Coffee Roasting

Coffee Centre of Specialty Coffee: The Interview

Brian Clark describes Esquina de los Cafés as a specialty coffee roaster and coffee education center in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Its guiding ideas are direct trade, quality coffee, and a better sensory experience.

“You go to wine country, you get the best wine. You go to coffee country, you get the worst coffee.”

The interview presents Alex, the roaster behind Esquina de los Cafés, as someone working to change that contradiction by applying thermodynamics to roasting. Alex recommends keeping the roasting machine near 300°F (about 149°C) and generally below 330°F (about 165°C). In his view, avoiding excessive heat preserves the coffee’s distinctive flavors instead of producing an overwhelmingly burnt taste.

Alex is also described as an educator. He leads tours of coffee farms and milling facilities, teaches roasting classes, and guides visitors through coffee tastings—known as cupping—so they can identify and understand the aromas, flavors, and other sensory qualities in the cup.

• Direct trade supports a closer relationship with coffee at its origin.
• Careful roasting aims to reveal rather than obscure the bean’s flavors.
• Guided cupping turns tasting into an educational experience.