Founded in 2000 as an equipment supplier, we entered the retail coffee market in 2002 by opening Laveggio Espresso Bar, and followed in 2007 with Laveggio Roasteria, a European design espresso bar in downtown Binghamton that also houses our artisan roasting operation.
As professional Barista's - we have been behind the bar every day for 9 years, hand-crafting espresso drinks and brewing Specialty Coffee to SCAA standards.
We roast coffee on a drum roaster in the true artisan tradition. Many small roasting companies claiming to be artisan roasters and large roasters looking for more market share - have adopted the term artisan. Ask your current roaster to describe their roasting process in detail, you will be surprised by the answers you get.
Coffee roasted on a fluid bed roaster, as well as many larger drum roasters - are roasted via a computerized controller - you set the end temp, push the start button, and you can walk away - there is very little the attendant can do to alter the roasting process once it starts - this is hardly an artisan roasting process. Would you want a computer cooking your dinner at your favorite restaurant? I doubt it.
For us, the artisan approach starts with selecting samples. We only choose samples that are new arrivals, (they are very fresh) and that have gotten high marks for cup quality from our brokers. After the samples arrive, we start a rigorous grading, sample roasting and cupping process of each sample that will give us a buy or no-buy decision.
After the new greens arrive - we start the sample roasting process that will determine the finished production roast profile. Each profile test is cupped twice within the first 24 hours. Normally it takes 2-3 rounds of testing to find the best profile. Once we have the profile, it is charted and graphed, and a reference "roast color" sample is saved. We use the roast color sample to judge color consistancy along with loss percentage on each batch.
During the roasting process, the sights, sounds and aroma of the beans in the drum give me information about how the roast is developing. Weather conditions are also a big factor as to how the ducting system will perform. If the wind picks up suddenly or it is a windy day in general - this will increase the chimney daft and will pull more heat out of the drum, so I have to adjust the flue draft to compensate for it.
This information allows me to manage the roasting process of each batch, and ensure the roast develops the same way each time. The end result is that the customer gets the best possible product each and every time.
Coffee roasted on a fluid bed roaster, as well as many larger drum roasters - are roasted via a computerized controller - you set the end temp, push the start button, and you can walk away - there is very little the attendant can do to alter the roasting process once it starts - this is hardly an artisan roasting process. Would you want a computer cooking your dinner at your favorite restaurant? I doubt it.
For us, the artisan approach starts with selecting samples. We only choose samples that are new arrivals, (they are very fresh) and that have gotten high marks for cup quality from our brokers. After the samples arrive, we start a rigorous grading, sample roasting and cupping process of each sample that will give us a buy or no-buy decision.
After the new greens arrive - we start the sample roasting process that will determine the finished production roast profile. Each profile test is cupped twice within the first 24 hours. Normally it takes 2-3 rounds of testing to find the best profile. Once we have the profile, it is charted and graphed, and a reference "roast color" sample is saved. We use the roast color sample to judge color consistancy along with loss percentage on each batch.
During the roasting process, the sights, sounds and aroma of the beans in the drum give me information about how the roast is developing. Weather conditions are also a big factor as to how the ducting system will perform. If the wind picks up suddenly or it is a windy day in general - this will increase the chimney daft and will pull more heat out of the drum, so I have to adjust the flue draft to compensate for it.
This information allows me to manage the roasting process of each batch, and ensure the roast develops the same way each time. The end result is that the customer gets the best possible product each and every time.
At Laveggio Roasteria, wholesale roasting is done to order. We do not roast for inventory, this means that we will not pull your order from coffee that is already roasted. Each wholesale order is roasted and shipped that day. Every bag of coffee that we sell to our wholesale partners or retail customers, carries the roast date, and an unconditional guarantee. If you are not happy with your selection - bring it back and we will replace it.
To be sure that we maintain our cup quality and consistency, we cup and score each days production both out of the cooling tray, as an initial profile check, as well as after it settles 24 hours later. As one final check, of the brewing process, we taste every airpot before the coffee reaches the customer.
In our espresso bar our quality standards are among the toughest in the business. We roast, brew and sell all of our coffees within a 7 day window. After 7 days the coffee is no longer at its peak and we pull it from the espresso bar.
For our wholesale customers we roast package and ship every day, so your order is in your hands as quickly as possible. We guarantee that your coffee arrives absolutely fresh or we will replace it.
Coffee origins are like wine grape origins. Each tastes different because of the micro-climate, the soil where it is grown, and how it is processed. At Laveggio Roasteria we roast to preserve the terroir and complexity inherent in each origin with a lighter roasting style.
We are very concerned with sustainability of the worlds coffee supply and to that end, the majority of our offerings are Organic & Ethically Traded.