Interview with Katja Klein - Founder of Kontext Coffee Company
This week we had a chat with our fellow ROEST friend, Katja Klein, the founder and head roaster of Kontext Coffee Company.
This week we had a chat with our fellow ROEST friend, Katja Klein, the founder and head roaster of Kontext Coffee Company.
Katja told us how she got into roasting, what good coffee means to her and why she decided to purchase a ROEST.
So get yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy!
Katja Klein and her sample roaster - ready for a day full of experimenting with different coffees!
For the people who don’t know, could you give us a short introduction to who you are and what you do?
My name is Katja Klein and I am the founder and head roaster of Kontext Coffee Company based in Monmouth, UK. We have been sourcing and roasting fully traceable and sustainably traded specialty coffee since 2019. We roast on a 12kg Probat P12 and brought the ROEST on board in April 2021.
What brought you into the coffee industry?
I started out in the coffee industry as a barista as so many do. I think I have always had this romantic notion of opening my own cafe one day and so during a gap year in Canada I felt like I ought to try working in a cafe first. I loved it even more than I thought I would and so I started taking classes to learn more about coffee - first an SCA barista class, then a coffee sommelier class and then I started working my way through the ranks, loving every step of the way.
I learned roasting as a production roaster for Right Side Coffee in Barcelona where I worked for 2 years. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher than Jaoquin, the founder of Right Side. Great people, great coffee, best place to learn and I would have stayed but sometimes life just takes you to new places and for me that ended up being Monmouth in the UK.
Cupping session at Kontext Coffee. Mmm, we can smell it from here!
What have been the most notable moments that have shaped your career?
That's a tough question. I can definitely still remember my first sip of specialty coffee - a natural coffee from Yirgacheffe which absolutely blew my mind. I had already signed up for my barista class by that time and couldn't wait to dig into the topic after that.
And while the sensory aspects of coffee and the more playful fascination of brewing it a million different ways roped me in further, I would have to say slowly discovering the complexities of the coffee value chain is what gave me a deeper sense of meaning working in this industry.
Finding out that something so mundane and at the same time so revered as a cup of coffee can be just taken for granted in the part of the world that can afford to enjoy it, is also responsible for providing a living for so many people in the global South has impacted my career in coffee greatly.
The challenges and injustices coffee farmers face and what I, as a coffee professional, can do about that is really at the core of what drives me in this business. That is ultimately why I decided to start my own roasting business: to be in a more empowered position to shape my own value chain and to have more of a say in how the value is distributed across this chain by choosing the right partners to work with. I try to let my values guide me in all of my business and life decisions.
And just to bring this back to why I like working with my ROEST sample roaster in this context: ROEST is not only a supreme piece of technology, it is both developed and manufactured in Norway with sustainability in mind and specifically not in another part of the world where regulatory standards around labour are lower and labour is therefore cheaper. That has definitely influenced my buying decision.
What does good coffee mean to you?
Good coffee means delicious coffee that is providing a decent living for every single link in the value chain that brought it to my cup - from the farmer all the way to the barista.
Katja is a proud owner of ROEST S100, which has allowed her to easily experiment with profiles to bring out the best flavors!
Why did you decide TO purchasE a ROEST for your roastery?
The main reason why I decided to buy the ROEST is because I wanted to be able to experiment with different roast profiles and learn more about how different approaches to roasting impact the flavour of the coffee. It turns out it is also extremely convenient for sample roasting. :)
Katja’s go-to profile is the Standard air temperature profile by ROEST, which helps reveal flavors and characteristics of most of her coffees.
In what ways has the sample roaster helped you so far?
It has made my life a lot easier because you can just run it alongside other activities during a production day without having to pay much attention really. And yet it produces roasts that are impeccable! More traditional sample roasters can be a bit smokey and roasty, and in my experience you have to be a good cupper with a good imagination to be able to assess the full potential of a coffee from those types of sample roasters. The ROEST is much more precise and to the point. It is also quite complex and gives you a lot of different options. In terms of using it as a learning tool I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer!
And finally, what advice would you give new roasters who are just starting out their careers in coffee?
