Learn
Education and accessibility plays a big part in the Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters approach to coffee. Speciality coffee can often seem a confusing place for those just starting out on their coffee-drinking journey, which is why we endeavour to provide information and advice to help you get the most out of your cup of coffee.
Whether this is your first time buying and brewing speciality coffee, or you’re a seasoned pro with a whole home espresso set up, there’s always more to learn (trust us—we’ve been doing this for over a decade and we’re still learning new things!).
Coffee regions
Coffee is grown in many countries around the world, and each region presents its own flavours and charm.
Every country within those regions boasts its own coffee style and traditional processing methods.
Coffee Processing
Coffee is the seed of a fruit, so to get it from the branch to your cup some processing needs to occur. This can take many forms, but at its most basic it is the act of stripping away the outer layers of fruit and drying the beans to just the right point so that they store, transport, and reach us in ideal condition ready for roasting.
The two main processing methods are Natural and Washed, and there’s also a sort of cross between the two that goes by many names including Honey Process, Pulped Natural, and Semi-washed.
Processing is a fascinating part of coffee growing, and how it’s done has a huge impact on the taste of the final cup. Let’s explore!
Coffee Roasting
Coffee roasting is a fascinating combination of art and science. At once simple—put green coffee beans in a hot rotating drum until they turn brown—and a complex synthesis of chemical reactions, coffee roasting is the core of everything we do here at Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters (that’s why it’s in the name).
For those interested in learning more about this fascinating subject, we’ve put together a guide to help you understand how your coffee goes from green to that fragrant brown bean that we all so love.
Coffee sourcing
We are committed to nurturing direct, long-term relationships with small farms and co-operatives paying fair prices, championing producers and providing a route to the speciality market for quality coffee.
We’re proud of the fact that over 65% of the green coffee we purchased in 2022 was via direct trade and that 49% of all the coffee we roasted was from women owned farms and producers.