About Columbia Street Roastery, "Herriott's Coffee"
At Columbia Street Roastery, we consider coffee and what we do with it to be more than just a job. It is about creating a product that we are proud of, as well as one that those who both grew and processed the coffee would be pleased and proud enough to say "job well done, fellow worker."
Each year for the past five years, different members of our staff have gone to visit growers in producing countries. Yes, it is a great trip for those who go, but more importantly once you see the people and all the hands that touch the coffee and their families, you never look at green coffee beans nor drink a cup of coffee again without feeling for those who handled the product before you. It has been estimated that there are up to one thousand people involved behind a single cup of brewed coffee. This has compelled us to do the absolute best we can with the products these people send to us. Frankly, we have a responsibility to those who work so hard to grow and process the raw materials we are given to roast.
Also pleasing, is the opportunity to introduce our customers to the different nuances of coffees. They can taste and learn for themselves that African coffees have different flavor notes than those in Central America; or what acidity means, that is, how it feels in the mouth and on the tongue; or how different an Indonesian coffee is from an African or South American; or how the body these coffees offer can enhance a blend. Helping customers experience this first hand through our monthly cupping, or as we call it, "Sit & Spit", is both a fun and rewarding experience. Having customers experience the nuances and facets of coffee is a part of why we do what we do at the Roastery.
Moreover, we enjoy having customers bring in family members when they visit; such as when professors from the University of Illinois bring visitors from other countries to the Roastery to learn about what we do with the coffees grown in their region. To have companies bring groups of their employees for a lunch time cupping is a compliment that the staff cherishes. This buoys our mission and drives us to produce superior coffee.
Please look at the Education Section of this web site for a list of the dates for the upcoming spring and summer cupping sessions. Soon, we will also be adding separate sessions for tasting hot teas.
Visiting countries and establishing life-long relationships with those involved in the growing process has personalized this business and encouraged us to stay involved. Most of these relationships are with small stake owners and their families. Our support of a teacher who travels between three different farms in Nicaragua as part of the Cup of Education Foundation is an outgrowth of these relationships.
On a picture in the Dominican Republic, there was a saying that sums up our reasons for being involved: "You found a great cup of coffee . . . They found education." Life can be a lot of fun if you have choices and education is the key to having choices in our world.
Our customers have been gracious enough to give their old computers so they can be used in the classrooms at these small schools. The Cup of Education Foundation is working with a German firm and other small-batch roasters, just like us, to provide electrical generating equipment to power these computers at some out of the way schools in the mountains in Nicaragua.
Please note, coffee is an agricultural product, therefore it changes from year to year. Our roast staff is constantly cupping the coffees we receive to see if and how the roast profile may be tweaked to ensure a consistent taste profile. While we use an Agtron machine to monitor the final roast profile of each batch, both in the whole and ground bean format, the final decision is the taste in the cup. This is where the experience of our staff comes into play.
Also note, we do not keep a lot of roasted coffee on hand. We believe our product should be as fresh as possible so you can have more time to enjoy it. After all our business is "Fresh Coffee". Therefore, all of the coffee may not be available everyday. Please call the Roastery to ensure the coffee you want is available on the day you want. We encourage advance orders so we can roast it to your request.