About Us
The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company is a small-batch
micro-roaster of certified, specialty grade coffees, emphasizing an
increasingly broad selection of Fair Trade Organic coffees in our product
line-up.
We are “purists” in our approach, and our roasting style reflects the
influences of both the European and American coffee cultures. We are solely focused on the business of
properly roasting and packaging exceptional coffees for a very discriminating
clientele. As a true micro-roaster, our
strength is in our attention to detail and our ability to adjust to the needs
and demands of the educated coffee buyer.
ROASTING PHILOSOPHY
We are not only roasters we are philosophers. What better way to wax philosophical than over a demitasse of espresso. Now that I have thrown back yet another espresso, I can tell you with certainty that we feel each coffee bean deserves respect. The universality of the bean. As such we have determined that each bean should be given room to develop to its’ fullest potential. So we roast each bean where we feel it tastes best. Some beans like Sumatra can take the fiery flames of a dark roast and still maintain their complexity. Others, like Yirgacheffe, angle for a lighter roast so that they can protect their floral character and sweetness. Still others, like Harrar, are agnostic to roast and will develop splendidly at any roast color. We apply the same theory to the division between blends created for espresso extraction and those for drip coffee. Espresso is extracted under high pressure which exacerbates/magnifies the characteristics of particular beans. Therefore, the beneficial acidity sought after in a drip coffee like a Colombia Supremo may end up detrimental in an espresso, tasting like a lemon bomb. That sucks! Whereas the chocolate goodness and low acidity of a Brazil create a perfect building block from which to create an espresso blend. Ole! Whether you try our espresso or drip blends, or our single-origin coffees the one thing you will appreciate is their good taste. The only philosophy that matters is that the coffee tastes good.