It's always so hard to decide which of our coffee blends is the best. They are all so good in different ways. Sometimes it's difficult to know which one to have for the day. The staff here at Verena Street® have their favorites, and we'll be sharing those with you later in the blog.
For now, we are going to let you know a little bit about each blend that we offer and some of their most charming characteristics.
Medium Roast Blends
Lock & Dam 11™
This blend is roasted to a delicate medium level to exhibit a warm and smooth body with a crisp roast character and a creamy complexity. Roasted to the lighter end of the medium roast spectrum, this blend has a bold flavor while keeping more of the natural coffee characteristics intact. If you like a strong coffee flavor without any bitterness or lingering aftertaste, then this is the coffee that you have been searching for!
This coffee would pair well with a good hearty breakfast. Some ideas that come to mind: pancakes, bacon, eggs, and possibly some hash browns. Or, a really great bowl of your favorite beefed up oatmeal. Think: oatmeal with cinnamon and cranberries along with a few slivered almonds thrown in. You'll get a great caffeine boost with this blend, so keep that in mind when starting your day.
Julien's Breakfast Blend®
Our signature blend and one of our best sellers, this medium roast coffee has a smooth body with a rich and bold but approachable roast flavor and an appealing aftertaste. We crafted this blend to appeal to the broadest of taste profiles by imbuing a rich but smooth roast flavor with a mellow and appeasing finish which will leave you satisfied but intrigued for more.
This coffee would be great on it's own or with any food, really. Although, donuts would be awesome dunked in this. We can't blame those that make this coffee one of our best sellers. It really is a pretty good coffee.
Dark Roast Blends
Shot Tower Espresso™
Our signature espresso blend has a smooth yet sharp character. The delicately dark roast level results in a taste and aroma that is full-bodied with a sweet and creamy complexity. Great for espressos, it also makes a fantastic drip coffee or pour over coffee with its balance of flavor, aroma, and unique tasting notes.
This coffee would make a wonderful after-dinner drink (or two) but would also be greatly enjoyed any time of day. This coffee blend has a noticeably sweeter flavor than other dark roast blends, which is why it would be great paired with something sweet. Perhaps some strawberries with cream, or a big slice of chocolate cake. Low in caffeine and acidity.
Nine Mile Sunset®
Our staple dark roast coffee, Nine Mile Sunset® is roasted dark enough to capture a favorably strong French roast flavor while avoiding any burnt or smoky aspects. The scrupulously dark roast level of this bold, full-bodied and complex blend will inspire your senses with its balance of roast flavor and coffee characteristics, and will leave you with a clean aftertaste.
This coffee blend has less of a caffeine kick than our lighter roasts and is lower in acidity as well. It's such a good dark roast that it's become one of our most popular coffees. Like a slow-setting sun, it will bring you comfort and ease followed by the magic of the elusive last minutes of daylight and the excitement of the oncoming night.
Flavored Coffee Blends
Mississippi Grogg®
This medium roast coffee is a warm and inviting blend of butterscotch, caramel and hazelnut flavoring. Most flavored coffees utilize cheap and unremarkable coffee beans masked by potent flavoring additives. We take a different approach by utilizing the highest grade premium Arabica coffee beans you will find in a flavored coffee. This creates a rich and robust coffee flavor that complements our unique and proprietary flavoring combinations perfectly. This is why many have touted our flavored coffees as being one-of-a-kind and having a strong and charismatic flavor without being too sweet or overpowering.
This coffee is by far our most popular flavored coffee blend. There is something truly unique in the flavors that keeps you returning for more! It's a great coffee left black, but is also enhanced nicely with cream. However you prefer your coffee, this one is enjoyable.
Cow Tipper™
This medium roast coffee is a rich and creamy blend of vanilla, caramel and coffee liqueur flavoring. Like our other flavored coffee, we take great care in ensuring that the highest quality beans and flavors are used to complement each other perfectly. No overbearing sweetness or overpowering flavors here.
The name of this coffee is what draws the eye. There are stories of those that have purchased this coffee blend as a joke, only to have the joke on them! Once they tasted it, they realized just how good it really is. This coffee is a very close second as favorite. It's all a matter of what tickles your fancy in the flavor department.
