Falling into The Matrix of coffee during the year of COVID 19 has honestly been the saving grace of 2020. One could say my ‘Neo’. Of course I feel a deep gratitude to the Commonfolk roastery team for scouting me, and although I was left perplexed when the opportunity first arose to take on a Roastery Internship, it has only been a good experience since then.

The pressure behind the espresso machine (pun intended) and having to craft a perfect coffee for each customer that enters the cafe doors still leaves me shaking in my boots. I think it was actually this intimidation that initially fuelled my quest to understand coffee, and the philosophy behind it. I felt like Descartes, questioning how something as subjective as tasting a beverage could ever be described in an objective way. What does great coffee entail and why should I give a shit?

The trick, I learned, was simply it’s all about consistency. Consistency in all brewing methods: time, grind size, and dose weight according to the ratio of coffee to water - all strictly and almost obsessively observed. It reminded me of my old school science experiments, where every variable that can affect the result quickly becomes a controlled variable. Only altered one at a time, in an attempt to remedy a potentially bad outcome, or in this case, a bad cuppa joe.

I then entered the realm of roasting. I was still overwhelmed with questions behind the wizardry of extracting a simple espresso but it was nothing in comparison! This is where Alice truly fell down the rabbit hole. I began to realise that there are an incredible amount of steps behind the production of the coffee I sip. Each roaster meticulously roasts kilograms upon kilograms of green coffee beans, which I had previously assumed just magically showed up at the factory doors good to go. The reality is actually much more sensual. It entails an almost flirtatious process of alluring all kinds of scrumptious aromas from the bean, developing and manipulating, and passing the beans through a series of stages, to eventually achieve their sweet spot of development.

When you brew a roasted coffee, it’s predominantly a process of infusion where you strive to maintain the development of the roast, and build on that lip-smacking balance of sweetness, bitterness and body. The development of a roast should amplify and shine light on the quality of the green coffee, taking its hat off to the natural flavour notes hidden in these special little beans. The best part about it all is uncovering just how unique each coffee bean is.

Bright, floral, playful, flavours in coffee from Tanzania might go without the romantic, rich, chocolate flavours in a Brazilian coffee, due to of factors like the altitude or humidity of the origin. I’ve realised that for a barista to sling out that oat magic or almond latte we all froth over (pun again intended), there are so many more factors than I was originally aware of.

My first roast definitely led me to coffee wonderland. You do get that sheepish excitement pressing the big buttons and making those gas changes. It may sound corny but I feel a connection is truly made with each individual roast. I was lucky enough to not only roast an amazing Brazilian micro lot in the middle of a pandemic, but it was produced entirely by women, putting little old me at the end of a line of amazing female coffee legends through this humble coffee bean. I was able to appreciate the amazing quality of coffee brought to me by a group of women succeeding against the odds in a developing country. My eyes were opened. A starry eyed 18 year old from the ‘’insular’ peninsula actually got to participate in a community overcoming real barriers, not only in the coffee industry, but in their cultural context.

Outrageous flavours of Christmas cake, maple, melon, blood orange, goji, and chocolate don’t magically appear because of my roasting prowess or those barista wizards, they’re truly unique to each plant, and each region. I’ve learned that in my hands is a chance to connect with generations of coffee producers on the other side of the world. I guess being an intern was like taking the red pill, I’m becoming aware of my own ignorance and to the reality of authentic coffee culture.

Memoirs of a roastery intern.