House blend is a slippery term in coffee. It can suggest the straightforward and reliable, as in “house wine,” and it can mean something unusual but local, not to be had elsewhere, as in “only at our house.” Plus over the last decade it has taken on still another meaning. You find this last definition operative in the mid-market world of Starbucks and similar upscalish supermarket coffees. Here “house blend” seems to describe a blend brought to as little darker roast than a “breakfast blend” though not nearly as dark as blends labeled “espresso roast” or “French roast.” Finally, house blends, unique or not, are generally expected to offer value to the customer. The implication is, step back from the Kenyas and the fancy microlots and you can save a few bucks while still drinking a great coffee that everyone at the table will enjoy.
We sourced about forty coffees that fulfilled these overlapping definitions from a variety of perspectives, a pluralistic response probably appropriate to the individualistic world of specialty coffee.