WHEN THE DANISH ROASTERS “THE COFFEE COLLECTIVE”, FROM WHOM WE SOURCE OUR COFFEE, WAS FOUNDED IN 2007, THEIR GOAL WAS TO MAKE SURE COFFEE FARMERS WOULD BE REWARDED FOR THE HIGH QUALITY COFFEE THEY PRODUCE. NORMALLY FARMERS ARE PAID A MARKET PRICE THAT OFTEN DIPS BELOW THE POINT WHERE GROWING IS PROFITABLE, MAKING THE COFFEE MARKET WORK IN FAVOUR OF THE CONSUMERS RATHER THAN THE FARMERS. TO HELP FIX THIS PROBLEM, COFFEE COLLECTIVE BUYS THE BEANS DIRECTLY FROM THE FARMER, PAYING THEM A PRICE ABOVE THE MARKET PRICE, ENABLING THEM TO INVEST IN THEIR FARMS WHILE MAKING A LIVEABLE WAGE. COFFEE COLLECTIVE INDICATES THE PRICE THEY’VE PAID THE FARMERE ABOVE THE MARKET PRICE ON EACH OF THEIR BAGS OF COFFEE. THEY CALL THIS “QUALITY BONUS”; THE HIGHER THE QUALITY OF THE FARMERS COFFEE IS, THE HIGHER THE BONUS.
…A CHAIN OF LOVE AND RESPECT REVEALING ITSELF. WE CHERISH EVERY CUP OF COFFEE THAT WE DRINK AS AN AMAZING NEW ADVENTURE AND THE INFINITE WAYS IT HAS OF PRESENTING ITSELF IS WHAT MAKES THE JOURNEY EXCITING.
IN MAKING THE JOURNEY INTERESTING, THOUGH, THE COFFEE MUST BE HANDLED WITH A LOT OF CARE, LOVE AND RESPECT – FROM FARMER TO ROASTER TO BREWER. AS WITH WINE, MANY FACTORS IS INVOLVED IN MAKING THE COFFEE TASTE THE WAY IT DOES; ALTITUDE, TERROIR, VARIETAL, ENVIRONMENT TO NAME A FEW. IT’S THE FARMERS JOB TO ADJUST IN ACCORDANCE WITH NATURES RHYTHMS AND MAKE SURE HIS PLANTS THRIVES AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN, THE SAME WAY A MOTHER MUST CARE FOR HER CHILD. AFTER HARVEST, THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS THE COFFEE BERRY CAN BE PROCESSED, EACH IMPACTING THE FINAL PRODUCT WITH IN DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS.
NEXT IN THE CHAIN COMES THE ROASTER. OPPOSITE TO THE FARMER, THE ROASTERS JOB IS VERY SPECIFIC AND DIRECT BUT INVOLVES A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY. FOR HE MUST BRING OUT WHAT THE FARMER HAS WORKED VERY HARD TO ATTAIN, AND HE MUST DO SO IN THE MOST REVEALING WAY POSSIBLE. UP UNTIL RECENTLY, THE ROASTERS JOB HAVE BEEN MORE ABOUT BRINGING OUT A VERY SPECIFIC TASTE; THE TASTE MANY PEOPLE WOULD REFER TO AS ‘COFFEE’. IT WOULD, HOWEVER, BE MORE ACCURATE TO CALL THIS TASTE ‘BURNT’, WHICH IS AN EASY TASTE TO BRING FORTH.
IMAGINE HAVING FIVE DIFFERENT CAKES AND YOU BAKE THEM AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND FOR LONGER THAN THE RECIPE CALLS FOR. THEY’D PROBABLY COME OUT LOOKING ALL BLACK AND TASTING VERY SIMILAR, WHEREAS IF YOU BAKE THE SAME FIVE CAKES AT JUST THE TEMPERATURE AND TIME, THEY’LL BE DISTINCT FROM EACH OTHER AND TRUE TO THEMSELVES. WHEN YOU BURN FOOD THEY’LL ALL TASTE SIMILAR TO EACH OTHER, WHICH IS PROBABLY ALSO WHY MANY COMPANIES USED TO MIX THEIR COFFEE WITH ROASTED BARLEY TO LOWER PRODUCTION COSTS. AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THE ROASTERS JOB USED TO BE EASY; HE SIMPLY HAD TO ROAST THE COFFEE FOR LONG ENOUGH FOR IT’S DEFECTED FLAVOURS TO BE OVERPOWERED BY BURNT FLAVOURS.
RECENTLY, ROASTERS HAVE DISCOVERED THE TRUE FLAVOURS OF COFFEE TO REVEAL THEMSELVES WHEN ROASTED AT THAT SAME SWEET SPOT THAT MAKES A CAKE TASTE DELICIOUS RATHER THAN BURNT AND BITTER, WHICH MAKES HIS JOB A LOT MORE FRAGILE AND VULNERABLE – AND PROBABLY A LOT MORE FUN, TOO.
THE LAST PERSON OF INFLUENCE IS THE BREWER WHOSE JOB IS TO EXTRACT THE COFFEE IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT REVEAL ITSELF TRUTHFULLY. AGAIN, LIKE THE CONDUCTER IN AN ORCHESTRA, HE HAS MANY INSTRUMENTS TO KEEP TRACK OF AND IT IS HIS JOB TO MAKE SURE THE MUSIC FEELS RIGHT, RESPECTING THE ORIGINAL COMPOSERS OF THE PIECE.
IMAGINE YOUR FAVOURITE FLOWER IS THE ROSE. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A GARDEN WITH ONLY ROSES IN IT, OR A GARDEN FULL OF ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT FLOWERS? WHILE YOU MIGHT STILL PREFER THE ROSE, YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE THE OTHER FLOWERS BLOSSOM, TOO, ALTHOUGH YOU WOULDN’T COMPARE THEM TO ROSES. THE NEXT TIME YOU GO AND HAVE CUP OF COFFEE, TRY TO LET YOURSELF BE FREE AND TREAT IT AS AN ADVENTURE AND KNOW THAT THE JOURNEY IS NOT GOING BE VERY EXCITING IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHERE IT LEADS FOR SOME THE THE JOY LIES IN THE ANTICIPATION FOR SOMETHING UNEXPECTED TO HAPPEN WHILE FOR OTHERS THE COMFORT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. WHATEVER YOUR THING IS, DON’T LET IT LEAVE YOU STANDING IN A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN OF FLOWERS, FRUSTRATED THAT THERE IS NO ROSES TO BE FOUND.
TO LIVE
TO LOVE
TO LEARN
TO LAUGH