Today, we'll be looking at the namesake of our Banshee Blend coffee, a female spirit from Irish folklore that many will have heard of but perhaps not know much about.
While many associate banshees with being ghostly spirits, that torment and chase down victims, they are actually fairy women who only herald the coming of death usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening.
The ghostly perception maybe due to some descriptions of the banshee as being dressed in white with red hair and a "ghastly" complexion. Long streaming hair and red eyes from weeping seems to be a common description across the stories, however different regions of Ireland have different descriptions of a banshee's clothes, size, and even age. Some speak of banshees as youthful, beautiful women, while others describe them as old and haggard looking.
In all stories however, a banshees purpose is the same: to cry and wail into the night outside of a household that is to experience death imminently. Banshees are sometimes misunderstood as being the cause of death but they are simply a sign of what is to pass. Many stories about banshees mention them "haunting" households where a member is experiencing a severe illness or injury. The wailing is a dreadful sound for the person's loved ones, yes, but the situation they're in is not the fault of the banshee.
Another thing to note about the banshee is that they are believed to only lament the descendants of true Irish stock (normally families with "O'" or "Mac" at the beginning of their surname) and some accounts say that each Irish family actually has it's own banshee that wails for them rather than a random one.
So why did we choose the Banshee to represent what we used to call "Espresso Forte"?
We describe this blend of beans as having a flavour profile that is loud and unmissable, a creature whose lamenting wails are said to be able to smash glass would be perfect for this we thought. And so the blend was renamed to Banshee.
Our Banshee blend is available on our website here and is a favourite among those looking for the perfect coffee to make milky drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.