November 2025 - Artisanal Coffee
As the weather cools down and holiday plans heat up, this month’s Artisanal Coffee Box is all about cozy, meaningful moments. Think slow mornings, second cups, and the kind of storytelling that happens when you linger just a little longer over a really good brew.
In November, we’re featuring two small-batch roasters who care as much about people and place as they do about flavor: Red Rooster Coffee and Press House Coffee.
☕ Coffee Fun Fact:
Before they become the fragrant brown beans we know and love, coffee beans are actually green.
Coffee cherries are picked when they’re ripe and the seeds (our “beans”) inside are dense, smooth, and green, with a grassy, earthy aroma—more like unroasted grains or nuts than coffee.
During roasting, heat transforms those green beans:
- They darken in color
- The texture becomes more brittle
- Aromas and flavors develop into the complex notes we love: chocolate, caramel, toasted nuts, smoke, and more
So the next time you open a fresh bag, remember: every cup begins as a bright green bean waiting for its glow-up.
Red Rooster Coffee – Grateful Thanksgiving Medium Roast Blend
A warm, festive cup made for crisp autumn mornings and lingering after Thanksgiving dinner.
Tasting Notes
Roasted marshmallow, star anise, cinnamon, and candied yams. Cozy, balanced, and gently sweet without feeling heavy.
Why We Love It
This is a “gather-round-the-table” coffee—comforting enough for everyday sipping, special enough for holiday moments. It pairs beautifully with pumpkin pie, baked goods, or a quiet early-morning moment before the house wakes up.
Good Coffee, Doing Good
$1 from every bag of Grateful supports The Floyd Center for the Arts, a non-profit that fosters creativity, craftsmanship, and community in Appalachia. This year, their donation helps add solar power to offset the high electrical costs of their studio arts facilities—so creativity stays sustainable.
Meet the Roaster: Red Rooster Coffee
Founded in 2010 in downtown Floyd, VA (population 432), Red Rooster began with a simple idea: roast excellent coffee for a small local coffeehouse. Word spread quickly—from rural Virginia across the East Coast.
Today, they employ nearly 50 people and have won numerous awards for quality. But their real passion goes beyond the cup:
- Caring for their team
- Supporting farmers at origin
- Investing in the community they call home
This is coffee with heart, from seed to sip.
Press House Coffee – Tavern Dark Roast Blend
A bold, balanced dark roast inspired by one of America’s earliest—and most legendary—coffeehouses.
The Story Behind “Tavern”
Before it became Press House Coffee, their café was known as Green Dragon, a nod to the original Green Dragon Tavern in 17th-century Boston.
That historic tavern was more than a place to grab a drink—it was a gathering place for thinkers, revolutionaries, and everyday people. Press House embraced that legacy, creating a modern space where:
- Big ideas are welcome
- Conversations matter
- A coffee shop is more than a transaction—it’s a place to belong
The name has changed, but the roots remain: bold ideas, great coffee, and a sense of community.
Tasting Notes
Tavern is a dark roast built on balance and depth, with notes of:
- Dark chocolate
- Toasted almond
- A hint of smoke
Full-bodied and smooth, it’s a grounded, reliable cup that honors the character of its origins without tasting burnt or bitter.
How to Enjoy It
- Perfect as a classic drip coffee or French press
- Stands up beautifully to cream and sugar
- A great “house coffee” for your kitchen—dependable, welcoming, and never boring