Meet the coffee connoisseur at Trading Post Coffee Roasters

It is something which Tom Curatolo, head roaster and head of coffee at Trading Post Coffee Roasters, knows all about.

“I come from a family of roasters, my father was one and my brother is one so it is something I have grown up with,” he said.

The business was founded by Michael Deol, when the first Trading Post Coffee Roasters was opened on Ship Street, Brighton in 2017.

The Chichester branch opened in South Street in 2021.

Tom said: “We knew there was a great coffee culture in Chichester, as we had a lot of wholesale customers here.

“When the space became available we set up the coffee shop and put in the roaster so we could roast and blend our own coffee but also still supply our wholesale customers, as we believe it is best fresh.”

The coffee beans are roasted on site. The cycle takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and they roast onsite two to three days a week with about three to 10 cycles a day with each cycle producing 6kg of coffee.

As well as selling hot drinks the shop also sells bags of coffee beans, from single origin beans to different blends.

Tom said:  “You have to get the right blend. We try and keep the variety blends simple so we have a base concept and then we build the flavour profile around that.”

Its espresso blend has three varieties of bean but its Black Pearl has five.

“There is a lot of trial and error, a lot of tasting. But there are a lot of things that can change the flavour - the weather, how they keep the beans, how the beans are transported,” he explained.

“There is a lot of experimentation with blends. If there is a bean with a lot of body you will match it with a bean that has a lot of flavour so you get a strong body and strong flavour. It is about blending to get the best aspects out of the coffee.”

Beans are sourced from Asia, the Pan Pacific, Africa and South Africa.

The green beans go into the roaster and the intensity of the heat brings out the particular beans unique qualities which can be a strong aroma or a fruity flavour.

Tom also reveals that coffee beans never go bad and can last for years, but be warned the taste will decrease the longer you have them.

“The beans will still taste good after six months but we recommend you have the coffee within a month, that’s why we have a roasting date as it is up to the person to brew their coffee the way they like.”

Trading Post Coffee Roasters has shops in Brighton, Lewes, and Chichester.

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