Features

Coffee with Kitchen Toke Hemp Honey

Wake and Bake

Cannahoney and Unicorn Blood fuel a coffee roaster’s eye-opener

Along with craft beer and music, cannabis supplies the creative energy behind Dark Matter Coffee, Chicago’s most visionary beanery.

“It’s inspired a lot of ideas and concepts for blends,” says Aaron Campos, Dark Matter’s director of coffee. “A lot of times when we need to solve a problem, cannabis is a great way for us to push forward and create.” 

More directly, it informs the flavor profile of the roaster’s yearly Devil’s Lettuce release, for which Campos and crew formulated a blend matching the fruity flavors inherent in the beans with a specific strain. This year, a combination of Ethiopian and Central American beans offered with a distinct citrusy funk inspired by Tangie.

Dark Matter’s collaborative ethos has led to experiments with brewers, musicians, DJs, and growers, namely downstate Illinois’ Nature’s Grace and Wellness, with whom they created the Supernova, a dark chocolate bar infused with energizing hash oil and Dark Matter’s Unicorn Blood espresso beans.

The full-bodied, nutty blend also forms the backbone of the Wake and Bake, Campos’ mock espresso drink—no machine required—layered with the warming herbal notes of sage and peppercorn, and the mellow sweetness of maple and Nature’s Grace’s medicated honey.

Your preferred combination of bold, invigorating bean and infused honey works just as well. The bracing morning brew is made by the pour-over method. If you don’t have a coffee cone system, use a 5-ounce pour of hot, espresso-strength coffee, and prepare for liftoff.

By Mike Sula

Photography by Eva Kolenko

Food styling by Adam Pearson

Prop Styling by Stephanie Hanes

 

Recipe to link:

The Wake and Bake