At home with… Scott Robertson

Double Roasters in Marrickville was started by three hospitality veterans (and coffee fanatics) with the desire to create the perfect blend of beans and bring it to the community. Here we chat to head roaster Scott Robertson about beans and brewing…

Tell us a bit about how Double Roasters got started.
Coffee is my passion; I have owned and operated many cafés over the last few decades and the progression from barista to roaster seemed like an obvious path for me to take.

What is unique about your roasting techniques?
We roast our coffees in small batches; each origin is roasted individually to exact parameters. The coffees are then blended “post roast”. This technique ensures quality of depth in the cup and it allows each of the origins to shine and to complement each other in our blends.

The business began as a coffee-roasting business, why did you then decide to expand into a cafe and wholesaling?
We opened the cafe/roastery to showcase our coffee. At the beginning we were our own harshest critics, perfecting the techniques, tweaking the blends and striving for consistency. We had to really love our coffees before attempting to wholesale them to other businesses.

Is there a particular philosophy behind the menu at the cafe?
The food we serve at the cafe is simple, honest cafe fare. Marrickville is a hive of producers and suppliers and we try to include them on our menu; the ham and bacon is literally smoked across the road! I think coffee is mostly consumed in the morning so, to me, breakfast is the perfect food to serve with coffee. A cheeky afternoon coffee with a slab of homemade caramel slice runs a very close second though.

If you could invite anyone over to the cafe for a coffee, who would it be and why?
If I could invite anyone over to the cafe it would be Marco Pierre White. He was my inspiration as a young apprentice chef and he has proven to be an enduring businessman. I’m quite sure I could impress him with a few double ristrettos.

• Double Roasters will be setting up shop at the The Rocks Aroma Festival from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 27th July. For more information visit www.therocks.com.

 

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Double Tonic

Last summer we introduced Marrickville to the ‘Double Tonic.’ Sweet and bitter, hot and cold, lots of crazy citrus notes under the nutty crème and just when your brain is catching up with your taste buds the sparkling effervescence cleans up your palate, ready for the next sip.

Ingredients:
90ml of ice cold tonic water
60ml of double roasters espresso (flight path blend)
Lemon
Ice

Method:
Simply prepare a glass of ice, lemon and tonic water (three quarters full) then pour a double shot of hot espresso on top. Serve immediately.