When it comes to specialty coffee, almost everyone has a bag (or two) that they keep coming back to over and over. It’s comfortable, familiar, like a well-worn t-shirt or pair of jeans you can slip right into. And after so many mornings brewing the same roast, you feel like you could practically do it in your sleep.

However, there comes a time where familiar crosses the line into predictable. And even though your favourite coffee will always have a place on your countertop, the same flavours time and again make you wonder: what else is out there?

If the idea of brewing out of your comfort zone makes you hesitate, we don’t blame you; specialty coffee’s sprawling diversity, however much we love it, can make finding that next amazing roast a dizzying task.

That’s why we’re here to share a few wayfaring clues to help point you in the right direction.

Starting with The Barn x Eight Ounce Core Collaboration – a coffee duo that demonstrates the profound influence of roast and terroir – we’ll be your guide to exploring the abundant flavour diversity that specialty coffee has to offer. By the end, we hope you'll be surprised by a new, unexpected favourite brew.

Jump ahead:

• What is The Barn x Eight Ounce Core Collaboration?
• Why should I choose both coffees together?
• What else can I do to expand my brewing horizons?
• What accessories can I use to improve my home coffee brewing?
• Sibarist Coffee Filters
• Apax Lab Mineral Concentrates
• Nucleus Bloom Distribution Tool
• Ready, set, brew!

What is The Barn x Eight Ounce Core Collaboration?

The Barn x Eight Ounce Core Collaboration is a collection that features two single-origin coffees: Genesis and Elemental.

Each one represents a different approach to specialty coffee, and together, they prove that a delicious cup can taste like anything from stone fruit to rich, decadent chocolate.

Genesis

• A tribute to Ethiopia, the birthplace of Café Arabica
• Floral, vibrant, and expressive
• Tastes like peach, jasmine, and black tea with honey sweetness

Elemental

• A tribute to the fundamentals of a simple, comforting cup of coffee
• Represents simplicity and consistency
• Tastes like chocolate ganache, almond, and dried fruit

Why should I choose both coffees together?

Does one bag sound better to you than the other? Go for it! Either coffee can be enjoyed completely on its own.

But if you’re eager to explore two unique expressions of specialty coffee, hailing from opposite ends of the South Atlantic, we highly recommend getting both and brewing them side-by-side.

A light and floral Ethiopian, brilliantly juxtaposed with a smooth, comforting medium roast from Brazil, Genesis and Elemental were intentionally roasted to complement each other. Try them together, and you’ve already covered a massive wedge of the flavour wheel.

You might think you know which one you’ll prefer, but that first sip may just surprise you… there’s only one way to tell!

What else can I do to expand my brewing horizons?

Start with The Core.

Think of The Core Collaboration like a guiding compass in your coffee journey – whether your preference is Genesis or Elemental, one of these roasts is bound to point you in the right direction.

For example, did you prefer the characteristic florality and acidity of the Ethiopian, or did you find yourself going back to the smooth, comforting everyday brew? Maybe you liked to switch things up depending on the day, season, or your mood. There’s no wrong answer, just follow your palate!

If you preferred Genesis, you can keep exploring the vibrant, citrusy, and tea-like flavours of Ethiopia by filtering your search down to coffees from that region, or other high-altitude countries in Africa like Kenya or Rwanda.

And if Elemental was your brew of choice, you’ll find comparable chocolatey, mild, and well-rounded flavour profiles in other Brazilian coffees or regions with relatively lower elevations, like Colombia or Mexico.

And, whenever you’re in doubt, look at the tasting notes and roast level listed on the bag. Light roasts feature bright, fruity flavours and a lighter body, while medium or dark roasts most prominently display “roasty” notes like chocolate, nuts, and spice.

What accessories can I use to improve my home coffee brewing?

Once you’ve replenished the excitement in your routine with some new coffees, you can keep the sparks flying with brewing accessories.

