About our coffee
What is coffee?
The coffee bean is actually the seed of a cherry-like fruit. The seeds or beans of the fruit are fermented, much as grapes are fermented when making wine, and coffee acquires unique taste characteristics from its local geography and climate, but the end result is very different.
Arabica and Robusta: What’s the difference?
Arabica and Robusta beans are the most well known species of coffee grown commercially for consumption.
Robustas are hearty plants that are grown at lower elevations. They have a much higher caffeine content and are used mainly for commercial grade coffee that you’ll find in grocery and convenience stores. (You know, the stuff in the jar.)
Arabicas are grown at higher altitudes (usually 3000 feet and higher) with a much wider range of taste and are considered to be much better in quality. Most specialty coffee shops use either exclusively Arabica beans or a mix of both in some espresso blends.
About Our Coffee
Our coffee is roasted fresh every week by local roaster Villino Specialty Coffee. Our unique espresso blend is carefully roasted on state-of-the-art Probat roasters, employing computer profiling technology for quality and consistency.
Our blend consists of Central American, South American and African coffees. It is rich, sweet and full bodied, with a bold chocolate character, syrupy fruitiness and floral notes to finish. It is designed to be extremely versatile and has the intensity to cut through milk but also the cleanliness to stand alone as a black coffee. Each origin is individually roasted to elicit its unique flavour characteristics and then blended to complement and enhance the overall flavour.
Our Philosophy
We only use fresh coffee beans and grind them only as we need them, so the beans that go into your cup are always as fresh as it is possible to be. For the short time we store it, it is always in a cool, dark place, just like good wine. We keep the machine scrupulously clean and we don't skimp on the amount of coffee that goes into your cup either, we want you to be able to taste what we serve you. We grind the coffee in such a way as to ensure an extraction rate of around 25 seconds, this ensures the maximum flavour is being extracted. We let the pressure build up in the steaming wand and 'stretch' the milk so it has that lovely silky consistency that makes this such a luxurious drink. It's steam-heated to around 65C. All of which means you get the perfect cup of coffee!
Some Wise Words About Coffee
Happiness is... a cup of coffee
A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.
Chocolate, men, coffee – some things are better rich
There has never been a better office communication system than the coffee break
I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine.
On the eighth day God created coffee.
If heaven had a flavour... it would be coffee!
Coffee, all the goodness of life in a cup.
Coffee is not a beverage... It’s a moment of pleasure
Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.
I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.
What the world needs... is great coffee!