I haven’t been quite as prolific at writing about coffee and what we do lately. I have been asking myself some big questions about where coffee is going, what I enjoy, and what other people enjoy too. Fear not the answer is not as simple as 42*. If only.
Why do we roast the way we do?
When you love coffee, there is loving what coffee can do to you, physically. That rush that gets you going in the morning? There is the unique expression of what a micro-lot, varietal, or coffee process can taste like. This is what we try and showcase when we roast. Sometimes, I feel it would be so much easier to just roast single farms darker, but then we would all miss the point and the mad amounts of energy our producers go to, to produce coffees of character. There would be no point in terroir or variety.
Why did I write this now?
When developing Maria Branca’s profile, over the last week or so has really made me think. Just a few more degrees of roast development would please so many more people, but it would equally hide the unique character and cup quality that the coffee brings. Pleasing crowds at the cost of developing a roast isn’t the right thing to do for us. Also, this would all be driven by the things that we add to coffee, such as dairy, rapeseed oil, and oat water.
*42 is a borrowed answer to life the universe and everything by Douglas Adams and “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe“. It only took 7.5 Million years to come up with etc… Considering this was written in 1979, it shows just how little has changed or far ahead he was. I love this way too much. Touch of self-indulgence and a rabbit hole there I fear?