Keep an open mind and be brave enough to ask all the questions that are on your mind! In our industry, it can often seem like everyone around you already has all the answers but if you look closer that isn't actually the case. There are many strong opinions about all things coffee out there but often they are just that - opinions. In my experience it is worth it to dig a little deeper and dare to question the way things are done in every aspect of our industry. The second piece of advice I have for anyone working in coffee is: keep working on your palate and learn to trust your own taste buds :)
Thank you so much, Katja. You keep on inspiring us!
Don’t forget to check out Katja’s Specialty Coffee Roastery, Kontext Coffee Company.
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Did you know that Tim Wendelboe is a fellow ROEST friend as well? Check out his 5 roasting tips here.
Why you need a sample roaster for your coffee business
Are you thinking about getting into the coffee roasting business? Or maybe you have already started, and you keep browsing the right equipment for your roastery? If you are not sure whether a sample roaster is an important asset to purchase, keep reading.
Are you thinking about getting into the coffee roasting business? Or maybe you have already started, and you keep browsing the right equipment for your roastery? If you are not sure whether a sample roaster is an important asset to purchase, keep reading.
5 reasons:
Why you need a sample roaster for your coffee business
1. QUALITY CONTROL
Keeps quality of your coffee under control.
Once the green coffee arrives at your roastery, you store it and schedule it for your roasting menu. It can take weeks or months before you start roasting it. Coffee changes its flavor profile within time even if stored in ideal conditions. Therefore, it is important to regularly keep an eye on the quality. Sample roasting helps to prevent possible defects or flaws in the coffee.
After coffee samples are roasted the next step is to evaluate the taste. You can prepare a cupping 24hrs after roasting is done. Cupping provides important feedback to your coffee quality and roasting profile.
2. PRODUCTION
Unlocks the true potential of your coffee.
Sample roasting helps to understand how the coffee reacts to the chosen roasting profile and what adjustments are needed on the way to desired cup. Sometimes even a small change of your development time or charging temperature can have a significant impact on the flavor. Roasting a small amount of coffee beans is ideal when trying to perfect and highlight specific characteristics before you roast 10kg of it on a production roaster.
Before head roasters put new coffee up for production roasting they sample roast a small amount to understand a potential of the green beans. ROEST sample roaster provides similar roasting experience with its hybrid drum roasting. Therefore it’s easier to develop beans close to the taste coming from a production roaster.
"ROEST combines all the features like replicable roasts, data logging, very accessible handling and now the first crack detector, we were looking for in a sample roaster." says Olli, head roaster from @Flying_roasters.
3. GREEN COFFEE BUYING
Your biggest decisions depend on it.
Sample roasting is a critical part of quality control usually underestimated by roasteries. Deciding to buy a half a container from Brazil for your next espresso roast depends on a small green coffee sample. That is a big decision which relies on a small sample of roasted coffee.
While importers might offer you roasted samples to assess the potential of green coffee you are considering buying, it’s always better to roast it the way you like it. Kenji from @fuglencoffee_tokyo , a head roaster and buyer of green coffee: “When I buy green coffee, I want to roast and cup with my own roast point: not too dark nor too light.”
Pawel, owner of @kawiarniabezcukru: “A sample roaster is a “must have” for a high-quality specialty roastery. Thanks to it, we can learn the potential of the coffee we want to order. I think that Roest passed the exam exemplary!”
Many coffee importers sample roast their coffee on similar equipment and they are happy to share their profiles with you. It’s good for inspiration but always make sure to adjust it towards your preferences. Create your own roasting profile library for different origins or processing methods.
4. PRACTICE
The best tool to learn coffee roasting.
Before you invest a lot of money in the coffee business, get to know your product better. The best way to learn how to roast coffee is to start roasting on a sample roaster. Roasting small amounts of coffee provides a bigger playground for testing various roasting parameters. Changing one parameter at a time helps you to understand what effects it has on the cup. Sample roasters with smart technology are easy to operate and don’t require too much coffee roasting knowledge at the start. The more you roast and cup, the more you learn.
Pawel: “There is a plan to open a coffee roastery in the future. So I decided to buy the Roest in advance as the roasting process itself is like that of a large coffee roaster. This is how I learn how to roast coffee. Working with Roest is extremely intuitive and fun! I am convinced that in the future the knowledge and experience gained while working with Roest will be reflected.”
