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with natural light. “It was going to be a lot more rough and ready, but as they’ve done more and more to it, and added more and more fine detail, the cost has grown – but it just looks fantastic. There’s no architect here – there’s never been an architect at Hot Numbers – it’s just come from living in the spaces and deciding what we were going to do with them. We’ve learned, we’ve made a few mistakes on layout, but we’ve gained knowledge.” If all continues to go to plan, the new building is set to open its doors at the beginning of this month, and as well as serving up the same exceptional coffee you’ll find at the group’s other sites, the space will have an open kitchen and a bakery (Simon has plans to focus on sourdough, and mentioned pizza) as well as dedicated areas for training the public and hospitality teams in the art of coffee creation. Perhaps most importantly, it will also allow guests the chance to watch Hot Numbers’ coffee roasters in action. “We’ve had the cafes, but the roasting side was always a little bit behind the scenes,” Simon explains, “so the idea was to build a space around the roastery and add that visual impact.” Lucas Keen, gigs and events co- ordinator, continues: “The idea is that we have these large openings over here,” Lucas says, turning to face the central area of the roastery, “so people will be able to have their coffee and watch the process of what brings it to the cup – like a theatre of coffee.” At the moment, Hot Numbers’ two roasters are busy all day on Wednesday and Thursday, transforming green beans to supply Hot Numbers’ cafes and keep their wholesale customers stocked up. “We supply restaurants, cafes, colleges, businesses – we deliver to loads of places in Cambridge – so as we get busier and busier, we might start roasting more. And now we’ve got the space to do that!” Lucas smiles. “The coffee comes in on huge pallets from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Colombia – wherever we’re getting coffee from at that time – and then we roast it
here. And I think that’s what sets us apart in Cambridge: we roast our own coffee, and we take it really seriously. It’s like wine: there are so many variables in how you transform the coffee from that –” he gestures to the sacks of green beans, “to the cups that people are drinking. And like with every food, there’s seasonality.” Justin Brown, Hot Numbers’ roast master, explains. “There are so many factors that – although slight – can make a difference to the coffee: it’s about nurturing that knowledge and ensuring you have control over those parameters. Brazil produces coffee all year round, but depending on the rainfall – if there’s been a change in global climate, for example – we’ve had to turn some coffee away. We had some Ethiopian coffee a few years ago where one year it was great, and then the next year it was really quite underwhelming – and that’s the thing: here we have the opportunity to say ‘this isn’t what it should be’ and send it back.” The whole team is clearly passionate about coffee, and heavily involved in keeping track of their coffees’ changing flavour profile. “When we get a new coffee, I check the climate, the geography; whether it’s a natural or washed coffee, and I start to get an idea of a recipe in mind – so then we roast it, cup it and
decide on a way forward,” says Justin. “It’s a cooperative: we’re all tasting coffee at the same time, we’re saying it’s good, it’s not good, it tastes as it should…” Sophie Garner, head of coffee, joins in: “The tricky part is that if you’re cupping loads of coffee, or if you’re having a bad day, or if you’ve eaten something spicy… some of the coffees are so subtle. It can be the difference between a macadamia nut and a raw nut,” she explains. “If you’ve got an Indonesian coffee, or something that’s smoky and leathery with that gorgeous fullness – it could also just creep into ashy. Roasting coffee is like alchemy – but it’s also like if you’re baking a cake or making food: if you start with a good product, you can’t really go wrong. Of course, Justin’s job is so important, and he does a great job, but so much relies on the green bean. It’s a crop like any other. You have what you have.”
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