Coffee Roaster Introduction: Manhattan Coffee Roasters
Best Coffee's roastery guide is a compilation of the very best, tried & tested coffee roasters from around the world. We’ve hand-selected a small collection of amazing coffees for you to sample. Not all coffees are created equal, and not all coffees make it into our shop. So we’re starting a series of articles shining a light on our chosen roasteries to explain why we picked them for your drinking delight.
Manhattan Coffee Roasters
Where: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Who: Manhattan is run by long-time coffee professionals and multiple Barista Champions Ben Morrow and Esther Maasdam.
Since when: 2017
Why: We’re proud to have launched Manhattan Coffee roasters in our subscriptions and shop because we love their ‘all-in’ approach to coffee. Not content to hone their skills purely in brewing, barista skills, roasting or latte art – the pair behind Manhattan have mastered the full range of skills and science throughout the industry to cultivate a broad and well-rounded understanding of how to get the best from a coffee.
What’s the story: After meeting at 2014 World Latte Art Championships, Ben Morrow and Esther Maasdam, both highly decorated coffee professionals, launched Manhattan Coffee Roasters as a culmination of 2 careers’ worth of coffee knowledge, skill and passion. The name is inspired by the history of their HQ hometown of Rotterdam, particularly the Holland-America line that sailed from Rotterdam to New York.
Manhattan focus on sourcing and roasting interesting, high quality specialty coffee.
Sustainability credentials:
Manhattan have long-standing buying arrangements with estates and specialty exporters where they pay above Fairtrade prices. They are focused on trade which offers community support & purchase coffee from Rebero Farm, processed at the Kinni washing station, which was set up solely to fund the community and bring more money to the region. This project has build roads, 12 schools and countless other investments.
The roastery runs on 100% green energy, offers carbon neutral shipping and only uses recyclable packaging.
Our favourite coffees:
Viani espresso beans - Cundinmarca is a region of Colombia that is new to us at Manhattan coffee roasters. The co-operative at Viani produce an old world typical profile. It’s big, rich and has just a slight bit of acidity that’s perfect for anyone that want an intense flavour experience from a coffee. Tasting notes of stonefruit and chocolate.
Bombe Mikicho, Setami - A fantastic release of Ethiopian filter coffee. The producers of Bombe live high in the lush and lovely Bombe mountain valley. They are part of a member organization consisting of 667 producers in various parts of the mountain range, which also include producers from Keramo and Shantawene. Like the other coffees from this site, the Bombe coffees always stand out on the cupping table. Tasting notes of lemon blossom and cherry jam.