Missing Bean Coffee Roasters
Missing Bean are the eminent Oxford-based coffee roastery.
It all started back in 2009 when founders Ori and Vicky returned from Sydney with a passion for speciality coffee.
The talented duo with careers in film decided that the coffee in the UK needed to up its game, so they opened they purchased a 3 group La Marzocco and opened a Cafe in the centre of Oxford.
Over the last 12 years, Missing Bean has grown and evolved into a roastery and multi-venue cafe. They have established themselves as one of the principal spots for coffee in Oxford and are branching out into local suburbs.
They are focused on developing relationships that they have built over the last few years and strive towards direct trade with coffee farmers all over the world.
After talking with their head of sourcing, Silviu and the roastery manager, Olly it’s clear that the passion for coffee transcends through all of the people that make Missing bean possible.
With core ethics in building strong relationships all the way through the supply chain, roasting quality coffee, and a family of staff, Missing Bean has the perfect blend that makes a world-class coffee roastery.
Questions With Olly From Missing Bean Coffee Roasters
Take us back to before you guys opened on Turl Street, what sparked your interest in coffee and then coffee roasting?
So Missing Bean was first started back in 2009 by Ori and Vicky who had been studying in Sydney and fell in love with the coffee vibes over there.
When it opened, Missing Bean on Turl St. (Oxford) was the first speciality coffee shop in the city. It broke the trend of the mainstream, chain shops and offering something new and dynamic to a very traditional city.
After a very warm welcome and a successful start to life, Ori then began to investigate roasting coffee for our own use in the cafe. This led to the birth of our first roaster and roastery space in East Oxford.
Initially, we only roasted for ourselves but word soon spread and we slowly started supplying colleges, pubs and even other coffee shops. Our wholesale base was up and running and has been growing ever since. We’re now in the process of opening 3 new coffee shops in Oxfordshire to continue to spread Missing Bean coffee and the stories it includes.
Olly - Missing Bean
3 words to sum up Missing Bean.
Ethical, Personable, Reliable
You guys have been around for over a decade, how has the speciality coffee industry in Oxford and the UK changed in that time?
It’s massively changed. Possibly in Oxford more than anywhere else. Customers and coffee drinkers have become far better educated and now know exactly what they’re looking for and can confidently critique a cup of coffee.
Styles and fashions obviously change over time, but there seems to be a settling on a certain way of presenting speciality coffee and far more respect is being given to the product and the staff involved. Its genuinely a career now and not just a part-time, filler job.
What sets Missing Bean apart from the others.
We have a really strong ethos towards direct-trade coffee and spark up long-lasting relationships with farmers who we have even gained exclusivity to over the years. We are able to provide this option to our customers while at the same time giving a small, local, independent service which keeps us really in touch with our customers and locals. We’re able to offer a personal touch with the professionalism and experience of a mainstream coffee supplier.
Favourite Brew Method?
V60 or a good old fashioned Batch!
Do you have any favourite coffee roasters in the UK?
We love the ideas and attitude of Yallah Coffee while also the path that is being set by Origin. New interesting Roasters are popping up all the time and are being really inventive with ways to successfully manage new situations regarding the environment and also customer expectations. Girls who Grind are awesome as are Colonna.
What does the future have in store for Missing Bean?
Continued growth but only at a sensible, manageable and thoughtful pace. Opening 3 new cafes is the first step for this year and then a focus will shift towards our Online presence and wholesale coffee reach. We’re refurbishing our warehouse later this year so we will have space to grow and to maybe even install a shiny new roaster so we can keep the beans flowing in a more economical and environmentally aware way.
Latest Batch Coffee Reviews
BOX 97
10•01•23
Origin
The Finca Hamburgo coffee from Missing Bean originates from the Soconusco region of Mexico
In 1888, Arthur Edelmann accepted the invitation of the Mexican government to create jobs in the Soconusco area. He built the Finca Hamburgo, which has remained in the family ever since.
Today the farm is run by Tomas Edelman Blass (4th generation) and his son Tomas Bruno Edelmann Toriello (5th generation), who together produce the finest coffees with fresh citrus tones in washed preparation.