A lot to of home roasters choose ROEST sample roaster for learning how to roast coffee. It is easy to use: it provides automatic roasting so you can start observing and tasting, and also manual roasting to get more advanced with your skills.
5. SHARE KNOWLEDGE
A way to teach about coffee.
Roasting on a sample roaster improves not just your coffee knowledge. You can organize a small workshop and share the experience with others: “it’s good when you teach about coffee to your barista and customers to experience the difference from the roasting.” says Kenji.
There are many roasteries and coffee consultants using sample roasters for the roasting courses. Tim Wendelboe organizes roasting classes (due to travel restrictions classes are on pause) for professional roasters: “On ROEST we roast also defect roasts. It is a set of bad roasts, training people to recognize green or baked taste of coffee.”
How to store green coffee
The right storage condition of green coffee makes a significant difference in the quality of the cup. It is important to preserve the freshness and keep the flavours intact. But, what is the best way to do it?
The right storage condition of green coffee makes a significant difference in the quality of the cup. It is important to preserve the freshness and keep the flavours intact. But, what is the best way to do it? Hard Beans decided to find the right answer for these questions.
“Roest Sample Roaster is the best machine to maintain repeatable batches, especially during the research and development projects we are working on.”
The Research
Krzysztof Barabosz is the Co-Founder of Hard Beans roastery in Poland. The roastery focuses on high quality coffee and they love to spoil their customers with very exclusive lots. Exclusivity often comes with a high price. Wondering how to store the coffee without losing its beauty and the investment, Krzysztof decided to start researching. The goal was to find the ideal green coffee storage technology, and to increase quality while controlling freshness. To fulfill the needs of his research, he contacted us. ROEST was his #1 choice for this challenging task.
Read more about the ideal sample roaster from Nordic Approach.
The research is not over yet, but we’ve got a sneak-peek for you!
The routine
Samples in the storage room //Photo: Krzysztof Barabosz
The storage rooms // Photo: Krysztof Barabosz
At the beginning of the research, right after arrival of the coffee to the roastery, the beans were packed by 100 g bags in two different materials: Grain Pro and Jute Bags. Divided into the groups they were stored in six different conditions:
-10 °C / 38 % RH
5 °C / 50 % RH
10 °C / 50 % RH
18 °C / 50 % RH
20 °C / 50 % RH
Without control
Each month a sample of each coffee are taken out for evaluation. They are divided in three categories for the next evaluation: green samples for further measurements, roasted samples for further measurements and roasted samples for cupping. Samples are roasted using Power Profile, to maintain the heat application with same development time (53 seconds).
Both green and roasted samples (from the categories for further measurements) are vacuum-packed and transported to the Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis and to JARS for a detailed measurement of: the weight loss over time, volatile aromatic compounds, fatty acids, caffeine, bacteria, mold, yeast and more…
Every 3 months a sensory summit is held with Q-Graders and CSP Sensory Skills people, who are blindly assessing samples using SCA Cupping Scoresheets.
Read about another research done with ROEST.
Over to Krzysztof
Do you already have some results to share?
The results are fascinating! I’m not ready to share it before it’s complete, but what keeps us excited is every small discovery.
To give you an example: Storing coffee in conditions above 18 °C is degrading the beans very fast, no matter if it's stored in Jute Bag or in Grain Pro.
Luis Rosales and Krzysztof Barabosz. Luis is son of the producer Mauricio Rosales. One of the coffees for the research is from his Finca La Maravilla in Guatemala, Caturra Washed.
Producer: Diana and Hector Ovalle, owners of Finca El Oregano in Guatemala. One of the two coffees used for the research is their Caturra Natural.
What value does ROEST sample roaster bring to this research?
For every research, high quality and consistent equipment is needed if we want to receive valid results. With ROEST, all parameters during the roasting are stable and every adjustment is visible. It’s comforting to know I can rely on my sample roaster.
THE ROEST PROFILE
The research will be completed in October this year. We will make sure to share the results with you, so we can all store our green coffee better and thus increase the quality of our coffee. The profile used for the research is based on Power Profile, with the following details:
PWR: 75 %* AIR: 75 % RPM: 63
Charge: 180 °C Power drop after 1st Crack: 15 % Development: 53 s
*Power depends on voltage, so 75 % might be too high or too low for your location.
