What is the secret of “The New French Coffee Tradition”?
Really, it is not just one element, but a combination of time-honoured traditions which produce the sublime experience of our coffee.
Firstly, the bean quality. Not only should they be Arabica beans but the very best from high altitude equatorial regions renowned for their coffee bean production.
Secondly, the blend. Single bean coffees are certainly interesting, but the real skill of the Torrefacter comes into play during the blending. Knowing the taste qualities of each type of coffee bean and how the characteristics of each are balanced and enhanced by judicial combination with the others. Additionally with our coffee, the blending is done when the beans are green. In this way, the individual bean flavours and characteristics are further enhanced as they interact with each other during the roasting process.
Finally, the coffee roasting process itself. If it can be done faster, it can be done more cheaply and profits will be higher. The result is beans which reflect the haste of their roasting – uneven colour with burnt edges giving an unpleasant bitter taste to the coffee. In the true French tradition careful attention is given to the roasting conditions and the keen eye of the Master Torrefacter to pick the “Robe de Moine” – the end point of roasting where the coffee beans are the colour of a French priest’s clothing and have been roasted to perfection.
That is our story, so please sit back and enjoy… The New French Coffee Tradition.