Behind the Blend: Harvest Moon

This year’s Harvest Moon is composed of 60% Finca de Dios Reserva from Guatemala and 40% Mokonisa from Ethiopia, both washed coffees. For a cup with notes of clove, fig, and toffee. We spoke with Lead Roaster Jeff Millard about choosing the coffees, finding balance in the roast, and creating a blend for autumn.

What does each coffee contribute to this year’s Harvest Moon blend?

When choosing which coffees to blend for Harvest Moon we knew we wanted the lively acidity and vibrant fruit notes of a washed Ethiopian coffee with the smooth body and rich sugars of a washed Guatemalan coffee. With Mokonisa and Finca de Dios we got exactly that.

How do you approach roasting two coffees so they feel cohesive in the final cup?

Knowing how we wanted to showcase these two coffees together helped decide our approach to roasting them. Since we wanted richer flavors without sacrificing the lively acidity we desired, the roast had to balance heat and time to ensure the end color was in between a light and a medium roast. Going too light on Mokonisa would allow the acidity to overpower the subtler fruit notes of Finca de Dios, while too much development on Finca would dull the liveliness of Mokonisa. Finding the balance was key.

What do you hope someone experiences when drinking this year’s Harvest Moon?

After the careful planning and roasting it was time to see if we had found that balance. When sipping Harvest Moon the warming taste of clove, vibrant fig notes and toffee sweetness combined to achieve the end result we wanted: a perfect cup for a cozy autumn day.

Harvest Moon is available online and in all Madcap cafes.