Fika Coffee Roasters
Discover Fika Coffee Roasters and the incredible coffee they showcase.
Fika Coffee Roasters are the Swedish inspired Durham based coffee roasters.
Fika is the first coffee roasters to open in the city of Durham. Home to a great old Cathedral and one of the countries best Universities term time is buzzing with tourists and coffee-loving students.
Although these guys are fairly new to the coffee scene here in the UK the idea has been simmering for a few years.
With a similar introduction to speciality coffee to me, owners Matt and Lynn discovered the wonders of Australian coffee culture in Melbourne 15 years ago.
Australia is home to some of the finest coffee roasters in the world and although there are numerous roasters in the UK at the moment rivalling their quality, Australia has the edge when it comes to consistency and your average coffee drinkers expectation.
Unlike the UK where Costa coffee rules the highstreet, Australia sees very few franchised cafes and predominantly supports small independent coffee brands. This creates an overall higher demand for quality coffee where just about everybody is a coffee connoisseur.
With more coffee roasters like Fika popping up in the UK we will hopefully start to see a change in the quality of coffee we consume with a stronger connection to the wonderful people in the world of coffee. Matt actually sent us a video of the coffee being roasted for coffee box 22, which was a lovely personal touch.
Learn What Fika Means here.
Questions with Matt from Fika Coffee Roasters
What sparked your interest in roasting coffee?
My love for coffee started 15 years ago while living in Melbourne. Before our move back to the UK I had to teach myself how to make the coffees I'd become addicted to so I embarked on my first barista course 'ABC Espresso' before leaving.
What started as a hobby has now got slightly out of hand. As a former science teacher roasting and the chemistry behind it has been fascinating to learn and there is so much more to discover and experience.
I can't wait to get out on some origin trips once COVID allows.
What sets you guys apart from the others?
We planned to start FIKA early 2020. Something cropped up and we finally finished building the roastery in September. We try and source our beans directly where possible and like to think it's the personal service we provide as well as the quality of our coffee that sets us apart from the rest.
First memory of coffee?
Eating a spoonful of Mellow Birds.
Favourite all-time origin/region/lot?
It depends how I'm brewing it. El Salvador Bosque Lya is up there as my favorite espresso but the Ugandan Kisinga crop from Agrie Evolve last year was absolutely stunning as a pour over or Aeropress brew.
Any coffees that have stood out recently?
A 72hr macerated natural from Honduras. Nely Suyapa Orellana producing the goods. A fruit bomb full of papaya and mango.
Favourite brew method?
Currently the Aeropress.
Favourite flavour in coffee?
Cherry and dark chocolate.
Do you have a favourite coffee roaster
I have to hand it to Rounton Coffee Roasters who have helped me massively with my initial coffee roasting training. I great bunch who produce some great coffee. Rinaldo’s in the Lakes who also roasts on a Giesen W15 and has given me some valuable tips throughout these early days.
The Origin
The Rony Ordonez coffee from Fika Coffee Roasters originates from the Chipas region of Mexico.
Rony Ordonez îs a farmer from Ametenango de la Frontera, Chipas, a stones throw away from Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
He is a son of Luis, and their 26 hectare farm is quite large by Mexican standards and he has been working the land for over 25 years.
The family cultivates more than a dozen different varieties and is highly focused on quality.
His brothers, Edilzar and Minor, help him in all aspects of farm management. The families goal in owning a farm was to simply own 40 hectares of coffee producing land.
However, at present they only have half the labour they need to manage his current acreage.
In recent years they have invested heavily in making the farm more attractive to potential pickers; in offering better wages, free weekly food allowances and improved mechanisation on the farm to make the work easier.
Sadly, in recent years and even months, the gang situation in this area has got worse and worse. Two rival gangs are fighting for control of the border with Guatemala and in some areas they are blockading roads as a sort of ‘siege’ to try to force rival gangs out of certain towns and villages.
This violence has not yet affected the Ordonez family, but they are open about their worries and they are currently not accepting any visitors.
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this delicious Mexican coffee from Fika coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Aeropress
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Fika Coffee Roasters now.
Coffee Box 22
23•02•21
The Origin
The La Palma from Fika coffee roasters originates from the Northern region of Colasay in Peru. Most of the coffee producers in this region have farms between 1700 and 2000 Metres above sea level which make the perfect arabica coffee growing conditions.
Because the region is so remote, very few coffee buyers have worked directly with producers and aggregators have thrived, these are people who usually live local to the farm and purchase the coffee directly from the farmer for cash. They will then occasionally sell the coffee on to exporters but more frequently other traders and middlemen. This, unfortunately, results in the producer being paid very little and the quality of coffee diminishing.
Despite the difficulty in procuring the coffee, the green coffee has a great deal of potential due to the growing conditions and varieties, with a large number of the Costa Rica 95 varietal which has a unique floral profile.
What to Expect
The La Palma from Fika was something I was really excited to try. Matt knows what he is doing with his Giesen roaster and I love his roasting style. I also love Peruvian coffee, after living over there in 2018 and meeting some of the amazing people involved in producing speciality coffee, their passion and stories fueled my love for coffee even more.
The La Palma starts with a sort of a sweet fragrance that reminded me of sugared candy. The brewing coffee tempts you in with a nostalgic aroma of sweet treats.
The coffee starts right at the front of your mouth with a delicious sweet fruity note on the tip of your tongue. The flavours begin to work their way over your palate, fruity flavours turn into more sugary profile, notes of cola fizz into the middle of the sip.
The coffee cools and the cola flavours subside a little and evolve into a quench of green apple right at the end and into the aftertaste.
Peruvian coffee is known for its light body and mild acidity the La Pamla has flashes of acidity and a little more body than your average cup of Peruvian Joe, this makes it an absolute all-rounder.
Brewed with all manner of filters here at Batch. I particularly loved it on pour over. The snap of green apple and the fizz of the cola were highlighted even more so.
