We made this wild new blend for our friends at Velo Domestique. Here’s the where, when and why…
We’ve known the guys at Velo Domestique since before they opened. We go way back. And bias aside, they know how to make a solid cup of coffee. Back when they first opened, they solely focussed on serving only filter coffee. Knocking out a mean Aeropress or v60 pourover as well as big batch brew. It was a killer concept.
We ended up helping them create a signature coffee called Whipskid, a favourite among many. But Velo has evolved, and they now possess a solid espresso game, serving up some of the finest flat whites in the area. So when they came to us looking to make a new blend, we knew we had to shift things up a bit.
Developing Velo’s new blend
This coffee had to taste banging as an espresso and longer milky drinks, but also needed to produce a perfectly well rounded cup when brewed as filter. We went through so many variations of coffee, not to mention blend ratios. All of which were blind taste tested several times. Eventually, we came to something that Dan from Velo was hyped on, and so the new blend was born.
Welcome to Cargo
Cargo is a blend of three coffees. A Brazil, a Guatemala, and an El Salvador. The Brazilian brings the cocoa base notes, the Guatemala brings the sweetness, and the El Salvador some acidity to brighten it all up.
Dan describes this coffee as having notes of toasted almonds, milk chocolate and Amaretti biscuits - and he’s bang on the money. That lovely biscuitiness is something really special, and is pronounced further when run through as an espresso.
But why the name cargo? “The cargo element is down to the fact cargo bikes are great,” explains Dan. “Everyone should ride one and it’s the basis of our longstanding friendship with Bad Hand when Joel and I first discussed the idea of delivering coffee by bike.
Dan has kept our cargo bike on the road since day one, a solid workhorse and a pleasure to use on deliveries. It’s kinda cool he’s named this coffee cargo in homage to this kind of bike that we’re starting to see more and more of. Obviously, if you have any bike stuff you need to know or geek out on, then nip down to Velo - order your coffee and get tasting cargo…
