When people think of blends, they often imagine something basic — a catch-all espresso with little nuance. But in specialty coffee, blending is a craft in itself. It’s how we chase harmony, balance, and intention. And while we’ve built our name on blends that perform consistently in high-volume cafes, our real obsession is detail — the same level of care we give to our single origins is present in every batch we roast.
So while we love blends, we don’t see them as a compromise. We see them as a canvas — a way to layer origins, roast curves, and texture to suit the drink and the drinker.
Why Blend?
Blending lets roasters build a coffee that doesn’t rely on a single origin’s seasonal quirks. A Brazilian base might bring body and nuttiness; a washed Colombian adds citrus and caramel clarity; a touch of Ethiopian could brighten everything with florals and fruit.
Some classic pairings include:
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Brazil + Colombia – great for body, sweetness, and structure. Perfect in milk.
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Ethiopia + Kenya – bright, complex, and fruit-forward; best for black espresso or filter.
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Sumatra + Central America – earthy meets clean, resulting in dark chocolate, spice, and richness.
The art is in finding how these elements work together. You might use one origin for its body, another for sweetness, and another for top-end acidity. Done right, the blend tastes like a unified voice, not a patchwork.
Blends and Drink Types
How a blend performs often depends on the style of coffee being made.
Milky Coffees
Milk transforms flavour. It rounds acidity, amplifies sweetness, and softens edges — but it can also mask nuance. That’s why we design our blends for double ristretto bases: tighter shots with syrupy texture and high flavour intensity.
Different milk styles bring different results:
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Cortado / Piccolo – Need clarity and presence. Delicate blends with a juicy middle shine here.
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Flat White / Latte – Require body and sweetness. Nutty, chocolate-driven blends are ideal.
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Modern Cappuccino – With more foam and less liquid, sharper, fruitier notes can punch through.
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Macchiato – Tiny, potent. Best with a blend that has structure and intensity.
Black Coffees
Whether you’re serving espresso or filter, blends should still have clarity. We avoid muddiness by carefully selecting origins that harmonise even without the smoothing effect of milk. Some blends, like The Party or The Captain, are built to do both — they’re versatile across black and white.
The Roasting Party Blends
Here’s how our current blend line-up comes together — always designed with both flavour and function in mind.
Drake
Origins: El Salvador, Colombia & Brazil
Tastes like (with milk): Honey roasted hazelnut and bittersweet cocoa
Drake is our best-known blend for a reason — it’s familiar, but never boring. Brazil lays the groundwork with creamy nuts, El Salvador adds sweetness, and Colombia ties it all together with structure and subtle brightness. Perfect in a flat white or latte — it’s rich, nostalgic, and incredibly drinkable.
Hokey Pokey
Origins: Brazil, Colombia & El Salvador
Tastes like (with milk): Almond, cream and dark chocolate
If you want a blend that balances accessibility with a bit of edge, Hokey Pokey’s your pick. Chocolate-driven with creamy body and nutty complexity. It’s perfect for a macchiato or piccolo — that short, sharp moment of sweetness with a dry chocolate finish. And thanks to its natural sweetness and balance, it’s particularly forgiving on lower doses and shorter extractions, making it ideal for home machines like the Sage Barista line.
Joe’s Green Balloon
Origins: Guatemala, Brazil & Colombia
Tastes like (with milk): Roasted walnut, nougat & chocolate
One of our most layered blends. Guatemala brings a toasty, slightly tannic nut quality that gives this blend its roasted walnut backbone. It’s chewy, satisfying, and made for milk. Pours beautifully in a latte and sings in a cortado.
The Captain
Origins: Kenya, Colombia & Sumatra
Tastes like (with milk): Blackcurrant, sultana and salted caramel
This is our hero blend for milk. With Kenya’s tangy fruit, Sumatra’s deep, earthy body and Colombia’s sweet structure, The Captain is all about sophisticated balance. It’s a roaster favourite for flat whites, where the mix of blackcurrant brightness and salted caramel smoothness really comes alive. It’s especially expressive on high-end equipment like the La Marzocco Linea PB or Strada — a real showcase blend when you’ve got the tools to match.
The Party
Origins: Kenyan Peaberry, Colombia & Ethiopia
Tastes like (with milk): Bright stone fruit, cacao & sweet cream
This is where our single origin obsession shows up inside a blend. The Party takes a bright, juicy Kenyan Peaberry, softens it with creamy Ethiopia, and rounds it out with structured Colombia. It’s stunning as a black coffee — espresso or filter — but still holds its own in a milk-based drink, especially a modern cappuccino.
Metal Mickey
Origins: Colombia & Brazil
Tastes like (with milk): Pecan, maple syrup and cream
Originally designed with bean-to-cup machines in mind, Metal Mickey is an easy-going, dependable all-rounder. It combines Brazil’s soft nuttiness with Colombia’s structure to deliver a creamy, maple-syrup-like shot that’s smooth and comforting in milk. Great for home drinkers or offices where consistency and ease are key.
The Takeaway
Blends aren’t just about consistency — they’re about curation. At The Roasting Party, we build them the same way we approach single origins: with precision, curiosity, and a love of flavour. Whether you’re pulling ristrettos for silky flat whites or dialling in filters for clean, expressive black coffees, a good blend should always make sense in the cup.
Blends are the meeting point of flavour and function. And when done right, they’re unforgettable.
