Paul Griffiths, Director of Coffee - Clifton Coffee

If you didn’t know, our delicious Finca El Corozo is sourced in collaboration with Clifton Coffee, who also roast our coffee (to perfection!). We have a wonderful relationship with Clifton and Paul, the director of coffee, and we’ve been on many origin trips with them - visiting our farmer in El Salvador and touring farms and processing facilities.

Clifton Coffee offers a wide range of products and services. Of course, they have their own coffees, stocked in many coffee shops across England and Wales. If you haven’t tried their limited edition coffees yet, you’re missing out! [See here]. They also offer roasting, training, SCA courses, wholesale services, and so much more.

We asked Paul to share a bit about himself and Clifton Coffee:

When did you first join Clifton Coffee, and what does your current role involve?
“I joined in 2016. I'm the Director of Coffee here at Clifton. I oversee our coffee programme and new product projects too. It mainly involves green coffee buying, product development, roast QC, along with developing our direct sourcing relationships. ”

Can you tell us how you first got into coffee? What drew you to the industry?
“I initially got into coffee when I was a computer technician at Apple. Long or early repair shifts meant drinking a lot of bad coffee. Then I discovered coffees from Hasbean and James Gourmet, started brewing V60s and Aeropress at home, and I just loved nerding out over brew parameters.”

We love asking this to our baristas: What’s a common coffee myth you believed before joining the industry?
“I used to think that coffee just 1–2 days off roast was best. Once I got into the industry, I quickly learned that with many coffees, the more rest the better! Especially with complex processing methods today, I advise at least three weeks of rest.”

Clifton Coffee offers everything from wholesale and limited edition coffees to training and roasting. What’s your favourite part of the business and why?
“I really love selecting and discovering new coffees for our customers. It reminds me why I got into coffee in the first place.”

Clifton Coffee has become a B-Corp, which is an incredible achievement. What motivated this decision?
“We wanted to align ourselves with other businesses that take sustainability seriously. It’s one of the only certifications that measures sustainability in a multifaceted way and makes the information easy to access for consumers.”

We’ve shared some amazing origin trips to El Salvador. What do you love most about visiting origin, and is there a coffee-producing country you haven’t been to yet but would love to explore?
“I enjoy learning from producers. Many of them have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I love observing their growing and farming practices. I haven’t visited Africa yet, but I’d specifically love to go to Kenya.”

Is there a particular coffee origin or country that excites you at the moment?
“I’m really enjoying Peruvian coffee right now. It has a diverse flavour profile, and there are some amazing producers experimenting with really interesting processing methods.”

Finally, what’s your favourite way to drink coffee at home?
“I usually brew a small batch with a Wilfa Precision brewer—45g coffee to 765g water. It’s super consistent, and I share it with my wife most mornings! We’ve also been camping a lot recently, and I’ve been loving our new instant sachets—it’s great not having to carry all my equipment.”

Massive thank you to Paul & Clifton Coffee!