June - Aucuba Coffee Roasters

Aucuba Coffee’s beginnings started in late 2015, with a search to find the perfect site which could work to house an adjoining café (now closed due to COVID19) and micro roastery. Six months of construction to get the location fit for purpose allowed us lots of opportunity to experiment with many different roasts to define our voice in Melbourne’s amazing coffee market. We strive to put quality at the forefront above all else. We are dedicated to making considered choices that reflect an understanding of where our product comes from and what hands have touched it. We take it upon ourselves to showcase this by creating coffee that is distinctive, memorable and does the growers justice. 

We start by trying to figure out what the inherent flavour properties are of a coffee. This is done by sample roasting and cupping (controlled tasting). We then try and isolate what aspects of the coffee we want to highlight while still maintaining balance. This often determines how we will approach a roast. Certainly, we think of its intended use. Perhaps a little more development and sweetness for the milk drinkers or acidity in the filter etc. There’s a lot of analysis and thought that goes into a roast ... certainly more than just light or dark roast! 

What makes you unique? 

Coffee is exceptionally complex and within each cherry is the possibility of a multitude of directions in which to take it. Whilst we use exceptional green coffee to start with and then execute a high level of quality control, it’s our expression that defines us. I’m constantly looking for balance within my coffee where sweetness, body and brightness work in harmony.

What challenges do you think the industry are facing that coffee drinkers ought to know more about?

We can’t talk enough about climate change and the effects it will have on coffee production. It is estimated that about half of the land used for producing coffee will become unsustainable by 2050 unless major, long-term adaptation is employed. This will require major financial investments from an industry that relies heavily on quite small and undercapitalised farms. Climate change coupled with structurally low prices for green coffee endangers the livelihoods of 100 million coffee farmers around the world.

A diversity of the speciality coffee market would also be greatly impacted as a concentration of coffee growing and purchasing is focused on a small number of well-capitalised regions, such as Brazil and Vietnam. 

If our subscribers loved your coffee, what's the best way for them to get more?

Simply open up the camera on your phone, hover over the QR code on your coffee bag and that’ll link you straight to our website and store. There’s also a bit more information about the tasty brew your having attached too! 

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