Ever since RoR Coffee Roastery started its inception at Daily Dose Lounge, Dragan has always been kind enough to involve me in occasional cupping sessions and trying out their different beans for feedback. I think the most memorable was the Maragogype varietal aka Elephant beans from Panama Hartmann sourced by Lattore and Dutch, the name says it all and the size of the beans was enough to surprise let alone the brightness and sugar cane like sweetness on a filter.

Super stoked to see a much bigger operation now open, you are greeted by a very clean barista bar surrounded by coffee accessories courtesy coffeedesk.ae. I was happy to see a familiar face, Babita - head barista, who prepared a fantastic Cortado using beans from Ekata Gowri Estate - India with underlying notes of peppery spices somewhere in there.

Talk about timing, as I finished my coffee, emerged from the Roastery another familiar face, a very knowledgeable individual yet humble, Dragoslav, literally blew my mind sharing a very interesting way of brewing coffee. When asked what his favorite beans are for filter, his reponse: Brazil. Brazil which they use for espresso based drinks, he proved his point by doing something very unusual. Something I haven't seen done before.

Using a very coarse grind (Perhaps French press) and presoaking in cold water for up to 10 minutes, he proceeded to brew the "cold brew" concoction with hot water using a Melitta pour-over. The result: surprisingly bright and super sweet, low acidity, tea like body and reminding me of Cascara.

He was also kind enough to brew their Finca Nazareth - El Salvador on the V60, loved the subtle honey notes and distinct blueberries as it cooled down. I couldn't resist and I had to pick a bag for brewing at home. Another detail he shared was using a higher filter brew ratio, he used the ratio 1:19 in the pour-over method to achieve a lighter body complimenting the delicate notes of the coffee. It’s a must try!

More on the El Salvador in the next post.