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Roast silk city coffee

For coffee lovers, there may be only one aroma more satisfying than the smell of coffee brewing, and that is the smell of fresh coffee beans roasting. It is a satisfying smell that lingers in the air and finds its way through the nose and lungs to the receptors responsible for taste. An aroma that triggers our memory and predicts a rich future experience.

At least once a week, Rob May of Silk City Coffee in Manchester, Connecticut has the job of taking the raw material of the coffee industry - coffee beans - and roasting them in controlled batches for the coffee drinks Silk City serves in its shop in downtown Manchester, and to be sold by the bag for home brewing.

Though the process is aided by modern technology, there is an art to it.

As much as roasting relies on thermometers and computer programs to find the balance between temperature and time exposed to heat; smell, visual observation, and even the sound of the coffee beans as they reach the right temperature are just as important to a good roast.

Average roasting time is ten to twelve minutes. A short period of intense concentration. It is similar to cooking almost anything. Too short or too long under the fire can ruin the results.

The beans cool after they are released from the roaster. Before they are shipped for use at the store - or bagged for retail - each batch is taste tested to ensure quality.

Silk City Coffee was opened by Rob, his wife Sarah, and their business partners Glenn and Tammy Gerhard in 2016. All are residents of Manchester. They started roasting their own coffee last year in a separate location about a mile from their store.

Since opening, Silk City has become an essential meeting spot and "third space" for people throughout the community. Six days a week the location is filled with loyal customers socializing, taking part in work meetings, or escaping the four walls and video conferences of the pandemic workplace.

"As much as the coffee and baked goods are the vehicle...we put so much time and focus into, as a team, we put equal focus and attention into our space being comfortable and inviting," Rob says. "We are hugely blessed to have such a large space. We did our best to create the space that we felt...downtown needed. We are so grateful that people have been responding positively to it."

Silk City managed to stay open during most of the pandemic. Customers never stopped coming in to share. The creation of the Silk City roasted brand means the experience can now be shared at home.

Silk City Coffee

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© Dean Pagani 2022

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© Dean Pagani 2022

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