A small group of Bookham Butterflies WI coffee lovers went to the Chimney Fire Coffee company operating at Denbies. As you walked into their building we were greeted by the beautiful smell of coffee and our host Sam, who told us that coffee dates back to the 15th century and was discovered in Yemen, when the goats were seen to be energised after eating " berries ." He gave us our first cup of several different coffees, Finca las Cruces ( Colombian ) named after the farm it came from.
Chimney Fire Coffee started life six years ago in a couple of stables in Effingham, but as their business of roasting coffee grew, they moved to Denbies Wine Estate in 2022 and invested in a new 30kg roaster which would have been too big for their original home. They work with small coffee farmers, those that farm only a few hectors of land.It was interesting to learn that the deep brown coloured roasted bean we all know comes from a berry not too dissimilar to a cherry and it is very often picked by hand. After this the berries have the flesh removed revealing usually green seeds which are dried, either on a drying table or using modern technology.
Coffees from the South America usually had notes of chocolate and sometimes toffee. Beans producing different flavoured coffees are also grown in Asia and Africa. Sam showed us how to get the best out of making coffee at home and then we finished off the visit by sampling an Ethiopia coffee ( from the Nano Challo Cooperative) which had hits of floral and honey. It was good to see that their packaging was compostable, and that they are proud to operate in an environmentally sustainable way.

Linda Rockett