Atkinsons Coffee Roasters
Atkinsons Coffee is a coffee roaster located in Lancaster, UK.
The family run business does far more than just roast coffee.
Their knowledge, respect and passion has helped them evolve from a local into a national institution.
On my return to the UK after living away for 7 years I came back to a new and exciting coffee scene that had emerged during the time I spent away.
Trying to find roasteries wasn’t hard, with the majority of brands having a strong presence on social media and most cities and even big towns having at least one coffee roastery.
Atkinsons was a name that I already knew though. A coffee giant based in Lancaster that has been around for 180 years.
A fantastic brand that has seemed to still stay relevant and grow with the ever-evolving coffee industry.
They seem to have hit the sweet spot between tradition and innovation, with their coffee beans appealing to all ages and tastes.
Their branding is classy but also slick enough to keep up with the flurry of peacock branded bags.
Atkinsons reflect seasonality in their coffee menu and try to purvey a large list of coffee from around the world just as the business has been doing for 180 years.
Their vast knowledge of green coffee coupled with their ever-growing experience roasting various types of coffee makes these guys hard to beat.
They roast their coffee on a Loring roaster (apart from the odd batch on their antique roaster displayed in their cafe in Manchester - pictured above) which are known for being one of the most environmentally friendly and smartest roasters on the market.
Every roast is recorded and tracked through their roasting software, but always ends on a more manual and sensory note, paying homage to the origins of the business.
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The Origin
The Las Palomas Coffee from Atkinsons Coffee Roasters originates from Costa Rica.
Don Jorge Monge Garbanzo inherited Las Palomas from his parents and took over management of the farm in 1993. Sadly Jorge recently passed away and the farm is now run by his wife, Flor Mayela Garcia Valverde and their children.
Jorge Monge Garbanzo himself was one of eleven children, all of whom continue to be connected to coffee in some way.
Las Palomas spans six hectares and produces around 250 fanegas (a fenega is approx. 46kg) of coffee annually.
Las Palomas Coffee Farm. Photo - DRWakefield
The farm is named Las Palomas because of the various birds that can be found in the region.
What To Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this remarkable Costa Rican coffee from Atkinsons coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Aeropress Coffee.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Atkinsons Coffee Roasters now.
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The Origin
The Kinini AA by Atkinson’s coffee roasters originates from Rwanda. The story of this wonderful coffee starts in 2008 when a charity was founded under the name ‘A New Beginning’.
The charity started to help individuals, mainly widows of the 1994 genocide who had been displaced to an uncultivated area of the savannah in the Rulindo district.
They started by building a school and health centre, then in 2012, they built Kinini washing station to partner with over 600 local smallholder farmers.
Many of the farmers involved had experience working in agriculture, however very few had ever grown any complex crops like speciality coffee.
With the education and help provided by the washing station in Kinini, farmers are now starting to produce high-quality green coffee.
Plus with coffee plants taking 4 years to produce their first harvest, this is one of the very first sessions of the Kinini.
The farm is located from 1800-2450 metres above sea level. This is an important factor in speciality coffee as the higher the altitude of the coffee plant the harder it is for the plant to produce a coffee cherry and prolongs the maturation period of the fruit creating sweeter more complex coffee.
The Review
The Kinini coffee from Atkinsons brought an instant smile to my face followed by an ooosh, when opening the bag. The complexities and citrus notes that this coffee possesses are apparent even before the coffee is ground.
Cupping this coffee was a sensory pleasure and the aromas of the brewing Kinini engulfed the room in sweet and fruitful flavours.
The coffee is light and starts with a delicious citric acidity that isn’t too overbearing, it carries through into the middle of the sip but slowly subsides. Notes of lemonade and apricots layer together as the coffee begins to flourish.
There is a chalky body that is constant throughout the whole drinking experience this creates a nice platform for the flavours to express themselves.
As the coffee begins to cool the acidy starts to soften and the lemonade notes evolve into sweeter sugary tones of white sugar.
The bright and complex notes of the Kinini were celebrated best when brewed as a pour-over.
