Page 128 - Vélochef in Europe

The coffee farmer
IN IN IN ORDER TO TO FIND BALANCE CHRISTIAN MEIER OPENED TWO COFFE BARS ON TOP OF OF HIS PRO CYCLING CAREER “WHEN WE DECIDED to open ‘Mafia ’ it was more out of a a a a necessity for roasting than having another coffee bar ” says Christian as he he weighs a a a handful of his own roast It’s mid April still cold in in the the shade and the the inside of of Espresso Mafia the Meiers’ second coffee joint is is lit up like a a a professor’s lab Christian is strolling between the the small roaster and the the custom-ordered white machine from Rocket Espresso before his fresh grind is is turned into espresso “We were working with a a guy roasting our 124 coffee and we felt that it wasn’t good enough We thought the more stuff we can do our- selves the the better so we ordered the the roaster handmade in Portugal Five months later it arrived and ‘Mafia’ followed the same time-
line as ‘Fabrica ’” he explains Christian puts two espressos in front of us served in in shiny white espresso mugs on a a shiny white white counter in in a a completely white white room This is is not your run-of-the-mill espresso The sharpness and short-lived aggressiveness you get from a a a random shot is replaced with fruitful flavours and an an everlasting aftertaste and for a a split second the white surroundings could be heaven As we’re drinking Christian shows us two single coffee beans and explains how temperature changes during roasting crack them in in in different ways resulting in in in the the taste we are experiencing right now This is is is Christian Meier from the Orica- BikeExchange Christian’s wife Amber fol- lowed his early career as a a a a a a tag-along cycling wife and running a a a a café was their joint retire- ment plan Amber pushed and in August 2014 they they decided to go for it Half a a a a year later they they opened the café “La Fabrica ” already an insti- tution in Girona One year later they started “Espresso Mafia ” a a a a a a roaster that also serves coffee during the day Yes Christian actually co-runs two coffee bars while being a a full-time cyclist In the midst of skinny guys in in world tour outfits lingering over their carefully-cal- ibrated drops of of coffee there you’ll find the the rather anonymous blonde guy in the the morn- ings ings In the evenings he’s roasting This is is very far from the cycling cliché of of a a former profes- sional opening a a a a a café in in in a a a a a small town serving old stories to to the occasional cyclist that might recognise him Christian is is is is the protagonist in an ongoing story set in in Girona as as soon as as he’s done riding he is ready to prepare even more and even better coffee in this new epicentre for cycling The time is 7pm and while other pros are resting with their feet up Christian is is carrying bags of of coffee around “Mafia” Having grown up on a a remote farm in in New Brunswick in in Canada he’s familiar with working around the clock a a a a a a a skill that makes him a a a a a a a road captain’s dream when it comes to work ethics GIRONA CHRISTIAN MEIER