The magic of coffee at Terbodore Coffee Roasters

Hidden in what seems like a small cottage on Franchshoek’s Goederust Farm, is the tiniest roaster I may have ever seen. This little roasting heaven belongs to Terbodore Coffee Roasters, and the fresh smells of the perfect quality beans from all over the world coupled with the aroma of a great brew are really too good to resist.

Started in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in 2004, Terbodore Coffee Roasters have grown in scale and have become a prominent figure in the artisan coffee scene in South Africa. With their signature Great Dane logo and sketchy typeface, it’s an iconic coffee brand that has a beautiful story and team behind it.

Stopping in at the Cape Winelands roasters, our group had the chance to meet the master roaster, Jomo. He detailed the way in which the beans are selected for the various blends available from Terbodore, showed us the very slight differences which are significant to a roaster but invisible to the average person (in other words me). And then the roasting process began. Firing up the roaster is serious business: the temperatures need to be so exact and the colour of the beans throughout the process are monitored as their shades darken from an almost olive green through to a dark, chocolatey brown.

When the steaming beans are released from their baking chamber, there’s an instant, almost organic, smell that reminded me of soil and caramel all at once. The colour on the beans is absolutely gorgeous and of course, it’s all followed up with a coffee of your choice. It was a warm day in Franschhoek so I opted for the iced coffee. The simple illustrated charts on the counters in the roaster help you decide what you really want, and it’s also the place to pick up something tasty for the coffee lover in your life!

My #MeetSouthAfrica trip was courtesy of South African Tourism. As with all my posts, editorial control remains with me.