The owner of a small family coffee roastery in Kroměříž – Josef Hora, is known by all his customers as a perpetually positive coffee expert who is always happy to advise and help with the selection and preparation of a delicious drink. In addition to his passion for his profession, Mr. Hora is also an enthusiastic traveler who did not hesitate to set out to discover the roots of his trade. How did the journeys for the taste and aroma of coffee go, discovering the secrets of growing and roasting on his "coffee trail", which coffees are in, and how can you enjoy them? We asked all this in our interview.
Traveling for coffee is probably different from classic traveling. What motivated you to take the trip and how would you characterize it?
It was definitely a desire for knowledge, to set out to the places where our everyday story begins. I have been running a coffee roastery since 2013 and perhaps from the very first day, it was my great wish to visit one of the plantations and be "there" right from the start. I mostly travel light without preparation and always solve things only when they need to be solved. Sometimes it might be a bit of a disadvantage and this way of traveling is definitely not for everyone. On the other hand, it is the right kind of adventure, during which you get to know not only the given country but also yourself.
Which countries have you already visited as part of your "coffee trail"?
There aren't many truly coffee-producing countries yet – from the growing ones, de facto only India. This April, it was supposed to be Kenya as well. But as we all know, by April, no one was traveling anywhere due to the coronavirus pandemic.
You share your travel experiences from India with the public through a vlog and travel lectures. What does the audience find most interesting at the lecture?
At every such talk, I always ask if the listeners want it to be more about coffee or more about India. In most cases, it turns into an endless discussion that sometimes lasts over 3 hours, and various topics come up. However, the most questions always concern life in India and the local food. Anyone who has ever tasted Indian cuisine will never forget it. :-)
TIP: Are you interested in the vlog and want to learn more about coffee and the trip to India? You can watch the continuation HERE.
In what spirit are your other journeys for the taste of coffee usually carried out? Where have you liked it the most so far?
I enjoy every trip. Whether I set out to visit partners in Brno, for contracts in Hamburg or Antwerp, or for coffee workshops in Berlin. I drive more than 40,000 km a year by car alone, and until now I have also been lucky that there were always some flight trips associated with that car. Perhaps on every trip, you meet interesting people, taste some good food, and if there is also a cup of good coffee to go with it, then it certainly has no flaws.
Thanks to that diversity, it is probably impossible to say where I liked it the most, but the trip to India was incredibly enriching. And then I definitely cannot praise visits to London enough. For the last four years, I have been heading there every November and over 3–4 days I visit countless cafes and some roasteries. London is an amazing city and the coffee culture there is experiencing an incredible boom. Without exaggeration, it can be said that what you discover there in the autumn will arrive here during the following year.
Where is coffee grown and what is its tradition here in Europe?
Coffee is grown in the equatorial belt area around the perimeter of our entire planet. In total, it involves more than 50 countries of the world. When someone tells you that the best coffee is Italian or Dutch, they always mean the method of its preparation, not the origin of the bean. Some coffee trees mature for even 14 months and coffee cherries must not freeze. This clearly excludes all European countries from places suitable for growing coffee. Every now and then someone tries to grow a coffee tree in our latitudes, however, on a larger scale, no one has succeeded so far.
The domain of Europeans thus remains "only" preparation and consumption itself. Here, however, the tradition is already truly great. The first mentions of coffee preparation in Europe date back to the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and I must say that over those hundreds of years, we have brought coffee drinking almost to perfection. The fact that coffee is drunk a lot will probably not surprise anyone, but the fact that coffee is the 2nd most traded commodity in the world (right after oil) is known to only a few so far.
How and in whose head was the idea to establish and run a coffee roastery and e-shop with coffee actually born?
As it often happens, this was also a matter of a moment. My family and I operated an Oxalis franchise, and with the growth of coffee culture here, more demanding requirements came from customers that could not be satisfied just like that. At first, I approached a trading company from Brno. From the very beginning, however, it was clear that we would be under their thumb here too, and getting even just 1 kg of specific coffee would not be easy at all.
One summer evening, I was sitting with my friend Aleš from Ostrava by the grill and explaining the current situation to him. Aleš is a great coffee lover, and so he just casually suggested that we should make our own roastery. In my mind, I smiled at the thought and said something to the effect of "this probably won't work". But when Aleš called me two weeks later to say that my former business partner – Mr. Plšek – was finishing with roasting in Šenov near Havířov, where I come from, I didn't hesitate for a second.
I remember that we met Aleš at his door and went through the entire operation in a few minutes. We got acquainted with the basic technology, which was already quite old and also very worn out, but given my budget and knowledge, there wasn't much of a choice. Intensive training followed, and days full of trial and error. However, Mr. Plšek had a lot of patience with me, and so after a few weeks, we arrived at the first coffee that was prepared for sale in our little shop.
How does a true coffee lover like you travel? Do you bring your own coffee with you or do you not miss the opportunity to taste?
