Wajos Coffee Rub. Almost a third roasted coffee, smoked paprika and cocoa – the dark rub for beef, lamb and anything that spends a long time on the grill.

Wajos Coffee Rub is a dry seasoning blend consisting of 31.7 percent roasted coffee, salt, raw cane sugar and 10 percent smoked paprika, with pepper, caraway, coriander and low-fat cocoa powder, 65 g. Not a sweet barbecue rub, not a chili blend, no added coffee flavoring, but ground coffee as a spice. Vegan.

Wajos Coffee Rub might sound like an idea for the brave at first, but in the end, it is one for steak lovers. Coffee on meat has a tradition in American barbecue cuisine. The roasted bitterness does what a dark crust usually does – it adds depth, color and a crust that tastes slightly bitter and smoky. Together with smoked paprika and cocoa, it creates a crust that smells like a campfire instead of breakfast.

Roasted bitter like coffee, smoky like paprika, dark like cocoa

In the tin, the blend smells of ground coffee and smoke. On the meat, it changes. The bitterness of the coffee recedes, leaving behind a dark, savory depth. The smoked paprika provides the smoke, caraway and coriander provide the earthy seasoning, and the raw cane sugar ensures the crust caramelizes. At about 20 grams per 100 grams, the salt content is high – there is no need to add more salt. It is barely spicy, with only the pepper being noticeable. The Coffee Rub is not suitable for those expecting a sweet, tomato-red barbecue rub – the Magic Dust Rub with nearly half paprika is better for that.

Rub in, let rest, then use on beef, lamb, game or sweet potato

Pat the meat dry, rub with a little oil, sprinkle the rub generously and massage it in. Then let it rest for at least an hour – overnight in the fridge is better, because the coffee needs time to soak into the meat. It is strongest on beef: steak, brisket, beef brisket from the smoker, burger patties. The bitterness also pairs well with lamb and game; for pork neck, it creates a dark pulled pork crust. Meatless: sweet potato wedges or halved pumpkins with oil and rub in the oven. It is not suitable for fish, light poultry and anything that is grilled briefly over high heat – the coffee needs time and a cut that can handle it.

Our tip: Rub a thick rump steak with Coffee Rub the evening before, sear it over high heat the next day and let it finish cooking over low heat – the crust is the reason we keep this rub in the house.

A rub mixed in-house in Dohr on the Moselle

Wajos is a gourmet manufacturer in Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle, with over 80 employees and around 900 items, most of which are produced there – including rubs and spice blends. The name stands for Walter Josef Oster from a winemaking family in Ediger-Eller, whose liqueur manufactory from the 1980s was expanded into a brand by Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg. An in-house laboratory tests the products before they leave the manufactory.

The rub for smoker owners and people who take steak seriously

This rub is the tin for anyone who already has a standard rub and wants something darker. It is more of a second or third rub on the shelf than a first. And for anyone who owns a smoker or kettle grill and grills cuts that take hours. As a gift, it suits grillers who drink coffee – ideally paired with the One For All Rub as an all-rounder. All rubs can be found on our Wajos page. Store the 65-gram tin in a dry place away from light; it is enough for about four large pieces of meat. The rub is not suitable for anyone who avoids bitterness in their food – coffee is the main ingredient and it remains noticeable.

Roasted coffee, smoked paprika and cocoa in a tin – the dark rub from the Moselle for meat that has time on the grill.