The Gateway: Collab Blend

Flavor Profile:
This cup is exploding with flavor, bringing us back to that gateway coffee, the one that made you think: wait, coffee can taste like that? Aromas of sweet fruit waft from the cup. As you sip, the sweet and juicy flavor of mixed berries is complemented by a lactic creaminess reminiscent of fresh cream. Fizzy acidity dances across the palate, evoking the effervescence of grape soda. The tang of hibiscus and prickly pear add a layer of complexity. Rich notes of 70% dark chocolate ground the cup.

About this Collaboration:

San Diego, this one's for you!

The Gateway is a limited-edition specialty coffee collaboration between Friends of Friends and Color Magic, created in celebration of SCA World of Coffee 2026 coming to our hometown. When the world's coffee community came knocking, we wanted to welcome them the only way we know how, with open arms and an excellent cup.

The Coffees

🇪🇹 Ethiopia — Bette Buna, "Cherry Bomb", Guji, Megadu Founded by Hester & Dawit, Bette Buna is built on the belief that specialty coffee is a tool to transform communities from the ground up. Every lot is traceable, intentional, and grown with purpose. This coffee is processed using a 96-hour anaerobic natural, a method that pulls every bit of wild, fruit-forward intensity out of the coffee cherry.

🇨🇴 Colombia — Wild Caturron, Villa Betulia, Huila Grown by Luis Aníbal Calderón, a farmer and community leader who has spent over 30 years nurturing his family farm into a home for more than 30 varietals. This Caturron lot undergoes a 150-hour experimental fermentation.

The Gateway is specialty coffee rooted in craft, community, and human connection, sourced with intention, roasted with care, and made to share.