At Raven’s Brew Coffee® we are big into blending coffee. As coffee growing has spread around the globe, different regions have developed distinctive characteristics in their coffees due to variations in weather, altitude and soil quality, amongst other factors.
Blending allows us to reliably combine complimentary coffees to achieve a specific flavor profile—something our customers can return to and know that they will get the same great flavor each time they buy.
The nature of coffee as an agricultural product means that things change harvest to harvest, even if the producer uses the exact same growing and processing techniques. Raven’s Brew® has been selling our longest-running blend, Deadman’s Reach® coffee, for more than 25 years and while this famous blend has evolved, we have used expert blending to keep highlighting the same profile and characteristics that made it popular when first released.
A key part of blending successfully is in green coffee selection. We seek cups that highlight the classic characteristics of the major coffee-growing regions of the world: Central American coffees are brighter than earthy Indonesians, and African coffees bring more wild notes of berries and citrus. We know that our roasters can combine these regional characteristics to create full-flavored, well-rounded and distinctive coffees. We are constantly roasting, brewing, tasting and refining our blends so that they continue to shine!
An advantage of blended coffees is that they make great coffee however you brew them—espresso, drip, cold brew or any other method.
The body, acidity and flavors are well balanced and develop recognizably with different brew methods. To continue using Deadman’s Reach® coffee as an example—the full body, notes of chocolate and hazelnuts, and sweet bite are recognizably present in espresso, drip and cold brew.
Single origin coffees can be fantastic as well, the difference is that their flavors and quality have the potential to vary season to season. These coffees can have very pronounced flavor that is distinctive to a particular batch of beans, and some only crop at a particular time of year. The powerful blueberry notes of our Blueberry Revolution™ Limited Release are a great example of an incredibly distinctive coffee—one that has a character all its own but is only available at certain times.
For this reason, we like to release single origin coffees as limited releases.
Our team carefully selects a group of single origin coffees each year that we know are at their best, keeping us adaptable and always offering the best coffees we taste. Single origin coffees usually perform best as drip—alternative brewing methods can over-accentuate their characteristics to the point of putting off some drinkers. This doesn’t mean don’t experiment, just know that you can expect something unusual if you pull a shot of Blueberry Revolution™ espresso!
The type of coffee that you drink and the way that you drink it is all down to personal taste, and we encourage the differences that motivate our customers to consume our coffee however it makes them happy. We encourage you to explore, experiment, and find yourself and your coffee. Vive la différence!
