Wonderstate Coffee

Wonderstate roasts in Viroqua, Wisconsin, in a roastery it runs on solar power. The company dates to 2005 and holds B Corp certification. Cafes in Viroqua, Madison and Bayfield sit alongside the roasting side of the business. Seventeen coffees are active, ten single origins against seven blends.

The sourcing list is short and split between two continents. Colombia and Ethiopia each supply three of the ten single origins, with one lot apiece coming from Burundi, Kenya, Mexico and Peru. Six of those singles are washed and four are natural, a ratio that matters more to what lands in the cup than the roast dial does.

The common bag holds 8.8 ounces. Prices run $20 to $32 against a median of $25.50, which makes the per-ounce math worth doing at checkout for anyone accustomed to a 12 ounce bag from somewhere else. Two of the 17 are decaf. What the catalog offers is breadth without bulk, seventeen coffees covering the full roast scale and six countries, which is a lot of ground for a shelf this short.

Single Origins

Blends

Roast Profile & Flavor Range

The roast histogram spreads rather than spikes. Five coffees sit at medium-light and five at medium. Three land at medium-dark, and the two ends hold two apiece, so every step on the scale is occupied and no single level takes the catalog over. Acidity averages toward the upper side of medium while body stays at medium, a pairing that reads bright without thinning out.

Processing splits six washed to four natural across the ten single origins. That is four lots in ten where the fruit arrives before the roast does, and it accounts for the berry notes that keep surfacing in the descriptions. Blends make up 41 percent of the active catalog, seven of 17. Sourcing runs through Colombia and Ethiopia at three lots each, then Burundi, Kenya, Mexico and Peru at one apiece. At the common 8.8 ounce weight, the range is $20 to $32.

What Wonderstate Coffee Coffees Tend to Taste Like

Citrus appears six times across the catalog, twice as often as anything else on the fruit side. It is the first thing the notes point at. Under it, the sweetness runs brown and soft. Caramel is the anchor at four mentions, with milk chocolate at three and toffee at two.

The rest of the fruit splits between berry and stone. Blackberry, blueberry and strawberry each appear twice, while plum turns up three times and nectarine twice. Baked apple and baking spices each land once, which is roughly where the darker roasts show themselves. Floral notes appear twice.

A typical cup leads with citrus, settles into caramel through the middle, and finishes on a dark berry note the natural lots are supplying, which is why two bags at the same roast level here can taste unalike. Acidity sits toward the bright side of medium.

Why Buy Wonderstate Coffee

• Solar-powered roastery in Wisconsin: Wonderstate has roasted in Viroqua since 2005 and runs the roastery on solar power. B Corp certification sits behind the environmental claims.

• Every roast level covered: The catalog occupies all five steps from light to dark, with ten of 17 coffees in the medium-light and medium band. CoffeeByMe uses that spread for households that disagree about roast.

• Naturals in real numbers: Four of the ten single origins are natural, which is where the blackberry and blueberry in the notes are coming from.

• Citrus sits on top: It appears six times, more than any other descriptor, a lift riding above the caramel rather than pushing it out of the way.

Is Wonderstate Coffee Right for You?

A drinker who wants one roaster to cover several moods will do well here, since the roast levels reach every step from light to dark and blends account for seven of the 17 active coffees. Anyone who likes berry-forward naturals has four singles to work through. Two decafs give that side of the shelf a real presence.

Bag size is the thing to check. At 8.8 ounces with a $25.50 median, filling a cupboard costs more per ounce than the sticker suggests, and a household going through a pound a week will notice. Origin hunters get a short list, six countries across ten singles. Dark-roast drinkers get two coffees.

Frequently Asked Questions