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Courtyard Coffee Roasters

Where it all began

In our Deli on the edge of Stoke , early 1980’s with roasting in a pre-war Uno 1lb gas open-flame roaster , with the smoke floating up through grids to the pavement above.

These days we have a more modern Diedrich Infra Red one, but still very hands-on.

In the intervening years, we ran an exhibition Espresso Bar service, a wholesale coffee business , plus a Café & Bakery , Oh , plus a Pub/Restaurant and another Deli. Life got too busy , and needed simplifying.

Our aim at Courtyard Coffee is to roast the best beans in small amounts, supplying them to home enthusiasts and independent caterers , direct from our shop at the roastery , online through couriers, and with our own local deliveries.

Courtyard Coffee Roasters Deforestation Brazil

Coffees from Brazil

Please note we are no longer roasting coffee from Brazil, as we oppose the policy of selling off large acreages of the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado for deforestation and change to large scale commercial agricultural uses. The impact on the lives of Indigenous Peoples, the unique Wildlife and Carbon Release contributing to Climate Change are a serious threat to all the World. We carry stock from several other Central American countries as alternatives.

our coffee

Sumatra Mandheling from Lake Toba region (Organic)

Semi-washed process known as Giling Basah

The process results in a low acidity, delicious coffee for all day use. There is a rich texture with most Indonesian beans, making a great long drink with warm milk.

Colombian Excelso Natural Process

A creamy middle weight coffee with notes of brown sugar and sweet tobacco.

Honduras Washed Arabica.

A full bodied dried fruit and popcorn aroma, length of flavour and a rewarding drink.

Burundi Masenga Hill washed Arabica.

There is a lingering sweetness and light chocolate edge to this top class coffee- gathered from several smallholder farms and processed at the Migoti Washing Station.

Ethiopian Natural Process Yirgacheffe

The sun-dried processing adds a fruity , almost savoury aroma, with the length of flavour that denotes a quality item.

Peru Natural Process Arabica

Grown in the Cusco region – a deep , lengthy flavour from long spells of drying in solar-houses .Highly recommended, an aftertaste of cocoa nibs.

India Natural Processed Western Ghat Arabica

Spicy, wild flavours , this is the coffee that, after ageing during the Monsoon rains, would become our Monsooned Malabar.

Bolivia Natural Process Arabica

From the Fincas Rodriguez Sol De Mañana – A rich buttery fudge note on the palate.

Costa Rica

The natural process allows the fruity sweetness to show on the palate. From the Tarrazu region.

Monsooned Malabar

Monsooned Malabar

There are some classic styles of coffee which date from the days of Empire and Colonial trade – such as Old Brown Java, Jampit, and Monsooned Malabar. When coffee from countries of origin was conveyed to Europe by sea, the long journey on board sailing ships had an effect on the flavour. The English developed a liking for the stronger, matured taste. When the time at sea was reduced by steam ships, the flavour changed – and people complained.

The producers in India devised a system to duplicate the sea ageing taste, by storing the raw coffee in jute sacks in open-sided warehouses during the monsoon rains at the point of embarkation for the coffee trade – in the City of Mangalore, on the Malabar Coast, where it is still processed today. Both Arabica and Robusta is monsooned, but we mostly get to see the Arabica in UK.

The coffee itself is grown in the heights of the Western Ghat range of hills, 2,000 masl, in the state of Karnataka. Few single estates are named as producers, but very high standards are kept during the processing, including hand sorting (called Garbling). The beans swell and change colour to a pale yellow/green.

The flavour? A slightly sour, deep leathery, tobacco and cacao taste – perhaps reminiscent of a Gentleman’s Club in Victorian England.

Suitable for all brewing styles, roasted on the Dark Side it makes a cracking espresso. Best taken without milk.

Blended House Coffees

Special Reserve Arabica

This blend has been with us from the early days of our coffee adventure- a minor classic we hope. Comprised of 4 top quality origins from the Old and New Worlds , roasted to what the Trade refers to as Dark City Roast.

House Espresso Blend

From 3 single origins in Central America and East Africa, a City Roast, easy drinking Espresso of medium weight.

Misty Mountains Blend

The blend has 4 single origin high grown beans from the classic regions of Central America, India, Africa and Indonesia.

Roast level is Medium City, with a Fruit & Nut Roast aroma and a boozy aftertaste – something for everyone.

Decaffeinated Coffee

Decaffeinated Coffee that Tastes Great

We believe that people who prefer to avoid caffeine still deserve a tasty, Arabica coffee – so we  like to keep a range of them – mainly using a water process enhanced with CO2 to extract the caffeine. That is done before the beans are roasted by us.

There are 4  single origins-

  • Peru , a mild allspice aroma , elegant medium roast.
  • South West India, nutty, toasty  big flavour.
  • Sumatra , fuller body and deep flavour.
  • Colombian Excelso , which is decaffeinated by  a process using Sugar Cane Molasses ; this leaves a pleasant residual fruity sweetness on the palate.

“We roast in small batches with our Little Red Roaster, made by Diedrich in Idaho”

Presently we roast 20 or 25 Single Origin Speciality Arabicas and will be featuring blends of selected beans "I believe in the use of good blending to achieve a balanced result in the cup, combining the best features of the component beans"
fresh roasted coffee delivery
david wiggins

Pack sizes

 250 gram and 500 gram – the larger pack has a gas release valve , and we rest the beans for 36 hours between roasting and packing. Your coffee is likely to have been roasted in the week it is despatched to you via Royal Mail.

minimum order

250g, 1 kilo total weight, and we will pay the carriage to UK addresses

OUR ROASTER

We roast in small batches with our Little Red Roaster, made by Diedrich in Idaho to get the very best out of every bean.

OUR ETHOS

Our business does not use the volume of product, or have the resources of time, to buy directly from the growers. Accordingly, we like to buy through Importers with ethical attitudes, from having Boots on the Ground in the country of origin, with people who can help the growers to thrive, from agri-economic help and advice on flavour improvements, through to paying a higher price for the coffee than small growers might achieve from larger Multi-national buyers.

Price and supply transparency in the industry is becoming much more prevalent now, and we look for evidence that our suppliers are also committed to this aim.

Indian Monsooned Malabar Courtyard Coffee Roasters - Freshly Roasted & Decaffeinated Beans