Once a month we release one numbered coffee. Currently №07 Panama Esmeralda Geisha, dropped at the start of May. Next month is №08. The series has been running since November 2025, and we've talked very little about what goes into picking each lot. People who subscribe to The Numbered often ask, so this is the long answer.
Why a numbered series at all
Our six core tones are designed for daily use — consistent, repeatable, blended for stability across harvest cycles. That's what makes them work as a daily driver. But the most interesting coffees we taste each year don't fit into the core lineup. They're too small to sustain a year-round product. Too unusual to blend. Too expensive to stock in volume.
The numbered series is the home for those lots. One coffee per month, numbered sequentially, sold in limited quantity until it runs out, then retired. No re-runs. The next month a new lot replaces it. Subscribers and shop customers see the same coffees at the same time.
The sourcing process
We work with three green-coffee importers based in North America (one in Vancouver, one in Toronto, one in Oakland), plus a small number of direct-trade relationships in Colombia and Ethiopia. Every 4–6 weeks we receive sample sets — typically 30–60 small bags of green coffee, 100–200g each, from lots being offered for sale.
The samples go through a fixed process:
- Visual inspection. We grade the green for defects (broken beans, quakers, foreign matter). Anything graded SCA 80+ moves on; below that, we don't taste it.
- Sample roast. Each lot gets the same light-medium roast profile on a sample roaster, so we're comparing beans on an even footing rather than roast variation.
- Cupping. All sample-roasted lots from a session get cupped blind by two of us, scored on the SCA cupping form (fragrance, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, cleanliness, uniformity). We compare scores after.
- Discussion. If both cuppers scored a lot above 87, it goes into a shortlist. If only one did, we re-cup. If neither did, it's out.
- Production roast trial. The shortlist gets roasted on the production drum at the profile we'd actually sell it at. We re-cup to confirm the profile holds at scale.
- Final selection. Among the lots that survived, we pick one. Usually the one that's furthest from what's currently on the shelf — we'd rather rotate styles than repeat ourselves.
What we look for
We aren't chasing the highest cupping score in the room. We're looking for a lot that satisfies four criteria:
- Distinct character. The cup should taste like itself, not like a generic specialty coffee. If the cupping notes read "chocolate, citrus, balanced" we usually pass — that's a tone, not a numbered.
- Story we can tell honestly. A specific producer, region, variety, or process we can describe in detail without marketing language. If the importer can only tell us "from Ethiopia, washed", we won't list it.
- Available quantity. Big enough to run a meaningful drop (80–200 bags retail) but small enough that we're not stretching the "limited" framing. We've passed on great lots because the available quantity was 800 bags — too much for monthly cycling.
- Roasts well at our scale. Some lots cup beautifully at 50g sample-roast scale but lose character on the production drum. We catch this at step 5.
The math on scarcity
A typical numbered lot runs 80–200 retail bags. If the drop sells out in two weeks, that's 40–100 bags per week. With ~50 active Numbered subscribers (a rough current count), about half the inventory is committed to subscribers before the drop goes live. The rest is first-come on the shop.
This is why some drops sell out the same day they launch and others sit for a week. It's not popularity in the abstract — it's the ratio of subscribers to retail-available bags for that specific lot. We try to size each drop so there's at least 30% retail availability after subscriber allocation, but we don't always hit it.
Recent drops
- №07 — Panama Esmeralda Geisha (natural, May 2026). Currently shipping. See the product page or our Panama Geisha guide for full details.
- №06 — Ethiopia Sidamo Heirloom (washed, April 2026). Sold out. A clean, jasmine-forward washed lot from a producer cooperative we'd worked with once before. One of our highest-scoring cuppings of the year.
- №05 — Costa Rica Tarrazú (honey, March 2026). Sold out. A black honey from a small producer in Llano Bonito. Heavy stone fruit, the most "natural-leaning" honey we've cupped.
- №04 — Colombia Huila (anaerobic natural, February 2026). Sold out. The most divisive drop in the series — wine-y, fermented, polarising. Some subscribers loved it; some swapped out before it shipped.
The first three drops (№01 through №03) ran in late 2025 and are archived. We may write a retrospective on those once we've done a full year of the series.
How to never miss a drop
Three options, in order of friction:
- Subscribe to The Numbered. The current month's lot ships to you automatically. You see the new drop before public release. Skip any month you don't want.
- Subscribe to The Discovery. Includes one bag of the current numbered lot alongside two core tones. Best for households drinking through coffee fast.
- Watch the numbered collection page. New drops appear on the first Tuesday of each month. We email subscribers the day before — you can opt into the journal-only list at the footer without buying anything.
What's coming next
We can't pre-announce specific lots — they're not final until they pass step 5 — but the next 2–3 drops will likely include a Colombian washed, an Ethiopian natural, and one experimental processing lot we're currently cupping. If the experimental one passes, it'll be the funkiest coffee we've shipped to date. If it doesn't pass, we'll go with something more familiar in its place. Either way, the next drop lands the first Tuesday of June.
Frequently asked
How long does a numbered drop usually last before selling out?
Variable. Smaller, higher-priced lots like Geisha can sell out in 3–5 days. Larger drops at moderate price points often last the full month until the next drop replaces them. The shop page shows live stock for each numbered lot.
Will you re-run sold-out numbered lots?
No. Each numbered coffee is a one-time release. If we love a lot enough to want it again, we'll source a similar coffee under a new number — but the original number is retired.
Can I buy a single numbered bag without subscribing?
Yes — every numbered lot is available as a one-off purchase on its product page while stock lasts.
Do The Numbered subscribers get a discount?
No. The benefit is access (subscriber allocations ship first) and consistency (you never have to remember to order). Pricing matches the retail bag price.
What if I really don't like a month's drop?
Two options: swap to a tone from the core lineup for that month, or skip the shipment entirely. Both are one-click from your account. You can also message us and we'll replace it.