Which H&C Brew is Right for You?
Fall is in the air and hot coffee is in our cups! We’ve officially made it to sweater weather and that means
warm cozy moments throughout the day with your favorite coffee. H&C Premium Regular 1927 coffee is
always a crowd pleaser, but did you know that we have other blends as well? Interested in a little coffee
variety in your life?
First let’s talk about our coffee bold scale. H&C’s bold scale ranges from 1 to 10 and the easiest way to
describe coffee “boldness” is how intense the actual coffee taste is. For example, the higher on the bold scale,
the stronger the coffee flavor. Typically, the darker the roast, the bolder the coffee flavor will be. Some other
interesting ways that coffee is rated are how “rich”, “strong”, and “acidic” it is, but we’ll save those
descriptions for another day and focus on “bold”.
Coming in on the bold scale with a 1 is our 1927 Premium Decaf. This is the decaffeinated version of our
Premium Regular 1927, with the same blend of Brazilian, Colombian, and Mexican Chiapas washed coffees.
1927 Premium Decaf is a medium roasted bean that is very smooth and enjoyable and while the caffeine is
extracted from the beans as part of the production process, all the original flavors remain. Our decaffeinated
coffee is the perfect option for people that are caffeine sensitive or those who reduce caffeine intake for
health reasons. With an average of 97% of caffeine being removed in decaffeinated varieties, it’s a wonderful
before bedtime beverage. For those looking for health benefits, decaffeinated coffee has almost the same
number of antioxidants as regular coffee without the added jitters.
Up next is the world famous 1927 Premium Regular roast. Rolling up on the bold scale with a 2, our 1927
Premium Regular has been a people pleaser since 1927, just as the name suggests! It is our most popular
blend with a smooth finish that makes it your perfect default cup. Even the pickiest of coffee drinkers find
themselves having more than one cup of this perfect roast! There are a lot of local eateries where you can find
this gem, including Joe’s Diner in Blacksburg, Jerry’s Family Restaurant in Vinton, and Pete’s Deli in Roanoke.
For those of us that loved the Roanoker Restaurant when it was still open, this is the famous blend that flowed
from their coffee pots daily.
Colombian Supremo and 100% Colombian are next in line, both with a bold scale of 3. Colombian Supremo is a
blend of Colombian beans that focus on a nutty undertone and a clean smooth finish with medium to full body
characteristic. 100% Colombian very similar but holds a fuller body on the palate, with a richer aroma, mild
flavor, and no bitterness. Both Colombian Supremo and 100% Colombian are wildly popular with our
customers that have offices or employee breakrooms. These blends also make for a smooth after dinner
beverage or “café noir”. Try these varieties after dinner at some local favorites such as The Neighbors Place in
Lynchburg (Columbian Supremo) or at Coach & Four in Roanoke (100% Columbian).
Next in line, we have Chelsea’s Bake Shop blend on the bold scale with a 4. This is my personal favorite due to
its smooth “donut shop” style flavor characteristics! The Founder of Quality Coffee Company, David Booth, is
very fond of this blend as well! Chelsea’s Bake Shop is a blend of Arabica beans from Central and South
America. It is a medium bodied coffee on the pallet with a distinct lightness on the taste buds. If you’re looking
for a place to have a cup of this joy, check out the Dogwood Restaurant in Vinton or here in our office Bean-to-
Cup Machine! You will not be disappointed.
Now our beans start getting darker, with our French Roast coming with a level 6 boldness. French roast coffee
lovers enjoy an intense smoky-sweet flavor, with a light body. And if you’re curious about the term “French”,
this stemmed from a popular roasting style found throughout Europe in the 19th century where the beans
were charred, leaving behind a distinct burnt taste. Thankfully, now the roasting process has drastically
improved, making it the perfect selection for darker roast coffee drinkers who crave slightly smokey notes. We
have a very wide variety of customers who purchase our French Roast ranging to and from personal
households, convenience stores, office breakrooms, and hotels. French Roast has a unique taste but once a
French Roast lover, always a French Roast lover!
With a whopping 8 on the boldness scale, our Sumatra Mandheling coffee packs a flavor punch! This bold and
velvety coffee is a blend of dark roasted beans that were grown in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra.
This roast is well known for its low acidity and earthy undertones. This is a staple in our office as this bean is
always fully stocked in our coffee machine. You will find Sumatra Mandheling in the cups of our President,
Brad Booth, and our Coffee Manager, Brian Conner, as this is one of their favorites. This coffee is also very
popular with our convenience store customers, such as Quik-E Foods stores in the Lynchburg and Rustburg
areas and Metro Express Stores in the Roanoke and Vinton areas. Be sure to check out the H&C hot brewed
coffee selection that these stores offer!
Finally, introducing our boldest of bold coffees…. with bold scale of 10, we have the Espresso Roast. This
coffee has a very intense coffee flavor with beans from Brazil, Colombia, and Honduras. The term “Espresso
roast” means that it’s a wonderful coffee to use in making Espresso shots for the best flavor experience BUT
most of our customers use this blend as a drip coffee in a regular coffee maker! Despite the name
connotation, the caffeine content is typical of a dark roast coffee. The word “Espresso” has always carried a
reputation of having a higher caffeine content; however, it all depends on how much you are drinking and in
what form it is being consumed. For example, a small shot of Espresso made in an Espresso machine creates a
tiny concentrated mini coffee with an estimated average of 64 milligrams per ounce and an Espresso shot
beverage is usually 1.5 ounces total, making it a total of 96 milligrams per 1.5 ounce shot. Whereas an 8-ounce
cup of drip coffee has an estimated average of 96 milligrams of caffeine per each 8-ounces cup. This blend
comes in whole bean form only, but I am about to let you in on a secret… Remember when I told you that the
term “espresso” had a little (throat clears) reputation? Well, despite our attempts curve that high-caffeine
content mindset, we branded the ground version of H&C Espresso roast as H&C Italian roast to lessen the
mentality. This roast tends to be very popular with our customers in an office setting for their employee
breakrooms.
Are you overwhelmed yet? That’s a lot of choices! Thankfully, we are here to help you make your decisions.
We service many local businesses, including offices, restaurants, car dealerships, medical facilities, retail
shops, hotels, banks, government offices, churches, schools, clubs, and many more. If you’re interested in
wholesale coffee sales and delivery, please give us a call today for a quote at 540-982-0941. We’d love to
discuss how H&C coffee can benefit your business! Finally, don’t forget that you can buy certain blends of H&C
coffee for your home at select local Roanoke grocery stores including Food Lion, Kroger, and Fresh Market.
(Summary): H&C Coffees have a bold scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least bold and 10 being the
most bold.
Rankings include: 1 – H&C Decaf, 2 – 1927 Premium Regular, 3 – Columbian Supremo and 100%
Columbian, 4 – Chelsea’s Bake Shop, 6 – French Roast, 8 – Sumatra Mandheling, and 10 – Espresso Roast
and Italian Roast. We’d love to help you decide on a coffee.
Warm Coffee Cheers!
- Dana Cauley (Office Staff Member)
