Now Coffee Roasters Are Barrel-Aging, Too

As if we needed another reason to love our morning cup of coffee: Following the beer and spirits makers before them, a new wave of coffee roasters, like Dark Matter in Chicago, are experimenting with barrel-aged products. Bourbon + coffee = a slam dunk in our mug. 

Dark Matters' new roast, aged in bourbon barrels, is creating a buzz in the Windy City. While the bourbon barrels give the roast an extra dose of vanilla and honey, the "Black Splash" doesn't retain any alcohol. (For that, you'll have to drink an Irish coffee.) The Huffington Post reports, "The process basically works the same way as an infusion: Green beans are aged for roughly three weeks in the barrels until they absorb the lingering moisture from the wood." 

The coffee is selling out fast at the Dark Matters' coffee shop, the Star Lounge Café, and online; but HuffPo shares that a second shipment will be available to the public soon. Dark Matters isn't the first to experiment with bourbon and coffee; Maryland-based roaster Ceremony Coffee has made their own barrel-aged Ethiopian coffee. We wholeheartedly approve this message. (In the meantime, let's check out some more awesome coffee roasters.)