Drink of the Week: Ceremony Coffee Barrel-Conditioned Ethiopia Yirgacheffe

Wine, bourbon and even some beers get barrelled, but what about coffee? More roasters are aging green, un-roasted coffee beans in boozy barrels that once held anything from wine to whiskey, and today’s Drink of the Week—the Barrel-Conditioned Ethiopia Yirgacheffe from Maryland-based Ceremony Coffee Roasters—is a recent discovery from the bean-to-barrel bandwagon. Can you actually taste a difference? Absolutely. We brewed up both Ceremony’s barrel-aged and regularly roasted versions of the coffee, and the distinctiveness of the barrelled bean was clear. Heady, whiskey-soaked, sugar-crusted aromas and woodsy flavors of dark dried fruit, baking spices and burnt sugar meet with a hint of lemony brightness, making for a dynamic cup from start to finish. Who says you can’t have a little nip out of the bourbon barrel before breakfast? $25/12 oz., ceremonycoffee.com