Craft Coffee by Night Shift Brewing
Coffee Crafted, for any Shift.
Have you ever worked a night shift? It sucks. What doesn’t suck is a legit cup of coffee while working said night shift. Ok so you don’t have to work a night shift to enjoy strong flavors, bold varieties, and coffee combinations that will make anyone say “pour me another cup.” With solid coffee (and we mean good coffee) it can help keep your eyes open and your focus on point- no matter what shift happens. Because our crew loves coffee (and by love we mean live off of coffee), and because there is a brand making it named Night Shift, we wanted to try the blends offered by Night Shift Brewing to tie our whole intro together (ok that is not the only reason).
If we are being honest, the same old coffee blends from our local shop started getting stale and routine. Our crew wanted to branch out and try something new, something different, something that makes us say “Woo-Hoo-hoo” (see what we did there?). We digress. Our crew found Night Shift Brewing Company out of Chelsea, MA and wanted to try their unique blends and flavors- So we grabbed a few bags of beans, and hit the ole home brew to see what NSB had in store.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Our intial impression of Night Shift Coffee was the brand vibe and colors- the “pop” of color, creative naming of each blend, and the profiles/varieties offered were really unique and different. Something about an owl and bright colored coffee bags had our cups ready for a pour (over). Our crew wanted to try a variety so we grabbed a bag of LOVEJOY, CHELSEA, and EVERETT-
LOVEJOY- A mix of Colombian and Brazilian coffees
CHELSEA- A mix of an Ethiopian coffee and a deeply floral, honey-process Colombian coffee
EVERETT- A mix of two fruit-forward Ethiopian
The aromas from each bag were strong (in a great way) and the beans were roasted to perfection. With each bag fresh roasted in Chelsea, MA each week, the quality and flavor is second to none. You might have noticed the coffee names resemble and pay homage to the very town these blends are roasted. Each bag had a different flavor profile, note, and roast- all giving variety that would fit any palate.
Our initial duuude impression: Lets grind these beans up and taste these beauties!
TESTING IT OUT
Our crew took each of the 3 varieties, ground them up, and poured a cup for all to try. Each brag brought a different level of flavor-
LOVEJOY
Lovejoy is one of Night Shift’s three flagship blends - a perfect mix of Colombian and Brazilian coffees working in tandem to highlight cacao flavors. Our crew brewed this as intended in a drip coffee machine. The flavor was extremely smooth and we could taste the subtle but refreshing hints of cherries and roasted walnuts. When we brewed as espresso- more of the chocolate body came out and the cherry was a added pop of acid we needed. This blend offered so much variety just by how it was brewed.
CHELSEA
Chelsea is another one of the three flagship blends. The mix of more floral and honey notes were present in this blend. When our crew ground up the beans we could literally smell the sweet flavors before even brewing. The hint of Earl Grey tea was noted and the floral scent was tasted throughout each cup. This coffee was more of a soothing morning cup- one that sort of relaxed our crew (which might have been good once we hit the conference room and went over quarter numbers). Chelsea for sure was something unique.
EVERETT
Our last but not least taste test was with Everett- a mix of two fruit-forward Ethiopian beans (both grown in Guji), the Everett blend is a sweet cup of fruity notes. In the drip coffee machine it had hints of plum and a mulling spice that complemented it well. The almost syrupy, stonefruit body with red plum acidity, and a crisp, apricot finish had us thinking it was the perfect summer cup of joe (hot and cold). We usually do not like stonefruit but this blend was sheer perefection.
All three blends offered a different yet familiar taste. The blends were perfect, each cup was well balanced, and the flavor profiles gave us a run for our money deciding which was our favorite of the three. Our crew was impressed by the amount of flavor that each blend highlighted as well as the smooth finish of each cup. We drank so much coffee we are writing this review literally during the night shift. Will we ever sleep again?
STANDOUT FEATURES
Night Shift is already standout in our book- but we get it, you want more from us than that. Fine- we will oblige:
Night Shift Coffee is roasted in small batches giving less “mainstream” flavor and more actual flavor
Coffee varieties are seriously unique AF and we love them all
Each blend is different and has a flavor for everyone
The beans are not burned. Yes that is a big deal
Night Shift offers subscriptions (see below)
Nightshift offers so much that it is hard to highlight it all. So don’t just read our review- go visit them and see for yourself!
BONUS FEATURES
What, coffee not enough for ya? Yeah, we get it- with a company making more than coffee, it is hard to not point out the other cool stuff happening at Night Shift Brewing. From coffee to Craft Beer, Hard Seltzer, and Hard Cider- Nightshift has something for your tastebuds no matter the shift.
Overall duuude Factor: We would take ANY shift as long as we had Night Shift with us.
Price: Varies by Blend
BRAND INFO
Night Shift was founded in 2012 by a trio of duuudes with a shared passion for homebrewing. From their brewery and Taproom in Everett, to the distributing business, to Owl’s Nest beer gardens, to coffee roasting and their latest location on Boston’s Lovejoy Wharf- Night Shift has been working double-time to pull this off.
“Our passion for delicious coffee began years ago in our Everett craft brewery. As morning brew sessions kicked off, we aspired to make each other perfect pots of coffee for the day ahead. We debated over favorite flavors and raved about roasters near and far. Beneath it all was a very simple excitement for the craft of coffee. From our family to ours, we share that excitement with you now – cheers!”
Learn more about Night Shift Brewing and see how you can #SHARETHENIGHT
