Next featured guest roaster: April Coffee Roasters | Bean Bros.

Next featured guest roaster: April Coffee Roasters

April in April…I’ve had the pleasure of writing that a few times now, and I don’t tire of it! One, it makes me smile (in these current times I’ll take all small pleasures!) Two, it means great coffee is front of you!

We are really pleased to bring you some amazing coffees from April this month. We hope that you and your families are safe and well. In turbulent times it’s nice to have some sense of the normal and the chance to enjoy a routine – home brewing!

Please stay safe, connect with friends and family via phone or digital means and enjoy your coffee! We will be here for you throughout.

This month we spoke with April founder, Patrik Rolf.
I
nterview by: Kris Thurbin.

April Coffee Roasters

The April Brewer, we are really excited about this project! Currently, this is in pre-order and once available we will have it in our webshop for you to order.

April Brewer

How did Kickstarter campaign go?
Our aim with the campaign was to get enough backers to push the first production which we did, so I would say it was a success.

Why the April Brewer, what will it give us over other brewer types?
I have focused on a few different variables of coffee brewing. First of all, it's about the quality of taste. Especially looking at balance and tactility of the brewed coffee. I believe that with the right brewing approach you will have a superior lower temperature cup profile and overall very sweet and complex taste experience.

It's also a "brew in cup" system that gives you a better workflow and a more elegant presentation. Perfect for Homebrewers.

How do you use it, any particular unique features / outcomes?
At the moment the focus is brewing 1 cup recipes. Often using 12-14g of coffee to 200g of water, depending on the coffee your brewing. The water would be poured in two pours, 100g each time.

What is unique for the April Brewer is the combination of the "air-pockets" on the side and the "paper-holders" in the center of the filter. These allow for air to circulate and change the pressure of the brew, which gives you a different flow-rate than other flatbed brewers.

Filter drip bags, I find these useful when travelling for work or really don’t have time in the morning for a full brew:

Travel Filter Drip bags

When do you use them?
Our Filter Drip Pack's are created for traveling and that is how I use them myself. Especially when I am out flying. But it's also great to have at the office or if you are out for a hike. They are just so simple and the result is consistent every time.

Is there an easy way to work out how much water to pour, when you are out and about, without measures / scales?
Yeah, there is. Just do two pours all the way up. Let the water go through 100% in between and you will get a great result. Apart from that, if you're on a plane just ask for a paper cup with water and pour all of the water into the filter.

This month’s feature coffees, a great selection! What do you like about them?

You guys asked for the best-tasting coffees we have at the moment so that's what we put through.

The washed L2 Typica is from one of my all-time favorite farms, Pillcocaja in Ecuador. It's the second year we are working with them and the coffee is always great. I am especially a fan of their Typica - which is my favorite coffee varietal.

Joseph visited Buku in Guji, Ethiopia in December and we liked what we saw. The coffee has been tasting great since, and it just keeps holding up so well. Definitely, one of the best Ethiopian Coffees from the 2018-19 harvest.

What can we expect?
Two very balanced coffees with a distinct flavor profile and juicy body. The Pillcocaja has a slightly thicker body than the Buku but they are both very vibrant. Both would be perfect for anyone wanting to do a cold brew - that's what we did!

Any recommended brew methods or recipes you would like to share?
We feature all of our suggested recipes on our website so make sure to visit: https://aprilcoffeeroasters.com/pages/recipes.

We have several brew videos up on our You Tube channel for anyone that wants to explore this further. But currently, I am into 100g pours and have stopped using the idea of a "bloom". Basically, pour more water in each pour.

April utility garments, really interesting product line and diversification, what’s the concept?

It all started with me wanting to have Work Wear for the team here at April. I started out looking for existing brands to collaborate but realized that it would be more interesting to set it up ourselves - making it an "inhouse project". It's been one year in the making and we are currently working on the launch of our first outfit.

When are they available?
They will first be available to order via a Kickstarter Campaign starting in the second half of April. We had a great experience with our first campaign for the April Brewer and love the idea to make our products available for a "start-up price" for those that want to support what we do. As with April Brewer, the best possible price you will get from the Kickstarter Campaign.

What do you see as the likely market?
Anyone that wants durable clothing with modern aesthetics. It will fall into the "streetwear / casual" spectrum of clothing.

How will you develop this product line?
Like everything we do at April we always want to improve. We have a few ideas on a second outfit but we need to make sure that the launch of the first works out before we can start working further.

April athletes, positive initiative, creating opportunity but driving motivation from the candidates, tell us a bit about this:

The project is about helping coffee brewers around the world with a passion for competing. I had a challenging time starting up as a coffee competitor and that's mainly due to the fact that it was difficult to find help and guidance.

Through the project, we are able to provide that. Everything we do is 100% free for the athletes and we support them in what they feel they want our help with.

There are no requirements to work with our coffee and some of the athletes work with other coaches as well. The strength of the project is the community that we are building. We already have 5 competitors in the world championship this year.

Is it evolving as you expected?
We have over 18 athletes from around the world today which is about as many as we can handle at the moment. I think it's progressing well but we have some interesting new ideas about how we can make it better for 2021.

How can you join?
At the moment you can join by invitation only. But we work with both amateur homebrewers and professional brewers.

Any particular highlights for you personally?
It's inspiring to work with Coffee Brewers around the world that share the same passion for competition as I do. It's important to always learn and I think and hope that everyone involved learning from each other.

Any words of wisdom to send to our followers at this time?
Most anaerobic coffees are terrible!

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