Tony Zentgraf
Northbound Coffee Roasters
Single Origin, Organic Premium Roasted Coffee
Located in Mt. Shasta, California along the railroad tracks you will find Northbound Coffee Roasters. Owners Keith Hamrick and Jen Lovrak opened Northbound Coffee Roasters thirteen years ago and built their business off of their love of coffee and the craft it takes to produce their premium roasts. Exploring the Source with Northbound Coffee Roasters gives a behind the scenes look to see what makes their roasts exceptional.
Keith and Jen ethically source their coffees through brokers and even directly from a farmer in Guatemala, this allows fair payment across the supply chain.
Keith travels to Guatemala yearly to sample up to 100 different coffees or roasts through the cupping process. They have had a relationship with the farmer for several years allowing him to source the best coffee available.
Watch Video Part 1, Keith explains why cupping is an essential part of purchasing and roasting coffee.
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Sourcing and Vetting Coffees
Northbound Coffee Roasters sources beans through coffee brokers and the Guatemala farmer Keith visits. After receiving the green coffee sample each batch is roasted lightly in a small tabletop roaster. Light roasting allows the coffee show what is good and bad about the sample.
After roasting the sample, the coffee is allowed to sit for 24 hours to off gas. This allows the real aromas and flavors to come out of each batch of beans. The roasted beans are then ground and put through the “Cupping Process”.
The Art of the Cupping Process
The cupping process begins with placing 10 grams of coffee into cups. The grounds are then covered with hot water. The grounds and water then steep for 4 minutes to allowing the coffee to do it’s magic.
After the 4 minutes Keith and Jen break the surface of the crema floating on the top of the coffee. This is where the fun begins. They place their hand over the cup, smell each coffee to fine what aromatic notes the sample beans have developed.
The crema is then skimmed from the top of each cup. Using a spoon, sip each sample to discern the quality of the sample beans. They then discuss each roast’s good or not so good points. Then determine if they will bring the green beans in to use in a blend or as a seasonal selection.
Roasting for Production
Roasting for production is different than roasting for sample tasting. Once they have determined what beans they like, then they decide what type of roast would best suit the flavor profile of the bean.
Daily they roast beans depending on orders and supply needs. The timing of the roast is dependent on what beans they are roasting. For example Prana, one of their espresso roasts, is darker than one of their medium roasts such as Mainliner or Lampliner blends.
Each roast goes through the same process of waiting 24 hours before being cupped. The cupping process is the same. Steeping the grounds in hot water then waiting 4 minutes for the flavors to develop. Then the cup is smelled, skimmed and sipped. They then discuss if the roasts meet the aroma and flavor profile they want for each coffee.
They aren’t afraid to pull a batch of coffee that doesn’t meet their quality standards, they want to ensure the customer is getting what they expect from each type of coffee they sell. Many times these pulled batches get donated to their community organizations so nothing goes to waste.
There may be something about that coffee that Northbound doesn’t want to sell because the roast doesn’t match the describing on the bag. Or it may have been simpley been over roasted. But this doesn’t mean the coffee is bad. They are upholding the standards of their coffee craft.
Coffee Blends and Specialty Roasts
Sourcing the Best Leads to the Selling the Best Blends
Northbound Coffee Roasters has a line of house blends along with several other roasts that are either carried year round or seasonally. There is even a “secret” selection of coffees that are referred to as their Headstash. Take a look at Northbound’s Coffee Collection below.
House Blends
Africa
Pacific Islands
Latin America
Northbound’s Headstash
Through the sourcing process for coffees, Northbound they are looking for some exceptional coffees. Occasionally there is some they find that they can’t pass up.
These are coffees that are usually small batches produced by farmers that are not large enough to land in their permanent lineup. Also they are not in the right price point for their wholesale accounts.
As Keith pointed out, these are coffees that meet these criteria –
- These are the coffees we will be talking about for years.
- These are the coffees that we want the chance to drink often.
- These are the coffees that celebrate the farmer, the process, the origin, the craft.
- These are the coffees that we feel like we HAVE to buy.
Northbound Coffee Roasters purchases these rare finds as their own Headstash. These are only available through walkin at their location in Mt. Shasta or through their website. Limited quantities are available, only roasted and shipped once a month and usually sell out. Get it while you can or buy a “bundle” so you don’t miss out on some exceptional coffees. Details available at NorthboundCoffee.com
A big thank you goes out to Keith, Jen and their crew for allowing me to visit their operations in Mt. Shasta, Ca. I hope you enjoy the interview Exploring the Source with Northbound Coffee Roasters. Watch Part 1 and Part 2 to see what it takes to get your coffee to your mug.
This coffee is smooth and flavorful. It’s good in desserts or just as a nice hot cup of coffee. I highly recommend!