BoneFrog Coffee family, I wanted to take a moment to share something that comes up often in conversations with customers, and that I am always happy to clear up.

Many of you have mentioned things like, "I am allergic to chocolate," or expressed concern after seeing tasting notes on our bags. I completely understand why that raises questions. Let me reassure you right away: BoneFrog Coffee has never added flavors, oils, extracts, syrups, or any additives to our coffee. What you see listed as tasting notes or undertones are simply the natural flavors and aromas that already exist in the coffee beans themselves. They are descriptive words we use, just like wine or cheese tasters do, to help communicate the complex, inherent character of the bean. Nothing more.

We roast premium, high-quality single-origin and blended coffees. The beautiful complexity you taste comes from the beans and our careful roasting, nothing else.

Tasting notes develop from the coffee's origin, meaning soil, climate, altitude, and variety, then from how the cherries are processed, and critically, from how we roast them. They can include hints of chocolate, earth, herbs, cedar, spice, or other descriptors. They are not ingredients. No chocolate, no nuts, no fruit, and nothing else is added. Your senses simply pick up similarities to those flavors because of the chemical compounds naturally present in the roasted bean. If the bag says chocolate, there is no chocolate in it. There never has been.

Flavored coffee, by contrast, is roasted coffee that has flavorings, natural or artificial, applied after roasting to create a specific taste such as vanilla, hazelnut, or chocolate. That is a completely different product from our core coffees, and something we have never offered. We may consider adding some options in response to customer requests and the popularity of flavored coffee. Possible directions we are looking at are a Halloween blend or a flavored Christmas blend.

This week we are featuring Extortion 17, a single-varietal Sumatran coffee that we roast to a medium level. Sumatran coffees are known for their distinctive full body, lower acidity, and naturally occurring earthy, herbal, woody, and dark chocolate-like characteristics, often with notes of cedar, spice, or forest floor.

By roasting this particular lot to a medium profile, we develop those inherent qualities without overwhelming them. The heat transforms the bean's natural sugars and compounds, through processes like the Maillard reaction and controlled caramelization, so the earthy depth, subtle herbal undertones, and rich chocolate-like sweetness come forward clearly and cleanly. A lighter roast would emphasize brighter origin notes. A darker one would push more roast-driven flavors. Our medium approach is chosen specifically to let this Sumatran's natural personality shine.

Again: no additives. Just exceptional single-varietal beans, roasted with intention so their true character can be experienced in the cup.

Two things worth trying this week. Brew Extortion 17 hot, read the tasting notes, and see how many you can find without being told. Earth first, then cedar, then the chocolate sweetness on the finish. Then steep the same coffee cold. It drops the roast character and pushes the chocolate forward. Same beans, same roast, different extraction. That is how much the method matters.

That second one is worth taking further. Sumatra is the easiest coffee in our lineup to put in a glass with whiskey. The low acidity means it will not turn thin or sour when it meets bourbon, and the earthy weight gives the drink something to stand on. We built an old fashioned around it, with the sugar pulled back so the coffee carries the glass instead of the syrup. Recipes now have a home of their own, and The Debrief is the first one on it, along with how to steep the cold brew concentrate it is built on. There is no pre-made cold brew for this roast. You grind Extortion 17 and steep it yourself overnight.

I hope this helps demystify the language we use on our bags and website. Specialty coffee is full of nuance, and part of the joy is discovering those subtle, natural layers that make each origin and roast unique. We are proud to offer pure coffee that lets the bean speak for itself.

Thank you for being part of the BoneFrog community. If you ever have questions about a particular roast, tasting notes, or anything else, just reach out. I am always happy to talk coffee with you.