Before we release more new coffees, how about a little flash back to our beginnings as we look back at 25 years in business through the eyes and development of our original Klatch House Blend.
More than 25 years ago, Mike and Cindy started Klatch with a love for coffee and conversation plus a need to pay their bills. Mike at the time was in college, two years later he would get his degree in Chemical Engineering. Cindy was a stay at home mom with two young girls to raise, Heather and Holly.
Mike started roasting because he wanted better coffee, that first Diedrich IR24 Roaster still runs today... along with many others. Using what Mike learned in college combined with lots of tasting, Mike developed his own 'Peak of Flavor' roast style where every roast was an experiment, he would document every variable with pen and paper (the days before "Cropster" - our roasting profile application), then taste. Mike would change one variable at a time based on taste till the roast was just right, then he would duplicate that profile. His first blend from those early experiments was Klatch House blend, a comfy warm full city plus (medium plus) blend you could drink any time of day.
As Mike wanted better coffee, he knew he needed better beans, so travel to origin and Direct Trade sourcing began. This allowed Mike to get the first choice of the best beans. Many of those early trips became Direct Trade partners and friends for life. From these humble beginnings and search for the best beans, many great coffees and many awards followed.
As better beans arrived that original House Blend improved. Better beans meant better coffee. When Klatch outgrew roasting inside their San Dimas coffeehouse location, they moved the roasting to 11th Street roastery in 2007 but kept the Klatch House Blend.
The move was good and allowed Klatch to expand into more wholesale, source more beans, and win more awards, including Roaster of the Year. And the Klatch House Blend continued to evolve based on seasonal beans and expanding Direct Trade partners, but always being true to the comfort of the original blend.
In 2014 as Klatch continued to grow, we needed a bigger facility for both roasting and training. We found an 8,000 sq. ft building in Rancho Cucamonga that allowed us to not only expand with additional roasters, but also feature three new state of the art SCA approved training labs.
With a new home, additional roasters and even more great green beans, it was time to rename and update our Klatch House Blend so Onyx Blend was born. A little lighter City+ (medium) roast that highlighted the flavors of the beans while still staying true to its roots of being a comfort coffee that true specialty coffee lovers could drink all day long.
Today, as we celebrate 25 years and look forward to our anniversary, we want to look back at and feature our popular and evolving house blend, today’s Onyx Blend. So, pull up a cup and enjoy.
