Coffee Central is an independent coffee roaster and equipment supplier in the East Midlands. For over 20 years they've supplied coffee, espresso machines and know-how to cafés, restaurants, hotels and other businesses, and they sell their coffee to home brewers too.
How it started
Coffee Central started from a small space in 2003, founded by managing director Gavin Dow. At first it distributed espresso machines and sold coffee roasted by others. In 2011 the company started roasting its own coffee on a 15kg drum roaster, and a second 15kg roaster followed a couple of years later.
For Gavin, it began with a trip to Australia in 2001 and a job selling commercial coffee machines straight after university. His first proper speciality coffee was a Costa Rican Tarrazú, and when we last spoke to the team, Ethiopia was his favourite origin.
How they choose their coffee
Every coffee Coffee Central buys is assessed by their in-house Q Grader, who tastes hundreds of samples a year to choose a handful for their range. They look for great flavour, full traceability and long-term relationships with producers, and they like to buy from the same farms year after year.
They have a soft spot for classic origins done really well, such as a first-class washed Colombian or a Yirgacheffe, as well as more experimental lots in their Single Origin range. Their latest release is their first coffee from Zambia.
How they roast
Coffee Central roasts in small batches, every day of the week, for freshness. Lead roaster Dean joined in 2013 after a career as a chef in high-end restaurant kitchens. One of the things the team loves most is the way a coffee develops in the first 10 to 15 days after roasting, until there's one day when it tastes better than on any other.
More than coffee
As well as roasting, Coffee Central supplies and services espresso machines and grinders, and offers barista training for its business customers. Their advice for new roasters? "Put the graft in and don't cut corners."
Buy their coffee
You can buy Coffee Central's coffee on the Coffee Central website, and follow them on Facebook.
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