Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters
Quarter Horse Coffee is located in Birmingham, UK.
They are one of the few roasteries that have a coffee roaster in full view of the cafe...
Something that is always great to see while sipping your flat white.
The roastery/cafe set up shop in the Southside of the city on Bristol Street.
The name Quarter Horse is drawn from a racehorse that excels over short distances. Opening their doors in early 2015, this was the second cafe of the same name with the original located in Oxford.
The co-owners knew that they wanted to expand the business and start roasting coffee of their own - what better place than the UK’s second city.
Since they have gone from strength to strength and have cemented themselves as one of the best places to buy coffee in Birmingham.
They source their green beans from international suppliers and select the coffee carefully after sample roasting.
They have a unique coffee subscription, where they roast certain coffees only available to their roast master subscription holders.
The UK’s Best Coffee
Quarter Horse are one of those roasters who have taken a responsibility to see where their coffee comes from and build relationships with people along the supply chain that focus on fairer than fair trade and sustainability in the industry.
Trips to Peru and India enable them to educate their customers on issues faced at origin.
The importers that they work closely with run several programs that give back to the locals at origin.
An example of one of these can be found in the Women Coffee Producers program, which they buy from whenever available. The program seeks to address inequality in coffee-growing regions by creating equity, visibility and access to a wider market for women.
Nathan on an origin trip to India
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05•04•23
The Origin
The Tico coffee from Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters originates from the Naranjo region of Costa Rica.
The coffee comes from six mountain ranges in the zone of Naranjo: Barranca, Cañuela, San Juanillo, Los Robles, Lourdes and Sabanilla.
The farms gathering to produce this terroir coffee are all located between 1300 and 1700masl.
They are chosen based on the quality of their coffee.
Superior quality is assured through the selection of strictly ripe cherry exclusively from the middle of the harvest.
The coffee is milled at Coopro Naranjo’s main dry mill.
The producers get help from agronomists from Coopro Naranjo in order to control the maturation levels.
The coffee is pulped and washed using advanced Penagos equipment to ensure consistent and efficient processing. Everything is done in order to produce a beautifully clean cup.
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this fantastic Costa Rican coffee from Quarter Horse 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 Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters now.
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23•03•22
The Origin
The Los Ancestros coffee from Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters originates from the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala.
Los Ancestros coffee grows along the mountains that surround the Mayan archaeological site, Zaculeu, in Western Guatemala.
Huehuetenango’s past is marked by an intense history, beautiful temples and ancient civilisations.
In Huehuetenango, around 13 coffee growers contribute to this community blend on medium-sized farms and produce coffees with strong red fruit, lime, honey and vanilla notes.
The variety of microclimates, diverse altitudes in the region, and the passion of these coffee growers make it possible to produce amazing coffees.
Coffee growers in this region are innovators, they love to try new processes, new varieties, and new ways of doing things to achieve better prices.
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this juicy Guatemalan coffee from Quarter Horse 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 Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters now.
BOX 27
04•05•21
The Origin
The Fazenda Boa Vista from Quarter Horse Coffee Roasters originates from the Sul de Minas Region of Brazil.
Antônio Firmo de Mattos came to coffee farming as part of the family business. His grandfather began farming in 1895 at Fazenda do Racho in the municipality of Contagem, Minas Gerais. This farm was the beginning of the family cultivating coffee – a legacy that would carry through generations to continue on today.
Antônio chose to farm in Sul de Minas at the recommendation of several other farmers who were dedicated to quality just like he was.
Today, he operates Fazenda Boa Vista in the city of Oliveira, Minas Gerais. The farm is 30 hectares in total, with 28 hectares dedicated to growing Catuai, Yellow Bourbon, and Mundo Novo coffee trees.
Sul de Minas is one of the country's most productive coffee-growing regions.
The area has grown arabica coffee since the 1850s and the mild climate, rolling hills and high elevations make it a perfect place to grow coffee.
Sul de Minas is home to some of the larger coffee plantations in Brazil that cover huge areas of land and use machinery to harvest the coffee. However more than half of the region's producers are small-medium sized coffee farms.
Sul de Minas accounts for around 30% of Brazil's coffee production which is more than any other country's production bar Vietnam.
Photo; Ally Coffee
The Review
The Boa Vista from Quarter Horse starts off with a fairly mild fragrance when opening the bag and grinding the coffee. There are hints of body and milk chocolate as the coffee releases some of its aromas when brewing.
The coffee starts with a buttery mouthfeel with hints of nuttiness. As the coffee then begins to loosen up and release its flavours, the buttery mouthfeel subsides slightly and it reminds me of black tea.
The sweetness is subtle and there is also a hint of acidity towards the end of each sip.
As the coffee then begins to cool the sweetness builds and notes of biscuits start to make their way into the flavour profile alongside a raisin aftertaste which brought back memories of dunking garibaldi biscuits into my cup of tea as a kid.
The Bia Vista is what I would class as a real easy sipper. One to enjoy all day and brewed in any and all methods.
I did actually really enjoy this one as an espresso, especially as a Macchiato. The warm, sweet flavours really work.