Decaf Coffee Blend
Sunday Drive Decaf™
Our signature decaffeinated coffee, this smooth and relaxing blend utilizes our highest-grade specialty decaf beans which undergo a natural decaffeination via the Swiss Water Process. This ensures a full-bodied flavor without the chemical aftertaste common to most decaf coffees. We feel you should be able to cut the caffeine without sacrificing any flavor. Although more costly than alternative procedures, this natural process ensures the same quality, taste, and aroma that you expect from fully-caffeinated Verena Street® varieties.
We consistently receive phenomenal feedback about this coffee – many people have found it to be even more flavorful than some fully-caffeinated coffees they have tried prior to discovering the freshness and aroma of Verena Street®. Like a casual Sunday drive, this coffee will leave you relaxed, refreshed, and revitalized!
Single-Origin Coffee
Sumatra
Our 100% Sumatra single-origin is one of our darkest roasts. We meticulously roast this one as dark as possible while avoiding any burnt or overbearing smoky flavors which can overpower the flavor of the coffee itself. This scrupulously dark roast level allows our Sumatra to exude a heavy body, bold tones and earthy aromas that will have you coming back for more.
If you like your coffee dark, then this is the one for you. The small island of Sumatra lays off the coast of Indonesia. This inadvertently lends the coffee a romantic vibe that suggests intrigue with its complexity. Snuggle up with your favorite someone and enjoy a cup together. Perhaps with some really dark chocolate if you don't have someone to snuggle up with.
Kenya AA Plus
Our single-origin beans are roasted to a level that best exemplifies the character of each origin. Most are available only in 5lb whole bean bulk packaging.
Our Kenya AA Plus is a rich dark roast and is one of our most expensive beans that we regularly offer. The delicately dark roast level exhibits a strong roast flavor with a full body and a smooth and satisfyingly clean finish. This one will quickly become a favorite of any dark roast lover who has an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Colombia
Our Colombia is a light to medium roast and is sourced 100% from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. It has a bright body and a smooth finish.
Our single-origin beans are roasted to a level that best exemplifies the character of each origin. Most are available only in 5lb whole bean bulk packaging. Colombia is one of the few countries that only grows Arabica beans, which besides climate and elevation, is why Colombian coffee is considered higher quality.
Nicaragua
Our single-origin beans are roasted to a level that best exemplifies the character of each origin. Our Nicaragua is a light to medium roast and is sourced 100% from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Most are available only in 5lb whole bean bulk packaging.
With a medium to smooth body and a mild yet distinct acidity, Nicaraguan coffees reviews indicate it provides rich yet subtle flavors, balanced sweetness, with a nutty bouquet that often exhibits notes of vanilla.
What Verena Street® Employees Have To Say:
Believe it or not, a couple of our employees do not drink coffee. While we find that almost an impossible concept, we still have a large majority that love our coffee. So, we'll tell you what some of them have to say regarding their favorites:
Lock & Dam 11™ is one of my favorites because it's the lightest of our roasts and it has the most caffeine. It's a great morning/daytime coffee and it has kind of a earthy nutty flavor and I can drink it all day. I also enjoy the Shot Tower Espresso™. It's great after dinner as a dessert since it's a dark roast, low in caffeine and has a semi sweet chocolate flavor. - Chris G.
I am a dark roast kind of gal, and I really enjoy the Shot Tower Espresso™. It has such a nice creamy, sweet flavor that makes for a great cup of coffee. I'm very sensitive to caffeine, and this one doesn't give me the jitters since it's a dark roast. - Amy W.
It's a toss-up between two coffees. I like Julien's Breakfast Blend® on the mornings I'm feeling in a lighter mood, and Nine Mile Sunset® for the days I feel like something darker. The wife LOVES the Cow Tipper™! - Jeff P.
I haven't had the chance to try all the different blends yet, but I really like the Julien's Breakfast Blend® and the Lock & Dam 11™. The flavors of each are really great. - Chad L.
I enjoy all of our coffees, however, if I had to choose one it would be the Shot Tower Espresso™. It has a nicely balanced richness to it that makes it flavorful and aromatic but not overpowering. The first batch out of a fresh bag always makes for an amazing experience. - Eric G.
I don't drink coffee, but my family does. My sister's favorite is French Vanilla and Decaf Mississippi Grogg® is my grandma's favorite! Those coffee blends are only found at HyVee tho. - Abby L.