We’ve always been on the lookout for the best coffees in the world, but every once in a while we hit a cup in our sensory lab that makes us stop in our tracks and shout, “Wow!” Since we generally taste a lot of good coffee on the daily, and even taste really great coffee regularly, it takes something extra special to force a “Wow!,” and for that reason we wanted to create a super special way to share these coffees with our customers.

We realized there’s nothing luckier than drawing a couple Aces at the poker table, and we feel that way at the cupping table, too, so in 2013 we created our Aces program to break up and blast out these show-stopping micro-microlots in a way that is a little bit fun and a little bit frenzied—just like we are when someone shouts that “Wow!” (Which, in Cafe Imports parlance, is typically reserved for coffees that are 90-plus points out of 100.)

Naturally, we’ve discovered in our 25 years of business that there are simply not that many coffees out there that rack up those kinds of numbers. What’s even trickier is that it’s rare for there to be very much of those exquisite coffees available—we typically find that the cream of the crop only fills a few bags, maybe a couple dozen if we’re lucky.

Aces coffees are broken down into 20kg bags and are usually available in very limited quantities. They have full traceability to the producer, and in most cases also come with information such as variety, farm elevation, and often even specific processing details. Producers whose coffees are “Aced” receive a quality premium, but even at their “exclusive” price they tend to be on the affordable side of the “grand cru” spectrum.

In order to make sure they don’t get lost on our offerings sheet, and because we want to shout them from the rooftops, we send out an Aces eBlast as soon as the coffees are released, which allows anyone who is signed up on our mailing list early-bird access and a first-come, first-served shot at securing these coffees for themselves.

We don’t Ace just anything: These coffees are truly top-shelf, and most of the roasters who get the Aces eBlast will call up immediately to order them without even requesting samples. For this reason, Aces offerings don’t generally last too long, but every once in a while there are a few bags left over after the rush. You can always filter our offerings list for Aces just in case, and sign up here to receive the eBlast. (Hint, hint, there might be one coming soon…)

In the meantime, click below to see if you’ve pulled the lucky card and whether there are any current Aces available—you may just find yourself holding a winning hand.