Zimmah is a hidden gem that started as a specialty roaster that attracted so many people to the semi-industrial space the team decided to turn part of it into a cafe. Offering high grade coffees every day of the working week with a great range of blends and single origin coffees to both retail and wholesale clients, Zimmah is a part of the Hobart coffee story not to be missed.
Our Interview
Originally published 6 September 2019
This café and coffee wholesaler is tucked away at the end of a laneway off Murray St. If you didn’t know this place was here, you’d probably miss out, but we are here to tell you so you can enjoy!
The coffee artwork is the best we have ever seen, the coffee taste is incredible and the team is as down-to-earth as they come.
We got a tour of the café, lab and roasting facilities by Tim, who is the Green Bean Buyer (what a title)!
Tim’s story begins with a motorbike accident at the age of 27 where he was no longer able to do his job. He had a love for coffee and so decided to take a risk and to become a barista, working in some of Hobart’s most high-profile cafes.
‘Part of my role is to travel to the origin of the beans. I was just in Brazil visiting a number of farms’, tells Tim.
Tim’s role has a number of ‘hats’. He is in charge of the purchasing decisions for Zimmah, he is core to quality management and is all about sensory analysis, throughout his week he will do a number of samples and cuppings.
What comes through clearly when talking to Tim is the Zimmah commitment to ensuring they have a positive impact to the coffee community.
‘Historically the coffee industry was colonial and exploitive. We are changing this. My definition of buying socially-friendly coffee is that every step of the supply chain should be able to make a profit.’
‘Transparency with how everyone sources their beans is the future of the industry. The community is asking more questions on how a café’s purchasing decisions stack up’, tells Tim.
When Tim heads off to coffee farms, he is off assessing things like whether children are working on the farms, water use, how waste is treated and the use of pesticides.
As many of you know, the Hello Hobart team are passionate coffee lovers, but we were introduced to a whole different side to coffee flavour profiles with Tim.
Tim makes it clear though, he isn’t a coffee snob, even admitting he will try airport coffee when he travels. ‘Part of my job is to taste all coffees on the spectrum’, laughs Tim.
‘Coffee is complex. Coffee from Brazil will taste different from coffee in Ethiopia. There is also a huge amount of science in it, coffee is really where art and science come perfectly together.’
Tim is studying to become a Q Grader through the Speciality Coffee Association. This course is seriously intense with only a 25% success rate (we have our fingers crossed for Tim). Hello Hobart tried out one of the tests, the blind sensory identification, where you smell vials of scents to determine what it is – we did not get a single one right!
Zimmah coffee has names for their coffee, such as Tattooed Nun, Devil in the Deep and Dutch Courage – this team knows how to have fun with their products. They also do a discount for BYO cups.