Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters

We’re speciality coffee roasters based in the Scottish Highlands. Proud to be B Corp certified, we source and roast some of the world’s finest coffees from our base in beautiful Aberfeldy.

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JOURNAL

Travels in Cerrado, the powerhouse of Brazilian Coffee Production

Travels in Cerrado, the powerhouse of Brazilian Coffee Production

Back in 1946 Frank Sinatra famously sang ‘down among the Brazillians, coffee beans grow by the billions’ and 80 years on this certainly still holds true. In fact a 2026 bumper harvest signals (to paraphrase Sinatra) ‘an awful lot of coffee’ coming out of Brazil this year.  Nowhere is this more apparent than in the vast coffee growing lands of Cerrado Mineiro, one of Brazil’s most productive coffee growing regions. This massive plateau in the northwestern state of Minas Gerais spans over 50 municipalities with coffee cultivated on 234,000 hectares. Coffee producers here have embraced mass mechanisation and irrigation with open arms. This is coffee farming on a huge, almost industrial scale and so unlike the small coffee farms and producer communities of the rest of Latin America. But that’s...

Fiona Grant on August 23, 2026
Cupping 101: How to taste coffee like a professional

Cupping 101: How to taste coffee like a professional

Cupping is how we ‘taste’ coffee in the industry. This standardised sensory evaluation method is used by everyone from roasters to producers and importers. It’s how we assess the aroma, flavour, acidity, body and aftertaste of a coffee as well as a way to spot taints or defects. The cupping process itself involves a strict standardised procedure, but this is really quite straightforward and it is something you can do at home. What you'll need: Coffee Kettle Water (freshly boiled and around 93°c to 96°c) Scales Timer Cupping spoon 1 per person (any spoon with a deep bowl, like a soup spoon, also works) 4-8 Cups all the same size ideally between 150ml and 250ml (you could also use any mugs or small bowls which are the same size) 4...

Fiona Grant on July 09, 2026
What do we mean when we talk about ‘Fermentation’ in Coffee?

What do we mean when we talk about ‘Fermentation’ in Coffee?

What exactly is coffee fermentation? You can’t move in the world of speciality coffee right now without bumping into the term ‘fermentation” again and again - whether it be “extended”, “anaerobic”, “anoxic” or “yeast” fermentation, “carbonic maceration”, “co-fermentation” or even the “river submerged” fermentation I spotted recently on a coffee available from Ethiopia (if you’re asking it’s an anaerobically processed coffee that was sealed in a bag and submerged in cold stream water for four days!). These experimental fermentation techniques, many of which have been adapted from the winemaking world, have recently become super popular in coffee as a way to enhance flavours and help specific lots stand out. We’re no stranger to roasting a delicious funky anaerobically fermented coffee or two here at Glen Lyon (our natural anaerobic ‘Firecracker’...

Fiona Grant on July 01, 2026
AeroPress Brew Guide

AeroPress Brew Guide

There are two main ways to brew with an AeroPress: regular and inverted. Using the regular method, you set it up as the company intended, with the brew chamber on top of a cup or carafe and the plunger added after the water. With the inverted method, beloved of competitors and coffee professionals alike, you attach the plunger to the brew chamber and place it upside down on the scale. Once brewed, you screw the filter cap on and—carefully!—flip the whole thing back before plunging. Inverted advocates say that, because no water drips through the filter before plunging, coffee made this way is fuller and better extracted. However, AeroPress itself warns against using the inverted method, saying the difference in taste is negligible but that the inverted method is risky...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Cafetière Brew Guide

Cafetière Brew Guide

A classic for a reason. One of the simplest brew methods out there, and one that many people have in their cupboards. Just add coffee, pour hot water, wait, plunge, and enjoy. The cafetiere (also called the French press) is an immersion brewer, meaning that the coffee and water are in full contact during extraction, so cups made this way tend to have a full body and rich texture. What you’ll need: A cafetiere Ground coffee (coarse) Scale Timer Hot water just off the boil (or roughly 96°C) Spoon or stirrer We recommend a 1:16 ratio (but as always, adjust to your personal taste), and a coarse grind setting. Method: Start by pre-heating your cafetiere (remember to discard the water!) Put the cafetiere on the scale, tare, and add your...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Chemex Brew Guide

Chemex Brew Guide

As much an art piece as a coffee brewer, the Chemex combines beauty with functionality. Invented in 1941 and inspired by its inventor’s previous career as a chemist, its single-piece glass body and distinctive hourglass shape make it both elegant and easy to brew with. Utilising a thicker filter than most other brewers, Chemex-brewed coffee is known for being clean and light-bodied. What you’ll need: A Chemex brewer Correct size Chemex filters Ground coffee (medium-coarse) Scale Timer Hot water just off the boil (or between 93 - 96°C) For this recipe, we’ll be using an 8-cup Chemex and the 1:16 ratio of 30g coffee and 480g water, but as always you should adjust to your preference. While a regular kitchen kettle will work, we recommend a gooseneck pouring kettle for...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Cowboy Coffee Brew Guide

