Hornsby’s coffee connoisseur
IF THERE is one thing Lance Witham knows, it’s coffee. From his roastery in Hornsby, Witham has been supplying homes and cafes with the best beans for decades.
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IF THERE is one thing Lance Witham knows, it’s coffee.
He was born onto a coffee farm in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and inherited his parents’ passion for the bean.
After finishing school, he joined his dad’s coffee trading business but eventually decided to move into roasting.
He opened his own company, Witham’s Coffee, in 1994 in Waverton and more than 20 years later he remains as passionate as ever about coffee.
The business, which moved to Hornsby in 2010, offers 21 single origins and 10 blends, including its best selling Super Mocha.
They also work with a number of cafes and restaurants to create custom blends, and deliver their freshly roasted coffee across the country.
At their home on Salisbury Rd, customers can watch coffee being roasted, buy a range of coffee tools and gadgets, and try the coffee of the day from the onsite cafe.
“We sort of liken it to a cellar door,” Witham said.
It is a haven for coffee fans, offering barista training, coffee machine repairs and demonstrations.
Witham’s Coffee is open at 5 Salisbury Rd, Hornsby, on weekdays from 7.30am until 4pm and Saturdays from 8am until noon.
COFFEE TIPS
FLAVOUR: Coffee is named according to its geographical location, and tastes vary by region. Even within the regions, each province will have different flavours, so it’s worth experimenting with a few to see what flavour profiles you enjoy and remembering the area it came from.
PREPARATION: Different coffee blends suit different types of coffee making. Do you prefer a milky latte, or a short black? Will you be using an espresso machine, or a drip filter? Check that the coffee beans you are buying are suited to the type of brew you want to make.
BUYING: Witham says to buy “as little as possible as often as possible”. Look for whole beans that have been roasted that day, and try to consume it within three weeks of the roast date. “Coffee will never go off, it just loses its aromatics,” Witham said.
STORING: Store the beans immediately in the freezer, which will help slow the oxidation process. The freezer’s temperatures are more stable than the fridge, which is usually opened more often than the freezer. “Any type of cooling will help the longevity of the coffee,” Witham said. Grind the beans immediately before brewing.