Our Thoughts
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An update from the Black Mountain Roast team
Read more →Mid summer 2020 and the coffee business has change for us. Simon is no longer with us having suffered a fatal accident in May 2020. His dedication to Black Mountain Roast and delivering good quality coffee remains, as we will continue growing the business here in Hay on Wye. To remember Simon and celebrate his time with us there is a new coffee blend named after Simon. It is Kenyan and Columbian mixed, just as Simon liked it. We are ready to work with either you or your business – whether you run a small B&B or a large restaurant,...
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Wake Me Up And...
Read more →The following is suitable for adults only and is written in memory of someone more influential in my life than Bowie and who created more magic than Paul Daniels. This is about the Espresso Martini and the man who created it, Dick Bradsell. Read on (or skip to the end if you must) and the perfect recipe shall be revealed. Amongst my friends it’s a drink very much of the now, though it was created in the 80s by the inimitable Bradsell. Bradsell was a seminal part of London’s cocktail scene and was credited by the San Francisco Chronicle as having “single-handedly...
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Poetry
Read more →One of our customers, Emma van Woerkom, enjoyed our Kenya AA-grade coffee so much she was inspired to scribe this wonderful ditty about coffee.We can't decide if it's John Betjeman or more John Cooper Clark. You decide!We love it and hope you do too.All you morning mug slinkers,With your 'need to wake up' blinkersTo those fine bone china clinkersSipping with pinkies held aloft!The workers and the hard-hat slurpersThe two sugar and cream stirrersThe after dinner mintersWith espresso round their chopsThe debunkers and the flunkersGroaning ill-timed biscuit dunkersThe sleep-starved squint to bright eyesAs the caffeine hits the spot.From connoisseur to craverAll...
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Why Fairtrade isn’t fair enough.
Did you know that only 30% of coffee grown as Fairtrade is actually sold at Fairtrade prices? Also the set-price of Fairtrade beans can sometimes be less than farmers selling outside of the scheme.Read more → -
Why 'Fresh is Best'.
The biggest single factor that is going to affect the enjoyment of your coffee is when the beans were roasted. The best beans in the world will be dull, lifeless and bland if they were roasted many weeks or even months before they reach your cup.Read more →
