FRANKEN GRIND BLEND

Tastes Like: Caramel, Chocolate, Apple

Why I’m Obsessed: First, the name, because it’s perfect: like the good doctor’s creation, Franken Grind is assembled from parts, a blend stitched together from Proud Mary’s favorite components and brought to life with a jolt of roasting mastery. The result is anything but scary. This cup is all about the caramel: rich, golden, sticky-sweet caramel that coats every sip, deepened by dark chocolate and brightened by a crisp apple note that keeps the whole thing lively. Caramel, chocolate, apple: that’s a caramel apple from the Halloween fair, folks, and nobody does decadent caramel richness like Proud Mary (you may remember me swooning over their caramel-swirl Angel Wings Blend this summer). Brew it hot for maximum coziness, or trick-or-treat yourself to it with a splash of cream, where that caramel goes full candy-shop. Like all monsters, this one disappears when the season ends, so don’t let it slip away.

You know our friends at Proud Mary: the coffee wonder from Down Under, born in Melbourne in 2009, now lighting up Portland with some of the most carefully sourced and playfully crafted coffees in the country. I met founder Nolan on Cup of Excellence jury duty, and the same obsessive-but-fun energy he brings to judging shows up in every bag.

Bottom Line: You’ll love Franken Grind if you love caramel apples, trick-or-treat nostalgia, or limited blends that come alive once a year.

Just like the infamous doctor, we've taken some unexpected components and blended them together. Creating something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This version is made up of coffees from South and Central America, that really put the 'weee!' into Halloween. Pick up a bag for yourself or grab a few to drop into some trick or treat baskets at the end of the month.