Apparently, coffee wasn’t complex enough for Ceremony Coffee Roasters, a company based in Annapolis, Maryland. Yes, the beverage boasts over 800 flavor influencing components, yet Ceremony Director of Wholesale Ronnie Haas and Head Roaster Andy Sprenger decided to harness coffee’s power of absorption for good instead of evil. According to the website, they’re shooting for “a means to enhance the flavor profile of the coffee” instead of channeling “unsavory characteristics,” which sounded promising.

At Filter Coffeehouse in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle, owner Rasheed Jabr was serving BCS 07: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe ECX/Bourbon Barrel, which produced a mind bending flavor that twisted the type of floral acidity that’s typically found in Ethiopian Yirgs through aging in bourbon-washed oak barrels twisted, which contributed vanilla notes. The flavor and aroma ran counter to my taste memory, and I ultimately didn’t enjoy the coffee, but the result was compelling enough to keep bringing me back to the cup.