Coffee Sourcing - El Salvador 2017

Coffee Sourcing - El Salvador 2017

When sourcing coffee, DMC is fortunate enough to have relationships with some of the best coffee producers in the world. Having multiple farming partners brings varying styles of coffees, from cultivars to processing. Finca San Jeronimo Miramar in Guatemala is our partner that takes a more progressive approach, it's Federico Pacas in El Salvador that brings the classic Central American coffee that we love.

The Pacas family is known throughout the coffee industry as royalty, with genetics, processing techniques that are second to none. Federico Pacas owns Cafe Tuxpal, a mill that processes his farms Santa Petrona, San Jose, Vista Hermosa in addition to other neighboring farms. DMC will feature several of his family's Pacas cultivars again for 2017, Pacas Joven, Pacas Viejo, etc.  

The relationship with Federico Pacas is the oldest farming partnership for DMC, allowing a wealth of knowledge and coffees to grace our cups. Like any long relationship, the learning process and information shared helps both Federico & DMC to evolve and grow. It's always a pleasure to visit with Federico at his farms, but it's even more special when we get him to visit us in Chicago. (That only happens during the warm months though :)

Pacas Joven    

Nuevo Pacas Joven en Finca San Jose Sonsonate! (New Pacas Joven plants) 
These little guys look so great in the newly rehabilitated Finca San Jose. Federico Pacas replanted his namesake cultivar in place of the classic Salvadoran Red Bourbon. Times they are a changing!

Cafe Tuxpal 2017

Every year Cafe Tuxpal continues to upgrade and innovate their processing method at the mill. New developments with how they wash coffees have been incredible to witness. Photo Aaron Campos

Pacas & Diaz

Federico Pacas & Jesse Diaz, two men leading a coffee revolution! 

El Salvador 2017

Driving home from the fields, enjoy other beautiful sunset in El Salvador! 

January 20, 2017 — Kyle Hodges
Supercollider Event Series

Supercollider Event Series

The first series of events are announced! Make sure to register for either event and are 21+ to attend!

Tuesday, September 6, 2016 6:00 - 9:00pm
Star Lounge Coffee Bar 2521 W Chicago, IL
Admission: Free! (Must be 21+ w/valid ID) RSVP HERE
Celebrating Fernet Branca with cask conditioned coffee, and other fun Fernet Branca inspired beverages.
Special Guests: Charlie Benante (Drummer for Anthrax) 
Music: DJ sets from Ben Fasman, Mike Miczek
Thursday, September 8, 7:00pm - 2:00am 
Estereo 2450 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Special Guest DJ: Announced on Thursday, Sept 8th!! 
Music: DJ sets from Supreme Court, Ben Fasman, Twinpeaks DJs
Dark Matter Coffee & Estereo are teaming to celebrate the late summer nights, delicious Blu Breezy cocktails and hot vinyl from some of your favorite DJs.

Join us on Thursday, September 8th starting 7pm, with sets from Supreme Court, Ben Fasman and Twinpeaks DJs warming up the night. The headliner will be announced sometime on Thursday. Trust us this will NOT be one to miss!!

Special thanks and consideration Bangtel for providing hospitality!
*This event happens rain or shine. Everyone who attends must be 21+, with a valid ID.

Friday, September 9, 2016 6:00 - 11:00pm 

Dark Matter Coffee, Pipeworks and Sauce & Bread present a night of beer, music and mayhem! Who throws a better party than the fine folks at DMC? The answer is NO ONE! 

We teamed up with some of best buddies to throw the ultimate SURPRISE party. A surprise? YES! We are only going to tell you the details of the party, but not the location of the party. Sounds confusing, but it's really simple. All you need to do it purchase the ticket, show up at The Mothership starting at 6:00pm and we will take care of getting you there. But what is this party all about? Glad you asked, details are below. One last thing though, these tickets WILL SELL OUT, so make sure that you are getting them before they are gone. 

What do you get for your hard earned money? 

- A pig roast from Sauce & Bread Kitchen with all the fixings

- Beers, Beers, and Beers from Pipeworks and Mikkeller. We are making sure that there are some really special treats included

- A limited coffee bomber from DMC 

- A vinyl copy of the Brain Tentacles & Wild Jesus split EP

- A DMC snifter

- A Brain Tentacles & Wild Jesus show with some special guests! 

That's a lot of cool shit, so make sure to grab those tickets before they are gone! Once you have bought your tickets, just show up by 6:00pm at The Mothership (738 N Western Ave) on Friday, September 9th. We will have buses that take everyone to the event. The same buses will also bring guests back to The Mothership once the party is over at 11:45pm. (Guests are not required to stay the entire time and can leave at their own discretion.) 

Special thanks and consideration to Experimental Sound Studios and Bangtel for sound and hospitality! 

*This event happens rain or shine. There will be no refunds for missed rides or if you are unable to attend. Please purchase accordingly. Everyone who attends must be 21+, with a valid ID. No refunds for anyone who isn't 21 and purchases a ticket.  

Unicorn Blood, now with MORE MAGIC!

Unicorn Blood, now with MORE MAGIC!

Today is the day we can proudly report our coffee portfolio consists entirely (aside from decaf) of Central American coffees we have purchased through our friends. Our money is transferred directly form our bank account to their bank accounts - no middle men are taking a slice of the pie! Companies our size and larger rarely, if ever, can claim this. 


The monsooned Malabar coffee has been a part of the DMC portfolio since the emergence of our roasting program.  These beans behave uniquely in espresso and the monsooning process has yet to be imitated successfully anywhere else in the world. Though Malabar was fussy, giving this coffee the proper care insured a beautiful full bodied shot,

Out of necessity, we only purchased coffees through importers and every batch had to be sifted through by hand to remove stones, twigs, bones and other debris. Acid driven coffees were even more alien to consumers then, than they are today, and for that reason, Malabar thrived in our shop not only in espresso or blends, but also as a "single origin" offering. This coffee, it seems, is the last reaming relic of that time for us and our philosophy has evolved  since then.

We were no longer depending on importers as we developed relationships with producers in El Salvador and later in Finca San Jeronimo. Debris became a far less common sight and product consistency was tighter than ever before. Now, we are lucky enough to have pristine, masterfully prepared coffees we can revolve around as a base coffee, alleviating our dependency on the Malabar's characteristics to produce a low acid, voluptuous, chocolaty espresso.

Our mixed lot is from Finca Santa Rosa, with processing done by Inaginsa from Honduras. (A gentleman and great friend of DMC, Willaim Dunaway and his family operate this company.) The key to these coffees as the base of Unicorn Blood is their cocoa nib character and complete lack of acidity. It pairs extremely well with the Catuai/Caturra (Guatemala) and together produces a subtle and sweet cherry nuance.

As an espresso, you will notice this cup to be far less jagged and rough around the edges. Unicorn Blood still holds up beautifully to milk, with Dutch cocoa, cherry and praline as dominant notes in the cup. This is an exciting time for DMC family and friends and we hope you enjoy your Unicorn Blood more than ever! 

Country: Honduras
Farm: Santa Rosa
Cultivar: Mixed
Process: Washed

Country: Guatemala 
Farm San Jeronimo Miramar
Cultivar: Catuai/Caturra Mix
Process: Washed

Country: Guatemala
Farm: San Jeronimo Miramar
Cultivar: Catimor
Process: Washed

Notes: Dutch Cocoa, Cherry, Praline