This month we featured Cobble Hill, B.C.’s DrumRoaster. Although Cobble Hill is small, and its population not far from 2,000 people, the DrumRoaster name is spreading through Vancouver Island and now across Canada with CoffeeCollective.
Carsen Oglend and his family have been in the specialty coffee industry since 1988. In order to further explore their love of coffee and the trade, DrumRoaster was opened in 2007, with Carsen as head barista. As the roastery and café have grown, Carsen now works as head roaster and purchaser.
Being a family business, “accountability and trust” are two main foundations within the roastery.
“There is a level of trust that you have with your close family that you can’t find in other partnerships,” says Carsen. “We all strive to be better and that drive permeates through everyone.”
Carsen says that the DrumRoaster family “love[s] people that love coffee.” Well, that isn’t so hard to do after we got to try the two-featured November roasts!
The Espresso Blend is DrumRoasters most popular roast. Beans come mostly from Guatemala and Brazil. This may change throughout the year however, as DR only roasts with beans that are in season. With vibrant aromas of baker’s chocolate, spices and red fruits, it is the perfect roast for a single rich espresso, or alongside milk for a creamy latte.
Carsen admits that Guatemalan coffees are his favourite. “They’re so round, sweet, and balanced,” he says. And so, with Carsen’s recommendation, we also featured the Guatemala Finca de Dios. Translating to ‘estate of the Gods’ this medium roast is sweet and aromatic with toffee and chocolate brownie.
DrumRoaster believes in quality above all else. While organic coffees are great, Carsen says that they choose their beans with the confidence that the trees are farmed through sustainable practices.
“For us, we will pay more for better quality… We’re happy to invest for a better cherry sort, or longer time on the drying bed or sorting table.”
Parallel to the DR family, they look for farmers and pickers who are diligent and hold an additional level of care for their crops. When they are unable to visit the farms from which they purchase from, DrumRoaster uses importers who are completely transparent throughout the transaction.
In order to test for quality and freshness, DrumRoaster samples each roast twice weekly to ensure its deliciousness. You can find DrumRoaster coffees through the CoffeeCollective store – open to members and non-members – or, by visiting their site!