Black Rose Coffee Dots and Colors Explained!
Whether you’re a regular Black Rose coffee drinker, or this is your first time on the site, you have seen the colorful dot labels we use to identify the various coffees on our menu.
Clemmy’s Decaf has its own signature Black&White look, representing the ink-on-paper aesthetic I love so much. Medialuna, my signature Half-Caff creation, is uniquely two-tone, to represent the two beans used in the blend, and the duality of caffeinated and decaf coffee. Afternoon Delight and Aurora dots are the Portland sky on a summer afternoon and at sunset.
But most importantly - Black Rose’s 4 primary colors are Orange, Green, Yellow, and Blue. But why? Did you know they actually mean something?! I don’t broadcast it too much, but one of the main influences in my life is the city of Montréal, Québec. It’s the only other place (besides Portland) that I call “home”, and there’s no way I wasn’t going to sneak a Montréal reference or two into Black Rose Coffee!
The 4 primary Black Rose colors represent the 4 lines of the Montréal Métro (subway), and our the of dots is a reference to the Métro’s use of colored dots to indicate different lines in stations.
First - The Orange line: The Métro’s longest and most heavily-used line. The people’s train that carries folks from residential neighborhoods into the downtown business core. Black Rose Coffee uses the Orange dot to represent an ode to the Everyday Drinker coffee you rely on to get you there in the morning.
Next - The Green line: Connecting one of the city’s largest parks to it’s landmark Olympic park and stadium via Montréal’s Golden Square Mile and Place-des-Arts theater district, the Métro’s Green is where you go on special occasions. It was the perfect choice to represent my Roaster’s Special, the fancier stuff.
The Yellow line does one thing: it blends. Some take it every day, but it’s anything but ordinary. Connecting the city’s South Shore to it’s busiest station via an island that’s home to the Casino de Montréal, the Canadian Grand Prix, and La Ronde amusement park, the yellow line is vital to a cohesive train network like blends are to a coffee menu. Black Rose Coffee is all about bringing greatness together, and if you see the yellow dot, you know you’re getting in the mix!
Finally, and never to be forgotten, is the Blue line. Running on the opposite side of Mount Royal from downtown. No tourist attractions or glitzy shopping, but without this vital line, you would have so much trouble avoiding the busiest parts of the city to get across town. Thousands of people ride the Blue, and if you didn’t know it connects the city’s best deli with it’s famous outdoor market, now you know. The Blue is for the love and the necessity of Decaf. Decaffeinated coffee gets no respect out there and yet, so many coffee lovers simply can’t drink caffeine, or as much. It’s as much coffee as any, like how the Blue line is as much the Métro as the Green. Unlike Montréal, who made the Blue wait till last to get it’s new train cars, and still won’t extend it to link vital neighborhoods, Black Rose Coffee focuses on Decaf and gives it the love and respect it deserves. Black Rose’s menu sports 4 absolutely delicious, award-winning decaffeinated coffees AND I created a signature Half-Caff that won a medal up against “regular” coffee. If caffeine isn’t your thing, but you love coffee- take the Blue line!
ENJOY :-)
Moose
p.s. There’s a Black Dot, too. Like Black Label, It’s top-shelf and rare. I always choose the most interesting, and often high degree-of-difficulty beans to bring you a unique and delicious experience. Rotates frequently. Quantities always limited!
