Massively influential bassist David Ellefson, co-founder of Megadeth, has committed to his passion with Ellefson Coffee Co., a coffee brand designed for metal fans everywhere.
“We are a rock and roll coffee company,” says Thom Hazaert, manager of Ellefson’s personal label (EMP) and Ellefson Coffee Co. Thom and David have produced quality coffee together for years, providing their maturing audience a tasty, soothing alternative to the harder beverages of their youth. Now they have partnered with leading CBD-infusion manufacturer Flower Power Coffee Co. to unveil their CBD-Infused Jamaican Blue Mountain blend.
Hip to the plant’s business and culture, Thom first convinced David to partner with marijuana cigarette brand California’s Finest. They created Combat Records under their EMP label to sell metal-themed merchandising and tinctures, supplements, and prerolls. Wanting to link David’s enthusiasm for coffee with CBD, Thom next spent a few years researching different companies. Then came Flower Power.
“I was first introduced to Flower Power… backstage in New York City [at] The Iridium,” David says. “I was doing my solo bass tour called Bass Story. They had come to the show [with] some packets of coffee… I went, ‘Wow, this is a very good tasting coffee.’ Then I went: ‘Is this going to get me buzzed? Am I going to go to stage high and stumbling down?’ That did not happen. It had this calming effect, a unique property to have inside coffee since coffee has a motivational kick to it. I was pleasantly surprised… I knew I wanted CBD within Ellefson Coffee Co.”
Observing Flower Power’s great-tasting products, effective CBD sources, and processes to ensure that the CBD would not get cooked out when heating up the coffee, they agreed to a partnership that has delighted both companies.
Thom calls it a “marriage made in heaven!” He notes: “Everybody should have this medicine available to them, whether it’s CBD, THC, cannabinoid derivatives, whatever it is. I don’t think it is something that should be regulated, period.”
David’s choice of the Jamaican Blue Mountain to complement the CBD’s effects holds a special meaning. He recalls, “One of my dearest memories was walking around the streets of Kyoto, Japan back in the 90s—during a Megadeth tour—and stumbling into this little breakfast shop that only the locals ate at [with] Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee [on the menu]. I remember drinking it and just falling in love with it. Drinking it now takes me back to that experience in Kyoto.
“Coffee is something I always had in the studio when making music… [It] has always been a part of the creative culture for me. We had a lot of Megadeth band meetings at coffee houses around the world… So, to me, coffee has always been a collaborative, creative experience with people I enjoy. When we created this roast, it was all of those things along with the CBD.”
Incredibly, David started out apprehensive about CBD’s supposed benefits. “My outlook on it all is as a sober guy— have been now for 29 years,” he explains. “I have been very careful not to ingest anything that will affect me from the neck up… [CBD initially] seemed like a way for people to legally get high. I didn’t fully understand it… When I started to learn the differences between CBD and THC, I [realized]… The good Lord put the plant here on the planet for a reason, obviously, there are many uses.
Medicinal CBD helped David see its potential. “I was playing the bass, [it was] hanging off of me. It caused serious maladjustment to my right shoulder, which is my picking hand… I was going to the chiropractor, the masseuse, and I started getting these injections. Nothing was helping it. One day I go to the chiropractor and he goes, ’Hey, can I put something on you?’ He then rubbed some CBD oil on me. Kid you not, the next day, the pain was gone. It never came back… There really is a medicinal, healing quality to CBD that has nothing to do with recreational use. That right there changed my concept of the whole thing.”
Just a few years ago, even the savviest businessmen hesitated to explore CBD’s uncharted territory. But today, Thom describes, “When we announced the CBD coffee, everybody was already interested… [People] immediately flocked to it and ordered it. Retailers are flooding us trying to order it. Now every convenience store in America sells CBD products. It’s pretty unbelievable how far it’s come.”
This is only the beginning for Ellefson Coffee Co. It’s been a banging summer for David and Thom overall; they recently formed the production company Ellefson Films, greenlighting the horror film Dwellers. David’s first solo album, Sleeping Giants, released in July, accompanied by his second memoir More Life with Deth, co-written with Thom. The album includes collaborations by artists such as DMC of Run-DMC fame, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Bumblefoot, and a remix from Kristian Nairn, “Hodor” from Game of Thrones. More Life with Deth also contains the Ellefson Coffee Co. origin story, flavored by many more personal coffee experiences.
It’s clear this duo will keep rocking, powered by plants, for a long time. And with CBD infusion, fans can vibe right along with them.
Dave & Thom photos © Melody Myers
Ellefson Coffee Co promo images © Ellefson Coffee Co
