Ready to level up your internet? Check your address below.
Eric Palumbo grew up in Utah where he played professional violin for the ballet orchestra in Salt Lake City. In 2011, he moved to Telluride to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a ski bum. However, by the time 2013 rolled around, he was ready for something new. He moved to Ridgway, and a year later bought the iconic Cimarron Books and Coffee House.
Eric admitted that when he first purchased Cimarron the only thing he knew about coffee was that he liked it. So, he immediately dove into learning as much as he could about how to make the best cup of coffee. He spent countless days sampling coffee, searching for the desirable subtleties of a bright and fruity cup of java. To this day, discovering new flavor profiles and varietals from regions around the world is still one of his favorite things to do. In 2014, he started crafting his roasting skills in his tool shed, and by 2015 he was opening a second location on Grand Ave., in Montrose.
Eric confided that roasting is only a small part of making a good cup of coffee. The most important thing is sourcing the best coffee beans.
Like wine, the origin of the beans has as much to do with the final product as it does in wine making. Most coffee is a blend of what is growing in the fields, so the earth, water, weather, and processing have a lot to do with the end product.
When it comes to processing there are two ways. The first thing you need to know is that coffee beans are actually the seed of a fruit that looks like a cherry. Step one is processing that fruit. One way to process it is to separate the fruit from the seed entirely after soaking in water, then wash and dry. The second way, which Eric prefers, lends to a more natural flavor. This simplified processing lays the harvest out, skin, fruit, bean and all, in the sun to dry like a raisin. This approach allows the coffee bean to ferment in its own juices and imparts a much bigger flavor. When you consider that coffee boasts three times the amount of flavor and aromatics as wine, you can appreciate how this more natural approach could lead to a tastier cup of joe.
When asked about Fair Trade and Organic coffees, Eric laid some interesting facts on us. First, Eric stated, “Fair Trade and organic are a moot point in a good cup of coffee because Fair Trade is only available to coffee co-ops and therefore small farmers are unavailable to participate”. Eric believes that it is not possible to grow a good cup of coffee using unsustainable agricultural practices. Eric stated, “You can’t make good coffee with bad practices”. This garbage in, garbage out approach to coffee makes total sense when you think of the flavor and aromatics imparted from its growing environment.
All of Eric's hard work has really been paying off. Eric’s Ridgway location has been making quite a splash in the Colorado coffee roasting world. Eric’s Ridgway roaster, Sara Doehrman, is lighting up the “Colorado Coffee World” taking the Silver Medal at the Cherry Roast Denver 2018. Medaling with Denver and Boulder coffee shops is no small feat!
Delicious, quality coffee is not the only thing Cimarron Coffee Roasters has to offer. Dad’s Patchwork Farms are responsible for their baked deliciousness and the best breakfast burritos around. Plus, now they have Elevate high-speed fiber internet! Fuel up on a breakfast burrito and a Nitro coffee, then hang out with some friends or get some work done. Cimarron Roasters is open Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In line with Eric’s love for discovering new coffees, he hosts a Cupping Table every other Saturday for the community to come in and discover the characteristics of a great cup of coffee. Check out the Cupping Table schedule here- http://bit.ly/2QDmwRJ or here http://bit.ly/2Eepqqh.
In the summers, Eric and his coffee stand can be found around the Western Slope at places like the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival and the Telluride Ride Festival.
When Eric looks to the future, he looks to expand his wholesale operation as well as his online sales. Good thing he’s got a wicked-fast Elevate fiber connection to get all his worldwide business deals done. So next time you need a delicious cup-of-joe, a comfortable setting, and a lightning fast connection head on over to Cimarron Coffee Roasters in Montrose, complete with all the Elevate internet bandwidth you could ever need.
.jpg)
