Counter Culture Coffee - Specialty Coffee Roaster | Unpacking Coffee [ ](https://unpacking.coffee)[ ![Unpacking Coffee Logo](/images/cuppin-logo.svg) Unpacking Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/dashboard) [ Coffees ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees) [ Cuppings ](https://unpacking.coffee/cuppings) [ Recipes ](https://unpacking.coffee/recipes) [ Log in ](https://unpacking.coffee/login) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/login "Log in") [ Register ](https://unpacking.coffee/register) [ ](https://unpacking.coffee/register "Register") [ Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters) Counter Culture Coffee Counter Culture Coffee ====================== Durham, North Carolina-based roaster founded in 1995, pioneering direct trade and transparency. Known for their commitment to education, sustainability, and quality. Watch Episode Read Transcript - [ Counter Culture Coffee ](https://counterculturecoffee.com/) - [ Counter Culture Coffee Instagram ](https://instagram.com/counterculturecoffee/) - [ Counter Culture Coffee Twitter ](https://twitter.com/counter_culture) - [ La Marzocco Café Roasters in Residence ](https://unpacking.coffee/tag/la-marzocco-cafe-roaster-in-residence/) ![Counter Culture Coffee](/storage/roaster-profiles/46/featured.jpg) HELLO Ray: I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: Welcome to Season 2 of Unpacking Coffee! This week ... Kandace: Counter Culture. Ray: Counter Culture was founded in 1995 making then probably one of the earliest of the third wave coffee companies. Kandace: They've really been leading the way in coffee for a long time. They started having public cuppings all the way back in 2002. They were focusing on ... Like you said, education or making coffee super accessible or being really transparent. That's been part of their mission from the very beginning. Year after year they're just continuing to build on that and it's pretty amazing. Ray: I wish I had worn my hoodie. This just looks very plain. Kandace: Go put your hoodie on. Ray: No it's okay. Kandace: That was your reaction to that whole thing about sustainability? Ray: We also got to chat with Scott Callender. Scott: Hi, I'm Scott Callender. I work for La Marzocco and I head up the home business for La Marzocco. We are in the La Marzocco café and show room in Seattle Center. We invite roasters from around the world to come in here, reinvent the space, reinvent the menu and they will develop a coffee service that will last for one month here in the café as popup. We have right now a very special guest with us here at the café. It is Counter Culture Coffee and they are from Durham, North Carolina. They're doing some really special stuff right now. Kandace: From the beginning, they've had a commitment to sustainability. Ray: That's right. Kandace: Which they're one of the first bird friendly coffees. Ray: Mm-hmm (affirmative) They have a program they call Counter Intelligence. Kandace: Shut up. Ray: It's true. Kandace: That's awesome. Ray: It's awesome. Kandace: I didn't even see anything about that. Ray: This is their standard packaging with a nice roast date sticker. Kandace: Seriously. They have some really nice ... These nice little 4 ouncers. Ray: Bio-trade bag here. Actually, we went up to Seattle this past week to visit the La Marzocco. Kandace: It's their café in KEXP, the new space. Erin: Kennith spoke to Erin McCarthy about, he was the world brewing champion in 2013, is that right? Kandace: He was the first North American to win that title. Ray: Nice. Kandace: Yeah. Ray: Kind of an expert, and in fact, he brewed ... Kandace: Kind of knows everything about coffee so. Erin: My name is Erin McCarthy. I work for Counter Culture Coffee out of New York City as a tech. I won the 2013 world brewers cup championship so I started out as a barista, and then kind of got into the competition circuit for three years. Kandace: You were the first American to win? Erin: It's true, yeah. Yeah. https://youtu.be/zUjqXkMUpi4 Kandace: What I thought was really interesting about this is that, so Erin is a barista right now during September, during part of September, at the La Marzocco space. Erin has a couple flights and they're really interesting. Erin: I tried to kind of make it a little journey if you will. Erin: The Geisha variety is an heirloom variety from Ethiopia so the seed that Moisés and Marysabel, the producers planted is the same variety that can be found in Ethiopia and have been found for hundreds of years. The SL28, the SL stands for Scot Laboratories and that was created in a lab with the purposes of higher production and resistance to disease for Kenya. So, what’s really neat about that is it’s one of the most popular varieties grown in Kenya so when you taste this coffee, it tastes like you’re drinking a Kenyan coffee which is super neat…to also separate that idea of a taste of place and layer it. Variety can also taste a certain way. Kandace: I’m excited about it. Erin: It was my pleasure. Kandace: Counter Culture Coffee. Ray: Of Durham, North Carolina. Hey, we’re back! Thanks to Rachel Classi and Erin McCarthy from Counter Culture for sending us beautiful coffee, talking to us, and allowing us to tell their story. And to Scott Callender and all the fine folks at KEXP for allowing us into their gorgeous space. