At Extract, we're not just about roasting the best coffee; we're also experts at curating flavour. We're constantly on the hunt for the best beans, pushing boundaries, and tweaking parameters to deliver the perfect cup profile to our customers.
Visit our online shop to buy your own bag of Extract Rocket Espresso or take a look at our latest espressos and more coffees in our hero coffee range.
In October 2023, Tommy, our head roaster, and Martin, one of our coffee specialists, headed to Brazil to understand further about the process around the selection of our exclusive Brazil blend that makes up part of our much loved Rocket and Original house espresso’s.
Prior to the trip Tommy worked closely with the quality team in Brazil to hone in on what this ‘perfect cup profile’ is: think intense dried fruit and chocolate vibes, topped off with a super sweet, clean finish, and a hint of raisin.
With the spec agreed, Tommy & Martin headed to Brazil to meet with the quality team at origin and immerse themselves in Brazil’s coffee supply chain.
At each stage of the journey, from the buying station to the warehouse, samples are taken and meticulously evaluated to ensure they meet our exacting standards.
Whether it's checking for defects or assessing the aroma and flavour profile, the quality team works hard to make sure they’re curating the perfect flavour.
Once the blend is finalised, beans are packaged and make their way to Santos for shipping, where they go through one final round of sampling before making their journey to us for roasting.
In November 2022, Tommy our Head Roaster, and Harrison, one of our coffee specialists, headed to Honduras in search of a bright acidic top note for Rocket, to balance out the chocolatey, dried fruit notes of Curadoria, our Brazilian blend.
Being experts in the curation of flavour, we went looking for something that is consistent yet malleable so we can tinker with the flavour to get that perfect cup profile.
This particular regional community coffee comes from an area called Lepaterique, where all the smallholders are subscribed to an agronomy programme that promotes the culture of constant improvement.
We fully support the work this programme carries out in Honduras, encouraging farmers to make changes to their farm, infrastructure, pruning programmes and management all to promote better quality.
All these small changes make the farmers more productive and in turn more profitable. Access is then opened to the speciality coffee market, allowing these communities to sell their coffee through the right channels.
Through supporting the programme, these smallholders in Honduras join us as experts in flavour curation, and at knowing how small tweaks can improve quality, creating an end product that is constantly improving. Making coffee better.
| Origin: | Minas Gerais, Brazil & Lapaterique, Honduras |
| Varietal: | Brazil: Catuai, Mundo Novo and Bourbon / Honduras: IHCAFE 90 & Lempira |
| Process: | Brazil: Natural / Honduras: Washed |
| Espresso Recipe: | 18g finely ground coffee in, for 36g espresso out (a double shot) and a shot time of 25 to 30 seconds. |
| In the Cup: | Cocoa, Black Cherry, Molasses |
Today, Rocket brings brings intense dried fruit and chocolate notes from our exclusive Brazilian blend, balanced out with a bright acidic top note from Honduras.
50% BRAZIL | 50% HONDURAS
PROCESS: BRAZIL: NATURAL, HONDURAS: WASHED
IN THE CUP: COCOA, BLACK CHERRY, MOLASSES
In 2018 we gave Rocket a fresh new look, to celebrate the incredible sourcing stories behind one of our longest standing coffees.
After visiting Peru in 2016, we selected an exclusive lot from the organic cooperative, Sol & Café, for Rocket Espresso.
Within the cooperative, farmers have access to the equipment and support they need to produce incredible quality coffee and earn more. Project Peru was the perfect match for the Colombian Marianela, a staple in Rocket since 2014 and partner of Extract since 2013.
FARMS: 60% SOL Y CAFE PERU | 40% LA MARIANELA, COLOMBIA
PROCESS: WASHED
IN THE CUP: TOFFEE, CHERRY JAM & CHOCOLATE
For 2014’s Rocket, we added to the Brazilian Monte Cristo coffee from a new partner, La Marianela in Colombia. Since then, our relationship with the Dorronsoro family has flourished; their coffee remains a staple in the Rocket you drink today.
FARMS: 50% DATERRA MONTE CRISTO, BRAZIL | 50% LA MARIANELA, COLOMBIA
PROCESS: NATURAL PROCESS & WASHED PROCESS
CARAMEL, LIQUORICE & COCOA
In 2012 we switched Rocket from a single-estate coffee, to a blend. Roasting as a blend meant we were able to guarantee our customers more consistency in the cup (and consistent coffee is exactly what you need in a coffee shop!)
2012 Rocket was three beans from three amazing coffee growers. One of these was Daterra, the first coffee farm in the world to gain Rainforest Alliance accreditation which paved the way for increased biodiversity and pollution prevention in the speciality coffee industry.
FARMS: DATERRA MONTE CRISTO, BRAZIL | FINCA SANTA CLARA, GUATEMALA | TRES NUBES, COSTA RICA
PROCESS: NATURAL & WASHED
In 2010, as speciality coffee was becoming more established, we wanted to create a coffee which was delicious and fun, designed to work with and without milk. Something lightyears away from the emerging coffee-snobbery of the day. And so, Rocket was born.
Our first ever Rocket Espresso was from the Zamorana Estate, a fourth-generation coffee farm in Costa Rica where the fertile, volcanic soils and a mild mountain climate create ideal conditions for growing speciality coffee.
FARM: CAFETALERA ZAMORANA, COSTA RICA
PROCESS: WASHED