Holiday Blend - 'Tis The Season 2025

For every bag of Holiday Blend we sell, $1 will be donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

'TIS THE SEASON | Every year around this time, though it seems to be earlier and earlier each year, we release what is perhaps our most anticipated, most beloved menu offering: the Holiday Blend. It is a big, warm, liquid hug to our family who has supported us for years, and it's also an enthusiastic high five to our new friends we've met along the way.

And let's be honest: we could all use a big, warm hug right about now, right? From the political climate both at home and abroad, to the actual climate wreaking havoc all over the world, this year has left many of us feeling uncertain, untethered, and undone. For some of you, the sheer weight of the holiday season might even seem like too heavy a load to shoulder right now, and if that's you...we get it. 

A cup of coffee, no matter how delightful, cannot change the world around us. However, we do believe that the same cup of coffee—combined with the shared experience of sipping it with others and having an authentic conversation—can be a really powerful thing indeed. It is our sincere hope that the company and conversations accompanying your coffee this holiday season are precisely the kind of warm hug or enthusiastic high five you need in that moment, and that they instill in your spirit that unique, twinkling sort of hope which only the holiday season can inspire.

FA LA LA LA LA | Perhaps the best thing about this year's Holiday Blend is how seamlessly it incorporates both complexity and balance. It's both refined and approachable, intricate and easy-going. It serves as a subtle, excellent introduction to co-fermented coffees like Esteban Zamora's popular cinnamon co-fermented lot and Huver Castillo’s co-fermentation experiment with red fruits. The funk factor on these components is softened by the anchor of this year’s blend, a mixed lot from the Ushirika Washing Station, in Kenya, which contributes subtle spice and necessary sweetness to the flavor profile:

50% Ushirika - Kenya (Ushirika, Kenya)

25% Huver Castillo - Red Berries (Buesaco, Nariño, Colombia)

25% Esteban Zamora - Cinnamon Anaerobic (San Marcos, Tarrazú, Costa Rica)

SIP THE SEASON | Spiced and sweet like cinnamon sugar, this coffee immediately inspires nostalgia as we take our first sips. Cooked red fruits combine with that spiced sweetness to remind us of our aunt’s cherry cobbler or our grandmother’s cherry pie. It’s smooth and sweet and warm—think milk chocolate and toasted marshmallows (s’mores, anyone?).  This cup can be enjoyed black or with cream and sugar by connoisseurs and casual coffee drinkers alike. We believe everything about this coffee resounds with the holiday spirit—including its ability to welcome everyone to the table.

Countries of Origin | Kenya | Colombia | Costa Rica

Producers | smallholders in Ushirika, Kenya | Huver Castillo | Esteban Zamora

Process | Mixed

Variety | Mixed

The Holiday Blend - 'Tis The Season 2025 by Black & White Coffee Roasters arrives as a curated selection of mixed varietals, showcasing a complex profile defined by notes of cinnamon sugar, cooked red fruits, milk chocolate, and toasted marshmallows. Because this offering utilizes a mixed processing approach, it draws upon the distinct characteristics inherent in various processing methods to achieve its final balance.

When evaluating such intricate blends, it is helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better identify the interplay between the deep, sugary sweetness and the nuanced fruit acidity present in the cup. While washed coffees often highlight clean, bright acidity, and natural-processed coffees tend to show heavier fruit and body, this mixed-process blend seeks to bridge those worlds. By combining diverse techniques and varietals, the roaster creates a seasonal experience that emphasizes comfort and depth, making it a versatile choice for holiday brewing.