The name is a reference to an old record store that was on a nearby street. This is a testament to the nature of Hot numbers, paying tribute to the traditions and heritage of the local neighbourhood while showcasing some of the finest coffee in the UK and unifying two passions in their niche of coffee with music (or music with coffee).

Owner Simon is the driving force behind the Hot numbers;

I am still on a journey, one I'll never tire of. Working as a barista, making great drinks, having great discussions as we share a morning coffee ...that's what I live for!

The coffees that these guys roast are some of the best around. They recognise that there has been an incredible amount of work at source for the green coffee to reach them and that is celebrated with each single-origin coffee that they showcase.

The coffee menu is constantly changing at Hot numbers and the weekly sample roasting that they conduct is not only furthering their knowledge of coffee origins but also bettering current roast profiles to deliver the best possible coffee to you. At the time of writing this, they had 8 single origins on offer, a decaf and 3 blends.

The roastery in Dunsbridge Turnpike, Cambridge comprises a cafe, bakery and coffee training facility providing the general public with a window into the coffee journey from bean to cup.

The revolving drumbeat of Hot Numbers roastery is their 15kg Giesen Roaster which is responsible for all of the coffee that these guys produce.

See where Hot Numbers ranked in our Best Coffee Shops in Cambridge Guide.

The San Carlos from Hot Numbers originates from Cacahuatique Mountain in El Salvador. The farm named San Carlos Dos is a huge operation of 126 members each with their families living on the land and working as a group with the land split into 25 separate lots.

Our newest offering from El Salvador is a Natural Processed lot from the San Carlos Dos farm. 

The wet mill and patios for the processing the coffee is situated at 1400masl up the mountain providing a perfect location for drying the coffees as it is situated facing north/northeast which is the direction of the prevailing winds which helps to maintain stable temperatures for drying coffees.

Originally, they just grew pacas and bourbon and have recently added a small amount of Pacamara in the higher lots of the farm. 

Pacamara is a pretty unique and recognisable coffee bean. Invented in El Salvador in the 1950s and only becoming available to farmers 30 years later after extensive research.

Pacamara is the hybrid of Pacas and Maragogipe varietals and was created to get the best out of each varietal, the disease resistance and yield of Pacas and the bean size of Maragogipe.

San Carlos Dos is also part of the Blue Harvest Program (started 2016) run by Catholic Relief Services which looks at helping to address water tables and areas highlighted for water shortages in Central America.

The San Carlos is roasted on the lighter side of medium and I actually had to check the bag when I first opened it to see if it was a Pacamara as the beans were a little larger than usual. 

The naturally fruitful fragrance pours out of the bag and through to the ground coffee as fermenting notes of cascara (coffee cherry) dance out of the bloom.

First sips of this coffee were smooth and buttery, the fruity aromas take a back seat and more rich velvety caramel notes take hold of the taste profile and create a warming and incredibly pleasant mouthfeel (which was even more delicious, as at the time of writing this it was snowing outside).

The acidity is fairly muted with a flash of something juicy as the coffee cools slightly, I couldn’t quite hit the apple note that the Hot Numbers team suggested, I tasted something a little more on the sweet side like a peach.

The San Carlos extracted a beautiful espresso that replayed all the delicious caramel notes of the pour-over minus the juiciness once the coffee cools.

The coffee will certainly evolve two or three weeks after the roast date as many naturals do. Look out for the fruity flavours intensifying.