About Coffia
Can you introduce your roastery in a couple of sentences?
Coffia was created as a family roastery as a kind of response to the desire to make and drink the best possible coffee. As a roaster, I am hungry for new information, so I am a member of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) and the Guild of Roaster. I achieved professional level certification in Sensory path and Roasting path in SCA. I like the community of progressive roasters who use the latest research, information and technology.
What is the story behind your name and logo?
English speakers use the middle gender for coffee- "that." But for things that are extraordinary or of exceptional importance to their owner, they use the female gender. In Slovak, coffee is also feminine. And it came to me right away- to view coffee as a woman. Sometimes complex, sometimes effortless. Sometimes the one that causes new wrinkles on your forehead when roasting, sometimes a love at first sight. And only the name was missing, the name that will be associated with the coffee. Coffea arabica is a plant whose fruits we all love so much. And that was the basis for the name we created for our coffee. COFFIA.
What's the hardest part about running a roastery?
The hardest part is choosing the right coffee. The courier will deliver a small sample of coffee and you have one attempt to roast and taste it. You usually have to decide whether to buy or not to buy just a very short time, because great things will sell out right away. But what if something even better comes along in a week? To our great disappointment, we can't just buy everything. :)
What is one thing that people still don't get about coffee?
I guess I can't say anything that would be generally wrong. I meet people who know almost nothing about coffee, but also people who are nit-pickers with tremendous knowledge and an exquisite home setup, which can be envied by many cafes. It could help those beginners the most if someone explained to them before buying an automatic espresso maker that the grinder in it is not quite a grinder. And that preparing a puck (coffee cake) requires more precision than what a vending machine can do. At the same time, tasting some really good coffee on the filter could help. And they may find that they don't even want an espresso.
What is one thing would you like to do differently if you got to start all over again?
Have a bigger roastery :)
Who is one person in the industry that people should know about?
Jesper Alstrup – he is majorly involved in research in the field of roasting and his work deserves the greatest respect.
What has been your biggest success thus far?
Oh, we could be here for a while :) Basically, my philosophy is that the only real failure is one that I haven't learned anything from. If I have learned- it wasn't a failure, just more experience :D
What are you most proud of?
Of my son... but I'm guessing the questions is referring to the roastery. What makes me feel the proudest is when someone comes to the roastery, which I have built and equipped with the technology according to my ideas, and they taste my coffee, smile and say, "This is the best coffee I've ever drunk" - or something of similar modesty. :)))
What will the speciality coffee market look like in 2025?
It will be much bigger and much better. More farmers will grow speciality coffee, so there will be much more choice. At the same time, there will be more roasters as a result of which some roasters will go bankrupt and even for the good ones will not be easy. But if you really want to roast coffee, you know it's not something you will get rich doing. No roaster drives a Porsche.
Tell us about "the cup" - the best cup of coffee you've ever tasted?
I've tasted all sorts of specialities. Some had a very strong and interesting profile, but I wouldn't want to drink it every day. I enjoy the variety of coffee the most. And the search for newness. But I often tend to come back to a subtle, balanced, almost comfortable cup of coffee in which nothing disrupts or displeases me.
- Michal Maliarik - founder