Roastel Coffee brews it just right

Taking advantage of this upsurge in interest, Hanson Harribans and his wife Shalimar opened Roastel Coffee, providing premium local and foreign coffee beans and pour over coffee, as well as cold brew coffee.

Harribans started the roasting operation just over one year ago, but the production of coffee and cocoa has been in his family for over three generations. He noted that both his parents grew up on neighbouring estates in Rio Claro.

They became teachers and when they retired after 40 years, they went back to farming. Now he gets his coffee from both estates, as well as other farmers and families in the area.

Harribans told Sunday Newsday he had lived and worked in London for a while and travelled Europe, where he was exposed to different types of coffee. On his return, he found he was served burnt coffee more often than not.

“Basically I got fed up of begging people to bring good coffee into Trinidad and I decided to see what could be done with the local bean,” he said.

For 15 years, Harribans worked in the Information Technology field. For the last six of those years he performed extensive research on coffee, including the history of the bean, roasting, methods used by farmers around the world to achieve different results, roasting profiles (applying varying temperatures for varying lengths of time) to give different flavours, and more.

He noted there are two main types of coffee - arabica and robusta.

The arabica is tastier but not grown in commercial quantities locally because of the climate.

He explained that the bean needed higher sea levels and lower temperatures, and is susceptible to pests and disease.

Robusta on the other hand, is hardy, bears prolifically, and is therefore cheaper. It has a higher caffeine content, is more bitter, and is mostly used for instant coffee.

This type of coffee is grown in TT, but is not the easiest to get an even roast, which is why he said, many roasters burn the bean.

Harribans noted that the soil type, species of coffee, climate, flavour profiles, and brewing method all affect the taste of the bean.

“Through my research, I found that you could apply a modern approach to it, a different roast profile, and combine that with different ways of brewing the coffee, and you could acquire a really nice taste from the robusta,” he said.

One relatively new process is that of cold brewing. While hot coffee requires water at temperatures just under boiling to properly extract the bean’s flavour, cold brew coffee is made by steeping it at room temperature for at least 24 hours in filtered water. He explained that the acidity level much lower than hot brewed coffee, it has a smoother taste, a different flavour profile, has no artificial flavours, and has a natural sweetness.

This method seems to be preferred by those who enjoy caffeine, but do not like the bitter taste of some coffees.

“Beyond my work, I’m sure people will come and do even better work with Robusta, but it is something that we can’t rest on our laurels, we need to keep pioneering and working with what we have, and the technology available to make the best of it,” he said.

COFFEE CULTURE Harribans noted that Rituals Coffee played a significant part in developing the coffee culture that the country has today as the brand raised awareness and got people interested in coffee.

In fact, he said when a foreign coffee chain opened its doors in TT recently, there was an increase in interest and sales.

“To me, anyone coming into the game that is talking about coffee, creates a buzz. That awareness is brilliant for anyone involved in coffee because smaller businesses may not have the marketing capital,” he said.

Harribans added that this buzz is important for the industry as, over the years, many farmers gave up on coffee, and so he is now attempting to encourage farmers to get back to their abandoned coffee estates.

“To my knowledge coffee isn’t even represented by any board, so people with passion are banding together and doing it on their own. We can’t wait for help or support from anyone. There is coffee to be grown, there’s a market for it and we’re going ahead,” he said. “There is a massive artesian movement in Trinidad - in all aspects of craft and art. The beauty of that is the connection to the people. You don’t get that in franchises. You get immediate, realistic feedback. You are there selling a product and people have direct access to those responsible,” he noted.

And the feedback has been extremely positive.

Harribans said when he began roasting and blending coffee, he decided to provide a product with 100 percent local beans and it sold out. In fact, he said a lot of people, especially people “from country” grew up on local coffee or “home coffee,” and they love it. He received such an overwhelming response that it ramped up local sales.

“We are growing so fast that the initial equipment hasn’t even paid for itself and we have to increase production. The rapid growth is because of the strong support network we have including our customers, family, and my old Presentation College classmates. We have a treasure trove of backing and networking,” he said.

“We are actually meeting other roasters and people are really passionate about the local vibe.

Everybody is sharing information.

Even my competitors are selling me coffee because they recognise it is a movement that is beneficial to everyone involved,” he continued.

In addition to roasting local coffee, Roastel also imports coffee beans from Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Brazil because they do not have enough to supply the demand from their customers.

“We have the best cocoa but not necessarily the best coffee. I plan to change that and hopefully blaze a trail for everyone who comes after that to unlock the potential of what we have here in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

Meanwhile, Roastel also intends to support other local entrepreneurs who use coffee and its by-products.

He noted that people are doing amazing things with coffee, including using it in soaps and lotions, as well as using the grounds he would usually discard in body scrubs and other products.

“We are willing to work with local people to see what else we can do with coffee beyond the cup,” he said.

He also pointed out that Shalimar is a ceramic artist, and so Roastel is soon to launch its own line of ceramic pour overs highlighting the work of local artists.

Roastel Coffee is available on sale at artesian markets, can be ordered online on the Roastel Coffee website, or purchased at select coffee shops.