Ask the Roaster - Abe from Pop Coffee Works

How was the Roastery founded, what was the inspiration?

The roastery was founded in 2018 in Toronto, Canada. I was trained by Mike Perry from Klatch Coffee for roasting and got influenced by my Q-Grader instructor Mane Alves. I also visited many specialty coffee shops around the world and was also inspired by them as well.

What's your favourite part about working at the Roastery?

The best part is that I get to listen to music and groove along while watching the beans pop at the Roastery.

What's your proudest accomplishment?

We won some awards in the past but competing at the Roast Master competition in the New York Coffee Fest in 2019 has to be the proudest accomplishment for me.

We got the highest score in the first blind cupping round and the highest score for espresso and milk beverage presentation. We took second place out of 30+ roasters across US and Canada in the overall competition.

What three words best describe your Roastery?

Funky - Ambitious - Cool.

What’s your favourite place to enjoy a coffee, and what coffee would that be?

I would enjoy coffee anywhere but if I had to pick just one place to have coffee, I would choose to sip a cup of coffee by the lake, listening to the sound of waves and looking at the view. My choice of coffee would be the natural Colombia La Esperanza Laurina. 

Finally, what Dog & Hat combination would you choose?

I love the Derby hat as you can see from my retail packaging. My sister has a white fluffy Bichon and I would choose Bichon in a Derby hat.