Kaffeerosterei rabenschwarz, Schwelm, Germany. June 4, 2012

Today we visited rabenschwarz cafe in the delightful town of Schwelm, about 4 km east of Wuppertal.. The first round of espresso macchiatos left a distinctive and lingering- Dutch cocoa taste in our mouths. We also bought some beautiful espresso cups for the Coffee Lab collection.

Yannik, the barista was engaging - he discussed the relative merits of espresso versus French press, while Dr.Coffee gently asked if he could try out his new cup by making an espresso!  We were curious to get behind the machine to see what could be plucked  from their blend as it had some suspiciously hidden tastes that held lots of promise. With a little change in tamping, extraction time and latte art, we again tasted the predominant flavour of rich, unsweetened, powdered Dutch cocoa but now with some distinctive notes: orange, grapefruit, cherry and macadamia. This is an excellent  espresso roast and we plan to get a chance to return to this cafe. Also aim to have a chat with the roaster and perhaps try some of their ten or so different beans and blends.