The Making of WONDERBLEND

Last fall, our Head Roaster and Director of Coffee were asked to create a new coffee blend that would be a departure from our current offerings. The goal was to craft a blend that would be playful, eccentric, and surprising. Right away our Head Roaster, Camilla Yuan, knew of the first coffee that would be a part of the blend. “We had the Costa Rosta Sonora Estate Bourbon Natural on hand and thought this coffee would be a fun component to build a blend with,” said Camilla, who described the coffee as “wild and fruit-forward.” Our Director of Coffee, Ed Whitman, added that the coffee was “intense, dynamic, juicy, and not something we would normally put in a blend.”

From there, Camilla and Ed cupped many different samples of coffees that they hoped would complement the Costa Rica Sonora Estate. After sampling coffees in various combinations for a couple of months, Camilla and Ed landed on the Ethiopia Suke Quto Washed. “The Costa Rica Sonora Estate offers a really bright and upfront acidity that lingers throughout the tasting experience, while notes of strawberry jam and kombucha lend a fun and wacky flavor profile,” Camilla explained. “The Ethiopia Suke Quto has a pleasant citrus acidity that settles nicely with floral and tropical notes.” Ed expressed how both coffees “stand out on their own and have a lot of character…. Since this is a blend of washed and natural coffees, there is a balance of acidity and body, with upfront fruit notes and subtle complexity.”

Creating a roast profile for a blend using two distinct coffees is quite challenging. When discussing this process, Camilla explained: “We tested out two different roast profiles for each coffee, cupped them, and theorized how we thought the coffees would potentially interact together as a pre-roast blend and came up with test blend percentages to try.” Camilla mentioned how she was pleasantly surprised with how well the two coffees paired together, given that each component is strong and flavorful on its own. “The two coffees don’t clash, but instead they create balance and complement one another very well.” Ultimately, Camilla proceeded with a pre-roast approach as opposed to a post-roast. “We picked the blend percentage that best showcased the coffees individually and as a whole,” Camilla revealed. Ed agreed, saying that “overall, the blend is greater than the sum of its parts.”

For Camilla, our Wonderblend “is a complete 180” from our staple Dharma Espresso Blend. Rather than trying to achieve classic coffee flavors, our Wonderblend is quirky, fruity, and bright. “The blend is fun, whimsical, and reminds me of spring,” says Camilla. Indeed, the coffee is a celebration of springtime and the vibrancy and vitality of the season. Colorful, fresh, and vivid, our Wonderblend is meant to transcend the typical coffee tasting experience and transport the drinker to a fanciful, flavor-rich world. A treat for any coffee drinker, our Wonderblend offers a surreal mix of surprise and familiarity, leaving you with flavors you know well but haven’t experienced in your daily coffee. Essentially, Wonderblend is wonder in a cup. We’re excited for you to enjoy it all season long!