Sampling Coffee From Frazer's Coffee Roasters
Published On Monday 22 Nov 2021 by Sticky Beak
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I first met Frazer at Fine Food North literally a couple of weeks before lockdown 1.0 and he gave me some of their ‘Steel City’ blend to try back then which, by the way, is an absolute bobby dazzler! It was lovely to see his happy, smiley face again and hear about the plans he’s got for the roastery; in the not-too-distant future he’s hoping to move to Sheffield’s Kelham Island district and have an on-site cafe at the roastery. How fab would that be, to be supping the coffee you’d seen roasting earlier? I would LOVE to go on a tour around the roastery, if you do them, Frazer, please.
Anyhow, when we’d done yapping (which was for quite a while!) he sent me away with four bags of different coffees to try; some ready ground, some whole beans and of different roast styles. His Nibs and I love coffee, especially His Nibs, who would main-line it if he could (!) so a pot got stuck on as soon as we got back!
We couldn’t start with anything other than the ‘Full Monty’ blend, really, could we? This medium roast coffee is named in homage to the location of Frazer’s first roastery that was near the location of the iconic Full Monty film starring Mr Robert Carlyle (love that man!); cool or what?!. We ground the beans down to a suitable size for our filter machine and sat down to enjoy it after what had been a busy day. Whilst this isn’t quite the coffee equivalent of a ‘full frontal’ (thank goodness), it certainly still thrills the palate with its treacly, earthy base notes and subtler fruity tones that add a pleasant mellowness. Reyt gud.
The Uganda Rwenzori coffee is a light roast and Frazer had again given me whole beans to bring away. For those who aren’t the biggest fans of richer, darker roasts, this little queen will be right up your street with its seductively sweet, fruity notes. The Man Bird had gone out for work so I used the Cafetiere which, despite not being the best way to showcase this blend, still couldn’t detract from the deliciousness of this brew on a sunny autumn morning.
After a tough morning in the gym I needed an uplift, but not a particularly complicated one. Rifling through the bags of coffee that Frazer had kindly gifted to me, the single origin Brazilian Cristais Paulista beans called to my soul. As I opened the bag a mesmerising aroma wafted up to my nostrils, and intensified as I ground them to suit the filter machine. It isn’t often I pace around waiting for the coffee to brew, but this was exactly what I found myself doing on this occasion! The wait was totally worth it though as the moreish, mellow, sweet notes of syrup and sugar hit my palate, followed swiftly by cocoa and nut hints. I sighed happily as I took sip after sip, and filled my cup to savour more before taking some through to His Nibs – well, sometimes things are too good to share straight away!
The final variety of coffee left to try for Frazer was the Freightline Blend, originally released in time for Christmas in 2018 and renamed to honour the fact that the roastery is currently housed in an archway under the main rail freight line taking steel out of Sheffield. These medium roast beans were ready ground for espresso use (roasted at higher temperatures and for longer) which, in our bog-standard filter machine would give us more oomph but lower acidity. As soon as I took my first sip the beautiful chocolate notes hit me, accompanied by some nutty hints, but it was the wonderfully rich silkiness that won me over. This was the perfect start to our day, and also provided me with a marvellous boost as I hit a mid-afternoon slump. This is a proper crowd pleaser, if ever there was one!
Head over to the website, www.frazerscoffeeroasters.co.uk for more information on the full range of coffee and all things brew related.
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