Blackwing Vol. 200 – Behind the Design
Metallic Copper Design
Our Blackwing Vol. 200 is a tribute to coffeehouses and the creative culture they help cultivate. Each pencil features a metallic copper design inspired by classic copper coffee roasting machines found in many coffeehouses during the 1950s and 60s.
Specialty coffeehouses began to pop up all across America in response to the popularity of instant coffee entering households during the 1950s. These coffeehouses sought to serve not only as places to experience elevated coffee consumption but also as venues for entertainment and community. During this time, coffeehouses in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Seattle became synonymous with thriving countercultural movements like the Folk Revival and Beat Generation.
Classic Copper Coffee Roasting Machine 
Classic Copper Coffee Roasting Machine
The 1950s and 60s also saw an evolution in coffee roasting. Many of these specialty coffeehouses experimented with different roasting temperatures to provide a diverse selection of roasts and began to source beans from different parts of the world. Most coffee roasting machines used around this time were made from stainless steel, brass, and copper, particularly for their ability to evenly distribute heat resulting in a perfectly roasted bean.
200 Degrees Celcius
The roasting process begins when the green coffee berry seed is heated, using a drum or hot-air roasting machine, to around 200 degrees celsius, transforming it into the familiar coffee bean. As the seeds are heated, the color begins to change from a green-yellow into darker shades of brown.
Green coffee berry seeds before roasting. 
Roasted coffee beans after reaching 200 degrees Celcius.
At around 200 degrees Celsius, the bean will “crack,” signaling that the beans have reached a light roast. Coffee roasters will heat their beans at higher temperatures depending on the type of roast and flavor profile they want to achieve.
The Blackwing Vol. 200’s metallic copper design is directly inspired by the coffee roasting machines used in coffeehouses during this time. The number 200 is a reference to the internal temperature of 200 degrees Celsius that marks the beginning of the coffee roasting process.
Learn more about the Blackwing 200 – Tribute to Coffeehouses
Read “Good Folk – The Story of America’s Longest Running Coffeehouse”