From special filters, water enhancements, and more, it’s even possible to unlock multiple nuanced flavour profiles from the same bag of coffee!

Sibarist Specialty Coffee Filters

From Barcelona, Sibarist develops paper coffee filters in a fantastic range of shapes and sizes – including cone, wave, flat, and AeroPress – from Abaca Plant Fibre. The resulting material is thinner than standard paper, yet stronger, maintaining the shape of your brewer for less water bypass.

We’re big fans of the Sibarist Cone FAST and B3 filters. These two may look exactly the same, yet they’re designed to serve different advantages. Which should you choose? It depends on what you’re looking for in the final cup:

• FAST delivers faster, more even drawdowns for clean and delicate cups. They allow you to grind finer without the risk of clogging or stalling, making these filters ideal for light roasts and washed coffees with fruity and floral notes.
• B3 promotes uniform extraction, consistent movement, and even access to the coffee bed for flavour clarity. If you’re chasing sweetness and a heavier body, these filters are for you.

If you’re brewing The Barn x Eight Ounce Core Collaboration coffees together, we recommend pairing Genesis with FAST filters and Elemental with B3. Then, switch it up to see how one subtle change in filter design leads to a big difference in flavour profile!

Apax Labs Mineral Concentrates

Water makes up around 98% of your cup of coffee, and yet, it’s not the first ingredient people think of when planning out their brew. The quality of your brewing water, and how you choose to enhance it, has more of an effect on flavour than many realize!

For home baristas (and professionals) looking to fully customize their coffee beyond dialling in the grind setting, water enhancements are becoming ever-more popular. They’re used to “season” coffee by adding only a few drops to the brewing water.

Apax Labs creates mineral concentrates that, when added to coffee, redefine your sensory expectations. Every blend adds its own unique touch, accentuating the beautiful notes and flavours already present, but could benefit from a little help.

• Tonik: enhances acidity and vibrancy for a crisp, intense, and juicy kick.
• Jamm: enhances richness, depth, a lingering sweetness.
• Lylac: enhances the delicate, floral notes of your coffee.

Nucleus Bloom Distribution Tool

If you’ve brewed espresso once or twice, you’ve probably heard of the Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT) – a process that involves declumping and evenly distributing coffee grounds for a clean, balanced extraction. Did you know that you should be doing the same for for your pour-over or filter coffee, too?

The Nucleus Bloom is designed to prepare the brew bed of your filter coffee for better extraction, cleaner flavours, and exceptional consistency without any time-consuming techniques.

Conical pour overs, immersion drippers, and flat-bed brewers come with some inherent challenges; they frequently clog if too many fines settle at the bottom, and insoluble materials (like chaff or oversized grinds) only serve to muddy up flavours if they get into the mix.

The Nucleus Bloom comes with two needle configurations (straight or fanned) for a quick and easy solution to all these common issues, and more.

• Straight needles reach deep into the coffee bed, loosening up those fines and breaking through clumps.
• The fanned configuration gently sweeps the surface, bringing up everything you don’t want while leaving everything else undisturbed.
• Bonus: Press the pointed tip of the Nucleus Bloom squarely into the middle of your coffee bed to leave a small indent. Brewing water will pool into this centralized point, and gently disperse outwards to evenly mingle with all the grounds.

Ready, set, brew!

Feeling inspired? Your next favourite coffee is waiting among our vast collection, featuring a wide range of independent, small-batch roasters from Canada and overseas.

We’ve also grouped our hundreds of coffees into four distinct Flavour Categories – Comfort, Bold, Bright, and Funky – making it easier to skip the guesswork and get matched to your perfect brew, faster.

Finally, don't let the fun stop at the bag – our R&D team is always working on exciting, imaginative ways to brew up your favourite cups, from seasonal mocktails to dialled in pour-over recipes. Keep an eye out, and shoot us a message if you'd like to see something specific on our channels. Happy brewing!