A self-confessed coffee geek, Butterworth & Son's Rob Butterworth can't resist searching out quality coffee while on holiday
Being in the speciality coffee industry automatically qualifies me the status of ‘coffee geek’, it’s part of the territory and almost expected, I live, breathe and drink my job. This doesn’t stop when I’m on holiday as wherever I am I seek out the finest the area I’m in has to offer.
This summer I took my boys, Edward and Harry, to Florida, USA. America is home to Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and other big name brands that either feature coffee as their main offering or, like Krispy Kreme, rely on a coffee offering to complement their range. Coffee is everywhere and often comes in large volumes, but I want quality not quantity so I always take my own.
I often travel with a mini hand grinder, a bag of beans, a V60 and filter papers. If I’m feeling that I really must make the effort, I’ll take my mini scales and pouring kettle, too. A decent reusable cup for the car journeys, like a KeepCup, is also part of the luggage nowadays. Good coffee to start the day is a must, right?
Once I’ve settled in to a locale my business curiosity gets the best of me and I seek out, via Google, the best coffee shops in the area. I scan through the pictures of the establishment, check out the equipment, presentation and then scan through the social media platforms of the cafés to find the one most suited to my ideals. Staying south of Orlando meant a 30-40 minute drive in the Mustang to get to Orlando’s finest. No problem.
First on my list was a coffee shop and roastery called Lineage, super slick, serving great manual brews, teas and espresso-based drinks, no food. They roast a little darker in the US and brew a little heavier but I loved the place and having bought a couple of bags of coffee the barista heard my accent and gave me an additional free bag, top drawer.
Later on, we took a trip around the corner to Craft & Common, these guys buy in their beans but make beautiful coffee and delicious food. More bags of beans to bring home were purchased.
Holiday coffee purchases are essential, I love to bring home coffee and share with my team and friends different coffees, we all do. It’s what being a coffee geek is all about. . .
Rob owns Butterworth & Son coffee roasters and tea smiths, based on Moreton Hall, and Guat’s Up! café in Guildhall Street.
His job takes him around the world visiting coffee farms to source great coffees.
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