There’s nothing like a hot cup of coffee to warm your soul during cold Winter days. Especially this year. It’s dark most of the day, it’s cold, the snow is piled high, and we’re in a pandemic. There’s no better year to embrace the practice of Hygge, cozy up by the fireplace (or a space heater) (or a really big candle), wrap yourself up with the heaviest anxiety blanket you can find, and warm your soul with a hot cup of coffee.
“Since we’ve no place to go” – LITERALLY – here are 9 of the best holiday coffee blends to brew this holiday season.
DRIFT – Black Coffee Roasting Company
DRIFT – from Missoula, Montana’s Black Coffee Roasting Company – is the perfect companion when you’re snowed in, sitting beside a fire, as the forest outside swirls in white waves around the mountains. DRIFT is a warm mug shared in quiet, steam rising with notes of cacao, graham cracker, clove, and the hint of strawberry. Winter spice in a cup.
Winter’s Monster – Littlefoot Coffee Roasters
What’s been making the little footprints in the crisp, fresh fallen snow out in the woods? Why it’s only Littlefoot – the cutest little cryptid in the coffee roasting world! And it’s back again with a blend of Kenyan, Honduran, and Brazilian coffees to create a cup with flavors of caramel, fig, and mandarin. Plus, every bag comes with a limited edition yeti holographic sticker!
Krampus and Framily – Onyx Coffee Lab
Christmas is a time for gathering with friends and family, and exchanging gifts with those you love. Whether your loved ones are on Santa’s nice or naughty list, Onyx Coffee Lab has all of them covered this year. Their annual holiday coffee blend, Framily, is an Ethiopian coffee with complex cocoa and sweet berry cobbler flavors. New this season, Krampus is a dark-roasted Kenyan coffee smoldering with tobacco and roasted citrus.
Kitty Claus 2020 – Brandywine Coffee Roasters
Brandywine Coffee Roasters pulled out all the stops this year, running a limited series of seasonal roasts and a three pack of an Ethiopian coffee three ways called A Coffee Carol (all of which, unsurprisingly, sold out nearly immediately). They also revisited their yearly mainstay, Kitty Claus, which this year is a blend of Costa Rica Las Lajas and Ethiopia Testi Ayla this year, resulting in a cup full of sweet berries and brown sugar.
Holiday Blend – Stovetop Roasters
The holidays are all about bringing friends and family together. And Stovetop Roasters certainly got the whole gang together for their Holiday Blend. This joyous blend’s components are Ethiopia Sakicha, Ethiopia Worka Chelbessa, Guatemala Finca Lucita Linda, and Colombia Buesaco, bringing together all of the brightness of the holiday season.
Winter Solstice and Revelry – Wonderstate Coffee
The newly christened Wonderstate Coffee’s Revelry Holiday Blend is a bright and cheery blend of natural and washed process Ethiopian coffees that create flavors of candied peaches, fruitcake soft floral notes and elegant sweetness. Their other seasonal offering, Winter Solstice, is a blend of Peruvian coffees with flavors of plum, lemon, and fruitcake.
I had the opportunity to review Wonderstate’s (formerly Kicakpoo Coffee) Organic Winter Solstice back in 2014. Check out my review of it HERE!
Hullabaloo Holiday Blend – Metropolis Coffee Company
Hullabaloo Holiday Blend, from Metropolis Coffee Company, has been a seasonal fave every year since replacing their former winter blend, Falstaff. “Hullabaloo” is defined as “a clamorous noise or disturbance; uproar”—Metropolis’s holiday blend of the same name definitely provides a few moments that fit the bill. It has a big profile with flavors of Rollos, honey, vanilla, and juicy red plum – a beautiful cup for celebrating the end of 2020 and ringing in 2021. So let’s celebrate and look forward!
I had the opportunity to review the debut installment of this now favorite holiday coffee back in 2012. Check out my review of it HERE!
Cheers Holiday Blend – Ruby Coffee Roasters
Ruby Coffee Roasters’s sixth installment of their annual Cheers Holiday Blend is a blend of Costa Rica Cerro La Cruz, Kenya Gachatha, and El Salvador Natamaya. The way these coffees play off of each other results in a cup that hits all the flavors that pair well with cold Wisconsin winters: dried fruits, warm spices, and a deep sweetness.
I had the privilege of reviewing the debut installment of this now seasonal favorite back in 2014. Check out my review of it HERE!
Tala-la-la-la Holiday Blend – Tala Coffee Roasters
Tala-la-la-la is back again for its fourth annual run. The combination of Tala Coffee Roasters’s Huehuetenango Guatemala and Kamwangi Kenya give it holiday flavors that channel rustic, comfortable vibes. This blend tastes like Grandma’s fruit cake, warm sugar cookies and cranberry cobbler. The unique baked fruit taste is festive and approachable.
BONUS FEATURE: The Ujamaa Junt
This isn’t a holiday coffee blend, but I loved the concept so much I wanted to include it in this post. Barista Magazine did a fun series of articles called “Holiday Cheer,” in which various coffee personalities developed signature holiday drinks. The Ujamaa Junt was designed by Cxffeeblack to celebrate Kwanzaa. Check it and the rest of the drinks in this series HERE.
What are some of your favorite holiday coffee blends? Contact me, or enter a comment below!
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.