About the Coffee The Community Blend draws from two farms Pilot has worked with directly for years. Nicholas Hammond grows coffee in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, a highland region west of Guatemala City where farms sit at high elevation under a cool, humid climate. Chalo Fernandez works in Paicol, in Colombia's Huila department, one of the country's most productive coffee-growing areas, where the Magdalena River valley creates distinct conditions on either side of the Andes. Pilot sources both coffees through Direct Trade relationships, meaning they work with Hammond and Fernandez directly rather than through intermediaries. That kind of ongoing relationship gives Pilot visibility into how each harvest develops year to year, and gives the producers a stable, predictable buyer. The blend combines the two origins specifically because their profiles complement each other, with Guatemala's structure balancing Colombia's sweetness into something smooth and consistent across brewing methods. The Community Blend is designed to be versatile. It holds up well as espresso, in milk-based drinks, and through filter methods like V60 or AeroPress. Pilot recommends a rest period after roasting before brewing, typically 7 to 16 days depending on the brew method, to let the coffee settle and open up. About Pilot Andy Wilkin and Jessie Holmes opened Te Aro Roasted in May 2009 in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood, operating out of a converted car garage. Andy had just earned his Q Grader certification and took the name from Te Aro, the Wellington, New Zealand neighbourhood where he grew up around cafes that shaped how he thought about coffee. The space ran as both a cafe and a small roastery from day one. By 2013, the operation had grown enough to move roasting to a dedicated facility at 50 Wagstaff Drive and the name changed to Pilot Coffee Roasters. The focus on building long-term relationships with coffee producers has stayed consistent since those early Leslieville days. The Community Blend is a direct product of that approach, built around two producer partnerships that have developed over multiple harvests.
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