Coffee connoisseurs Dillon Lewis and Brad Thyer will be aiming to unleash their inner Dragon over the Festive Period.

The front-row duo recently launched a coffee company – Fat Dragon Coffee – after being inspired by the amount of time and money they, and their teammates, spend procaffeinating.

Six months after coming up with the idea while sat in the changing room, they launched the company in November and have been blown away by the response.

The entire Cardiff Blues squad have got behind the venture, James Haskell has endorsed it and there has even been a plug on Sky Sports.

Lewis said: “We were surprised by how much the boys actually got behind us. We were expecting them to just want freebies off us but they’ve all be pretty good.

“During the first week I brought in a bag and a caffetiere and started making coffees for everyone and after that it snowballed.

“They’ve enjoyed it and have all been coming back for more and that’s how you judge it – people coming back for their second and third purchases.”

Thyer explains that the arterial clot in the neck he suffered last January, sharpened his focus on having something to fall back on outside of rugby.

The Computer Science graduate would often spend time throwing ideas back and fore with his fellow prop and a plunge into coffee was something entirely new.

He said: “It’s something completely different for both of us. There’s nothing quite like running your own business and after rugby it will hopefully be a bigger thing for us.

“I’ve always had ideas in the back of my mind but a consumable business was never something I had thought of.

“The main for us was seeing the amount of coffee the boys drink and the amount of time we spend in coffee shops. It is almost a necessity now. It’s like tea 15 or 20 years ago.

“Our whole philosophy is being able to bring that high-quality coffee you can buy in independent coffee shops back for home brew.

“You pay £2.50-3 for a decent coffee so why settle for something less when at home?”

The duo currently produce three varieties of whole bean and ground coffee – The Sumatran Dragon, The Fat Dragon and The Raging Dragon – plus a selection of single origin Nespresso pods.

Deliveries have been made across the UK, from London to Leeds and Belfast to Brighton and they have received widespread plaudits from industry leaders.

As well as sampling their coffee at tomorrow’s game against the Scarlets, Compass Coffee in Penarth have also begun to stock their brew.

And the duo will be hoping their Fat Dragon beans can give the Blues an edge in the sold out Guinness PRO14 derby.

For Thyer it has been somewhat of a remarkable season, having feared for his career earlier in the year.

But having returned to action successfully, injuries to Gethin Jenkins and Rhys Gill have ensured he and fellow youngster Corey Domachowski have led the charge at loose-head.

They are just two of a new generation of props, who have come through the Cardiff Blues pathway, and he is excited about the future.

He continued: “It’s been pretty good, I’ve had a lot of opportunities due to injury and rotation but to get three games on the trot and 60-70 minutes, is something you jump at as a prop.

“It’s really exciting when you look at all the boys coming through – Corey (Domachowski), myself, Azza (Keiron Assiratti), Dillon, Ethan (Lewis). We’ve come through together and known each other for six or seven years or longer

“To play rugby with people you consider friends off the pitch as well as on it is pretty special, especially as most of us have recently signed or have a few years remaining. Then you have the older guys guiding us down the right road.”

For Lewis it has been a frustrating season to date. Having missed large chunks of the 2016-17 season he was a surprise inclusion in the Wales summer tour and won numerous plaudits.

Injuries have again limited his involvement but having recently returned to action he is determined to make up for lost time and hit the ground running against the Scarlets.

Lewis added: “It was a slow start to the season and as soon as I began to get a run of games, I picked up the injury. But hopefully that’s the end of it and I can get back playing regularly.

“You like to think we can get a win at home against the champions. They are playing well but it would be a good scalp and we have good form at home and the boys are building momentum.

“It will be a huge occasion and we want to rise to it. When this place is full, it is absolutely ridiculous. Everyone is so close to the pitch and so loud.”

Fat Dragon will be at the Cardiff Blues v Scarlets game and Handlebar Barista will also be brewing their coffee. For more information please visit www.fatdragoncoffee.com