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/183387322 HELLO Ray: I'm Ray. Kandace: I'm Kandace. Ray: Welcome to Season 2 of Unpacking Coffee! This week ... Kandace: Counter Culture. Ray: Counter Culture was founded in 1995 making then probably one of the earliest of the third wave coffee companies. Kandace: They've really been leading the way in coffee for a long time. They started having public cuppings all the way back in 2002. They were focusing on ... Like you said, education or making coffee super accessible or being really transparent. That's been part of their mission from the very beginning. Year after year they're just continuing to build on that and it's pretty amazing. Ray: I wish I had worn my hoodie. This just looks very plain. Kandace: Go put your hoodie on. Ray: No it's okay. Kandace: That was your reaction to that whole thing about sustainability? Ray: We also got to chat with Scott Callender. Scott: Hi, I'm Scott Callender. I work for La Marzocco and I head up the home business for La Marzocco. We are in the La Marzocco café and show room in Seattle Center. We invite roasters from around the world to come in here, reinvent the space, reinvent the menu and they will develop a coffee service that will last for one month here in the café as popup. We have right now a very special guest with us here at the café. It is Counter Culture Coffee and they are from Durham, North Carolina. They're doing some really special stuff right now. Kandace: From the beginning, they've had a commitment to sustainability. Ray: That's right. Kandace: Which they're one of the first bird friendly coffees. Ray: Mm-hmm (affirmative) They have a program they call Counter Intelligence. Kandace: Shut up. Ray: It's true. Kandace: That's awesome. Ray: It's awesome. Kandace: I didn't even see anything about that. Ray: This is their standard packaging with a nice roast date sticker. Kandace: Seriously. They have some really nice ... These nice little 4 ouncers. Ray: Bio-trade bag here. Actually, we went up to Seattle this past week to visit the La Marzocco. Kandace: It's their café in KEXP, the new space. Erin: Kennith spoke to Erin McCarthy about, he was the world brewing champion in 2013, is that right? Kandace: He was the first North American to win that title. Ray: Nice. Kandace: Yeah. Ray: Kind of an expert, and in fact, he brewed ... Kandace: Kind of knows everything about coffee so. Erin: My name is Erin McCarthy. I work for Counter Culture Coffee out of New York City as a tech. I won the 2013 world brewers cup championship so I started out as a barista, and then kind of got into the competition circuit for three years. Kandace: You were the first American to win? Erin: It's true, yeah. Yeah. https://youtu.be/zUjqXkMUpi4 Kandace: What I thought was really interesting about this is that, so Erin is a barista right now during September, during part of September, at the La Marzocco space. Erin has a couple flights and they're really interesting. Erin: I tried to kind of make it a little journey if you will. Erin: The Geisha variety is an heirloom variety from Ethiopia so the seed that Moisés and Marysabel, the producers planted is the same variety that can be found in Ethiopia and have been found for hundreds of years. The SL28, the SL stands for Scot Laboratories and that was created in a lab with the purposes of higher production and resistance to disease for Kenya. So, what’s really neat about that is it’s one of the most popular varieties grown in Kenya so when you taste this coffee, it tastes like you’re drinking a Kenyan coffee which is super neat…to also separate that idea of a taste of place and layer it. Variety can also taste a certain way. Kandace: I’m excited about it. Erin: It was my pleasure. Kandace: Counter Culture Coffee. Ray: Of Durham, North Carolina. Hey, we’re back! Thanks to Rachel Classi and Erin McCarthy from Counter Culture for sending us beautiful coffee, talking to us, and allowing us to tell their story. And to Scott Callender and all the fine folks at KEXP for allowing us into their gorgeous space. Watch the Show https://vimeo.com/183387322 No coffee offerings have been added for this roaster yet. Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register) Log In to Cup Log in to your account Enter your email and password to continue Email address Password Remember me Cancel Log in Need an account? [Sign up](https://unpacking.coffee/register) 0 Coffee Offerings 0 Total Cuppings — Average Score Added 10 months ago Use filters or recent searches to refine your results. Press Esc to close. Filters 12 showing Users 0 Coffees 0 Roasters 0 Recipes 0 Explore featured coffees Start typing to search across the entire database. [ ### [ Sitio Da Torre ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/127-sitio-da-torre) by [ Square Mile Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/196-square-mile-coffee-roasters) Process Natural Varieties Yellow Bourbon Country Brazil Region Minas Gerais Source Álvaro Coli First noted Mar 30, 2026 Last tasted Mar 30, 2026 1 cupping [ cherry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/5 "cherry") [ raspberry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/6 "raspberry") [ black cherry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/176 "black cherry") [ chocolate ganache ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/190 "chocolate ganache") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/127-sitio-da-torre) [ ### [ San Jerónimo Tecoatl ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/126-san-jeronimo-tecoatl) by [ Paloma Craft Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/253-paloma-craft-coffee) Process Washed Varieties Bourbon, Typica Country Mexico Region Oaxaca Elevation 1600 - 1800m Source Sierra Mazateca First noted Mar 28, 2026 Last tasted Mar 28, 2026 1 cupping [ peach ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/3 "peach") [ key lime ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/188 "key lime") [ green mango ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/189 "green mango") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/126-san-jeronimo-tecoatl) [ ### [ La Gladiola ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/125-la-gladiola) by [ Marigold Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/252-marigold-coffee) Process Washed Country Costa Rica Region Tarrazú First noted Mar 25, 2026 Last tasted Mar 25, 2026 1 cupping [ cinnamon ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/45 "cinnamon") [ chocolate ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/108 "chocolate") [ nectarine ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/126 "nectarine") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/125-la-gladiola) [ ### [ Honduras Ramon Hernandez ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/124-honduras-ramon-hernandez) by [ Heart Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/47-heart-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties Pacas Country Honduras Region Santa Barbara Elevation 1820m First noted Mar 23, 2026 Last tasted Mar 23, 2026 1 cupping [ jasmine ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/55 "jasmine") [ currant ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/137 "currant") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/124-honduras-ramon-hernandez) [ ### [ Honduras Benjamin Paz Gesha - Limited Release ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/123-honduras-benjamin-paz-gesha-limited-release) by [ Heart Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/47-heart-coffee-roasters) Process Washed Varieties Geisha Country Honduras Region El Cedral Elevation 1680-1730mm First noted Mar 15, 2026 Last tasted Mar 15, 2026 1 cupping [ orange ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/17 "orange") [ jasmine ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/55 "jasmine") [ honeycomb ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/114 "honeycomb") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/123-honduras-benjamin-paz-gesha-limited-release) [ ### [ Colombia Diego Bermudez Cardamom Cloud ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/122-colombia-diego-bermudez-cardamom-cloud) by [ Driftaway Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/251-driftaway-coffee) Process Double Fermentation/Soaking Varieties Castillo Country Colombia Region Huila Elevation 1960m Harvest 2025 Source Finca El Paraíso First noted Mar 13, 2026 Last tasted Mar 13, 2026 1 cupping [ cherry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/5 "cherry") [ cardamom ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/48 "cardamom") [ butter ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/85 "butter") [ pistachio ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/187 "pistachio") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/122-colombia-diego-bermudez-cardamom-cloud) [ ### [ Nelin Guzman Honduras ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/121-nelin-guzman-honduras) by [ Cat & Cloud Coffee ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/44-cat-cloud-coffee) Process Anaerobic Natural Country Honduras Region Santa Barbara Source Nelin Guzman First noted Mar 10, 2026 Last tasted Mar 10, 2026 1 cupping [ dark chocolate ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/34 "dark chocolate") [ berry wine ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/185 "berry wine") [ skittles ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/186 "skittles") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/121-nelin-guzman-honduras) [ ### [ Remera ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/120-remera) by [ FLOWER CHILD COFFEE ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/248-flower-child-coffee) Process Washed Varieties Red Bourbon Country Burundi Region Kayanza Elevation 1,850-2,100m Harvest July 2025 Source Remera Washing Station First noted Mar 01, 2026 Last tasted Mar 01, 2026 1 cupping [ mixed berries ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/181 "mixed berries") [ whipped cream ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/182 "whipped cream") [ pink lady apple ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/183 "pink lady apple") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/120-remera) [ ### [ fruit-forward flavor ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/119-fruit-forward-flavor) by [ 94 Celcius ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/250-94-celcius) First noted Mar 01, 2026 Last tasted Mar 01, 2026 1 cupping ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/119-fruit-forward-flavor) [ ### [ Evin Moreno Gesha ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/118-evin-moreno-gesha) by [ Ritual Coffee Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/180-ritual-coffee-roasters) Varieties Geisha Country Honduras Region Santa Barbara Harvest July 2025 Source Evin Joel Moreno Reyes First noted Feb 26, 2026 Last tasted Feb 26, 2026 1 cupping [ elderflower ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/58 "elderflower") [ melon ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/180 "melon") [ meyer lemon ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/103 "meyer lemon") [ butterscotch ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/32 "butterscotch") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/118-evin-moreno-gesha) [ ### [ Diego Horta – El Rincón ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/117-diego-horta-el-rincon) by [ Kafiex Roasters ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/249-kafiex-roasters) Process Anaerobic Natural Varieties Colombia Country Colombia Region Huila Source El Rincón First noted Feb 24, 2026 Last tasted Feb 24, 2026 1 cupping [ raspberry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/6 "raspberry") [ dark chocolate ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/34 "dark chocolate") [ cherry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/5 "cherry") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/117-diego-horta-el-rincon) [ ### [ Robinson & Luis' Geisha ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/116-robinson-luis-geisha) by [ FLOWER CHILD COFFEE ](https://unpacking.coffee/roasters/248-flower-child-coffee) Process Washed Varieties Landrace Country Colombia Region Huila Elevation 2050m Harvest August 2025 Source La Pradera First noted Feb 20, 2026 Last tasted Feb 20, 2026 1 cupping [ floral ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/105 "floral") [ marionberry ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/177 "marionberry") [ wild honey ](https://unpacking.coffee/flavors/179 "wild honey") ](https://unpacking.coffee/coffees/116-robinson-luis-geisha)