Cowboy Coffee Brew Guide

If you’re anything like us, you might find yourself craving a cup of coffee while enjoying the great outdoors. The well-prepared among us might pack an AeroPress and a hand grinder for just such an occasion, but sometimes there’s no space or you might simply forget. But fear not! Whether you’re halfway up a mountain, camping in the woods, or on the beach, as long as you have access to fire and a saucepan you can make pretty decent coffee. What you’ll need: A fire or other heat source Fresh, clean water Ground coffee (medium grind is best, but whatever you’ve got will work) A pan or kettle A cup or other receptacle Cowboy coffee is so named because it was the preferred method of brewing while driving cattle on...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Hario V60 Brew Guide

Hario V60 Brew Guide

The V60 is a classic. Made by the Japanese company Hario, the V60 is a simple one-cup pour-over brewer that comes in ceramic, plastic, and metal versions. In contrast to the cafetiere or AeroPress, the V60 and other pour-over methods use percolation to extract flavour from the ground coffee. Rather than the grounds sitting in the hot water as in a cafetiere, with a V60 you pour hot water over the ground coffee and through a filter, leading to a lighter, cleaner cup. What you’ll need: A Hario V60 brewer and a carafe or large enough cup V60 filters Ground coffee (medium) Scale Timer Hot water just off the boil (or between 93 - 96°C). While a regular kitchen kettle will work fine, we recommend a gooseneck pouring kettle for...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Kalita Wave Brew Guide

Kalita Wave Brew Guide

Like the Hario V60, the Kalita Wave is a Japanese-made pour-over brewer. In contrast to the V60’s cone shape and single large hole, the Kalita has a flat bottom with three small holes which regulate the flow of water through the coffee. It also comes in two sizes, the 155 and 185. While it is also available in glass and ceramic, the most popular version of the Kalita is made from stainless steel, making it a very robust choice, and its ruffled paper filter gives it an aesthetically pleasing design. What you’ll need: A Kalita Wave brewer and a carafe or large enough mug Kalita Wave filters Ground coffee (medium) Scale Timer Hot water just off the boil (or between 93 - 96°C). We recommend a gooseneck pouring kettle for added...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
Moka Pot Brew Guide

Moka Pot Brew Guide

The Moka pot is a symbol of Italian coffee culture—Bialetti, the most famous manufacturer, says it alone has sold more than 500 million units over its near-hundred year history.  Like the cafetiere, the Moka pot is one of those ubiquitous brewers that everyone seems to have without quite remembering ever buying one. Also like the cafetiere, many people have less-than-positive memories of Moka pot coffee, as simply filling it up and leaving it on the stove can result in a sludgy and burned-tasting brew. It turns out that Moka pots need more attention during brewing than they are often given—but with a bit of care and a few key tips, coffee made this way can be absolutely delicious. What you’ll need: A Moka pot brewer Ground coffee (medium-fine) Scale (optional)...

Fionn Pooler on May 22, 2026
The wonderful world of Rwandan Speciality Coffee

The wonderful world of Rwandan Speciality Coffee

Last May I had the amazing opportunity of being able to spend two blissful weeks submerged in the world of Rwandan speciality coffee when I travelled to Mbare to spend time with the Rwamatamu producers.  This was my second visit to Rwanda and it was fascinating to see how much the country had changed in the last decade since I had been here. Not least was the amazing food scene in Kigali - (tree tomato sorbet and nine course pan-African tasting menus anyone?) and, surprisingly in this nation of tea drinkers, a buoyant speciality coffee culture. Both Rubia Coffee Roasters and Question Coffee quickly become my two favourite Kigali hangouts for their tasty roasted beans, fresh juices and pretty outdoor seating. Rwanda is an astonishing country. Less than half the...

Fiona Grant on March 14, 2026
Coffee From Peru's Sacred Valley

Coffee From Peru's Sacred Valley

Here at Glen Lyon Coffee, Peru is one of our favourite coffee origins. In September, we made our second sourcing trip to the South American country, and this new Organic Salkantay is the result of that trip. Organic Coffee from Savage Mountain Although the ninth-largest exporter overall, Peru is the world’s largest exporter of organic-certified coffee: Across the country, organic coffee production takes place on 90,000 hectares. Certification is often handled by cooperatives, which have become integral to Peru’s coffee sector over the past few decades.  The Andean Cusco department in Peru’s south east is one of the country’s most important coffee-growing regions, and is where a lot of organic production takes place. This is the region we visited in September 2025, meeting with the organic-certified cooperative Huadquiña to build...

Fionn Pooler on March 04, 2026

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