An interview with Dom, the founder of Murmuration and head roaster at Cast Iron coffee
We were really excited to feature Dom, the founder of Murmuration coffee. You may previously remember Dom, the Head Roaster of Cast Iron coffee who we featured earlier in the year. Dom is a coffee king, and recently competed in the SCA barista championships in the Southern heats, where he came a cool second!
Dom is based down in Chichester, Hampshire.
Dom is incredibly passionate about coffee, the farmers and producing coffee that is high quality and enjoyable for everyone. The story behind his house blend starts in Brazil with a women’s agriculture empowerment project called Café Delas (translates to ‘Her Coffee’).
Café Delas was created to help women farmers access resources, knowledge and the voice they need to grow their operations to the fullest potential. Purchasing the coffee includes a dedicated social premium to fund initiatives that promote gender equality and empower women in the field.
This coffee comprises 70% of the blend and provides the layers of dark and sweet milk chocolate that punch through.
The second component is a beautifully clean Colombian coffee called Passiflora (passion flower).
The collective is based in Planadas, the largest town in the south of the Tolima region, but is isolated and lacking in infrastructure - a cause and result of the narcotics conflicts that have come to define the region. 35 farming families have banded together to change that and build on a culture of coffee growing curiosity, and to repurpose their incredibly rich ecological heritage.
Passiflora enhances the sweetness of the blend and brings the distinctive chocolate orange note which has come to define the blend’s character and wide appeal.
We met with Dom and asked him a few questions…
Q1. HEY DOM! WE'RE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF YOUR NEW BRAND - MURMURATION COFFEE. WE KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING IN COFFEE FOR A WHILE AS HEAD ROASTER, COFFEE CONSULTANT AND ALL ROUND EXPERT! WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN BRAND, AND WHY NOW?
A: It’s been a bit of a life ambition to start my own roastery! I’ve worked within specialty coffee for around 11 years and all of the pieces finally fell into place for Murmuration Coffee Co. To be honest there are many reasons not to start roasting right now as many roasterys are closing, green coffee prices are high and a lot of cafes are having a go at roasting there own - however I have just decided to follow my heart! I love specialty coffee but I also equally love the people that work within our industry - at all points in the supply chain you will find creative, progressive people who are just a joy to work with.
Q2. WE'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE ETHOS OF THE BRAND, AND WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE?
A: We’re a people focused roastery. We try to purchase coffees that support important social issues and progressive projects. In terms of our roasting style we aim for high sweetness in our coffees and continue to push ourselves through competition
Q3. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT IN COFFEE, FOR THIS YEAR AND BEYOND?
A: There’s a couple of things that I’m really looking forward to this year - I’m super excited to collaborate with specialty coffee shops! We’ve been extremely lucky to have some fantastic wholesale partners who showcase our coffee to a really high standard and with real integrity and it’s very rewarding to work with them. I’m also really looking forward to working more with the people drinking coffee at home! We’ve had loads of engagement already from some very knowledgeable and passionate people and it’s great to have jumped into such a great community!
Q4. YOU RECENTLY COMPETED IN THE BARISTA CHAMPIONSHIP AND CAME 2ND IN THE SOUTH EAST AREA (DOM TO CORRECT?) AMAZING! WE LOVE THIS FOR YOU. TELL US ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE AND HOW THE TRAINING WENT?
A: Thanks! It was a great experience! All of the preparations and working out how best to showcase the coffee is my favourite part of the experience. Roasting coffee for competition is fascinating and really improves your skills. It’s a fantastic result for Murmuration Coffee Co. to score so highly when we’ve only been open a few months!
Q5. WE OFTEN GET ASKED IF FILTER ROAST COFFEE CAN ALSO BE ENJOYED AS AN ESPRESSO BASED DRINK. WHAT IS YOUR HONEST OPINION ON THAT?
A: Yes of course you can brew anything as espresso - I would encourage everyone to do so if they have the equipment! There are no hard and fast rules over what amount of development makes a filter roast and what makes an espresso roast. Some coffees tend to work slightly better as a filter or espresso but in my honest opinion - if a coffee doesn’t work for both filter and espresso it’s probably not roasted to its optimum!
Q6. FINALLY, SEEING AS YOU ARE A BARISTA CHAMPION, WHAT'S YOUR BEST LATTE ART TIP FOR OUR MEMBERS AT HOME?
A: Well I’m certainly not a champion yet! My best tip for home baristas with regard to latte art is to get the milk texturing right and the latte art will draw itself! If you are struggling with loads of big bubbles in your milk try decanting the milk into another milk pitcher and pour it down the side like you’re pouring a beer. You’ll get perfect milk every time!
Also take a look at:
▻ Top 10 coffee roasters in Scotland
▻ Top 15 coffee roasters in Manchester
Leave a comment