Where is Scott Rao?

This week’s new release is El Itacayo anaerobic washed geisha.

Cup of Excellence winning Angel Arturo Paz set aside a tiny amount of this coffee for us, and we are thrilled to share it with you.

This is a beautiful, refined, classic coffee with melon, peach, and a creaminess we love. This limited lot went to our subscribers first and is now available to everyone!

www.getprodigal.com

Last week, Kirk Pearson. had Specialty Coffee Factory Outlet
on his podcast.

SCFO claimed to offer the “exact same coffee” as AXIL COFFEE ROASTERS but at a much lower price. 
I asked them several times to prove that they were, in fact, offering the “exact same coffee” as Axil. Instead of answering, they insulted me, made sexual comments, and obfuscated.

Unfortunately for them, they are amateurs who don’t understand green buying

Here are the facts, and I have shared the evidence in the four images of this post.

#1 In their August 26 reel, SCFO claimed their Berhanu Kurse Banko Gotiti coffee was “the exact same coffee” as Axil’s, but at a much lower price. Their reasoning was that all “Banko Gotiti grade one” coffees are the same.

Note that there are ~10 washing stations in BG, each servicing ~2,000 smallholder farmers, and the cup score required to be “grade one” is only 85. Two different BG grade ones could be 85 and 88 points, which is a huge difference.

#2 They posted their delivery order from Cafe Imports Australia (photo #2). It showed Cafe Imports lot 25585. As you can see, lot #25585 is a NATURAL. Axil’s BG is washed, and SCFO’s BAG says the coffee is WASHED.

Why does this matter? 



To be clear, I don’t care if a roaster in Australia is selling cheap green at a cheap price.

SCFO is cheating consumers by making false claims, they are undermining the great work companies like Axil are doing, and they undermine the producers who invest heavily in improved coffee quality. 


Companies like SCFO want to take us back to the 90s when people viewed all “Kenya AA” coffees as effectively the same. If that approach succeeds, farmers who have put extraordinary amounts of time and money into producing top-shelf coffees will lose the premiums they get paid.


Support honest farmers and roasters doing great work. You get what you pay for.

Last week, Kirk Pearson. had Specialty Coffee Factory Outlet
on his podcast.

SCFO claimed to offer the “exact same coffee” as AXIL COFFEE ROASTERS but at a much lower price. 
I asked them several times to prove that they were, in fact, offering the “exact same coffee” as Axil. Instead of answering, they insulted me, made sexual comments, and obfuscated.

Unfortunately for them, they are amateurs who don’t understand green buying

Here are the facts, and I have shared the evidence in the four images of this post.

#1 In their August 26 reel (shown here), SCFO claimed their Berhanu Kurse Banko Gotiti coffee was “the exact same coffee” as Axil’s, but at a much lower price. Their reasoning was that all “Banko Gotiti grade one” coffees are the same.

Note that there are ~10 washing stations in BG, each servicing ~2,000 smallholder farmers, and the cup score required to be “grade one” is only 85. Two different BG grade ones could be 85 and 88 points, which is a huge difference.

#2 They posted their delivery order from Cafe Imports Australia (photo #2). It showed Cafe Imports lot 25585. As you can see, lot #25585 is a NATURAL. Axil’s BG is washed, and SCFO’s BAG says the coffee is WASHED.

To recap, SCFO lied about their coffee being the exact same pot AND they mislabeled a natural as a washed coffee (truly the greatest sin in my world 😂)

Why does this matter? 

To be clear, I don’t care if a roaster in Australia is selling cheap green at a cheap price. Nothing new there.

SCFO is cheating consumers by making false claims, they are undermining the great work companies like Axil are doing, and they undermine the producers who invest heavily in improved coffee quality. 

Companies like SCFO want to take us back to the 90s when people viewed all “Kenya AA” coffees as effectively the same. If that approach succeeds, farmers who have put extraordinary amounts of time and money into producing top-shelf coffees will lose the premiums they get paid. 

Support honest farmers and roasters doing great work. You get what you pay for.

The Airflow Coffee Co lay-flat portafilter has landed in the EU and is now available worldwide 🌎

Only $55 for a limited time!

www.scottrao.com

A question for the producers, mills, exporters, and roasters out there:

If you could have a sorter that did all of these things well.
☕️ Sort by color
☕️ Defect sorting (insect bites, etc)
☕️ Sort by screen size
☕️ Sort by texture

Would you purchase such a machine?

Fellow Drops features our new Ethiopia Mulu today only!

From Fellow:

Prodigal Coffee cupped their entire inventory to find the perfect selection to launch with Fellow Drops. Mulu is Prodigal’s all-new, all-Ethiopian light roast. It pairs the elegance and florality of classic washed coffees with the zippy, ripe fruit of naturals.

Industry heavyweights Scott Rao and Mark Benedetto started Prodigal to roast coffees they’d be excited to drink, only choosing those that match their unapologetically strict quality threshold. Prodigal is known for its clean, fruity flavors and dependable roasting consistency.

We taste orange, cran-apple, and cherry.

🌎 Origin: Ethiopia
⚗️ Process: Washed & Natural
🔬 Variety: Ethiopian Heirloom Varieties
🔥 Roast: Light
📝 Brew Guide: https://drop.fyi/ykar

Get Mulu Blend from Prodigal Coffee. $25 + $5 shipping per 250g bag

We’ve just released two new coffees, a fresh Kenya Muburi AB, and from our freezer, Honduras 2025 Cup of Excellence #9 El Itacayo anaerobic washed geisha.

We will roast these coffees Monday, and please act quickly, as Itacayo is a very limited release!

Dormans Coffee
Cup of Excellence
Angel Arturo Paz

Several Airflow products are now available for shipping worldwide 🌍

The 2000g / 0.1g scale is unbeatable at $30. It’s fast, accurate, reliable, and cute 😊

Airflow Coffee is an up-and-coming brand to be reckoned with. Their products are attractive, functional, and reliable, while being very competitively priced.

Keep an eye out for a few collaborations I’m doing with them!

www.scottrao.com

Bentwood Vertical 63 grinder for sale, lightly used. Features new burrs, 220-240V, currently located in Prague.

Asking €1500 (costs €3000 new)

Please DM if interested! This will go fast 💨