Republica Coffee Roasters
Rooted in the traditions of a coffee-oriented community, Republica Coffee Roasters strives to provide ethically sourced, fair-trade coffee to consumers across the Greater Vancouver area. Based out of Langley, Republica specializes in single estate beans from around the world, roasting some of the finest artisan coffee.
We are excited to introduce the people behind Republica Coffee Roasters - Rick, Nicole and Tim. They give us an insight into their coffee journey and what makes the brand so special.
RC: How did Republica Coffee get started? Could you give us a brief description of your journey that sparked your interest in the coffee industry?
Team Republica: It started while on a trip to a small town in La Sierra Madre, in Chapas, Mexico. We went for a tasting and had the most amazing cup of coffee we had ever experienced. This fantastic cup of joe spiked our curiosity to get into the coffee industry. Ricardo's cousin, whose family owned one of the oldest coffee roasting companies in North America, introduced coffee to us and its many traditions. Through his guidance, expertise and education, we soon developed the art of making high-quality coffee.
RC: Tell us a bit about the coffee that you bring in. How are you roasting these?
Team Republica: We select high-quality beans with high cupping scores for our blends and single estate coffees. All of our beans are Arabica. All our coffee is roasted in small specialty batches to ensure the best taste and quality.
RC: Once the coffee is packaged, what's your recommendation on when to start using it?
Team Republica: We recommend waiting three days after roasting before consuming the coffee, and it is best to use it within 30 days.
RC: Favourite way to brew coffee at home?
Team Republica: Our favourite way to brew coffee at home is either the Moka Pot or Aeropress.
RC: Which coffee of yours is your favourite and why?
Team Republica: The Perfect Storm is our favourite and most popular signature blend. It is smooth and has a well-balanced body. It is very versatile and can be brewed with almost any at-home brewing method.
Our favourite single estate coffee right now is Jamaica Blue Mountain. This coffee is one of the sought-after coffee beans in the world. It is a higher-priced bean because it is triple hand-sorted and grown on hillsides making it challenging to cultivate and harvest. The result is some of the best-tasting coffee in the world.
RC: Tell us about the design and information on your coffee bags. How are they unique?
Team Republica: We have two types of bags that we offer. One is made with recyclable paper and compostable PLA lining to be more sustainable. The other bag is a sealed bag designed to uphold the degradation and oxidation of the coffee bean with the one-way valve. We wanted to include a zipper seal to give easy access so that the bag could be resealed. The zipper seal system prevents air, moisture, and dust from getting inside, keeping the beans fresh and retaining their original aroma and flavour. We use different labels that provide the roast level and origins of the beans.
RC: What are you roasting right now at Republica? Are any new coffees coming up for the season?
Team Republica: All coffee is roasted to order. We feature a different single estate coffee every month. This month's coffee is a medium roast Guatemala. (Hint, sign up for our mailing list, so you don't miss out on these features). We suggest keeping your eyes out for a new Papua New Guinea coffee launching soon!
RC: What makes the experience at Republica different from other coffee shops??
Team Republica: We supply our stores with freshly roasted coffee every day from our roastery located in Langley. We have an award-winning coffee beverage called the Aztec Mocha, which is our classic take on a chili chocolate beverage. The spicy flavour of our chili mix combined with aromatic dark chocolate makes for an exhilarating taste experience.
RC: Any tips that you would like to share for the homebrewers?
Team Republica: Invest in a good burr grinder and grind your coffee fresh right before brewing. Once your coffee is ground, it oxidizes rapidly, and you lose most of the aromatics that make your coffee taste and smell great.
RC: What are your (growth) plans for your company/business?
Team Republica: We are working hard to expand our storage for more green coffee and increase our roasting and packaging capacity to provide more quality coffee to local businesses and individual consumers.
Republica Coffee Roasters understand their social responsibility and do their bit in protecting the environment by providing their coffee in bio-degradable bags. They ensure only the finest quality of their coffee by roasting the beans themselves and meticulously cupping (testing) each batch. Republica Coffee Roasters is making a difference by creating more equitable coffee practices from origin to cup.
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