Choosing What Goes in Your Cup, One Lot at a Time.
Pippo Ardilles — Head of Sourcing & Q Grader for Specialty Coffee Shop, responsible for every coffee that makes it into the catalog.
Pippo selects which lots make it into the shop catalog. Not every bean we audit gets listed — only those scoring 84+ at the cupping bench, with documented origin and a profile that holds up across roast levels.
His sourcing instinct comes from a decade walking estates in Aceh Gayo, Mandailing, Pakpak Bharat, Toraja, and Bali Kintamani. CQI-licensed Q Grader since 2014. "A shop catalog is a curation — every SKU has to earn its slot."
His writing for the shop blog covers what buyers actually search for — honey process explained, coffee varieties cheat sheet, processing method comparisons, and the technical detail behind the "wine," "natural," and "wet-hulled" labels on product pages.
A working gallery.
From the cupping bench to the packing room — what happens before a bag of coffee shows up on the shop page.
Latest articles by Pippo Ardilles.
What is Honey Process Coffee?
The honey process explained — what stays on the bean, how it shapes the cup, and why we list it as a separate category in the shop catalog.
Read articleCoffee Varieties: A Practical Guide to Beans, Flavor, and Roasting
Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catimor, Sigararutang — a practical guide to varieties and what each one brings to the cup at different roast levels.
Read articleA Glimpse of Indonesian Coffee Beans
From Aceh to Papua — a regional overview of Indonesian coffee, the flagship origins on our catalog, and what makes each one worth tasting.
Read articleThe Ultimate Guide to Natural Coffee: Benefits, Types, and Brewing Tips
The natural (dry) process — fruit-driven cups, fermentation control, and which brewing methods bring out the best of a natural-processed bean.
Read articleWet Hulled Coffee Process: How Giling Basah Changes Flavor, Quality, and Body
Sumatra's signature giling basah — why the wet-hulled process produces that earthy body specialty roasters either love or actively avoid.
Read articleWine Process Coffee: Understanding the Fermentation Method for Unique Flavors
The "wine" anaerobic ferment — extended fermentation, fruit-forward profiles, and what to look for in a wine-process lot before buying.
Read articlePippo Ardilles, Head of Sourcing
CQI Q Grader · Specialty Coffee Shop · Medan, Indonesia
Pippo decides which lots make the catalog. CQI-licensed Q Grader since 2014. Curates products from origins across Aceh Gayo, Mandailing, Pakpak Bharat, Toraja, and Bali Kintamani — only 84+ scoring lots get listed. Writes about processing, varieties, and the decisions behind every SKU.
Questions about a product or process?
Our team is happy to help you pick the right coffee — flavor, brewing method, or quantity. Reach us by email or browse the latest catalog.