I this episode we learn about the art of roasting coffee beans from Matt Steffans and Brice Ward who are are co-owners of 81301 Coffee House and Easy Coffee Roasters.

Four Corners Arts Forum

Join me in this episode as we learn about the art of roasting coffee beans and making coffee “from seed to cup”. Brice Ward and Matt Steffans are co-owners of 81301 Coffee House and Easy Coffee Roasters located on North Main Avenue in Durango. Matt and Brice bought the business in July 2022 although they’ve worked together for 6 years. Matt is the head roaster working in back while Brice is the face you will come to know as you walk into the Coffee House. To roast perfect coffee it is important to control the temperature, time and airflow optimally for producing the best taste for each blend. They source their beans from many different countries in Central America as well as Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa. Spending time in Costa Rica with their importer/exporter gave them the chance learn about the growing process and the harvesting of the beans. They hope to be able to bring some of their employees as well to the coffee farms in the future to fully educate them on the process. The roasting is done in the back of the coffee house where you can see “how the gravy gets made”. Coffee is a daily ritual for so many people and 81301 is a community gathering place where you can still get a cup of drip coffee for $2. They’ll limit their retail business to one location but their wholesale coffee business is where they plan to grow. It’s been a successful journey so far with a lot of hard work and dedication but as they would say “you just need to show up and good things happen”.

Visit their website at www.81301coffee.com