Over the past few years, the two have cultivated a wide range of the rarest coffee varieties, creating a high degree of biodiversity with a wide variety of shade trees.
What To Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this Mexican coffee from Missing Bean coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Stovetop.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Missing Bean Coffee Roasters now.
Download Our Free Brew Guide Cheat Sheet
01•06•22
The Origin
The Padah Lin coffee from Missing Bean originates from the Ywangan Shan State of Myanmar
Padah-lin coffee comes from Mandalay Coffee Group (MCG) and consists of combined daily lots grown by predominantly Danu and some Pa-O hill-tribe smallholder farmers in the remote mountainous area of Ywangan.
MCG was formed in 2014 and is owned entirely by citizens of Myanmar. It works with these smallholders, providing support as well as processing the coffee and bringing it to market.
For this season, MCG worked with over 50 smallholder farmers, each of whom cultivates approximately 0.25-3 acres of land, with coffee plants intercropped with a variety of produce such as avocados, jackfruit, papaya, macadamia and djenkol beans.
Padah Lin Coffee Sorting. Photo - Indochina.
The different types of trees act as a buffer to the spread of leaf rust and provide much needed shade, for both the coffee and the families who welcome the shade around their homes.
Most of the farmers do not use fertiliser, but there is a big difference in quality and yield from the wealthier farmers that can use manure from their cattle.
What To Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this Myanmarese coffee from Missing Bean coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Cafetiere.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Missing Bean Coffee Roasters now.
06/10/2021
The Coffee
The El Calapo coffee from Missing bean originates from Colombia.
The farm is operated by Santiago Salazar and his family. The coffee is shade grown and the family use 100% organic methods.
Missing bean have been working with Santiago for three years now and the coffees that they produce just keep getting better.
Probably the most well marketed coffee growing country in the world, Colombia coffee beans have always been one of the most sought after.
Thanks to advertising campaigns in the US in the 50’s and 60’s, Colombian coffee has since then been recognised as quality coffee.
Nowadays Colombia is the third largest coffee growing region in the World with over 2 million Colombians working in the industry.
What To Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this delicious washed Colombian coffee from Missing Bean coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Stovetop Espresso.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Missing Bean Coffee Roasters now.
Download Our Free Brew Guide Cheat Sheet
23/03/2021
The Coffee
The Ayutepeque coffee from Missing bean coffee roasters originates from El Salvador. The coffee is named after the farm which is located on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano. The volcanic soil coupled with altitudes of around 1000 metres above sea level makes Ayutepeque a perfect location to grow coffee.
Emilio Lopez is the owner and producer of the coffee farm, his passion for perfection shines through into the coffee that he exports. He is a sixth-generation coffee farmer, the heritage and knowledge that has been passed down to him combined with his ‘outside the box’ thinking have resulted in some world-class green coffee production.
Emilio owns one of Central Americans best production facilities, in which he processes coffee from nearby small holds and exports coffee directly to consuming countries. This is perfect for the speciality coffee world, where middlemen are eliminated and more of the proceeds are paid to the farmers
The coffee that is showcased by Missing bean is a 75% washed 25% honey processed coffee. It is fairly unusual to blend the raw coffee beans that have been processed in different ways prior to export however this highlights the forward-thinking nature of the coffee farmer striving to produce the best possible coffee.
The Review
The Ayutepeque starts with a chocolatey fragrance that has a hint of something nutty to come.
It has a wonderful medium/full mouthfeel that has a sort of chalky feel starting right at the tip of your tongue.
The acidity is muted and with that, the sweet rich flavours are able to completely take over.
The milk chocolate is the star of the show which lingers throughout the whole sip. Notes of hazelnut layer together nicely with the chocolate.
The coffee cools into a few lighter notes with a snap of pomegranate.
The Ayutepeque is a coffee that’s incredibly satisfying to drink. The smooth flavours and lack of acidy highlight the milk chocolate sweetness.
This one has the body to carry a little bit of milk. It works really well through an espresso machine and will be a favourite of those with an affinity for more full-bodied coffees.
