Here at Rounton Coffee, we’re working harder than ever to push ourselves to constantly improve what we’ve been doing up until now. We’re busier than ever, we’re learning more than ever, and we think our coffee is tasting better than ever before!
We’d like this newsletter to be a place for us to share with you some news about what we’ve been roasting and developing in The Granary, as well as what to expect from us when we’re out and about, and in our shops – Bedford Street Coffee and The Joiner’s Shop. Plus we’ll share with you something we’re finding interesting in the world of coffee.
The Granary – What’s New
El Salvador Showcase
Earlier in the year we were lucky enough to visit El Salvador and secure coffees from three different farms, processed in three different ways. We decided to get coffees which were all Bourbon, and see how processing can affect the taste of coffees that are all the same varietal. While we were out there we met people from whom we’ve been buying coffee for years, and we gained a whole new understanding about just how much hard work and love goes into the growing of amazing coffee crops. Bosque Lya, Los Pirineos and El Cipres are spectacular coffees in their own right, but together they showcase the diversity and quality of coffees that can be found in El Salvador in 2018. All our El Salvadors are available to buy from our web store.
Other New Coffees
We’ve also been roasting some really special coffees from elsewhere in the world, which have been an absolute joy to work with. We’ve managed to get a hold of a single 70kg sack of a Honduran Parainema from Pedro Joel Fiallos, who has dedicated himself to growing exceptional organic coffee, which have become some of the most sought after crops in Honduras. We’ve found this coffee to be really complex, with a bright, cola-like sweetness, and a light blueberry finish – it’s amazingly well balanced and makes a great filter coffee.
Trading Directly – our Ugandan connection
We’ve been lucky enough to forge a relationship with the Rwenzori Coffee Company, who are based in Western Uganda. We met Martin Rowland, who, with his son Jonny have founded the company, and are working to help improve the coffee quality of the farmers in the Rwenzori region, whilst providing them with sustainable wages and training in agricultural practices. We’ve not worked quite so closely with any producer before, so this has been a great learning opportunity for us, as well as an opportunity to roast some more great coffee!
Cup North
We’re going to be at the Manchester Coffee Festival from the 3rd – 4th November, alongside some of the country’s leading coffee professionals and roasters. It’s going to be a brilliant weekend, with plenty of friends to catch up with, new people to meet, and things to learn.
What’s more, we’re going to be serving some of our own coffees there, including an exclusive new blend for espresso, and a couple of knockout filter coffees. If you’re interested, it’s not too late to grab yourself a ticket!
A little bit of extra reading…
If you’re looking for an in depth look into the world of speciality coffee, and you’ve got a few hours to spare, take a look at Standart Magazine. It’s a gorgeous print-only publication, covering all sorts of fascinating topics such as research into new varietals, brew guides, and spotlights on cities that are pushing the boundaries of what it means to make great coffee. Plus, you get a little bag of coffee from a some of the best roasters in the world every time, so you’ve always got something to enjoy as you read.
Finally, we couldn’t possibly talk about learning more about the world of coffee without talking about Chris Baca. For those of you who want to make better drinks from the comfort of your own home, his video tutorials are the perfect way to get all the information you need in a really easily explained way. For example, his milk steaming tutorial makes something that’s potentially really daunting seem really straightforward. Plus, he’s arguably the coolest guy in coffee, so his videos are worth watching for that reason alone.