Decades after reshaping the sound of hip-hop with their iconic 2002 anthem Grindin‘, Virginia legends Pusha T and Pharrell Williams are channeling that same early-morning studio energy into the beverage space.
The longtime creative partners have officially expanded their coffee label, Grindin’ Coffee, through a major partnership with legendary 130-year-old Italian coffee house Lavazza. Expertly blended by Lavazza’s coffee maestros, the new lineup features dark and medium roasts available in both ground and whole-bean options, crafted for task-driven hustlers who wake up ready to execute.
The origin story behind Grindin’ Coffee dates back to the pandemic recording sessions for Pusha T’s critically acclaimed 2022 album, It’s Almost Dry. While locking in at a studio in Miami, King Push and Pharrell established a rigorous early-morning workflow centered around black coffee and intense creative output.
“I’m up at 5:00 AM every morning, even after a late night, still 5:00 AM,” Pusha T shared in an interview with GQ. “During Pharrell’s portion, we would lock in in Miami, and we both wake up super early… We’d wake up, we’d run to the studio and throw on the black coffee or the strongest pod and really just go crazy with music for the next seven hours… It was all centered around what we had to do.”
After testing the concept through wildly popular pop-ups at Tyler, the Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw carnival, where fans lined up for coffee and exclusive Carhartt WIP merchandise, Pharrell connected with Lavazza. Impressed by the rap duo’s distinct angle on coffee culture, the Italian legacy brand signed on to handle roasting and production for the brand.
While the Lavazza partnership marks a major milestone, Pusha T’s entry into the coffee industry started well before this latest expansion. He first made waves in the specialty coffee world back in late 2024 when he announced the launch of Grindin’ Coffee, joining a growing movement of hip-hop heavyweights stepping into coffee culture alongside peers like Jadakiss and Ghostface Killah
Push debuted his initial high-caffeine blend during a soft launch at L.A.’s historic Café Tropical and Camp Flog Gnaw. Rather than simply licensing his name, Pusha T designed the brand as an authentic extension of his lifestyle, focusing on bold, premium black coffee engineered for productivity, focus, and discipline.
The new Lavazza-crafted Grindin’ Coffee blends are designed for versatility across filter coffee, espresso, and cold brew setups. The dark roast, sourced from Central and South America and Southeast Asia, brings bold notes of cocoa, caramel, brown spice, and light wood, while the medium roast, sourced from South America, delivers a smoother profile with notes of bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and roasted hazelnut.
Both roasts, alongside apparel merch bundles, are available now on the official Grindin’ Coffee platform.
Photo Credit: Grindin Coffee
