Brew Guide: Summer Blend Collection

Here at Brooklyn Roasting HQ, we have access to every type of brew method you can dream up. And while we're cupping traditionally very often, we love testing which brew method brings out the best of each roast. We tried each one in a variety of methods and are excited to share our favorites with you.

Summer Thunder

Let's start with the Summer Thunder. The boldest of the lineup, it sits somewhere between two of our most beloved blends: the Iris and the BQE.

The Iris, our flagship espresso blend and best-selling bean online, is made up of Ethiopian Natural, Peruvian, and Brazilian coffee. It produces a rich, fruity, complex, crema-heavy shot of espresso and is what we use across all of our cafes.

The BQE is our other espresso-specific blend, made up of Nicaraguan and Brazilian beans, with slight seasonal variations due to harvest cycles and what's available at any given time (ever changing, much like the BQE itself).

At its heart, the Summer Thunder is a hybrid of our two most popular espresso roasts. It's 50% Ethiopian Natural, 25% Brazil, and 25% Nicaragua. The natural conclusion? We had to try pulling it as espresso.

Unsurprisingly, it performed beautifully. A thick layer of crema, a bright fruity start, and a bold, deep finish. This blend is balanced and slightly smoky, with strong notes of toasted almond and ripe berry.

Sweet Sunshine

Made up of one of our best-selling single origins, the Peru, and one of our longtime cafe favorites, the Guatemala, the Sweet Sunshine is roasted individually and combined after to preserve the notes from each. It's a true everyman's cup. Delicate but reliable, it's a twist on the coffees you know and love, and a study in how two different origins, when paired together, can bring out something entirely new.

We wanted to try this blend in the way we picture most of you enjoying it: slowly, at the kitchen table, with natural light flooding in. Maybe the surf is crashing outside, or maybe you're getting ready for a leisurely day in Prospect Park. Either way, this is a slow-down, sip-and-savor coffee.

A brew method that mirrors that kind of intentionality and simplicity is a French press. Something about taking full control of your cup and watching every part of the brew carefully is deeply rewarding. It becomes a ritual rather than a routine

French presses tend to offer a rich, full profile, as the natural oils of the coffee are preserved during the brew process through total immersion and the absence of a paper filter. It's the perfect medium to really get to know your coffee and spend time tasting what makes it different. You control the ratio of coffee to water and the steep time; each cup is truly just for you.

The Sweet Sunshine really shines in this brew method. It's made up of two great everyday cups, but it's a combination that deserves a little more appreciation for all its delicate notes of caramel and spice.

Cold Brew Blend

The third and final blend in this trilogy is the Cold Brew Blend, and it has a detail that might surprise you: it's made up of only one origin, and roasted two ways before blending. 

The process behind it requires roasting two separate batches of the Peru Las Damas, one at a higher temperature and one at a lower temperature, then blending them together after roasting. The different temperatures pull out a different profile from each iteration of the bean, and together they make for a more complex, more delicate cup.

This roast was developed with cold brewing in mind. A medium dark roast on the Peru Las Damas ensures a smooth, rich, even profile with a full body, a light natural sweetness, and very low acidity. This pairs beautifully with the naturally low acidity inherent in the cold brew steeping process. It's the perfect bean for a great cold brew at home. Expect notes of berry, cherry, and chocolate.

We think this collection has a little something for everyone. Let us know if you try any of these out, we can't wait to hear what you think.