OUR COFFEE
Every bottle of NORSE CODE starts with the coffee.
Many coffee liqueurs rely on extracts, flavourings or commodity coffee selected mainly for cost and consistency. We take a different approach.
We select real coffee for the character it brings to the finished spirit — its natural sweetness, body, aromatic complexity and balance. Because exceptional coffee liqueur begins long before the bottle.
Coffee should lead. Sweetness should support.
THE BLEND
Developed with Danelaw Coffee. Made for NORSE CODE.
Both Hel Above and Hel Below begin with Harlequin House Blend, developed in collaboration with our Yorkshire roasting partners at Danelaw Coffee.
Working with Dave Jameson and the Danelaw team, Gordon Howell helped select and refine a blend that delivers the flavour, structure and complexity we need for our coffee liqueurs.
Speciality coffee. Expertly roasted. Made for NORSE CODE.
THE ORIGINS
Colombia for structure. Ethiopia for complexity.
Our Harlequin House Blend brings together carefully selected coffees from Colombia and Ethiopia, each chosen for the distinct qualities it contributes.
Colombian coffee provides a rich, balanced foundation with natural sweetness and body. Ethiopian coffee brings aromatic complexity, floral character and a brighter, more expressive dimension.
Together, they create a blend designed to deliver depth, balance and unmistakable coffee character in every bottle of NORSE CODE.
Different origins. A shared purpose.
FROM ORIGIN TO FLAVOUR
How coffee is processed changes how it tastes.
Our washed Colombian coffee brings clarity, balance and a clean expression of its origin. Removing the fruit before drying helps create a structured foundation with natural sweetness.
Our natural-processed Ethiopian coffee is dried with the fruit intact, developing a more expressive profile with fruit-forward sweetness, aromatic complexity and distinctive character.
Together, these different processing methods contribute to the balance and depth of our Harlequin House Blend.
Two approaches. One carefully balanced blend.
THE ROAST
Roasting is about developing flavour, not simply creating darkness.
Our Yorkshire roasting partners at Danelaw Coffee carefully develop the Harlequin House Blend to bring out the qualities of each origin.
The aim is balance: enough roast development to create richness and body, while preserving the natural sweetness, aromatic complexity and distinctive character of the coffee.
Because those qualities still need to shine through when the coffee becomes NORSE CODE.
Roasted with purpose. Brewed with precision.
INDEPENDENTLY RECOGNISED
Great Taste recognised. Before the first drop of spirit.
Our Harlequin House Blend received a Great Taste one-star award in 2023, recognising the quality of the coffee at the heart of NORSE CODE.
It's an important distinction. We don't simply use coffee as an ingredient. We begin with an independently recognised blend, developed for its flavour, balance and character.
That same commitment to quality carries through from roasting and brewing to the finished liqueur.
Award-winning coffee. At the heart of every bottle.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE COFFEE
From the coffee we choose to the way we brew it.
At the heart of NORSE CODE is Gordon Howell, a UK Brewers Cup Champion and internationally recognised coffee specialist whose experience shapes how we approach every stage of production.
Gordon's expertise extends beyond selecting exceptional coffee. As a brewing advisor to TONE, he contributed to testing and developing the brewing parameters that help deliver greater precision and consistency.
Today, we use a bespoke precision filter brewing process, controlling temperature, water flow and extraction to reveal the coffee's full flavour and character.
Coffee expertise. Precision brewing. NORSE CODE.
EXPLORE OUR BREWING PROCESS
