This is a guest post by Willem Boot. Willem is a roasting consultant and trainer and founder of Boot Coffee Campus in San Rafael, California. He is also one of the Giesen Ambassadors. 

Introducing Aharon Coffee, a stylish, quality minded and joyful coffee roasting café in the heart of Beverly Hills in sunny Southern California.

Aharon in Panama

I got to know Aharon Vaknin during a memorable car ride from Panama City to the town of Boquete in the tropical country of Panama. Aharon was close to opening his roastery café while participating in one of our coffee courses in this tropical coffee walhalla.

During our journey we enjoyed hours of great conversation about the essence of life and about the intricacies of coffee. Not only did Aharon taste for the first time in his life the memorable Panama Geisha but he also became extremely curious about a Giesen coffee roaster for his new business.

Our experiences in Panama laid the foundation for a precious friendship. While preparing for the opening of his new business, Aharon visited our campus for frequent, weekly roasting sessions to become familiar with the various features of Giesen's coffee roasting technology.

Aharon Coffee Shop Opens in Beverly Hills

Aharon Coffee opened in 2014 and soon after, his brand new roasting machine was delivered and installed. Since then, he succeeded in building a prominent presence in this prestigious community near Los Angeles. Some call him the "Walter White of specialty coffee", due to his precise dedication to craft the perfect cup of coffee.

Despite the onset of the recent pandemic, Aharon has maintained a steady philosophy about roasting and marketing his portfolio of top-quality organic coffees. Aharon explains; "Our whole bean program has one core objective: share the joy of coffee by connecting our clientele to the flavor of the roasted beans".

The Aharon Coffee Philosophy

During one of my visits to Aharon Coffee, I could notice the laid back vibe of Aharon Coffee; quite different from the bustling atmosphere of the posh neighborhood surrounding the store. Aharon explains his coffee roasting philosophy as a tailor made approach that pays tribute to the characteristics of each coffee bean. "The final part of the roast, from the 6th to the 9th minute, is most crucial; that's where the key flavor notes are developed". "I also observe the right charge temperature and I maintain the optimal rate of rise for each of our bean types."

Aharon specifically mentions how he likes the consistency of his Giesen W6A; "it's an awesome machine", he concludes. The roasting machine at Aharon Coffee is installed inside the café in a quiet area where the roastmaster (Aharon himself) can fully concentrate on the job at hand. To significantly reduce the impact of smoke and odors, he installed a VortX EcoFilter.

Aharon's business results are impressive; despite the setbacks of the pandemic, he managed to realize an impressive growth in whole bean sales. Before every roast Aharon blesses his coffee beans through a brief meditation which features his favorite mantra "for the joy of coffee". I observed him doing it more than once and I sincerely believe how such subtle rituals can make a difference.

Cheers!!

Willem Boot

Visit www.bootcoffee.com.