We have a coffee name "Ed" and I figured I'd share the story of how it came to be.

One of our really early customers (all the way back in 2021!) has a friend who is a professional chef on the East Coast. She was sharing our different coffees with him and, completely without me knowing, put together a blend that fit his culinary goals.

I'm sometimes jealous of the diversity of ingredients available to chefs. Coffee roasting sometimes seem like an navel-gazing exercise, where we explore in-depth the flavors contained only within the original bean. While we can do a lot with different roast profiles, chefs get to experiment with the interplay of contrasting and complementing ingredients, preparations, aromas, textures that bring taste and experience alive. I roast one heck of an Ethiopia Yirgacheffe but, let's be frank, most of the credit goes to the farmers who grew the crop. My job as a roaster is to choose a good bean and not mess it up in the roast.

I remember the day our customer came in and, with a little trepidation, she walked me through the blend that Ed (the real living, breathing Ed) had created. It was wonderful. To see varietals I thought I knew intimately in a completely new light was inspiring. It immediately earned a place in our permanent repertoire, right next to Espresso Noir.

My thanks go out to Ed, creator of one of my favorite blends. Enjoy!

Brian