The only thing I bring with me is my own cup. I drink 3 to 4 cups a day and I really like to taste and compare. I always look forward to that. I am of the opinion that there is no such thing as bad coffee. There is only coffee that I don't like. I have already drunk coffees of various tastes and various forms, but it has never happened to me that I didn't finish the coffee or put it aside saying it couldn't be drunk. There is always a reason to have a coffee and it doesn't matter at all whether it's at a gas station, in a bistro at the airport, or in a fancy establishment for which you don't even have suitable clothing.
Could you remember any cafe or establishment where they served you the tastiest cup of coffee?
Definitely in Turkey. Two years ago, I was with a colleague in Izmir to choose a new roasting machine. Immediately after landing, our guide took us to a breakfast restaurant where I tasted real Turkish coffee for the first time. I will never forget that incredibly strong, incredibly bitter, and yet insanely sweet coffee. That day we then drank about six more of them. Such coffee can also be prepared here, after all, a cezve is already a part of many Czech households. However, none of our attempts ever came even close to what we tasted in Turkey back then.
On the fb of the roastery and e-shop, I came across a photo of a coffee (holy) stand, with which you set out to provide refreshments at cultural events. Do you have any favorites that you look forward to every year?
Well, this year it all got a bit complicated for us. After two hard months, we are heading this Saturday, May 16th to this year's first farmers' market here in Kroměříž. Otherwise, we travel with coffee to various celebrations and music festivals. I especially like those very much. The combination of coffee and good music is a luxurious thing that I enjoy incredibly. I believe that after a musically "poor" summer, a distinct and colorful autumn will come, and that we will all hopefully enjoy that culture even this year.
Do you have any recipe for how to combine drinking excellent coffee and being environmentally friendly in practice?
We "dedicated" the entire year 2019 to ecology, when we introduced popular "reusable cups", launched zero-waste, replaced classic paper cups with plastic lids with completely degradable and fully compostable cups. Likewise, we also replaced plastic straws and dishes with wooden ones. People who bring their own cup to any of our operations get a discount on coffee, which in the long run also saves them a considerable amount of money.
TIP: If you would like to enjoy excellent coffee at home or in the office, an ecological solution is also coffee machine rental. With a minimum purchase of 2 kg of coffee per month, the Kroměříž roastery offers the possibility of renting a coffee machine for only 1 CZK.
Does the system of returnable cups help reduce the production of waste from disposable cups that cannot be recycled? Is there interest in the Otoč kelímek service?
The interest is great. I think people are approaching social responsibility more and more, and that is only good. Every saved cup counts. I am not some stubborn environmental activist, but if we don't value our planet more, one day it will all add up against us.
According to your experience, how do ordinary Czechs handle coffee preparation? What mistakes do we make most often in the process?
We Czechs are an incredibly skilled nation and there is probably nothing in the world that we couldn't do. Just look at the recent past and the sewing of face masks. I think everyone knows someone who sewed at least one. It's similar with coffee. We like to enjoy it and we are not afraid to experiment. Filters and moka pots are coming to the fore, opening up new horizons and tastes.
I don't think we make mistakes in preparation. However, the problem is often time. Because everyone is busy and constantly rushing somewhere, they neglect the most important aspects of human life, which include the fact that we should love ourselves. And when we love ourselves, we spoil ourselves, play, and enjoy those little things (including coffee) that make our day better.
"Turkish coffee" might have had its day... What other types of coffee preparation exist that you would recommend?
Turkish? So "Czech Turkish"? That will be here long after us. There is hardly a day that goes by without someone coming to the roastery to have a "Turkish". And these are not just people of an older generation. Students are among them too.
There are currently a huge number of preparation types. If we ignore the already commonly widespread espresso, then perhaps the easiest and most used is the French press. Then follow various types of filters such as V60, Chemex, or dripper. The moka pot and the increasingly popular Aeropress have also earned their place in Czech kitchens.
In your e-shop, you currently offer 42 coffees. Which coffee or form of preparation is your favorite?
As part of constant self-improvement, I try to drink everything we roast. But I don't always succeed, as we roast daily and there are really a lot of types of coffee. However, I enjoy Cuban Serano Lavado, Indonesia green, or Indian Malabar the most. As for preparation, I like to alternate between lungo and americano.
Do you still have any unfulfilled dreams? Where would you still like to go (whether for coffee or on your own initiative)?
Oh my, there are so many!? As a child, I dreamed of China, now, given my other great passion – American football – it is New York and Cleveland. But all of that will have to wait for some time now. And as for coffee, besides Kenya, I would like to go to Indonesia and at least once more to India. The five days spent there, without exaggeration, changed my view of life.
Thank you very much for your time and conversation. We keep our fingers crossed that your wishes come true and that you succeed in bringing back more amazing coffees and experiences from your travels.
Josef Hora
Owner of a small family roastery, whose driving force is not only coffee from all corners of the world, but also passion and enthusiasm for American football, nature, discovery, and travel.
"With humility, coffee, and a smile, everything goes better."
Source of photos: Facebook and the website of the Kroměříž Coffee Roastery, pexels.com
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