June 01, 2024
It feels like we’ve been taking a journey around Australia the past few months. Tasmania, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and now ACT. Introducing our featured roaster for June, Redbrick Coffee!
Our friends over at Redbrick have been doing some truly amazing things for the Canberra specialty coffee scene over the past decade. Founders Tim and Myf Manning were running a Canberra cafe when their love for roasting coffee took over! They soon updated their business model to include roasting as well.
Now their impressive HQ, located in the uber cool industrial ACT neighbourhood of Fyshwick, proudly showcases their roasting process which you can view through giant glass panels that divide the cafe from the roastery. It’s important to them that custom- ers are able to be face to face with the roasting process. Rows of coffee bags from their range are easily categorised as to not intimidate coffee newbies and cheeky merch is displayed around the retail area for purchase. It’s a beautiful space.
Throughout Redbrick’s lifespan it’s become apparent that they want their coffee to be enjoyable and approachable. A go-to specialty coffee roastery for local and inter- state customers alike. During our time drinking their coffee, meeting with the team and learning more about Redbrick we can agree that their coffee is very much enjoyable and approachable. We’re confident you’ll feel the same way!
The Interview
We spoke with Redbrick Coffee owner Tim Manning about his career in the coffee industry, how Redbrick Coffee got started and what the scene is like these days in Canberra.
Tell us about you! What's your coffee background?
Hi I’m Tim, owner of Redbrick Coffee. My love for coffee began after visiting my first coffee roastery in 2007. From origin to final cup, the whole process fascinated me. I knew it was a world I wanted to immerse myself in and share with others. Back then we were running our first cafe and the roastery visit inspired us to open a coffee roastery in Canberra. We were on a mission to create a space that made the world of specialty coffee approachable and accessible to the local community. I think we did just that!
How did Redbrick Coffee get started? Talk us through the process and challenges.
In 2011 we found the perfect space to set up a coffee roastery and espresso bar. It was a small suburban corner store where people could come together to enjoy their morning cup. We had our Probat coffee roaster front of house in the cafe and roasted our coffee along- side customers – sharing the experience with them as we grew. The most challenging element to the process
has always been space. As people responded to our coffee the demand grew, we quickly needed more room. More than a decade on our approach to coffee remains the same; we just operate out of a much larger warehouse in Canberra now. Our roasters still sit front of house where our customers continue to engage with the roasting process.
Talk us through the specialty coffee scene in Canberra.
Coffee continues to grow and evolve in Canberra. When we first started running Redbrick the coffee and hospitality scene was just starting to emerge. Now Canberra has a thriving coffee and hospitality scene and we like to think
we have been part of that growth and development. From supporting new cafes to serve amazing specialty coffee to hosting community coffee events such as origin spotlights, fundraisers, and competitions, like the annual aeropress championships – Redbrick loves helping connect people through coffee.
More and more coffee shops in Canberra are now serving filter coffee and batch brew, this is a true indication of the evolution of the Canberra coffee scene. You no longer need to travel interstate to find delicious specialty coffee. Redbrick is working closely with our wholesale customers and baristas to encourage this change. Redbrick is also hosting several coffee focused events and competitions to introduce more and more people to the world of specialty coffee and everything it has to offer.
A whole heap of red hot bars, restaurants and cafes are also popping up
all over the city. All with great visual branding, interiors and products. But sandwiches are the vibe here right now! Sandoochie, Al’s Diner, Melted, & Sando are all delish places to get a fresh toastie or sammie.
Tell us about what's in store for Redbrick Coffee for the rest of the year? Any exciting or upcoming projects to note?
We’ll be introducing a new line of Redbrick merch which we are really excited to release online and instore. There’s been tees, cups, keychains – the lot! As we always do, there will also be a few super exciting coffees from Bolivia, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Colombia. Our website has had a glow up, in terms of copy, wayfinding and retail experience. Our coffee will soon be sold in 100% compostable bags – yippee!
The Coffee
ESPRESSO
Coffee Coffee Blend
Coffee Coffee delivers the very best version of a classic cup of coffee however you brew it. A blend of coffees from our closest producing partners in Brazil and Colombia. Pergamino has been supplying the Colombian component of Coffee Coffee since 2018 and Fazenda Progresso has supplied the Brazilian component for Coffee Coffee since 2013. It’s the perfect blend, delicious paired with any type of milk or on its own.
Origin: Colombia, Brazil
Process: Washed
Varietals:
- 40% El Camino, Colombia: Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
- 60% Diamantina, Brazil: Catuaí
Tasting Notes: Notes of toffee and chocolate
Recipe:
Dose in: 18g-20g
Dose Out: 36g-42g
Time: 27-30 Seconds
FILTER
Dawit Dangiso
Dawit Dangiso is a member of Sucafina’s Lalisaa Project, which assists individual grow- ers with access to market and provides agronomic support to empower individual producers. Whilst the majority of Ethiopian coffee is grown by small holders and then processed through Co-ops, the Lalisaa Project helps individuals that meet the govern- ment threshold (which is land area based) to be self exporters where they can have access to more competitive pricing and create more direct relationships with roasters on the consuming end. We are incredibly proud to showcase Dawit’s coffee, which is not only super tasty but it’s also a great example of placing more power in the hands of a producer.
Origin: Ethiopia
Process: Natural Process
Varietal: JARC Varieties
Tasting Notes: Notes of blueberry and milk chocolate
Recipe:
Dose: 15g to 250g water
30g bloom for 30 seconds
Slowly add the remaining water aiming for a total brew time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds
DECAF
Popayan Reserve Decaf
Enjoy a quality cup of coffee any time of the day without risking the buzz. Our Decaf is a blend of Colombian coffees from carefully selected farms in the Popayan region. It’s decaffeinated using sugarcane processing, also known as natural ethyl acetate processing. This chemical free decaffeination method was developed in Colombia and enhances natural sweetness whilst retaining rich coffee attributes. It’s decaf that tastes so good that you won’t even realise you’re going
caffeine-free.
Origin: Popayan, Colombia
Process: Natural sugarcane
Varietal: Caturra
Tasting Notes: Notes of cocoa and dried fruit
