Romania, a country at the crossroads of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and, despite being a ‘small bean’ in terms of EU coffee consumption, has transformed economically in recent years fast and people are rapidly embracing the specialty coffee culture, all the way to the top level. This month we celebrate Romania’s award-winning roasters & baristas with four truly world class coffees!

(Bucharest, Romania)

In 2016 in Bucharest “a love story evolved into a coffee venture” when Larisa wanted something better than instant coffee during her exams. Despite initial disinterest, her partner Razvan found himself delving into the world of specialty coffee, eventually becoming a meticulous barista, devoted to coffee excellence. Soon after Dropshot Coffee Roasters was established in 2019 with the aim of being a top coffee advocate. Larisa herself joined in 2020, helping position the brand as a premier specialty coffee in Romania.

Dropshot have given us a coffee from their Pearls Collection and we are very excited as it’s a rare purple Gesha! As they put it, The Pearls Range “represents Specialty Coffee at its finest. With limited quantities, unique environments, and quality-driven farmers, Pearls provide a refined coffee experience”.

(Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

Meron, meaning "days" in Greek, was chosen as their name to remind us to live in the present. Located in the vibrant university town of Cluj-Napoca, amid castles and mountains, Meron is home to some impressive Romanian coffee champions and found success from their customer-centric approach. With community support, a positive attitude and a philosophy to “cherish each day, savour delightful coffees, and enjoy good company”, they have rapidly expanded to a roastery, 19 bars and numerous global partnerships.

This is the third time we are working with Meron, I think you can tell we are big fans of their coffee! El Placer is from ‘Meron Rarities' range. Rairities are coffees “selected to expand every coffee connoisseur’s taste buds to the next level”.

The “El Placer” Farms Project begins with Sebastian Ramirez who is a 4th generation coffee producer in his family. His experience managing the farm of his family and working with coffee for more than 14 years, allowed him to develop his project in Quindio and Huila.

The innovation in post-harvest coffee processes and the standardization of processes has generated consistency. The use of yeasts and lactic bacteria cultivated by their fermentations team provide unique cups.
Colombia’s highest quality standards and industrial processes that allow them to meet the demands of the clients and international markets. In all their processes such as production, post-harvest and drying, they focus on minimizing the environmental impact and seeking to be environmentally friendly.

(Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

Back in the old days Mihai and Răzvan the only coffee they could get was roasted in the one roastery in Cluj-Napoca, dark roasted and all they could get on traceability was "100% Arabica”. In just few years they bought a home coffee roaster and once they completed a hundred batches, they decided to open their own roastery, Yume in 2013. After taking various courses and certifications, a top-tier roasting machine was obtained in 2014, enabling them to start creating their unique roasting profiles, always with the primary goal to uphold quality and provide exceptional specialty coffees at a superior level.

Yume is our discovery roaster this month and we chose their superb honey processed Costa Rica because it dazzled us with its dessert-like array of delicate sweetness's!

At 1700 meters above sea level, on a sandy and volcanic terrain, is the processing station Cafetalera Herbazu, owned by Antonio Barrantes. His micro-mill was set up in the early 2000s, when the speciality coffee trend was just beginning and microlots did not yet exist. It covers an area of 12 hectares of land in the Lourdes de Naranjo area, and its farmers do not use herbicides or insecticides.

Cafetalera Herbazu is the story of seven brothers and sisters who grow coffee and who in 2010 planted the SL28 variety, originating from Kenya, registered in Costa Rica and under the name "San Roque". The first production of these cherries was harvested in 2015 and won the first prize at the "Cup of Excellence" competition.

(Bucharest, Romania)

Bucharest has become a hub for specialty coffee, with many new shops opening in the capital. Bob Coffee Lab, established in 2017, stand out with their great combo of playful design and high-quality coffee. One of the founders Alexandru Niculae, 2016 World Roasting Champion, dedicated himself to mastering coffee for over a decade, and won many trophies in both brewing and roasting categories, several times and still goes to keep sharpening his skills.

Bob have been on our radar for a while so we are over the moon to be finally featuring their coffee in the Coffee Club! We selected a really special 72 hour ‘super natural’ Indonesian coffee with a tantalising mix of tropical notes and gentle spice.

Collective farmers at an altitude of around 1300 meters in the region harvest the coffee, carefully selecting only the red, ripe, and full cherries.

The freshly picked harvest then goes to the wet mill in the village of Botolinggo. There, the cherries are washed and soaked in water channels to sort them by density. Skilled workers remove any defects and ensure that only the highest quality cherries advance. After fermentation, the beans are washed again and slowly sun-dried for 7-10 days. They are frequently turned to prevent uneven drying.

Eventually, the dried beans reach Driyorejo for dry milling. Here, the parchment is removed, and the green beans are sorted by size, checked for defects, and classified by density.