insideKENT Magazine Issue 101 - September 2020 | Page 20

KENTCOFFEE
THE BEANS & THE MEANS CONT.
STOREROOM
FROM BEAN TO CUP
THE SUN DECK, MARGATE'S TEAM JAMES & LOIS
Founded in 2015 by Luke Underdown, Garage
Roasted (www.garageroasted.co.uk) is a specialty coffee
roaster based in the beautiful village of Hoath, just
outside of Canterbury. Started to fill a gap in the
Kentish coffee market (and yes it all did begin in a
Garage!), the brand now fulfils the coffee cravings
of the East Kent massive in spades! Boasting the
Hoath-based roastery (upgraded from the garage to
a purpose-converted shipping container) where they
roast speciality grade, fair-trade coffees in small 3kg
batches for optimum quality; as well as contemporary
coffee cafes in Canterbury and Whitstable; and a
newly opened coffee stop on the beach, at The Sun
Deck in Margate.
GRAB A BAG
Curve Coffee Roasters (www.curveroasters.co.uk)
are the ethically responsible, lip-smackingly delicious
brand we have all been waiting for. Based in Margate,
Curve Coffee supplies Kent and beyond with the
highest quality roasted beans from all over the world.
Showcased both in their cafe, Storeroom, and on
their online shop for both wholesale and direct to
customer personal purchase, are a range of diverse
and delicious seasonal coffees. One size most certainly
does not fit all here; there is a coffee for lovers of a
dark and sensual brew, and one for those more
partial to a sweet, floral cup. Curve provides their
customers with a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of goodies.
‘Our aim is to put producers and producer groups
in the spotlight and celebrate the hard work that
happens at coffee origins. The coffee we drink can
only taste as good as the raw material and for this
we really want to highlight the growers and the
specific areas where coffees come from which is what
gives the coffees we roast their unique character in
the first place.’ Curve takes their job of bringing out
the individual flavour of each bean seriously, and
does so with the love, care and excellence that is
required to create coffee that truly stands out. ‘Our
roasting style is fairly light in order to enhance natural
sweetness and showcase the diversity of flavour in
speciality coffee; from creamy chocolatey and nutty
notes through to juicy fruity and floral characteristics.’
Sourcing mostly from Central and South America,
and East Africa, all their products change seasonally
to reflect the varying seasons and harvest times in
each country, reminding
the customer that coffee always tastes best when it
is fresh, vibrant and picked from the most recent
crop. Curve also dedicates extensive time to being
an ethical brand, taking efforts to ensure their
sourcing is traceable, ethical and has a positive impact
in the coffee’s country of origin as well. ‘For this we
work closely with a small number of like-minded
importing partners who enable us to connect with
producers at origin and establish long-term
relationships with farmers whose coffees we source.’
If this sounds like the kind of brand you want to
support, hop over to their website where there is a
lot more than coffee on offer. You can also get your
hands on Curve’s new tasting poster which; ‘allows
us to connect with our customers and share our
approach to describing coffee flavour profiles on our
packaging, and also to provide keen coffee drinkers
a fun and accessible tool to explore flavour in coffee.’
£10 of each sale goes directly to Ethiopian based
charity Girls Gotta Run, ‘Who invest in young girls
and women in Ethiopia to empower themselves and
their communities through running, education and
entrepreneurship.’ Alternatively, pop into the
Storeroom Cafe where an almost disarraying range
of their delicious blends are always available. Of
course, there is also the option to enjoy a cake or
pastry with your coffee . . . the question is can you
resist? Curve also offers private classes to the public,
which will be resuming soon, with new COVID safe
precautions in place.
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