That being said, when I do sit down and think about it, there are some things that make it slightly more bearable, and in recent years that's included the curation of the Festive Blend (the festive blend is retired for another year, take a look at our other Speciality Coffee. Shedding a little light as the days get increasingly darker, trying to create Christmas in a cup is a challenge that I can really get behind.
Why Make a Christmas coffee?
Winter is all about comfort, familiarity, and tapping into nostalgia. I automatically go to a place that has a huge fire at the heart of it, I think of the warming spices floating around my Nana’s kitchen mixed with the floral and citrus sweetness of the brandy which my Grandad loved (a little too much). Candied fruit peel, and for some reason, Liquorice Allsorts always seem to show up. Christmas time can get a little decadent for the foodie, and the one thing that makes this season great for curating a coffee blend is the rich larder of inspiration you can draw from.Creating The Festive Blend
There's a tendency to go all out and over the top for the festive season. Looking back on the last few iterations of the blend, this is what we did - packing in as much booze and spice as we possibly could. I remember last year’s blend tasting like Glogg, which makes for an excellent one-off cup, but it's quite full on when you've a whole bag to get through!
So, this year we decided to go a little more subtle on the booze and spice and produce a blend that has layers of complexity and takes you on a journey through a nostalgic Christmas morning, where sharing with loved ones is the true aim and two mugs aren’t enough.
Which coffees are in The Festive Blend?
This year's Festive Blend is a celebration of the flavours of Christmas. Coffees from Nicaragua and Honduras combine to create a comforting cup, with a rounded body and spiced and sweet notes.80% of this year's Festive Blend comes from sisters Martha and Ana, and their farm La Fuente in Northern Nicaragua.
On its own, it’s a well-rounded coffee with apple compote notes, cherry and plum stone fruit sweetness.
The remainder comes from Donaldo Fiallos - a macerated natural process coffee, with the warming boozy notes we’ve always looked for in our Festive Blend.
I'm really proud of how this year's Festive Blend has turned out. It tastes great, and we've really tried to make it look as special as it tastes, with a beautiful presentation box. It'll be a great stocking filler for a lot of coffee lovers, I'm sure. You can find The Festive Blend here.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us throughout this year, it means a great deal to have you all on this journey with us. I really do hope you all have a fantastic Festive period and that you share some time with the ones that mean the most.
From Myself and the team,
We wish you a Merry Christmas and look forward to catching up in the New Year.
Cheers,
Burts.