A roasting summer in the West
Hello! Since our last blog back in February we’ve had a few exciting and intense months setting up our new roastery space on the farm where we live. It’s included the refurbishment of a wooden shed and the installation of a new Probatone 12-kg roaster that miraculously made it over from Germany undamaged, despite various adventures along the way. The machine is a beauty and we love it!
New year, new coffees!
This is our first blog since we’ve been back in Ireland and lots of exciting things have happened since then. We started exploring the possibility of setting up a coffee roasting business during our time in Colombia and were thrilled to finally launch Carrow Coffee Roasters and start selling our coffee bags at local markets and shops throughout Sligo last November. And the response has been very positive! We plan to bring you regular insights and stories about the coffees we’re roasting on this page, so stay tuned! This month we have two new coffees, a bright Colombian and a fruity Rwandan, both light roasted and recommended for filter.
Salento – At the Heart of Colombia’s Coffee Area
Coming to the end of our time in Colombia we decided that we couldn’t leave without visiting the traditional coffee-growing area (eje cafetero) and the popular town of Salento. Up to now we’ve avoided the touristic hotspot, concerned about crowds, but curiosity won out and it was definitely worth the visit.
The world’s highest coffee
Landing in Pasto airport is a challenge for even the best pilots. The runway in Colombia’s Nariño province sits on a narrow plateau, constantly buffeted by crosswinds that swirl across the Andes mountains.
What lies below - some of the highest-grown and finest coffees on the planet -makes it worth the bumpy approach. Indeed, altitude and coffee quality are inextricably linked.
Roasting up a storm in Bogotá
Just because a gringo has long hair and a neck tattoo, it doesn’t mean they’re right”
Alvaro Pelaez, roast master
Or put another way, drinking some of the ultra-light roasts currently in vogue may make you feel ill, no matter how trendy they are. Which is not to say that here at ZipaCoffee we’re endorsing burnt coffee. Obviously it’s a question of balance.
A coffee in Naples
“With coffee you make peace”, says Antonio Cirillo as he leans against a bar in central Naples, an area that’s seen its fair share of strife.
He gestures in the air, explaining the importance of coffee to the people of Naples, among the most architecturally impressive and vibrant cities in the world.
