Perception

Ask the Roaster

Click the link to hear more from Ali, founder and head roaster at Perception Coffee Roasters. 

About

My journey to coffee started at a very young age. At around six or seven years old I would sneakily sip some of my mother’s instant coffee when she wasn’t looking. I could say that this was the coffee seed planted inside me, which I would later return to after many years. Fast forward many moons, I got into specialty coffee around six years ago. When I tasted it I was immediately hooked. This wasn’t coffee as I had known it before. I had known coffee for its more darker, harsher notes rather than its bright, light, juicy, floral notes.

Living and growing up in Brixton (London) all my life, I thought it would be the perfect place to open up my very own cafe, which I did with my partner, and five years on Balance Sw9 is still thriving. As a natural continuation from a coffee shop, I decided to get into coffee roasting. The name Perception arose from the fact that coffee is subjective and every individual perceives flavours in a different way. What is distasteful to you maybe delightful to me, and vice versa.

Also growing up in South London, seeing someone in hoodies and tracksuits (my dress code) could straight away be attributed to drug/gang culture. I have come to change that Perception, through coffee.

Dog and Hat

We first came across Perception coffee on the cupping table during our SCA training down at Artisan Coffee School in Ealing.  We loved the coffee and as we learned more about Ali's coffee journey we really wanted to bring them into the sub.