Who are Atkinsons?

On the 9th March, I attended my first coffee cupping at Grind and Tamp.  The evening was hosted by Atkinsons, a local roaster based in Lancaster.  I have tasted their coffee on a number of occasions in a few of the coffee houses I have visited and it does not disappoint.

Before the event, I didn’t really know what to expect.  I knew that coffee cupping involved testing the characteristics of different coffees but not quite how the evening would unfold.  Enter two charismatic, friendly looking coffee experts with nine different and diverse coffees in a room full of enthusiastic coffee lovers.  If you took blood from Casper or Jacob I am almost certain that they would bleed coffee as they have been raised with the business from when they were young.  After the event, I chatted to Casper for a while and he explained how, when he tried to do something other than work with coffee, he felt lost and returned to the family business almost immediately.

The Art of Coffee Cupping

Nine different coffees were on offer at the event.  Set out on a table in the middle of the room, the selection of coffees were brewed for a few minutes.  A crust formed on top of each cup which was then broken before any excess grinds on the surface were spooned away.

Once the coffees were ready, Casper and Jacob introduced each of the nine varieties.  The benefit of a coffee cupping is that you can taste coffees side by side for a direct comparison.  This would otherwise be impractical in a home setting.  The most unique offering came from the Natural Geisha coffee with a distinctive aroma and sweet wine gum-esq taste.  The intriguing story of how Natural Geisha came into existence, including how the spelling changed from Gesha to Geisha can be found on the Atkinsons website!

Casper and Jacob explained how Atkinsons source their coffee.  They have developed a partnership with a company in London to ensure the standard of coffee is maintained.  I learned a lot from the talk about how coffee is sourced.  I found it really interesting how Atkinsons visited the farmers who were responsible for their coffees on a regular basis.  Travelling to origin is important to Atkinsons.  It is important to see where their coffee is coming from but also to allow the farmers to see how their beans are going to be used.

Sao Francisco:  My Brazilian Purchase

The end of the evening brought the opportunity to buy your favourite coffee of the night.  I chose Sao Francisco, a full bodied chocolatey coffee from Brazil with a unique flavour.  The coffee is produced using the pulped natural method.  For a full explanation of different coffee processes, I recommend attending a coffee cupping with Atkinsons themselves!  The energy boost I have experienced after drinking a cup of freshly ground Sao Francisco is quite something; I wouldn’t recommend drinking this too soon before going to bed!

Following Casper’s advice, I bought whole instead of ground beans.  One of the most important things I learned from the event is that a coffee’s aroma begins to fade just 20 minutes after grinding.  Although time consuming, grinding fresh beans for each brew improves the coffee’s aroma.  Plus, there is nothing better than a room which smells of coffee first thing in the morning.  Purchasing a small hand grinder for use at home is well worth the cost and the effort and I recommend the Rhinowares Coffee Grinder from Second City Coffee for anybody looking for an easy to use device.

The Future of Atkinsons Coffee

Although Atkinsons are a very well established company, there is still room for growth.  They have opened two cafes:  The Hall and The Music Room in Lancaster.  The team is always on the look out for the best coffee beans to maintain and improve their diverse offering.  If you visit a cafe where Atkinson’s coffee is on offer, you should not hesitate to order it!