Ahead of the upcoming edition of The Mindful Coffee Tasting Experience during this year's festival we sit down with Keen Coffee’s head roaster Roderick Schouten and barista trainer Tristan Meulenbelt, who will be guiding the multi-sensory and meditative coffee tasting experience.

Can you tell us about Keen Coffee, what you do and your ethos?
“Keen Coffee is a micro-roastery based in Utrecht. In a world full of bitter, (too) dark roasted coffee, our curiosity drives us to discover exciting flavours again and again. Every season we buy the very best coffee beans directly from individual farmers, who we pay a good and fair price to share their treasures with us. We roast each bean as minimally as possible so that you can taste the exact GPS coordinates of its origin with every sip. That's also why we never sell blends.” 

What made Keen Coffee decide to get involved with The Mindful Coffee Tasting Experience?
“In our role as travel guides and part-time coffee scientists, we are here to take you on an unexpected taste adventure with every cup. Our coffee beans are not the final destination, but your road map; an invitation to begin your specialty coffee discovery journey.”

Why is it so important to take a mindful approach to coffee?
“There is a big difference between drinking and tasting coffee. That's about attention. With focused attention you will experience coffee in a completely different way and you can taste the varied layering of the taste notes much better.”

How do you create a mindful coffee routine at home?
“By taking the time to prepare specialty coffees, you can easily get into a more mindful spirit. This is possible with the careful preparation of an espresso, but certainly by gently pouring filter coffee, you automatically come into a calm state of mind.”

Which coffees have you selected for this year's Mindful Coffee Tasting Experience and what made you pick them?
“We’ve chosen to bring one of our old time favourite coffees, Wolichu Wachu. This coffee is named after the washing station in the Ethiopian Guij region. It’s a natural processed medium bodied, but still clean coffee, that starts with strong notes of strawberry and finishes with a subtle hint of orange and a bergamot aroma. At times we have even found notes of grapefruit and pineapple, making it an interesting espresso and filter coffee to explore during The Mindful Coffee Tasting Experience.”

READ MORE ABOUT THE MINDFUL COFFEE TASTING EXPERIENCE.