My name Mauro Laruffa, the owner of Specialty Cafètiere, and this is my coffee story. Originally from Italy, Mauro has grown up with the coffee community.
In the 1960s, his Uncle bought a roastery to produce coffee for espresso blends used by baristas. From that, the family business was born, sparking Mauro’s own passion for coffee. In later life, Mauro came to London after finishing university to explore the London coffee market; he wanted to share his coffee passion not just in Italy. 5 and a half years later, Specialty Cafetiere was born.
A coffee community moment that stands out the most for Mauro was the 2015 Expo in Milan, which he says was an important opportunity, as he was able to make coffee for the Chinese Embassy. Thinking back further, Mauro distinctly remembers his first cup of good coffee, in a London cafe called Prufrock Coffee. He says that it was there that he realised that coffee shops are not about the shop’s furniture and appearance, but are about the people and the coffee: “I still remember the flavours” – a fresh blackcurrant taste from Kenya that was both sweet and sour at the same time. He liked the flavour so much that blackcurrant became his favourite fruit.
Running a coffee business requires a lot of day-to-day hard work, dedication, and commitment when it comes to quality and consistency. Mauro says that he checks every single batch of coffee they roast – from his coffee, you will never get a bad experience. Experience Mauro’s coffee for yourself; Mauro is currently offering a 20% discount on his French press and a free bag of coffee as part of an upcoming Zoom event we are running with Specialty Cafetiere.
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic was a real challenge for Mauro and his business; it halted meetings, research, and of course, trips to Italy and to the roastery. But Mauro got through the pandemic and even found success amongst the challenges. He gained 4 new customers – restaurants that had managed to stay open.
As an Italian, Moka is the traditional way of brewing coffee at home; the moka pot in the Specialty Cafetiere logo represents Mauro’s Italian roots to remind him of his traditional coffee culture. However, his favourite brewing method nowadays is the V60.
In talking about his favourite part of his job, Mauro says… “I am really passionate about latte art… it is something that puts people in touch with coffee. As soon as I start training people in latte art, I see that they are happy to learn, so that is the passion that I transfer to them.”
When he is not producing or drinking coffee, Mauro’s other hobbies include football and food – particularly sushi or London street food. Before the pandemic, Mauro would regularly visit small cafes, takeaways, or anywhere new. However, coffee will always remain his number one passion due to how cyclical it is; we feed each other with our passion for coffee. Mauro hopes that his son will share this; he says,
“the most important thing is that he will drink good coffee”.
Mauro and his team
Mauro likes to think that he hasn’t yet achieved the thing he is the most proud of, although as it goes, opening Specialty Cafetiere has to be the best thing yet. Success for him is being recognised as an owner, a founder of a coffee business. Success is earning the trust of coffee lovers, and the fact that people trust in your palate, your senses, and your work.
Next time when you are in London, remember to visit Mauro and have a great cup of coffee together.
To give back to the coffee community and help beginning homebrewers #brewathome with ease, Mauro wants to provide a SPECIAL OFFER FOR NEW HOMEBREWERS, use promote code brewathome_2020 for 20% discount for all coffees, French Press/Barista cafetiere, Bialetti Moka Induction, and the super NEW ARRIVAL “Tanzania Obsidian”.
All orders of French Press and Moka Pot come with the super tasting package:
50g Ethiopia 🇪🇹,
50g Brazil 🇧🇷, and
50g New Arrival Tanzania 🇹🇿 and
a cupping spoon 🥄
Now you have a chance to get a whole new Barista cafetiere and/or Bialetti Moka Pod with 20% discount, and Free Tasting samples that roasted by Mauro himself. What is more? Next Saturday (Sep 12) at 11 am London time, we will organize another zoom party and learn how to use French press to make tasty coffee together. ⠀
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