How did Uncommon come to be and who makes up Uncommon? 

Uncommon was founded by Claye, Josh & Nina. Claye is from Australia, Josh is from the UK and Nina is from The Netherlands. We all at some point had travelled to South and Central America before starting uncommon and saw the amount of energy and work that goes into producing coffee. When arriving in The Netherlands we started working  in the industry. We saw a disconnect between farmers and consumers and wanted to make those connections possible.

What is Uncommon purpose/mission ?

Every coffee has its own uncommon story—its own unique microclimate, variety, altitude, and processing methods. We travel to origin every year to uncover these stories; to find out more about each individual farm so we can spotlight their distinctive flavours when we roast.

Central to our ethos is building close relationships with the people who produce our coffee. In our quest to learn more about our producers and their land, we have also witnessed countless instances of crop disease, unpredictable rainfall, and price fluctuations. More importantly, we’ve seen the exceptional accomplishments, bravery, and creativity that our producers and their communities show in the face of such complex environmental and socio-economic challenges.

We have the privilege to share these untold stories with you; stories that are as rich and diverse as the terrain from which the coffee cherries grow. We’re excited for you to be part of this ongoing journey—each cup is a homage to the legends behind these remarkable and uncommon coffees.

Hot take: How would you describe the coffee scene in Ireland?  Overrated or underrated and why? 

Underrated I would say, considering how small Ireland is, there are a lot of great roasters and cafes popping up!

BEST coffee you ever had…where?

I have tasted so many beautiful coffees lately, cupping at the Colombian cup of Excellence was a treat. Before that 90+ scoring Guatemala’s from Finca Gascon. We cup so much incredible stuff nowadays and am I’m very thankful, but it’s hard to pin the best ever. However the best coffee experience I have ever had is the one that made me change my opinion on coffee and really want to dive deeper. Anaerobic naturals and experimental processing wasn’t a thing back then, but I can imagine that would twist some heads nowadays! Back then I think many baristas really got into coffee when they tasted their first Ethiopia natural. For me I was in Melbourne and had a washed Rwanda espresso. It blew me away with its juicy red fruit profile and changed my whole perspective of coffee. I wanted to know so much more then, and the endless rabbit whole began! Varieties, processes, terroir, etc I was full immersed from that point on! 

What's one thing about Uncommon that most people don't know? 

Each year we travel to origin and meet our producers. Our first trip to Myanmar, Hopong Long Hay was incredible. We recently sponsored Khun from Hopong to visit Komal and Akshay in Coorg, India to make a plan on how best to upgrade his farms in a regenerative and genetically smart way.

What do you want to change most about the coffee industry?

The appreciation of the cup. In wine people have so much respect for the producers and are prepared to spend. It’s a treat and a special thing. Whilst in coffee it’s a bit more of an every day beverage with a pretty low price tag when you think about it. The industry is definitely progressing but I hope more and more people see coffee for being a high end product like it was back in the day!

What's your favourite way to brew and why?  

A classic pour over. For me it just expresses the cup profile the best.

What is your favourite processing method at the moment? 

Anaerobic washed - You get all this sweetness without the heavy fermentation notes. Clean, sweet and crisp! What more could you want!