BEFORE HE LAUNCHED the Las Cruces–based Picacho Coffee Roasters, Chad Morris was a jazz musician. He attributes a similar improvisational approach to learning the art of coffee. “I remember trying to taste as many different varietals as I could get my hands on.” In 2009, while teaching music in Las Cruces, he’d bring his hand-roasted coffees to the teachers’ lounge. By the time Christmas rolled around, teachers were asking to buy his roasts to give as holiday gifts. Chad and Lauren Morris now run their roastery and coffee bar under a single roof in Las Cruces. While most of Picacho’s coffee is single-origin, sourced directly from farmers to ensure high quality and the freshest beans, they also use select varieties of fair-trade coffee. Picacho offers a subscription service and three categories of coffee for purchase on its website: El Clasico, Single Origin, and Exotics. The new Unobtanium category is released quarterly, featuring small-batch, one-of-a-kind, and truly special coffees previously reserved for friends and family.
Find Picacho Coffee at New Mexico Whole Foods locations; The Teahouse, in Santa Fe; Pig + Fig, in White Rock; and online.