Coffee with Pomeranian flavor

"We are developing our own style, we value emphasizing locality" - says Dawid Banaczek, the founder of Gdańsk Coffee Roastery. Is roasting coffee difficult? What does the work of a roaster involve? What inspires owners when creating new products? Discover the backstage of their work.

- What does coffee roasting involve? Do you do everything yourselves? 

There is no one recipe for roasting coffee. Roasters are individuals who develop their own style. Of course, you can set up automatic roasting and it will be correct, but that's not the concept of a craft roastery. General rules regarding the length of roasting are consistent, but manually handling each of them leads the beans to a characteristic flavor. The same bean in the hands of different roasters will be roasted in a specific way. This profession can be compared to master confectioners - from the same basic products, each creates something unique and characteristic of themselves. 

Our roaster allows us to roast a maximum of 13 kg of beans at a time. The roasting process itself takes from 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the amount being roasted and the effect we want to achieve. Shorter roasting works well with alternative coffee brewing methods such as Chemex or V60, while longer roasting is dedicated to espresso or moka pot. 

- What equipment do you use? 

There are several companies worldwide producing very good quality coffee roasters,
however, one of our main goals is to support local entrepreneurs. We are fortunate that there is such a manufacturer in Poland. We bought the roaster from the Polish company COFFED and it was a very good decision. In terms of quality, it is not inferior to well-known foreign manufacturers. Availability and speed of action are very important aspects of cooperation with the manufacturer. Listening to the needs of the customer or making accessories to individual order makes working with this equipment a pure pleasure for me.

- Where did you acquire knowledge when starting Gdańsk Coffee Roastery? Where did you train? 

The fascination began with roasting coffee for home use. I took my first professional course in London. My mentor in coffee roasting is Morten Münchow. An outstanding roaster, teacher, researcher, and owner of the Coffee Mind company based in Copenhagen. However, I believe that at the moment we also have great professionals in Poland. I am curious to learn about the methods and flavors of my colleagues from our country.   

- How do you select the beans? What guides you?

The altitude of cultivation and the soil on which the coffee tree grows have a significant impact on the flavor profile of the coffee. Coffee is grown along the so-called coffee belt. The flavor spectrum is really very wide, but I try to ensure that our offer includes flavor profiles from every continent engaged in coffee cultivation. 

From the very beginning, the quality of the product has been very important to us. All our beans are of the highest possible segment (specialty). I am very pleased that Poles are increasingly paying attention to this aspect. Curiosity and awareness of drinking and tasting coffee are growing. Apart from taste values, high-quality beans - properly roasted - are also healthier. 

- Where do you draw inspiration for the names? 

We value emphasizing locality. Hence the idea of the "Tricity Set" or "Kashubian Coffee".  Obviously, the beans themselves come from distant, exotic countries, but everything else happens here. The names are an impression, our vision of the taste that suits a given place. Kashubian Coffee is roasted more strongly, which makes it characterized by a distinct, stronger flavor. It will be perfect for the so-called "zalewajka", a form of coffee brewed in Kashubia. I know this taste very well because, like most residents of the Tricity, I spent my holidays in Kashubia. In the first years of my life, I even lived there - specifically in Wdzydze Tucholskie. It's a beautiful region, hence our tribute to Kashubia.

The Tricity Set is more subdued and light. We are also pleased to cooperate with Magda Beneda, a Pomeranian painter, who created labels for this set for us. Her work stands out with optimism and fits perfectly with our vision of products. What is also common to us is the attachment to Gdańsk. 

- What is the most difficult aspect of coffee roasting?

During coffee roasting, many chemical processes occur. One of them is caramelization. Thanks to it, the bean reaches its optimal visual and flavor level - it's the moment perfectly balancing the sweetness, acidity, and bitterness of the coffee. Once this threshold is exceeded, the flavor profile loses its value, and the coffee becomes more bitter. 

- What do you like most about your job?

Freedom in action, full decision-making power, and the opportunity to create new, amazing things. And especially the smile on the faces of people who drink our coffee.

- Do you already know everything about coffee?  

What's fascinating about coffee is that every day you can learn something new. It's a vast topic that probably can't be fully explored in one lifetime. 

Interview by Dominika Wierzba/KomunikujMY