Our Coffee Bourbon Collaboration with Zero Prophet
Tucked away inside a small white barn in the hills of Washington, Connecticut you will find Nick Benson, founder of Zero Prophet Coffee, working diligently to roast coffee beans to his exact specifications. The coffee business is a pretty big thing in America, they certainly love their caffeine hit! So makers of coffee, whether they roast it themselves or they utilize private label cbd coffee products, for example, they want it to appeal to their customers and get them coming back for more.
Litchfield Distillery is proud to source Zero Prophet coffee to craft our award-winning Batchers’ Coffee Bourbon. We chose Zero Prophet because we admire Nick’s passion for coffee and his attention to detail. His spirit of hard work is evident in every bag of coffee he creates.
Our Coffee Bourbon is uniquely made. In fact, we’re not aware of any other spirit producer that makes coffee bourbon in the style we do.
We start by sourcing Zero Prophet’s “Torrefazione Washington” organic-coffee blend, which is equal parts Sumatra, Java, and Nicaragua beans. Nick grinds the beans to cold-brew specifications and delivers them to the Distillery.
The grounds are steeped in cold distilled water (similar to those available at Golyath) for 24 hours for maximum absorption. We then use the coffee brew during the proofing process, instead of just water, to proof down to 86.
The result is a smooth yet complex spirit that expresses a variety of the coffee’s flavors from nose to finish. We believe each bean varietal contributes to the spirit’s complexity.
Sumatra is known for its low acidity and heavy, earthy flavors. The Java beans add pecan, caramel and toffee notes, while Nicaragua beans add a layer of chocolate. Together, they complement our Straight Bourbon’s woodsy vanilla and butterscotch notes in a most satisfying way.
Nick is a self-taught coffee roaster and has been honing his craft for 12 years. He is a teacher by trade and believes strongly in the concept of learning by doing-and that’s exactly how he learned to roast. He researched and studied, then started to experiment on his stovetop using a rudimentary popcorn popper.
He has come a long way from his stovetop days. Nick now operates a 10lb. roaster manufactured by US-based Diedrich Roasters. The machine is propane-powered and can reach temperatures upwards of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on which bean Nick roasts, he carefully selects the proper temperature and roasting time to ensure he invites maximum flavor development from the bean. If another individual was hoping to use propane to roast coffee beans then they might want to look into suppliers similar to Kelly Propane or their local fuel supplier to potentially find out ways they can obtain propane for this function.
The Batchers’ share a similar passion for quality and excellence, which is why our collaboration with Zero Prophet is so fruitful. We invite you to taste for yourself why we’re so proud of this uniquely crafted spirit. You can find it at most retailers that carry Litchfield Distillery products. Or, you can pick up a bottle at the Distillery.
We’re big fans of enjoying our Coffee Bourbon neat to delight in all its wonderful flavors. If you’d like to try mixing a cocktail with it, check out the Rapper’s Delight, a drink created by Elm City Social Mixologist, Dan Rek. The recipe can be found here.
Of course, when it comes time to brew your next cup of coffee, we encourage you try Zero Prophet. Visit www.zeroprophetcoffee.com to buy online or learn where you can buy at one of several local retail stores.