The Forgotten Roaster of Liberty: Colonel Dylan Coffee and The Midnight Brew Rebellion
As the tensions between the American colonies and the British Crown boiled over in the early 1770s, many know of the Boston Tea Party—when patriots defied British tyranny by dumping crates of tea into the harbor. But few know of the lesser-documented “Midnight Brew Rebellion,” led by the elusive and grim-eyed Colonel Dylan Coffee—a battle-hardened strategist with a sharp mind, a sharper beak, and a bitter disdain for lukewarm leadership.
Colonel Dylan Coffee, a loyal farmer and sharpshooter from the Maumee Valley, rose up after witnessing firsthand the injustice levied upon the people by the Tea Act. Disgusted by the taxation without representation and fueled by a deep love of roasted liberty, Dylan joined the Sons of Liberty under the codename “The Owl.”
According to rebel correspondence uncovered in 1847, Colonel Coffee masterminded Operation Emberdrop—a daring midnight sabotage on December 20, 1773, just five nights after the Boston Tea Party. While Redcoats were distracted by the fallout of the Boston raid, Coffee and a crew of roasters, farmers, and dockhands sailed a weather-beaten sloop into Newport Harbor, disguised as a merchant vessel. Under the cover of thick fog and woodsmoke, they boarded a British East India Company ship—the Royal Empress—and replaced every crate of tea with burlap sacks filled with freshly roasted colonial coffee beans from a land that came to be Toledo, Ohio, labeled: “Rebellion Fuel.”
When British officers opened the crates days later, expecting their prized tea, they were met instead with the dark, oily defiance of American-grown beans, scrawled with a message written in charcoal:
“NO KINGS. JUST CAFFEINE. – C.D.C.”
Outraged, Parliament referred to the event as “The Coffee Blasphemy,” but the act quickly brewed inspiration among colonists. Whispered tales of Colonel Dylan Coffee spread through taverns, church basements, and print shops, with his rallying cry gaining momentum:
“Burn the leaves, roast the beans—Liberty drinks dark!”
By 1776, while Washington crossed the Delaware, Colonel Coffee was deep behind enemy lines in the Carolinas, organizing rebel supply lines and roasting small batches of coffee under iron kettles to keep militia forces awake during nighttime marches. Though no official portrait exists, eyewitnesses describe a hawkish man in a tricorne hat, eyes ever watchful, cup in hand, and steam always rising.
Colonel Dylan Coffee's story would fade into obscurity after the war, suppressed by tea merchants and forgotten by formal historians. But every dawn that breaks with a bold cup in hand is, in truth, a tribute to his legacy.
What a glorious morning for America, indeed.
⚙️ Specs:
Made by: Sunset Hill Stoneware (USA)
Capacity: Approx. 14–16 oz
Finish: Hand-dipped, kiln-fired stoneware
Design: Sculpted,
Dishwasher & microwave safe
- Extremely collectible!
- Individually numbered 1-400
- Individually handmade
- Holds 14 oz of Iron Bean Coffee!!
- 100% microwave and oven safe
- Only 400 made!
