Culture

Coffee drinkers in the Blue Mountains are self-confessed connoisseurs, and the new blend on the block from the small supplier is already warming hearts with its ethically sourced origins and perfectionist roasting techniques. Willem & Mark from Haze cut the cup with owner Darren Gersbach

Walking into The Little Coffee Co. in Lawson, immediately your senses are immediately aroused with the aroma of fresh beans and the sound of grinding machines. Artworks hang from the warehouse roof and hint at this small company’s blended back-story that travels the globe and lands in the heart of the Blue Mountains.

Owner Darren made his home in Lawson and is admittedly engrossed in the food and art intertwine, as he explains the new mural painted above his coffee machines. “It’s part of the experience, without arts food wouldn’t be around.”

“We started out as a home delivery business over 20 years ago in Erskineville out of an old warehouse. I met up with a guy called Toby Smith who started Toby’s Estate coffee and we started in his mum’s backyard. We’ve developed that retail range which Gershgoods still does today, but have since opened The Little Coffee Co.”

Darren leads us inside the warehouse and up a steep ladder to the mezzanine level where we meet Darien, Steph and Chris who show us the process behind the scenes. Sacks of origin-sourced beans are broken open as Darien moves quickly about the glowing roasting equipment, guided by his hands and constantly checking the quality and process (see inset).

“Three years ago we started out developing the blend with a friend. We brought it in-house so we could tweak the flavour profiles and started improving on it. What you are tasting now is a blend that took us nearly 18 months to get to, and it is worth the wait!”

From the Source

Darren, who makes the pilgrimage to meet farmers in locations like Ethiopia, Sumatra and Brazil, explains the many factors around a good tasting cup “We want to find what the essence of each bean is. The flavour profiles can be brought through from the area they are sourced, then you can enhance it through the process to bring out a lot of different flavour characteristics”.

“It’s all about meeting the supplier, meeting them at the source to see their farming processes and how they treat their staff. You’ve got to be face to face and meet the people, then the quality should be tasted in the cup. But you’ve also got to have that story to back it up,” he says.

Darren’s recent Sumatran trip was filmed and you will soon be able to view his original antics online. It’s obvious that these trips are about finding the most ethically sourced beans, but also that Darren enjoys the travel and his love of tasting, smelling and determining the best bean translates through to every part of this small local business.

Ask your local café for a cup of Little Coffee Co. and know you are supporting ethically sourced coffee, produced with love by the little guys with big hearts.

@thelittlecoffeeco / www.thelittlecoffeeco.com.au

BEHIND THE BEANS:

It’s a joyous, meticulous process that draws on patience but the reward for the coffee lover is confirmed immediately by the otherworldly taste of the final blend. Rather than delving too deeply into the magic we’ll break it down for you into the following three easy spells…err steps:

1. Each single origin bean is worshipped then roasted to discover where the flavour is at its richest. At the risk of alienating you with technical talk, this is referred to as the “Sweet spot.”
(And it’s truly a pretty sweet moment when we find it, often more singing ensues.)

2. Each roasted batch is now tasted for
consistency of flavour.

3. Finally, we blend all freshly roasted origins to create the ultimate, tongue-sighing profile.

Main Image: Silversalt Photography, inset: Luke Walker, Team photo: Stephanie Mazure