Southern Weather (Whole Bean) by Onyx Coffee Lab

Southern Weather was the first blend we ever created, and the plan was simple. We wanted something sweet, comfortable, and approachable in a world of polarizing Specialty Coffee. Something anyone would like and would be easy to control during extraction. We sell more of this coffee than anything else, and I think it’s our commitment to keeping the flavor profile intact. Sweet caramelized sugars, round full body, and a bright, citrusy finish that leaves a clean, refreshing aftertaste. It pairs with any meal and works well with dairy and non-dairy milk. For us, Southern Weather embodies the excellent relationships between citric acidity, balance, and wonderful, full-bodied chocolates. This is considered our house blend and we think it could be yours as well. :)

BLEND APPROACH
Our approach to creating blends is a bit different at Onyx. Instead of choosing coffees from specific countries or regions that will, in theory, intertwine well to develop complex & cohesive flavors like most, we start from the end and work our way back. This perspective means we choose to create a particular flavor profile first - deciding which acidities, sugars, and fats we want to accentuate for the coffee. Once a flavor profile has been set, in this case, a very approachable citrus zest, milk chocolate, and candied nuts for Southern Weather, we then start cupping blind through a lot of coffees to find these specific attributes.

The purpose is that once a flavor profile is created, we update the coffees that make up Southern Weather every 2-3 months. This allows us to have a year-round blend with a flavor profile of high quality while retaining our commitment to seasonal coffees. This vigorous amount of cupping and blending takes a considerable amount of time. But we really think it makes the difference and is a system we use for all our blends.

Feel excited that the coffee you are tasting is always in season, and therefore, it is cupping and tasting to its full potential. We will never compromise our commitment to high-quality coffees and blends, whether it’s a single origin release or a blend component. You will not find Onyx buying “blender” coffees to save cost or prolong a good coffee. We also always keep blends to three coffees or less and maintain ratios in the build. This way, what you extract is the flavor profile we designed.

Southern Weather has been a staple since our company’s inception, and we tend to think of it as our comfort coffee. Despite age, background, coffee experience, or brew method, this coffee always seems to please.