Mistletoe? Check. Wine? Check. Coffee?

I don’t want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. Coffee.

Roasters - good roasters - often tell a tale that Christmas Blend is one of their favourite releases, because they can get rid of all their old coffees that haven’t sold out during the year. I don’t subscribe to this theory. I want to drink awesome, fresh, delicious coffee all the way through November and December that makes me feel festive and warm. I also want a coffee I can make Irish Coffees with and something I can give as a gift to my friends (spoiler alert there besties.)

So what I did here, was back in those long-forgotten heatwave months in the summer, I asked some coffee importer friends for some samples.

I found three coffees which, when combined, were perfect! I already knew that I wanted this coffee to be boozy, with a sherry trifle finish. Full of deep fruits - plum, raisin and orange, and maybe just a hint of spice - cinnamon, nutmeg.

What I found was perfect. SIPRO natural from Mexico (you remember that one?) is a wild ride of a boozy, funky coffee. Colombia Villamaria Natural is measured, soft, sweet and fruity, and Rwanda Rugali washed is orange, plum and spice. Each of these coffees alone would be delicious - and they are. Together, they make something special.

A strong brew of this coffee, with a sherry cask whisky and fresh Longley Farm cream will be my nightcap on Christmas Eve as I wait for the fat man in the red suit to turn up with the presents. Then on Christmas Morning, once I’ve finished tearing brightly coloured paper off my Lego set and seeing how many Chocolate Orange segments I can eat before I’m sick, I’ll sit, take a moment and enjoy a mug of this in peace, looking at the mist over the valley and listening to the sound of children falling off new bicycles.

And I will know that savouring this coffee will be doing good too. I’ve partnered with Raw Material, a Social Enterprise coffee importer for all these coffees. They give all their profits to coffee producers and have projects to help them develop and grow their farms into sustainable, prosperous businesses.

I suppose I should explain the name a little bit? Maybe that’s for another blog post.

And remember - 1% of every sale will be donated to Tommy’s via Work for Good.