Terrible office coffee wasn’t the sole reason Tom Nemeth left the corporate finance world.
But it was the reason he started roasting his own coffee using green or raw beans he bought from a supplier in California, at first using just a simple popcorn air popper before moving up to more expensive equipment.
“Roasting is fun,” he says. “From that little bean, we turn it into something that’s got all kinds of flavor.”
He started Fig Leaf Coffee Co. in Chesterland in 2015, buying green coffee beans directly from farms in Africa and Central and South America, roasting them and selling them to thirsty Clevelanders. But he also wants to wake people up to the same love of DIY coffee that inspired him. So he sets aside unroasted beans from the 23 varieties he carries in his store (many of which are single-origin and fair trade) for people to buy and roast at home ($6-$8 per pound).
Whether it’s a lighter, fruitier coffee from Ethiopia, or Guatemalan beans that taste bolder and more chocolatey, Nemeth says the idea of taking time to create something yourself is exciting and rewarding.
“There’s a lot of people out there that really enjoy spending 10 or 12 minutes by themselves,” he says. “When I roast, it’s my time.”
12628 Chillicothe Road, Chesterland, 216-645-6167, figleafcoffeecompany.com
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Best Of CLE: Roast-Your-Own Coffee
Seriously, put the K-Cups down, step away from the break room sludge and indulge in Fig Leaf Coffee Co.'s green coffee beans.
