Lippe

From our neighbouring country in the west, we're happy to announce Lippe from Oslo, Norway, as our October’s roaster!

Glad to have you back in our subscription! First time you were featured was about 18 months ago.

Great to hear! Glad to be back, cooperating with you and sharing our coffee with you all. :-)

What has happened since our last collaboration?

18 months, yes, well always lots going on, always tasting new coffees which has of course been made easier by receiving delivery of our Røst sample roaster which we’re very happy with. We have continued to strengthen our relationships with our suppliers, endeavoring to give back to the communities we buy coffee from as well as educating our customers about this and about how to get the best out of the coffees.

We have seen an increased awareness of our brand overseas which is always pleasant. It’s great to see and to hear how others outside of Norway react to our roasts. Something that we are very happy to confirm is that we now have the possibility to sell wholesale to EU customers with 0% customs duties which is a big help to those cafes out there who are looking for a supplier of premium Norwegian roasted coffee!

Further, 2018 is a special year for us as it is our 10th anniversary as a coffee roaster and our 20th anniversary as a company, two things that we are very proud of. The first 10 years we grew organically providing the market with coffee brewing equipment, machines and service, this growth was made ever easier thanks to the Rancilio Silvia which is also celebrating it’s 20th anniversary. A machine that has been close to us since our earliest days.

Is there any project you are working on right now that you are extra excited about?

Absolutely, we’re very pleased to say that over summer we confirmed our order of a brand new Loring roaster which will allow us to continue in our goals to be known as one of the leaders of specialty coffee in Norway. We expect to receive delivery and to install it early in 2019. We will hold onto our old roaster as it gives us the flexibility that we need.

What can we expect from this month’s coffees (La Esperanza, Uraga, Los Pirineos)?

Esperanza is a real fruit bomb. Big mouth feel, tastes of honey snaps and sweet citrus. Uraga is a beautiful example of a Guji from very high altitudes. We have taken coffee from this producer (Israel Degfa) a number of times over the years and we’re always very happy with their coffees. We find tastes of strawberry jam, tropical fruits and herbs. Los Pirineos is the coffee we chose for this year’s Nordic Barista Cup, a standout honey processed pacamara with a beautiful acidity and sweetness with tastes of ripe stone fruits, prune juice, nougat and chocolate. We were lucky enough to meet the producer of this coffee, Gilberto Baraona, during the event and can only confirm that he is a very knowledgeable and fun guy to be around.

How would you recommend brewing them?

Pour over, aeropress…we have also experimented with the Pirineos on espresso but at a slightly different roast degree

Looking ahead, what can we expect from Lippe in the future?

More of the same that has put us where we are now, providing the market with some of Norway’s best tasting and best value specialty coffees.

Thank you Lippe for providing us with delicious coffee for October!

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LIPPE

For the month of May we visit our neighbour in the west, Norway. This month's roastery is Lippe. We had a chat with founder Alexander.

What’s the story behind Lippe and where does the name Lippe come from?

It is the family name of the founders of the company  (Alexander and Pia Von der Lippe)

You’ve been in the coffee business for quite some time, how has the Oslo coffee scene changed since you started?

Our company was initially established in 1998 and we have been roasting and marketing coffee under the Lippe brand name since 2007 so we have of course seen a lot of changes and have proudly worked with many great local and international personalities over the years.

During that time we have grown steadily and have seen Oslo’s coffee scene go from strength to strength so much so that many now, throughout the world, look to the Norwegian/Scandinavian light-roast style as a benchmark in specialty coffee roasting. Besides this we have seen cafes right across Oslo and Norway embracing specialty coffee. It’s great to see specialty coffee now reach such a larger audience.

What is your best coffee experience? Do you have a favourite cup of coffee that you can’t forget about? 

One coffee that stands out in Pia and Alexander’s minds are those produced by Brazil’s Heimen Coffee. Harvested at around 2000masl.

What is the best part about working with coffee?

Not wanting to sound cliché but offering a product that we are passionate about, working with this product in an industry that is constantly evolving, improving and progressing is always exciting.

What is the vision for Lippe, where will you be in 5/10 years?

5-10 years is a lot of time in specialty coffee but, we plan to be here at the forefront of the specialty roasting scene in Scandinavia. We will be roasting some of our favourite coffees, offering them to an even larger international audience. In the short-term we have many exciting things coming up, including a pop-up cafe with our friends Mobil Kaffebar in a hidden inner-city garden which will have table tennis, boules, badminton, lots of fun and great hot and cold coffee. We are also preparing to launch our own bottled cold brew coffee for the summer, we have a new webshop in the works and we are looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary next year. 

Have you got a favourite brewing recipe?

Right now we are most enjoying cold brewed Gathaiti and Fabian Zarama! 

Many of our members will try your coffee for the very first time. What can they expect?

The Fabian Zarama microlot from Colombia, the Gathaiti AA and the Mbrizi from Burundi are all outstanding coffees we really hope that your subscribers will like the coffees! They will be experiencing the true Norwegian taste of lightly roasted coffee which think lets the coffee taste its best. It allows the complex and fruity flavours of these truly special coffees to stand out. We would recommend brewing at around 65-70g per liter.

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