Reverence Coffee, putting Melbourne’s inner west on the specialty coffee map.

Posted By admin, August 03,2015, in Featured roaster

Featured roaster – August 2015

August brings with it the spoils of Reverence Coffee, proudly flying the flag for specialty coffee out in Melbourne’s inner west. Reverence are Andreas and Annie Martinu – brother and sister duo with impressive Melbourne Coffee pedigree to boot, having cut their teeth at fellow Melbourne coffee institutions; with Annie roasting for Canterbury’s Maling Room and Andreas as head roaster of our June featured roaster Atomica Coffee.

The siblings decided it was time to go at it alone (albeit together!) and so in 2011 Reverence was born to realise their shared desire to roast exceptional single estate micro-lot coffees to create memorable blends and amazing coffee experiences. Armed with their abundant combined coffee know-how from over a decade of experience shared amongst the team, they created a brand which would exude these values – shaping it into something they could both be proud to call theirs. And this gamble has already repaid in glory with their coffee having been bestowed numerous awards over the years including the distinction of 2014 Milk-based Coffee Champion for the best cappuccino blend in Australasia(!) at the Australian International Coffee Awards. Mighty achievement if you ask us, where this recognition and validation empowers the team to further strive for improvement and excellence, spurred by greater confidence in their roasting prowess.

On deciding on the location to base their roasting plant, they settled on the Melbourne inner west suburb of Kensington, seeing great potential from the recent emergence of specialty coffee and cafe culture creeping to this side of the city. Andreas and Annie seized this opportunity to own this space and make their mark in this relatively unchartered area, wanting to set themselves apart from the burgeoning specialty coffee movement seemingly saturating Melbourne’s north. They have since followed this up with an eponymous cafe in Ascot Vale, allowing the team to showcase their beautifully crafted coffee alongside equally appetising eats at their owned establishment – whilst raising the profile of Ascot Vale as the specialty coffee hub of the inner west in the process.

Andreas’ passion for his work is evident, as he enthusiastically tells us of the exclusive beans they have just sourced from El Salvador’s prized farmer Mauricio Salaverri – which he is super-keen for our members to try. And we’re all too happy to pass on his excitement, as we’re confident you’ll be equally impressed with what Reverence have created:

Espresso drinkers

We have for you the Mexico Atoyac single origin – this bourbon and typica varietal coffee makes a clean and balanced cup, yielding tropical fruit sweetness of pineapple and mango. It’s flavour profile has a tangy apple acidity, full silky body, creamy mouthfeel and a long cocoa finish.
We also have the Lion Tamer for Explorers – a medium-bodied blend with flavours of creamy dark chocolate, vanilla, almond and orange. This cup features apricot acidity, a honey like mouthfeel and a sweet caramel finish to satiate your tastebuds.

Filter drinkers

Get set to be spoilt with the El Salvador Villa Galicia which was Awarded 7th place in the 2015 Cup of Excellence. This Pacamara varietal from the winning farm of the Juayua region yields juicy plum acidity, notes of rhubarb, and a very sweet and creamy panela mouthfeel. This is the first coffee Reverence have sourced from farmer Mauricio Salaverria who was awarded the 5th, 6th and 7th placings in the 2015 El Salvador Cup of Excellence. Add to that – the sourcing partner who so happens to be none other than current World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic, and you have the makings of a stellar cup sure to impress.
Explorer’s will also get to experience the Burundi Cafex coffee of the Sundried Project – an experimental micro-lot from the CAFEX estate in the North Kirundo region of landlocked Burundi. The majority of Burundi coffees undergo the washed process so this honey process (also known as Pulped Natural or Semi-washed) coffee is not only unique to the country, but also very limited. This cup is characterised by jammy strawberry flavours with a syrupy body and berry acidity. Flavours of toffee lead to an orange zest finish.

Now over to you… go forth, enjoy and stay caffeinated.