Crema have been around the Australian coffee scene for over 18 years and have worked hard to continually improved their craft during this time. When you step into the Crema café and have a chat to the warm and lovely staff it is no wonder that they have seen some huge success. With a foundatuonal focus on giving back to the community they serve, Crema have a great passion for donating to local charities and currently have 3 charity coffees available to support Children’s leukaemia Research, Cross Roads Dingo Rescue and the WA Wildlife Foundation. We are super excited to be featuring one of these coffees this month!
From Jon, Manager & Ben, Head Roaster - “Crema Coffee Co started off as a roastery/café in the hills of Perth, roasting coffee daily and serving the locals with fresh brews and tasty cuisine. Within no time at all our small business soon grew and with it an amazing following of local customers who shared our passion for coffee.
Since our inception in 2002, we have evolved from the local café/roastery to focussing mainly on the roasting and sourcing side of the industry which has allowed us to share our knowledge and passion with many more cafe’s around Perth. The evolution has seen us grow through many premises and roasting systems. Our Probat L-12 kick started the journey in Kalamunda and has lead us to our current setup on the Diedrich CR-70. Whilst the bulk of our production is handled on the Diedrich, the Probat is still in action, responsible for our delicious microlot singles and filter roasted coffee. Over the years, the knowledge and passion has continued to grow with a team of eager individuals who are always keen to get involved with wherever the industry is headed. The origin of our head roaster dates back 2016, an electrician who decided there were safer ways to get a good buzz!
Head Roaster, Ben Fox doing his thing
From Head Roaster, Ben Fox:
“As a tradie, I never really thought too much about coffee as a passion, I just knew I was passionate about having a good cup of coffee! One day after a good mate of mine began working at Crema, a whole new world of coffee was opened up to me. The appeal of going to work every day to try all these amazing coffees and become involved in such an enthusiastic community sounded unbeatable. Once I finished my apprenticeship I joined the team and pretty much did whatever was going on at the time. After a good while of packaging coffee, delivering to customers and shooting many, many trick shots into the basketball hoop made from a hessian coffee sack, I found myself at the control panel of the Diedrich 12kg roaster. Since then I have developed my roasting techniques and honed a unique skill that allows me to share my knowledge and excitement with so many coffee people around Perth.
Any free time I have between batches, is spent playing drums in a band and I find that the two interests compliment each other and are great avenues for creativity; the writing process usually involves a cup of coffee to get the creative juices flowing and the roasting process cannot be done without music blasting. My goal is to continue to learn as much as I can, from the producers all the way back at the coffee’s origin to my fellow roasting/brewing partners and pass this information on the community of coffee consumers around me.”
The Roasts
Espresso Smudge Blend A blend of Guatemala Huehuetenango, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and Burundi Twaranyuzwe
Process: All washed
Tasting notes: Upfront spice and raisins with a smooth chocolate finish.
Smudge Blend is a fun project we do each year in collaboration with @coffeewithsmudge, an Instagram famous bunny! This year we partnered with WA Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Bibra Lake. For every bag of Smudge Blend purchase, Crema Coffee Co. donates $1 to WA Wildlife.
OCS Select Espresso - Colombia
Origin: Colombia
Region: Palestina Huila
Producer: Collection of Farms
Varietal: Pink Bourbon
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1600 – 1800 masl
Flavour Profile: This cup has aromatic floral notes with an upfront tropical citrus and red berry flavour profile. Medium bodied and well balanced.
Farm Info: The region of Palestina was originally named Agua Azul, which translates to Blue Water after the main stream of water that was formed by the divine geological intervention dividing the land. The Pink bourbon coffee is also known as Bourbon Rosado and is a hybrid of Red and Yellow Bourbon cultivars. It is a very demanding varietal to raise as it needs to be isolated in order to avoid cross-contamination. Additional crops grown in the region include sugarcane, tree tomato, granadilla, pitahaya and lulo.
Filter - Burundi Kayanza Twaranyuzwe Co-op
Origin: Burundi
Region: Kayanza
Producer: Twaranyuzwe Co-op
Farm: 200 smallfarm holders
Varietal: Bourbon
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1750 masl
Tasting Notes: Fragrant floral notes with a syrupy molasses body and flavours of jasmine, vanilla, and spice.
Farm Info: The Twaranyuzwe Co-op consists of nearly 200 smallholder coffee farmers. In 2015 the co-op adhered to the Union of Cooperative Coffee Growers known as COCOCA. Twaranyuzwe translates to ‘we are satisfied’ in the Kinyarwanda language which is the core of this co-op. The farms of Kayanza deliver their cherries to the Kavumu washing station, where they are dry fermented for 12 hours and then parchment is submerged in mountain water for 12-14 hours. After this was the beans are laid out to dry for 12-18 hours on raised beds.
OCS Select Filter - Costa Rica, Finca San Luis, Las Lajas Micromill
Origin: Costa Rica
Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela
Producer: Oscar and Francisca Chacon
Varietal: Caturra
Process: Alma Negra Natural
Altitude: 1500 masl
Flavour Profile: Soft mandarin citrus with juicy, winey acidity and buttery coating body
Farm Info: Oscar and Francisca are the third generation of Chacon coffee producers and they are well known for being one of the first to produce honey coffees in Costa Rica. Their Las Lajas micromill is one of the only certified organic mills in the area. The Chacons produce many different types of honeys and naturals using instruments such as a Brix to determine sugar content and overall sweetness of the cherry. The Alma Negra Natural process begins with drying the coffee on the patios, then piling them over night and spread out in the sun during the day. This is one of the three natural processing methods used in the mill.
Thank you to Ben, Jon and the Crema Coffee Co team for a great month of excellent coffee. We love your work and the way you give back to the community.