The Roasting Shed
Tell us about The Roasting Shed...
The Roasting Shed is a micro roastery in Lower Clapton, east London. We hand roast specially selected green coffee beans.
The company was founded by Ricardo Rendon, whose love for coffee springs from his home in the lush hills of Quindío, Colombia. He wanted to bring a taste of his Colombia back to our little corner of London.
Working with specialist coffee importers who work directly with coffee farmers, our beans are chosen for their superior flavour and quality. We like to know where each bean has come from, and the journey it has taken to get to us.
What's important to you?
The Roasting Shed philosophy is simple: uncompromising quality. We are an urban cottage enterprise, with a personal, hands-on approach. This is important to us in a world full of mass-marketed and mass-produced products. We don’t believe great coffee should be a luxury; it’s a basic everyday necessity.
What inspires you?
We are constantly inspired by the world around us, near and far. We never stop being curious. We think doing anything in life should be done to the best of one's abilities, and with passion! Life is too short to drink bad coffee.
Any exciting plans for the rest of 2014?
We hope to do some travelling later this year and visit some coffee farms back in Colombia and hopefully import our own green beans.
Any essential coffee making tips?
Think fresh, as fresh as you can get it. Always buy beans and grind them yourself. Get a burr grinder, they give you a more even grind. This, in turn, allows more even extraction when it's time to brew. Store coffee away from sunlight, as heat and moisture will affect the flavour. An airtight ceramic jar works well.
Preheating your equipment will bring out the best flavours of the coffee. Run hot water through any paper filters before adding coffee. Try to use a proper measuring spoon or scales to gauge the correct quantity of coffee. Around seven grams is good for one cup.
We love using the Aeropress for great full bodied flavour – it works perfectly with warmed milk. A Hario V60 dripper works best to bring out the delicate floral or citrusy notes for filter coffee.