrus are the point. Four of six coffees sit at the lightest level, acidity averages medium, and the notes run to kumquat and meyer lemon rather than to cocoa and toast, which suits a pour-over drinker more than someone pulling shots for milk drinks. Blends make up half the list, so there is a middle path for anyone who does not want a different origin every week. The catalog is thin in two places. There is no decaf at all. And with three single origins on the shelf, a drinker who buys for origin variety will work through this list quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions