
Here at Turtle
Creek Coffee, Artisan Micro-Roasting means that we take a
hands-on approach to every step possible to discover and
preserve the true nature of excellent coffee – no matter how
inconvenient or time-consuming. Combining old-world
craftsmanship with modern technology, I view the process of
roasting coffee as both science and art.
The
concepts of small batch roasting and freshness are taken to an
extreme that is not considered practical to most roast
operations. The focus is solely on ensuring that our
customers receive the very best coffee possible. It is
that simple.
That includes not only the bean selection, but the roast
process and packaging as well.
The bean selection process begins with acquiring
green beans that represent a balance of two things.
First, it must be the very best bean of its origin currently on
the market. Then a keen eye is turned on the means of production
to make sure it is truly a socially and environmentally
responsible crop. For that reason, Turtle
Creek Coffee purchases primarily “estate grown” coffees.
Most roasters cannot take the time, or the expense, associated
with this type of bean selection. Nothing else is considered
here.
About the actual roasting process… our coffees are
always micro-roasted. While there is no universally
accepted definition inside the coffee industry of what
constitutes micro-roasting, ours qualifies by every reasonable
definition.
I roast on two Ambex roasters, one with a 5 kilo roast
capacity, and another with a 15 kilo roast capacity. Roasting is
always done by me, the owner and Roast Master. Loading the green
bean hopper is done by hand. As said earlier, there is no
universal definition of what does qualify as micro-roasting, but
it is fair to say that if your roaster loads the green beans by
a forklift, some sort of conveyor belt, or an elevator type of
device, it just isn’t right to call it micro-roasting.
As
Turtle Creek Coffee uses only Specialty Grade 1 beans or
higher (most roasters don’t even know that there IS a grade
higher than Grade 1) it is not necessary to “over roast” – this
would be the charred for the bucks
model – in order to hide the flaws in our coffees, as there
aren’t any! Instead, the coffee is roasted to a level
considered light by many…but once our coffees are tasted there
is just no turning back to burnt beans.
Once roasted, our beans are allowed to go through a brief
degassing period, then packaged by hand into specially valved
bags of the highest quality currently available to the coffee
industry. Our most widely used packaging type, the stand up
pouches, are unfamiliar to many, as they have not yet made their
way in to the area. Those “in the know” recognize them
as the industry standard for sustaining freshness.
Orders are processed to ensure maximum freshness to you, the
customer, as well. Many roasters make this claim, but very few
can actually deliver. Turtle Creek Coffee
can, but only because of a fanatical obsession with coffee.
Once you try these fine coffees, you will also be
amazed at the pricing. These roasts are very clearly,
at a minimum, a full two or three steps superior to virtually
all of the other coffees in this market…yet cost nearly the same
as their lesser rivals.
Contact us for
ordering information.
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