Blind Assessment: Deeply fruit- and spice-toned, richly sweet. Dark chocolate, cranberry sauce, hop flowers, cedar, molasses in aroma and cup. Sweet structure with gentle acidity; full, creamy mouthfeel. Richly drying finish, with cranberry in the short, cedar and molasses in the long, and dark chocolate throughout.

Notes: This coffee tied for the third-highest rating in a tasting of holiday blends for Coffee Review‘s December 2019 tasting report. Comprised of three coffees: a washed-process Kenya Kijani Kiboko AA and two natural-processed coffees, an Ethiopia Dame Dabaye and a Brazil Fazenda Serrinha. Modern Times is a well-loved, exuberantly inventive Point Loma, San Diego brewery that has long specialized in coffee-beer crossovers and overlaps. Visit www.moderntimescoffee.com for more information.

The Bottom Line: This coffee’s name is loosely drawn from the name of the winter solstice celebration for Mithraism, "Natalis Solis Invincti," which means “birthday of the unconquerable sun.” Drink it if for no other reason than this.