Brothers Coffee have done extremely well in this competition over the years and Ben is a very competitive chap, so they are looking to improve on their best so far, which is Runner Up in 2019! Let's see what you got Team!
Name of Roastery: Brothers Coffee Roastery
Name of Roaster: Ben Ferreira
Where did you learn your roasting skills? And how long have you been doing it?
Initially self-taught, We lived in East Africa for 13 years where there was always plenty of green coffee to play around with. I have however since been on SCA courses which have certainly been beneficial.
What roasting equipment do you use?
We have a Genio 6 and a Genio 15, we as South African’s are very lucky to have a product of Genio’s quality that we can call proudly South African!!
Do you use software to help you create profiles for coffees? What is your process when you get a new green coffee in the roastery?
We use Genio’s own Genio Pro Roast. Our first test is measuring moisture content. Once we have this it gives us a good indication as to what temperature to charge the coffee. We then do what we call “flatlining it” where we leave the coffee to roast at the same temperature, drum speed and air flow right through the roast. This gives us a good indication as to how the coffee reacts to the various temperature stages which creates a good foundation profile to work from.
How did you find the Preliminary Round Tanzanian coffee, was it interesting to work with?
Generally I enjoy Tanzanian Coffee’s, while they are not always the most amazing coffee’s they do tend to be pleasantly surprising, there is generally enough acidity maybe it’s because we are familiar with them and understand their attributes.
Do you have a ritual when you roast?
Nothing in particular, we do however sometimes find ourselves speaking to the coffee and the coffee roaster while we roast.
What is your favourite thing about being a coffee roaster?
We get to engage with a lot of different people from the various shops we supply. It is always interesting to get the different views of people and how they go about doing what they do. Building relationships is what we are about and coffee does just that – it brings people together.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in the pursuit of delicious coffee?
Here is a photo of me which I guess tells a story of me in the bush going to desperate measures at desperate times in pursuit of a decent coffee. I had a 4 pound hammer and hot water…… what more do you need for grind consistency and good extraction?
